Читать книгу Mama! Mama! Michelle?s On Fire - Mae Waupoose - Страница 9

Chapter 4

The ambulance barely stopped rolling when the driver jumped out and ran to the back. I climbed out and got there just in time to see Michelle’s cart being wheeled into the emergency area. “Mom, come with me.”

A doctor said, “I think it would be best if your mother waits out here.”

“Mom, where’s Dad?”

“He’s right behind us. He’ll be here in a few minutes. We’ll be right here waiting for you.”

“Okay, Mom.” She disappeared into the nearest emergency room with three doctors, four nurses, and two EMTs. I knew she was in good hands.

I stepped across the hall to the registration desk, just as a nurse appeared. I glanced at the clock above the desk. It was twelve-oh-five. I asked, “Is that clock right?”

The nurse answered, “Yes, why?”

“I was just wondering, that’s all.” I couldn’t believe it had only been twenty minutes since I dialed 911. That was excellent service. I had just finished giving the nurse Michelle’s information when Jim walked in.

The nurse asked, “Do you have any insurance?” We both shook our heads. “Who will be responsible for this bill?”

Jim answered, “I will.”

“That’ll be all. You know where the waiting room is. We’ll let you know when we hear anything.”

When we were alone in the waiting room, Jim asked, “Is she okay?”

“Yes, so far.”

“Where is she?” I pointed out the door to her room. “Can we go see her?”

“No, not until they get done treating her.”

Then came the wait. I noticed my hands were dirty from fighting the fire. I went to the restroom and washed them. As I did, I noticed I had a small minor burn on my little finger. It didn’t hurt at all. Neither of us said anything. We both knew what the other one was thinking. After an hour, a nurse came out of Michelle’s room. I asked, “How is Michelle doing?”

She answered, “Oh, she’s doing fine.” She took something from a medicine cabinet and left. All that told us is that she was still alive.

Another hour passed before a doctor come out of Michelle’s room. We saw her being wheeled down the hall on a cart. We knew she was being admitted. We expected that. The first thing the doctor said was, “Michelle is being admitted.”

That was no surprise. I asked, “Did she burn her face?”

“She singed her hair a litte and singed her eyebrows, but her face isn’t burned. She also has minor burns on an elbow and a finger. However, she has second degree burns on about 60 percent of her body. Those burns are on her legs and lower buttocks. She will need skin grafting. We estimate she will be here at least six months.” Jim and I just looked at each other. The doctor added, “We gave her a sedative to relieve the pain. She’s a little groggy from it, but you can see her now if you want to.”

He gave us her room number. We thanked him and left.