Friday the 28th of Aug - Hospital Antics

The morning of her puncture, a couple of weeks ago, a distraught Mar waited to be picked up from the hospital. As I greeted and wheeled her out, in a tiny voice she told me what happened that morning. Apparently all hell broke lose when Professor Martelli caught her in a wheel chair and gave her the proverbial kick in the butt to get her out of it. She spotted him first in the hospital hallway and suspected she’d be the subject of a third degree grilling if he saw her. She desperately sought to remain incognito which should’ve been easy with her head scarf and mouthcap. I chuckled envisioning my sister, shrinking into her wheelchair, a chameleon blending into her surroundings. I pictured her hand strategically shielding her face, feigning indifference as she wheeled through. If she had a newspaper, she’d conveniently be closely examining it and thoroughly engrossed in its headlines. For a blissful anonymous moment, her cover worked but sadly her joy was short lived and her suspicion imminently became a reality. She was busted. When the Professor recognized her, he cringed. And so did Mar. “What? How can you still be in a wheel chair? Why are you not walking? Why are you so thin? What are you eating?” When the Professor isn’t happy, all present get the brunt of it. He raised his voice: “Someone get me Dr Aloisi (her treating physician)”. Within seconds, an entire medical staff suddenly materialized out of thin air rushing to the scene. Three doctors, a couple of nurses, and some curious bystanders, stood over my sister, shifting nervously around her. I pictured her sinking and shrinking even more into her wheelchair. Her doctor explained Mar’s situation to Professor Martelli but it just wouldn’t do. Dissatisfied, he continued: “why is she not seeing a physiotherapist? Signorina Rossini, if you’re not eating properly, why don’t we re-admit you to the ward? Surely we could feed you better?” The words were spoken without apparent sarcasm, as if he were actually doing her a favor. Mar shuddered at the prospect and near to shrieked: “Nooooooooo”.

It wasn’t pretty. It was ugly. Needless to say the Professor’s strong words of “encouragement” weren’t gratefully received by its intended recipient. I wonder though if they were effective. Fortunately (or was it consequently?), shortly after this berating, Mar’s eating habits drastically picked up. Grey’s anatomy, take that!