by Joy Redmond
“Okay,” Carnikko said with relief.
A few minutes later, the family said their goodbyes and said they’d be back soon.
“Bye,” Carnikko said faintly as they left. She was suddenly very tired, her eyes were heavy, her mouth was dry, and she wanted water. Before she was able to call out, she was sound asleep.
Chapter Twenty
Carnikko awoke to a strange squeaking sound. She looked toward the door and saw Dr. Coleman coming into the room, followed by two men pushing a metal bed of some sort with high rails on the ends and rails on both sides. They were all dressed in white.
“Is it mornin' already?” Carnikko asked, thinking she had just closed her eyes.
“It’s morning,” Dr. Coleman replied cheerfully, “and we’re going to get started on fixing your legs.”
He gently lifted Carnikko into his arms while the other two men pushed the metal contraption under her. As the doctor gently lowered her onto the strange thing, Carnikko was concerned. It looked like they were putting her in a cage.
The orderlies carefully slipped her left leg through a sling attached to a pulley above the end railing, and then adjusted it as quickly and gently as possible. Even so, sharp pains suddenly shot from Carnikko’s hip all the way to her toes.
“Stop!” she screamed, but they didn’t seem to hear and kept working. “Stop it, ya hear me? Are you deaf?” Carnikko screamed louder. But they continued.
Finally, Dr. Coleman said, “The weights are pulling her body down and there isn’t enough tension on the bones. Get me a draw sheet.”
One of the orderlies left, and returned shortly with a draw sheet. Dr. Coleman twisted, folded, and tightly tucked the sheet under Carnikko’s armpits and then tied it to the head railing.
Wiping sweat from his bald head, he said, “I’m sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I have to get you put back together, and this is the only way to do it.” He pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped his brow. “I’ll have Nurse Marty give you another shot for the pain.”
Carnikko just glared at him and said, “I hate you, ya four-eyed jackass!”
Dr. Coleman jumped as if he’d just been slapped. “Young lady, that kind of talk will not be tolerated!” he said sharply.Shaking his head, he mumbled, “Nurse Marty can deal with you now.”
A short time later, Nurse Marty came in. She wiped Carnikko’s face with a damp cloth, saying, “There, there, honey. It’ll be okay. I’ll give you a shot and you’ll stop hurting. By tomorrow, your body will be used to all this and it won’t hurt anymore. I promise.”
Carnikko wiped her tears and said, “Them men acted like deaf idiots. So did Dr. Coleman. I kept tellin' them to stop, but they just kept at it. What’s wrong with ꞌem anyway?”
“Now, now, calm down,” said Nurse Marty. “The shot will stop the pain.”
Carnikko just nodded. She’d believe it when it happened.
Nurse Marty gave Carnikko the shot and stayed until Carnikko’s eyes began to flutter. Then she patted her little head and said, “Sleep well, sweetie. It’s going to get better. You’ll see.”
For several weeks, Carnikko’s leg remained in a sling and the draw sheet stayed under her armpits. Every day, she had asked the nurses about Mama and Evan. “Is Doctor Coleman workin' to make them good as new? Is he doin' stuff to ꞌem like he did me and makin' ꞌem hurt?”
Every nurse said the same thing, “You stop worrying about them, honey. They’re fine and in no pain. I promise you.”
Carnikko would always say, “Well, they might be fine and not hurtin' but I miss ‘em and I wanna see ‘em . Do they ask about me? Do they wanna see me?” as tears filled her eyes.
The nurses would answer, “Yes, they miss you too. They’re glad that you’re getting fixed. They send their love.”
Knowing Mama and Evan weren’t hurting made Carnikko’s pain easier to bear.
Then one morning, Dr. Coleman came into the room and announced, “No more being tethered like a horse, sweetie. Today we’re going to cut your leg loose.”
Just as he was about to give two orderlies the go-a-head, Grandma and Grandpa walked into the room.
“Hi, Grandma. Grandpa. Did you stop to see Mama and Evan?” Carnikko asked.
Grandpa said, “No, honey. We stopped to see you first.”
Grandma smiled and nodded.
