and a debonair manner.
“I think,” Judith said in her pleasantest voice, “we
could get more rest if it wasn’t so noisy around here.
It’s been a very hectic day.”
Dr. Garnett was checking Judith’s dressing.
“Yes . . . that looks just fine. Can you stand up?”
“Not very well,” Judith said.
“Let’s try,” Dr. Garnett said, smiling with encouragement. “Here, sit up and swing around to the edge
of the bed, then take hold of me.”
Painfully, Judith obeyed. The doctor eased her
slowly into a sitting position. “Now just take some
breaths,” he said, still smiling. “Good. Here we go.
Easy does it.”
Awkwardly, agonizingly, and unsteadily, Judith
found herself rising from the bed. At last, with Dr.
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Mary Daheim
Garnett’s firm grasp to support her, she managed to get
on her feet. Briefly.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, swaying a bit before sitting
down again. “I did it!”
“Of course.” The doctor patted her arm. “You’re
very weak, you’ve lost a great deal of blood. Tomorrow
we’ll see if you can take a few steps.”
“About that noise,” Renie said as Dr. Garnett moved
to her bedside, “what was that last to-do about with
the KLIP-TV people?”
Dr. Garnett’s smile evaporated. “Didn’t I see you out
in the hall earlier?”
“Probably,” Renie said. “I’m the designated observer. What gives with the TV crew?”
The doctor frowned. “Such nonsense. A hospital
ward is no place for the media. It should have been
handled in the lobby. Unfortunately, Mrs. Van Boeck
decided to act coy, so our patients and staff ended up
in the middle of a disruptive situation.”
“Isn’t it strange,” Judith queried, “for Mrs. Van
Boeck to be speaking on the hospital’s behalf?”
“Perhaps,” Dr. Garnett responded as he studied
Renie’s incision. “However, I must admit that she was
instrumental in getting the local hospitals to merge
their specialty fields. Still, since her husband’s in
charge here at Good Cheer, it would have been better
to let him do the interview.”
“Oink, oink. Blanche Van Boeck is a publicity
hog,” Renie declared.
Dr. Garnett didn’t respond to the comment. Instead,
he reaffixed Renie’s bandage and smiled rather grimly.
“You’re coming along, Mrs. Jones. You lost a lot of
blood, too. You shouldn’t be on your feet so much. I
