Hospital

Preparations

Everything looked promising. My whole class was going to this camp, even though it wasn't a school trip. It was the middle of summer break and the heat was unbearable.

The day before the trip, Kamila and I went shopping. We had to buy a few essentials that we wanted to take with us. Kamila is my best friend. She recently started attending our middle school. She's in the same class as me; we even sit at the same desk.

I couldn't imagine the camp without her. Since March, the moment we found out we had a chance to go, we'd agreed that we'd both go.

We'd just walked into a youth clothing store. We wanted to buy two identical T-shirts. The store was large, had recently been renovated, and had brought in a lot of new clothes, so we had plenty to choose from.

I love shopping, so I was picky and kept trying on different T-shirts. Kamila looked back and forth between me and the T-shirts I tried on, and she liked almost every one of them. But not all of them suited me, so I finally stopped asking her for advice. She didn't care; she simply started browsing through raincoats.

I decided on the T-shirt with the heart. Kamila, as you might expect, liked it and bought the same one. Now we were going to the shoe store, because it was time for new, comfortable sandals. We paid and headed out. I was already on the stairs when Kamila suddenly called out to me. I was about to turn around when I suddenly tripped and fell downstairs.

I lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a white ceiling, equally white walls, and large windows. And this could only remind me of a hospital. I'd been in the hospital once before, when they suspected I had kidney disease, but fortunately, the diagnosis was wrong. But now? But how did I get here? What am I doing here? And what happened?

I tried to sit up, but as soon as I got up a little, my head felt like it was pounding with pain. I gave up. I felt my head, checking for any dressings. I didn't. Phew! If I did, they could have cut off the hair where the wound was, and then I wouldn't have had the courage to look in the mirror.

But if I didn't have any dressings, then why am I here? Surely it wasn't because I fainted?

Everything became clear when I tried to move my legs. "No, not this!" I thought despairingly. When I tried to touch my left leg, something hard stopped me. I lifted the blanket. A cast!

I wanted to cry. No more camp! So many plans, so many preparations! And it was all because of Kamila. I was angry with her. Why on earth had she called me? If she hadn't, I would have been going to camp with everyone else tomorrow, healthy.

Oh yeah? All I have left is a cast, and it's only for my thigh! You can't even sit properly in this thing! Let alone walk.

I think I would have completely broken down if it weren't for the nurse who came to me.

"Well, you're finally awake," she said, placing some syringes on the shelf. I hope not to me.

"Could I know what happened?" I asked her.

"You fell down the stairs and broke your leg in two places, and you hit your head pretty hard on the banister. You fell really badly.

" "How long will I be here?" I asked.

"That depends on the doctor. But definitely for about two days," she said, taking my hand. "Now I'll put a catheter on you so I don't have to poke you with every painkiller dose.

" "But why do I need that? My leg doesn't hurt," I tried to comfort myself.

"Because you got an intravenous injection while you were sleeping," she replied, showing me a small dot on my hand.

She finally left, and I stared at the weflon for a while. Hmm, I don't like the color blue. Next time, I'll have to ask the nurse if they have any others, because I'd definitely ask for a green one... I saw one in a German movie. The main character was admitted to the hospital, and that's what she wore.

Once I'd come to terms with my fate, I started looking around. When I was first in the hospital, I was in a different, much larger room with six beds. And here, besides mine, there was only one bed.

A guy was lying, or rather sitting, on it. I think he was my age or so. Poor guy, he had both legs in casts. Even worse than me. Although the camp...

I was interrupted by the doctor who had just entered the room. He was a tall, young man with a funny haircut.

"So, Norbert, how are you? Do you like your new roommate?" he said cheerfully, then turned to me.

"Well, how are you feeling now? Do you have a headache?

" "Headache," I corrected. I didn't like it when someone made me look smaller, even if it was just my head.

"Okay, my head's fine," he said.

"It doesn't hurt yet." I admitted. "You put a nice shoe on me. Just a little too big and not very comfortable. May I know when I can get rid of it?"

"In a few years, maybe they'll make some more comfortable ones..." he continued. "But for now, you'll have to wear this one for about six weeks.

" "How long?!!" I couldn't contain my astonishment. Six weeks with this cast... gosh, I think I'll go crazy...

" "You'd better rest," he said. I think he was afraid I'd faint in front of him. "You're still weak," he added. After giving his sister something, he left the room with a cheerful, "That's it for now. Hang in there!"

A good doctor, I thought. Not the kind you see every day. I changed my mind a bit when a moment later my sister brought him and... connected my IV. I quickly added in my mind, "Except he's terribly thorough. Despite everything." I was glad I had such a good doctor.

