‹ Prequel: Ana
Sequel: Relearning Laura ›
The "You're Not Fat" Campaign
Conner
The intercom buzzes to life and announces that "Visiting hours are now over. Visiting hours are now over."
Tasha the nurse comes into my room without knocking on the door. She is holding a plastic bag in one hand and is rolling a cart piled with medical equipment with the other.
"Here's your clothes," she said, dumping the contents of the bag onto my bed. "And I have to take your vitals."
I hold my arm out obediently. Tasha wraps the blood pressure band around my upper arm and squeezes the bulb and the band tightens around my arm and then it loosens.
"Okay, thanks!" Tasha says brightly. Then she smiles at me again. Her brown eyes go soft.
"You've never been here before, have you," she says, her voice gentle. I shake my head and she pats my shoulder.
"It'll be okay, I promise. We're here to help you."
She rolls her vitals cart out of my room and I change out of the thin cotton hospital gown. It is a relief to be wearing my own clothes. The worn denim of my jeans is comforting against my immense legs, and my sweater smells like home.
Someone knocks on my door, then walks in. It's another nurse, this one with mint green scrubs and curly blonde hair and glasses.
"Hi, Laura. I'm Katherine, your nurse for today. If you need anything ask for me, okay?" she says. She seems nice, and I smile a little.
"Okay. Thank you," I whisper. Katherine nods. She says some things about my room, and how this switch controls that light and how the nightlight never turns off and it's quite bright so maybe if it bothers me I can put the garbage can in front of it oh and if I want music in my room just to ask her because she can pipe it in through the nurses station oh and also group is starting soon but for now would you like to go meet everyone? And I say yes because I don't want to be rude and also this room is starting to smother me so I follow Katherine out into the hallway and down past a bunch of closed doors and to a room with glass walls so I can see inside. There is a Wii and a pool table and a bookshelf and a Foosball table and kids in pajamas. There is a tall boy with curly hair standing with his back to me at the Foosball table. When I see him I feel a jolt of recognition.
"Everyone, this is our newest arrival!" Katherine chirps. The kids all look over at me, and the tall boy turns around. His eyebrows shoot up. My jaw drops.
"Hi, Laura," he says awkwardly.
"Hi, Conner," I reply, giving him an uncomfortable smile. "This explains a lot."
Conner is in my Spanish class at school. He's been absent for more than a week. This must be why.
Tasha the nurse comes into my room without knocking on the door. She is holding a plastic bag in one hand and is rolling a cart piled with medical equipment with the other.
"Here's your clothes," she said, dumping the contents of the bag onto my bed. "And I have to take your vitals."
I hold my arm out obediently. Tasha wraps the blood pressure band around my upper arm and squeezes the bulb and the band tightens around my arm and then it loosens.
"Okay, thanks!" Tasha says brightly. Then she smiles at me again. Her brown eyes go soft.
"You've never been here before, have you," she says, her voice gentle. I shake my head and she pats my shoulder.
"It'll be okay, I promise. We're here to help you."
She rolls her vitals cart out of my room and I change out of the thin cotton hospital gown. It is a relief to be wearing my own clothes. The worn denim of my jeans is comforting against my immense legs, and my sweater smells like home.
Someone knocks on my door, then walks in. It's another nurse, this one with mint green scrubs and curly blonde hair and glasses.
"Hi, Laura. I'm Katherine, your nurse for today. If you need anything ask for me, okay?" she says. She seems nice, and I smile a little.
"Okay. Thank you," I whisper. Katherine nods. She says some things about my room, and how this switch controls that light and how the nightlight never turns off and it's quite bright so maybe if it bothers me I can put the garbage can in front of it oh and if I want music in my room just to ask her because she can pipe it in through the nurses station oh and also group is starting soon but for now would you like to go meet everyone? And I say yes because I don't want to be rude and also this room is starting to smother me so I follow Katherine out into the hallway and down past a bunch of closed doors and to a room with glass walls so I can see inside. There is a Wii and a pool table and a bookshelf and a Foosball table and kids in pajamas. There is a tall boy with curly hair standing with his back to me at the Foosball table. When I see him I feel a jolt of recognition.
"Everyone, this is our newest arrival!" Katherine chirps. The kids all look over at me, and the tall boy turns around. His eyebrows shoot up. My jaw drops.
"Hi, Laura," he says awkwardly.
"Hi, Conner," I reply, giving him an uncomfortable smile. "This explains a lot."
Conner is in my Spanish class at school. He's been absent for more than a week. This must be why.