“Well, these men are gonna cut me loose, so you go on and visit with Mama and Evan, and I’ll see ya later.”
Doctor Coleman said, “She’s right. You need to leave until we get this job done.”
Grandma and Grandpa told her goodbye and said they’d see her later.
As the two orderlies took down the pulley and weights, Carnikko’s body went into spasms. She screamed at Dr. Coleman, “You better not act like you can’t hear me this time. You and them mean men just made me hurt all over again.”
Dr. Coleman said calmly, “Don’t worry, sweetie. Nurse Marty will be here in a minute and give you a shot, but after this one, you can’t have any more. Now, listen to me. Tomorrow, we’re going to take you to a big room where I’m going to do some more work on your legs, but you won’t feel a thing because we’ll give you something that will make you drowsy, so you’ll sleep right through the whole thing. Trust me, honey. You won’t be in any pain. Okay?”
“Okay,” Carnikko answered. She had learned that it did no good to raise a fuss anyway, because they would do whatever they wanted to do. Instead, she asked, “Can I have some of that ice cream now?” wondering if the offer was still good after all that time.
“Sure. What flavor would you like?”
“Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.”
“I’ll order it for you right now,” said Dr. Coleman, smiling broadly.
As the doctor left, Nurse Marty came into the room, swabbed Carnikko’s thigh with a cotton ball, and gave her the injection.
“Where’s my ice cream?” Carnikko asked, wondering why Nurse Marty didn’t bring it with her.
“It’ll be here in a minute, sweetie. I called the cafeteria and ordered it for you,” Nurse Marty said as she pulled the sheet and blanket around Carnikko’s body.
Before the ice cream arrived, Aunt Lou and Uncle Carl came for a visit. Carnikko’s eyes were heavy and her mouth was dry. “I need a drink,” she whispered.
Aunt Lou held a glass and pushed a straw into Carnikko’s mouth. She sipped the cool water, then nestled her head on the pillow, floating into peaceful sleep.
When she awoke, Aunt Lou and Uncle Carl were gone. Then she heard strange noises, like hard footsteps ricocheting around the bare, gray walls. She was alone and frightened. Then she heard the door squeak.
Two men dressed in white trousers and white shirts entered the room pushing a gurney.
“Ready to go for a ride?” asked the shorter of the two, smiling. “We’re going get your legs all fixed—and fix everything else that might need fixing too.”
“I’m not supposed to get fixed until tomorrow, and I ain’t leaving this room until I get my ice cream,” Carnikko said firmly. “And Grandma and Grandpa are coming back to see me. I’m waitin' right here for ꞌem.” She crossed her arms over her chest as if they would anchor her to the bed.
The tall one shook his head and said, “Honey, it is tomorrow. You can have ice cream later. And your grandparents will come to see you later.” He stood on one side of the bed while the shorter man stood on the other side. They took hold of the draw sheet under the middle of Carnikko’s body, and lifted her out of bed and gently placed her on the gurney. Then they pushed her down a long hallway and into a big room with bright lights hanging from the ceiling.
Carnikko eyes darted around the room. Everyone was wearing what looked like pajamas and they had masks over their faces. There was a strange smell to the room. Her mind raced, her heart pounded, and her mouth was dry. A woman was placing shiny metal tools on a tray. Some of them looked like long, silver knives, and some looked like huge screws.
Carnikko tried to resist, “You crazy jackasses! Turn me loose!”
Another man took her wrist and said firmly, “Please! We don’t put up with that kind of behavior in here. You’re just making things worse and causing yourself unnecessary pain.”
Carnikko looked up at the bespectacled man and said, “Get me off this table, ya four-eyed jackass jerk!”
A woman wearing a mask walked to Carnikko’s side, her eyes cold as steel, and said, “My, my. We have a potty mouth, don’t we?” She clucked her tongue like an old hen. “Now you listen. You have to keep your arms and legs in the restraints. It’s for your own good, so stop calling people ugly names. Shame on you!”
Carnikko gave the woman a cold glare of her own and growled, “You floozy. You Jezebel!”
“Okay, Sam. Let’s get this one out fast,” the woman said.