I don't even know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up, it was slowly getting dark outside. It must have been around eight. When I opened my eyes, I noticed the boy, Norbert, watching me, but when he noticed I was waking up, he looked away towards the window (he was lucky, he slept next to the window). I became concerned. Was I dirty? Maybe I got dirty when I fell? I thought, terrified. I'd always been obsessed with hygiene, so even the slightest dirt was repulsive to me.

I didn't have a mirror, and after a moment, I realized I didn't have a watch either. Of course, they took that away from me, too. But I was still uneasy. I even considered calling the nurse and asking her for a mirror, but decided against it. Nurses aren't servants, after all.

What if I asked Norbert? Ugh, no. Stupid idea; he'd laugh at me. I felt a little sad. I was bored, and time seemed to drag on. What if I just talked to Norbert? But about what?

My stomach gave me the idea. Well, I hadn't eaten anything today except breakfast.

"Has dinner already?" I finally asked.

"Yes," he replied, not even looking at me.

I was a little annoyed by his behavior. I was about to say something to him when the nurse came in. Phew! At least she'd be talking to the point.

"I'm terribly hungry. Could I get some dinner?

" "I'll ask the doctor," she said, taking off my IV. That's when I remembered about the IV.

"No," the nurse laughed. "Remember, a hospital is a hospital, not some fashion show!" But who

knows, maybe someday they'll be here too...' she added hopefully and left.

Then she brought me orange juice and two yogurts. 'Well, well,' I thought, 'at least they have good food in this hospital!' But when I shared this thought with the nurse, she replied,

'This isn't hospital food. Your parents brought it to you.

' 'Where are they?' I asked. 'Why didn't they come to me?

' 'The doctor ordered you to rest...

' 'But I didn't come here for rest. If it weren't for that damn cast, I'd be going to camp tomorrow. And so...' I couldn't help myself. I noticed Norbert was interested in our conversation.

'Calm down,' she said. 'You were sleeping when they came. There was no point in waking you. And when you woke up, visiting hours were over,' she concluded and left.

I frowned.

'Roommate.'

"Well, well, well! You've got nerve," he said for the first time in about five hours (at least while I was conscious). "You're slacking off the doctor, you're shouting at the nurse...

" "You have to demand your rights," I said. "A hospital isn't a prison, we shouldn't have to suffer here. It's even better in prison, because they allow visitors!" I added after a moment's thought.

Norbert muttered something under his breath, turned his head the other way, and seemed to have fallen asleep. As soon as I ate the yogurt, I lay down too and immediately fell asleep. I woke up thinking that one more day and I'd be home. Although... I should be at camp. The sadness returned...

To keep myself from despairing, I started watching the orderly mopping the floor. Not a particularly interesting job, but I don't know; is there anything more interesting than that?

" "How many rooms are there in this ward?" I asked her.

"There'll be about fifteen. It's a large ward.

" "So you mop fifteen corridors every day, right?"

She nodded in confirmation. "Oh my god!" "I thought, even if I were to beg on the street, I'd never be a housekeeper! Not even prisoners have so much to do in a single day (if they even have any duties there). The housekeeper finished washing up and disappeared from my sight.

"Do you know what time visitors are allowed here? I won't sleep a wink all day, no matter what.

Anyway, tell me. Was my sister really here to check on me when my parents came?" I asked the boy.

"She was," he replied. "And as for visiting hours, I don't know.

" "Too bad," I said. "Well, what am I supposed to do now?" I didn't have anything with me, not a Walkman; not even a book, although, to be honest, I don't really like reading.

Even that Norbert is hard to get along with. He just stares out the window. It's also a bit hard to believe he doesn't know visiting hours. Someone definitely comes to see him, so he should know what time, because I noticed he was wearing a watch.

" "What time?" I asked him.

"Half past eight."

"Oh yes," I thought, "we were supposed to leave for camp by bus at eight. And here I am, with my leg in a cast..." I felt terribly sad. While my class spends two wonderful weeks at camp, I'll be sitting on the couch, or worse yet, in the hospital, with my leg in a cast. Why did this have to happen to me? Why is fate so unfair?"

My thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of the doctor—the jolly one, as I'd mentally called him.

"How are my little patients doing?" he asked, cheerful as always.

"Excuse me, please call me 'little'." I hate it when someone belittles me," I said firmly. "I'm five feet six and fifteen years old. So I'm just a patient, no 'little'."

The doctor was astonished to hear my words. I don't think anyone had ever interrupted him like I was now. Everyone in the room (a nurse had also arrived) looked at me in surprise. Even Norbert stopped observing the scenery outside the window and instead looked from me to the doctor, waiting for what would happen next. But there was no further comment, as the doctor resumed his daily routine and then left without a word. He even forgot to say, "That's it for now. Hang in there!" "

If you keep rambling like that, you'll see they'll definitely discharge you tomorrow. With a patient like you, no doctor or nurse can stand it any longer," Norbert said.

