August 13, 2016

• Looking Restrained

  She felt trapped. Her body was immobile. They had transferred her from the gurney to a hospital bed and strapped her down. The reasoning was that they didn’t want her to fall out of the bed. She didn’t believe them. The side rails were up and her hands were unable to manipulate the mechanism to release them. She wasn’t going anywhere. The nurses were keeping watch from the big observation window like sentries guarding a prison. The clock ticked away the hours. Several doctors had come into the room wearing funny scuba-like suits and mask things. They sounded like Darth Vader as they asked her questions. It was becoming more difficult for her to talk but they were patient as they listened closely for her answers. When they asked where she worked her heart skipped a beat. She needed to call Mr. Jacan in a desperate realization that she probably wouldn’t be able to go to work in the morning. He had a strict attendance policy; any no-call no-show was grounds for termination. She still hated her job but it was all she had and she wasn’t ready to quit. She struggled to answer the question and asked that they call her boss. The tall doctor assured her that they were definitely going to be talking to her boss and soon.

  The nurses were efficient. Liz felt that their efficiency was the result an eagerness to get out of her room as soon as possible. From the inside of the plastic bubble Liz had a view of the skyline. The buildings were shining in the sun and looked bright and clean, not at all the dirty brick and stone that was at street level. It wasn’t until the sun was setting that a nurse came in bearing a tray of food. She slid it onto a table and adjusted the bed so that Liz was sitting up. The tray was rolled up to her chest and the nurse from behind her mask intoned “Eat up.” When Liz didn’t dig in, the nurse asked her if the food was to her liking. It took a few moments for the nurse to realized the patient was in restraints. Unwilling to release the bands around her wrists, the nurse decided to feed Liz. It was for the best as the scabs made it impossible to grasp the spoon. As the food was shoveled into her mouth, her anger and frustration grew. It was unfair. No one was helping her. The doctors were useless. The nurses were cold. She was being treated like a prisoner. As the nurse cleared the tray away, Liz cried dry tears. Her head was on her chest and her shoulders heaved with silent sobs of wishes denied. The bed was reclined and the nurse quietly slipped out of the isolation bubble leaving Liz to cry alone.

  This is the next installment of the Laziest Summer Scavenger Hunt using prompt #73 - wishes.

  • 6:37 am
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