Effie

Chapter Three

A week later, Effie was still laying in the same hospital bed. She still hadn't seen her parents and that made her even more nervous. She was told every day that she would be able to go home soon. She was told every day that she would be able to see her parents. She doesn't understand why they would be keeping her parents away from her. How much longer would she have to lay in this bed and do nothing? The nurses tried to get her to play games, write, or even draw, but she didn't want anything to do with them.

She just wanted to go home. She just wanted her parents.

The get-well flowers around her were starting to wilt. Some were already turning brown and turning down. They were reflecting her mood. Sad and gloomy.    

Effie sat up in bed when the door opened and Dr. Cohouln walked in.

"Good morning, Miss Effie," Dr. Cohouln greeted her brightly. He gave her a wide smile as he walked over to the side of the bed and checked her charts. "Looks like you are making a speedier recovery than we had assumed." He smiled down at her. 

She gave him a wide smile. Hope blossomed in her chest. "Does that mean I can go home now? Can I see my parents?" she asked with confidence. 

His smile faded a little as he shook his head and looked back down at her chart in his hands. "I'm afraid not, my dear. We still have to make sure that you are strong enough to use the crutches we have for you. This week is when we'll be trying them." He paused for a moment to let that sink in before he looked back at her and smiled. "But I do have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Her ears perked up.

Dr. Cohouln nodded. "Yes." He walked over to the door and opened it. Effie's mother and father walked into the room.

Her mother put a hand over her mouth and walked over to her daughter's side. Tears swelled in her eyes, and she looked her daughter up and down. Her hands hovered over Effie's cast leg before reaching up and stroking Effie's hair. "I'm so sorry, my love." Her voice cracked as she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Effie's eyes began to water as well. She looked her mother and father up and down to notice that neither of them showed any signs of injuries like hers. Why did it take them so long to come and see me? she wondered. She looked up at her mother and smiled. "It's all right, mum." She felt someone grab her other hand and looked over to see her father sitting next to her. Upon closer inspection, Effie found a long thin cut about his right eyebrow. "Hi, daddy. I'm okay."

Effie's father's eyes teared up and a smile grew on his face. "Hi, Princess." He leaned forward and gave her a lingering kiss on her forehead. 

Dr. Cohouln cleared his throat causing all three of them to look up at him. "I'm very sorry to interrupt this moment, but we have to get Miss Effie walking in these crutches." He stood at the end of the bed and help up a pair of wooden crutches. "Now, Mr. Richmond, could you please help me stand Miss Effie up? Keep her balanced until we get these to the right size."

Effie's father held out both of her hands as she slowly swung her legs off the side of the bed. She took a good look at the now off-white cast on her leg. A lump formed in her throat as she looked at him. She heard Dr. Cohouln clear his throat again and she looked up to see him kindly urging her on. With the help of her father, she stood up and put all her weight on her left leg. Dr. Cohouln then placed each crutch underneath her arms. 

They were a perfect size. They fit perfectly underneath her armpits and were the perfect length for her to lean on. 

"All right, my dear," Dr. Cohouln stepped back. "Try to balance on your good leg and rest on the crutches." He waited patiently while Effie did as she was told. He smiled once she finished and looked up at him. "Good. Now, use those to hop over to me." He spread out his arms just in case he had to catch her. 

Effie took a deep breath and pressed down on the crutches while swinging her legs in front of her. She placed her weight on her left foot and brought the crutches out in front of her. She repeated the process slowly until she came to stand in front of Dr. Cohouln. Once she was standing in front of him, she was almost out of breath. 

"Good job, my dear," Dr. Cohouln smiled down at her. "Let's rest for now. Being in bed for a week has made you weak. We will practice for at least a week before we could send you home, all right?"

Effie nodded her head, but her smile disappeared. She wanted to go home now. 

"All right. Let me help you back to your bed." He held onto her elbow as she maneuvered herself back to the bed. Once there she sat back down and placed the crutches by the bed and laid back down. 

"I'll leave you all to get reunited." Dr. Cohouln nodded at each of them and walked out of the hospital room.

Once the door was closed, Effie's parents rushed over to her side. They began to fret over her just like any parent would when they see their child hospitalized. 

"Mum, Dad, I'm fine," Effie said trying to reassure them. She gave them an encouraging smile. "Honestly, I'm fine."

"Of course, you are, honey," her father said while looking down at her. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Of course, you are."

"We were so worried about you, sweetie," her mother said through tears.

Effie looked at her mother and grabbed her hand. She wanted to ask them why it had taken them so long to come and see her. They didn't have any injuries like hers, but she still wondered why they were kept away for so long. She decided against it and smiled at her mother to try to comfort her, but that only made her mother's tears flow faster. 

"You need to get some rest, Princess." Her father leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. Effie looked over to the window and hadn't noticed that the sun had already set. Her father gently grabbed his wife's hand and led her over to the couch on the far side of the room. They sat down. 

Effie leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Mum. Goodnight, Dad. I love you."

"Goodnight, Effie," she heard her mother say. 

"We love you too," her father whispered into the air.

Effie smiled before falling into a deep sleep.