"I won't tolerate that kind of talk," I replied. "This doctor treats me like I'm a five-year-old, not a fifteen-year-old. Doesn't he even look at my records? Surely there must be something written there?"

Norbert must have given up, or agreed, because he didn't say anything else about it. Encouraged by the fact that he was finally starting to talk like a human being, I found another topic of conversation.

"Have you been here long?

" "Four days.

" "That long?" I couldn't hide my surprise.

"Long? Have you ever been in the hospital before? Four days is nothing. I'll probably be here for another two weeks.

" "And how do you know how long you'll be here? I don't believe they'd keep you here this long for a simple fracture. You'll see, you'll definitely leave with me.

" "No, I'm not here for a simple fracture," he replied. "Who knows if I'll ever be able to walk normally again...

" "I don't understand..."

Norbert fell silent for a moment. He was probably wondering whether to tell me what had happened to him, leaving both legs in casts (fortunately, only his feet; he could move his knees).

"I didn't break my leg like most of us," he began. "It's all because of that damn accident. I came here to Szczecin to see my uncle, who's a mechanic. I helped him a bit with his work. And that's where the tragedy happened." That day, we were tinkering with the little one. My uncle had a special device that meant we didn't have to get under the car; it just lifted the little one. When we finished, my uncle went to pull the little one back downstairs. I didn't know about it…" He didn't finish, because the doctor entered the room. "

Gosh," I wondered, "do doctors always have to interrupt at the most important moment?" And it was the same, jolly doctor. He was full of humor again. This time, he came to take Norbert for some tests. I shuddered. I hated all tests, but I couldn't avoid them either, because I was taken for an X-ray or something. I didn't understand.

When I arrived, I had guests. Yes, I thought, when you want some peace and quiet, someone's always bothering you, but when we need company or some entertainment, it's quiet and we're bored.

I didn't say much during this visit. Mom told me about the news I'd missed. I was most interested in the news about Kamila.

"When you fell and fainted, Kamila got so scared that for a moment she didn't realize what had happened. When she found out you'd broken your leg and were in the hospital, she didn't want to go to camp. Her parents wouldn't agree; everything was already arranged and paid for.

" "So she went?

" "Yes. She was here with you yesterday, but you were asleep and...

" "Oh no!" I almost screamed. "What am I here for? For your leg or your head?" and then I repeated to her what I'd told Norbert. "Exactly, where is he?" I looked at the next bed. Empty. He's definitely still undergoing tests. But let's get back to the topic. So I told her what I thought about the hospital and that I'd rather be in prison, because at least you can have visitors there.

"With the prosecutor's permission," Dad said, "he was a lawyer by profession and knew a lot more about these kinds of things than I do—besides, you don't have such a comfortable bed and friendly staff like here.

" "So what?" I asked, turning away because they'd just brought Norbert in. "We're not bringing this up again."

"Oh," Mom remembered something, "I brought you your cell phone. If you want, you can talk to Kamila, because she took hers and is waiting for your call.

Great," I thought, "now I won't be bored." Strange, but my anger at Kamila has subsided. After all, it's still the next summer vacation.

When they left, I noticed Norbert had fallen asleep. They must have really worn him out with those tests. I called Kamila right away.

"Hi, it's Marlena," I said when she answered.

"Marlena? Finally! It's good that you're calling. I'm terribly sorry about the accident. I hope you're not too upset with me...

" "Pity?" I pretended not to understand... "Why? That you went? I would have done the same if I were you. Besides, I know you didn't want to go.

" "Because it's true. But you know how parents are... And what are you doing? Is it boring there?

" "So-so. The first day was terrible, but it's better now. There's this nice guy here, he broke both his legs. Only now do I realize how lucky I was. And how was camp? Do I have anything to regret?

" "No. Terrible weather. And besides, it's a bit boring. We're not doing anything yet, but maybe tomorrow... I'll tell you. Next time. When are you leaving?

" "Maybe tomorrow, but I'm not sure. My leg hurts terribly...

" "I understand... It's a shame I can't be there with you and have to sit here at a boring camp. It might be better with you, but yeah..."

"We'll go next year.

" "I'll hold you to your word.

" "Okay. Well, bye then! Call me tomorrow.

" "Okay. Take care. Bye!"

I hadn't even noticed Norbert had woken up. It was good, actually, he was supposed to tell me the whole story. Before I could ask him to tell me, however, he started the conversation first.

"Don't be offended; but I heard your conversation. It's hard not to when you're in the same room.

" "Oh, well!" I said. "We weren't talking about any conspiracy or murder, so we could testify... It was just a friendly conversation.

" "I know." He laughed. "So your name is Marlena? Nice name. I have a cousin named Norbert too.

" "And I have a cousin named Norbert," I joked. "But you haven't told me the whole story. Will you?

