First Days
Page 28
“I said be still, Miss Sang. You can talk if you want, but don’t move.”
“You might want to listen to him, Miss Sorenson,” said the disembodied voice of Dr. Philip Roberts. I’d met him briefly before they chased me into the MRI room. He was from the Academy, I knew, with white hair and age-spotted cheeks. He was Dr. Green’s mentor and supervisor for Dr. Green’s internship and residency. I liked him immediately. “If you move, it takes longer. We might have to start over.”
“It’s cold,” I said, shivering.
Kota’s voice cut through. “Didn’t you wear shorts and that pink shirt to school today?”
I blinked, and worried if blinking counted as moving. “Yes.”
“Why’d you take those off? They didn’t have any metal. You could have worn them. It probably would have been a little warmer than the gown.”
My mouth popped open. “Luke!”
There was snickering in the background from both Luke and Gabriel.
“I hate you both right now,” I said.
“Oy, Trouble. You’ve got to have the full hospital experience.”
“Yeah, Sang,” Luke said. “Rite of passage.”
I grumbled. Earlier, it sounded reasonable when they told me I just had to put the gown on. After all, I was in a hospital and about to go into a very large machine. Medical dramas on television always showed people in the gowns. I’d never been to the doctor before. How was I supposed to know?
Victor’s sweet baritone voice sounded through the speakers. “Do you want a blanket?”
“She can’t have one now,” Kota said. “She’s in the middle of the MRI.”
“We can start it over,” Victor said. “She said she’s cold.”
“She’s tough. She can take it. Can’t you, Sang?”
I sighed. “Maybe.” I knew I could, I just wanted to grumble. It distracted me from the loud machine and moving parts around me. They were kind of scary.
“This machine costs an arm and a leg just to push the ‘go’ button,” Dr. Roberts said.
“I’ll pay for it,” Victor said.
“We’re already started,” Kota said. “Let her finish. She’ll be fine.”
There was a softly spoken protest from Victor but he quieted.
I swallowed back my complaints. I thought of North and Silas, who were probably getting ready for football practice out in ninety degree weather. They’d probably love to relax in a cool room right now.
Nathan spoke, “Your ankle doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“No worse than usual,” I said, although his question caused me to focus on my foot. After Friday Fall and I’d jumped from the second floor to the first, I’d ended up with what Dr. Green thought at first was a sprained ankle. It’s been a couple of weeks and I was still limping, despite applying ice packs and the boys’ berating me to sit down and rest it. I couldn’t hide my pain walking through school and Dr. Green insisted on bringing me in for an MRI, since the first X-ray didn’t show a broken bone.
“Give me a few more minutes,” Dr. Roberts said. “We’ll find out what’s bothering you.”
“It’s probably nothing,” I insisted, like I’d done for weeks. “If it isn’t broken, there isn’t much else that will fix it besides resting it, right?”
“Will you let us doctors do the doctoring here, please?” Dr. Roberts said. “She’s a miss smarty-pants, isn’t she?”
Gabriel chuckled. “If I hadn’t already nicknamed her Trouble, I probably would have gone with Smart Ass. Or Pretty Ass. I can’t decide.”
“Ugh,” I said, grateful the MRI machine was hiding my blushing.
T he A cademy
Friends vs. Family
Year One
Book Three
Coming soon from
Arcato Publishing
ABOUT C. L. STONE
Certification
Marvelour of Wonder
Active Participant of Scary Situations
Official Member of F.A.M.E.
Experience
Spent an extraordinary number of years with absolutely no control over the capping of imagination, fun, and curiosity. Willingly takes part in impossible problems only to come up with the most ludicrous solution. Due to unfortunate circumstances, will no longer experience feeling on a small spot on my left calf.
Skills
Secret Keeper | Occasion Riser | Barefoot Walker Strange Acceptance | Magic Maker | Restless Reckless | Gravity Defiant | Fairy Tale Reader | Story Maker-Upper | Amusingly Baffled | Comprehensive Curiousness | Usually Unbelievable