Suddenly another man began to put drops into Carnikko’s eyes and smeared greasy stuff over her entire face. Finally, he placed a mask over her nose. A moment later, a horrible smell filled her nostrils, making her choke and cough.
Then it sounded as if someone was beating a large gong inside her head as she felt herself sliding down a long dark tunnel. Then she saw a huge red ball sailing like a falling star toward her face. Before it reached her, the ball exploded, making tiny sparkles dance in front of her eyes. Then the sound of the gong began to fade until it sounded as if someone was dropping dimes into a metal tray.
The next thing she felt was someone gently tapping on her cheeks. She heard a woman’s voice saying gently, “Carnikko. Wake up, honey.”
Carnikko opened her heavy eyelids and turned her head, trying to figure out her whereabouts. She was out of the room with the bright lights and she didn’t see anybody with a mask on, but who was this woman? Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden churning in her stomach. The woman quickly slipped a steel basin under Carnikko’s mouth just as she began to vomit.
When she was finally done, Carnikko managed to say, “I think I puked up my toenails.” But before she could even lay her head back on the pillow, the vomiting started again.
When the vomiting spasm was over, the nurse wiped Carnikko’s face with a damp cloth. “There, there, honey, you’re going to be alright. That should be the worst of it.”
“Daddy used to say he puked up his toenails after he drunk too much whiskey,” Carnikko explained. “He really likes whiskey, and Mama gets mad at 'im for it.”
“Yeah, my daddy liked whiskey too, and my mama always got mad at him,” the nurse said softly, wiping Carnikko’s face again.
The nurse had a sweet smile, brown eyes, and blonde hair—the color Mama said came from a bleach bottle. She wasn’t wearing a mask or pajamas, so Carnikko figured she wasn’t one of the mean people she had met in the big room with the bright lights.
“That puke tasted just like that horrible smell when they tried to kill me back there,” Carnikko said flatly. “They was tryinꞌ to choke me to death.”
“Oh, sweetheart, nobody was trying to kill you,” the nurse said sweetly. “The stuff they gave you was ether. It just put you to sleep so you wouldn’t feel any pain while they operated on you.”
Carnikko gasped, “They operated on me? They didn’t cut off my legs, did they?”
The nurse patted Carnikko’s hand and said, “No, no. Calm down, sweetheart. Nobody cut off your legs. They worked to make your legs better, and nobody will know anything ever happened if you don’t point out the scars. That’s how small they’ll be.”
Carnikko started to heave again, but nothing came up. “I never want ether again as long as I live! I can’t stand the taste, and my throat is burnin'.”
The nurse gave Carnikko a glass filled with ice chips, which she munched on until the glass was empty. Then Carnikko announced, “My stomach feels better now, but I’m tired.”
“If you don’t throw up for another thirty minutes, I’ll give you a Co’Cola,” Nurse said as she looked into the child’s eyes and smiled.
“What’s a Co’Cola?” Carnikko asked.
“A soda pop, honey. Haven’t you ever had one?”
“Nah, I don’t guess so,” Carnikko answered.
“Then you’re in for the treat of your life!” Nurse said. “There’s nothing better than a Co’Cola to take a bad taste out of your mouth and get you in a happy mood.
Carnikko looked at the nurse and smiled as she sank back down onto her pillow. Before she drifted off to sleep, the nurse asked, “Would you like to see what Dr. Coleman made for you?”
Carnikko opened her sleepy eyes, but when she rose up onto her elbows, she was surprised at what she saw when the nurse pulled back the covers. Her body was encased in a cast beginning at her waist and going down both legs to the tips of her toes.
“That stupid doctor! How am I gonna pee? How am I gonna pooh-pooh? He sealed me up. I hate that sum—” She didn’t finish the bad word. She didn’t think it would be right to say a nasty word in front of a nice nurse.
“You’re not all sealed in, honey,” the nurse said with a smile. “He left a hole down there for that. When you need to pee or do something else, someone will help put you on a bedpan so you can do your business.” The nurse then replaced the covers, stood, and said, “If you’d like, I’ll get your Co’Cola.”
A few minutes later, she returned with an eight-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola. Carnikko thanked her, held the bottle to her mouth, and swallowed some of the cold liquid. It was delicious—unlike anything she’d ever tasted. As she lowered the bottle, a loud burp erupted from her mouth.