" "And where did I end up?"

"You said your uncle went to get the little one out of that, well... out of that...

" "Oh." You mean that trailer?

"Exactly. Then it happened that you didn't know about it...

" "Indeed, I didn't. My uncle thought I'd gone to wash up because I was so dirty my own mother wouldn't recognize me. But I was still checking to make sure everything was okay. So I went under the car, which was hanging on ropes at the time, and I didn't have to crawl, just stand there. A little too late, I noticed the car was starting to fall. When I realized it, I wanted to quickly back away, but I tripped over a wrench and fell. I saved myself, but I didn't save my feet in time.

He finished, and I sat there expressionless. God, what that boy must have been through," I thought. That car could have completely crushed his legs, or in the worst case, even killed him. I looked at the boy from a different angle.

A phone call. From my mother. She was asking what she should bring me tomorrow if I hadn't been discharged. I told her to wait.

"Do you like playing chess, checkers, Ludo, Eurobiznes, or something like that?" "—I asked Norbert, and without waiting for his answer, I told her to bring me just that. Norbert didn't deny it.

I felt a friendship slowly building between us. I was glad to finally have someone to talk to." I hung up the phone.

"Why didn't anyone come to see you today?" I asked

. "Because I don't want anyone to visit me," he replied. There was no malice in his voice; he said it simply, as if he were talking about books or CDs.

"You mean no one has visited you since you got here?" I persisted.

"I live far from my uncle, so my family, at my request, isn't visiting me. My uncle and aunt came over for two days, but I didn't give them anything to talk about, so we all stayed silent. It was bothersome not only for them but for me as well. Eventually, they stopped coming, and I'm very glad about that.

" "Why?" I didn't understand . He did

n't answer.

We didn't talk about it again, although the question still nagged at me. That day, I didn't even notice it was getting late and it was time for bed.

I always slept soundly when I had to get up for school, and my mother had to wake me up because my alarm clock had long since lost its appeal. Not even a tank passing through the room would have woken me. So that night, I slept like a rock (but does a rock sleep?).

On my own.

When I woke up, Norbert was eating breakfast. I had mine left on the shelf. Strangely, I didn't feel like eating at all. But my leg hurt so badly that I groaned. Just then, Norbert noticed I'd woken up.

"Gosh, you're a heavy sleeper," he said.

"Why?" I asked. My leg still hurt.

"It's always very noisy in the hallway in the morning. You know, the nurses and doctors come... Besides, when they were delivering the food, you didn't wake up either," he said, sipping his tea.

After a few minutes, my leg stopped hurting, though I was about to ask the nurse for a painkiller. Strange. Or maybe I'd just gotten used to the pain and didn't feel it anymore? Who knows...

Then the cheerful doctor came in. He greeted me cheerfully, as always, only not... he said, "...my little patients."

"How's my patient doing?" he asked me.

"Just so..." I replied.

"So we can learn to walk," he concluded, and I thought I'd misheard.

"Excuse me?

" "Walk. You didn't think you'd spend the next six weeks sitting or lying down, with everyone around you waiting on you, did you?"

"And how does the doctor imagine me walking in this too-long, large, and uncomfortable shoe? Besides, it's incredibly heavy," I complained.

"You'll see, it's very simple. Many people have had this cast and somehow managed to walk. Besides, you'll have these special crutches so you don't have to touch the floor with your cast," he said.

"And when am I leaving?

" "Tomorrow," he replied, and walked over to Norbert.

Unfortunately, he didn't say anything interesting to him. I slowly began to believe that he would actually be here for about two weeks. I felt sorry for him, but I didn't know how to help him. However, I knew that if I truly learned to walk with these crutches, I would visit him sometimes. But I would only tell him this when my parents were there after me. He wouldn't dare protest.

When the physiotherapist came with the crutches, I was absolutely terrified. I was afraid to even move my injured leg. However, the physiotherapist convinced me it wouldn't hurt.

And indeed, it went better than I expected. The first steps were a little unsteady, but within moments, I felt as if I'd been born with them. Finally, exhausted, I returned. I went to bed, and the physiotherapist left.

I knew Norbert was a little upset that he couldn't learn to walk with crutches just yet. I tried not to mention it, though, honestly, I was so happy I wanted to announce my joy to the whole world.

Then my mother came to me. Just as I'd hoped, she brought me all the games I'd requested. But my favorite game was chess. When my mother left, which wasn't long because she was rushing to work, it turned out Norbert also loved the game and was very good at it. He won all my games.

The next day, my parents came to pick me up.

"So, bye, Norbert," I said as soon as my parents left the room. "We're meeting tomorrow at ten. I demand a rematch. I have to beat you someday..." I added, placing the chess set on the blanket,

and then, without looking back, I walked away, limping slightly...