“Excuse me,” Carnikko said, slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t know I was gonna do that.”
As the nurse laughed, Carnikko continued to drink, and then burped again. “Boy, that was good. Can I have another one? Co’Cola is better than store-bought milk or the Kool-Aid I had at Vacation Bible School.”
The nurse said, “Well, I can’t give you another one right now. First, we have to make sure that one will stay down. If it does, you can have one when you get back to your room—and do you know what else? You can get into a wheelchair now that you have your body cast. That means you can get out of your room. How about that?”
“Boy, oh, boy. That means I can go see Mama and Evan!”
Before the nurse could reply, an orderly stuck his head through the door and asked, “How’s she doing? Is she ready to go?”
“She’s ready,” the nurse replied, giving Carnikko a wink.
“Okay,” said the orderly. “I’ve got to bring another patient to recovery, but Jim will be here shortly to take her back.”
In a few seconds, another young man walked into the room, and said cheerfully, “Hey, little lady. Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah,” Carnikko said as he lifted her off the bed and placed her on a gurney.
“Bye, sweetheart,” the nurse said. “I’ll come and see you later.”
“Bye,” Carnikko said, waving as Jim pushed her out the door. Then she added, “And don’t forget my Co’Cola!”
Jim pushed the gurney so fast Carnikko could feel a slight breeze blow on her face. “Can we stop and see Mama and Evan on the way back?” she asked. “Which room are they in?”
Jim didn’t answer, he just her kept pushing, then did a quick turn into room seven, aligned the gurney with the bed, lifted Carnikko, and gently placed her into a regular hospital bed. She was glad to see the metal cage was gone.
“I wanna see Mama and Evan! Which room are they in?”
“I’m sorry, little lady,” Jim said. “You’ll have to ask an aide about that.”
“Well, you coulda slowed down and maybe I coulda figured it out, you harebrained heathen!” she yelled as Jim left the room.
She grabbed the black buzzer pinned to the pillowcase, pushed the silver button in the middle, and didn’t let up until an aide popped
her head through the door and asked, “My goodness, sweetheart, what do you need? You don’t have to push that thing non-stop. One little push is enough.”
“I wanna see my mama and little brother,” Carnikko demanded. “What room are they in?”
“I don’t know, honey. This is my first day on this ward, but I’ll go find out for you. Don’t get yourself all worked up right after your surgery.”
“Okay,” Carnikko said. “Oh, and I need ya to get me a wheelchair too.”
“I’ll get you a wheelchair after I find out what room they’re in. I’ll be right back,” the aide said, smiling.
Carnikko lowered her head onto the soft pillow and cried, “Mama, here I come! Evan, get ready for a big hug. I’m gonna kiss yer faces off.” She was so excited that she could barely breathe. It seemed like a year since she’d seen Mama and Evan—or Don and Lee.
Carnikko wondered how big Evan was. She wondered if Mama had missed her as much as she’d missed Mama. She also wondered why Daddy hadn’t come back to see them. “He just ain’t the same daddy he used to be back before he took up with that no-good whore,” she mumbled. “And what’s takin' that danged aide so long?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Carnikko squirmed, shifting the top half of her body, and was amazed at how well she could maneuver in her cast. She squeezed her hands, then spread them wide. She had to get them limber so she could push the wheelchair down the hall, burst through the door, and yell, “Hi, Mama! Hi, Evan! I love ya this much.”
It seemed as if it was taking an eternity for an aide to return with a wheelchair, so she grabbed the buzzer, pushed the button in the center, and held it firmly. “The aide can fuss if she wants to. I don’t care,” she mumbled.
Finally, she heard the door creak, saw it open, and she craned her neck, expecting to see a wheelchair coming through the door. Instead, she saw Aunt Lou and Aunt Bell.
Carnikko was surprised, but she said excitedly, “The aide’s gone to get me a wheelchair. I’m gonna go see Mama and Evan. Ya wanna come with me?” Aunt Lou looked toward the ceiling and sighed as Carnikko continued, “Well, do you wanna come or not?”
