The Hospital

THE HOSPITAL:

THE ACCIDENT AND RECOVERY

OF

ROSE BUKATER



CHAPTER 1:

THE ACCIDENT





         “Hello, Bukater Residence.” Sadie, the maid said when she answered the telephone. “Yes, is Rose Bukater’s mother available? This is quite urgent.” Sadie told the woman on the other end to hold on while she got Ruth. “Ruth, there’s an urgent call waiting for you.” Sadie turned and headed back towards the phone. Ruth had been having tea with her youngest daughter, Elizabeth when she got the call. Ruth walked to the phone and picked it up. “Hello? May I ask who is calling?” Ruth said. “This is Catherine Alan, the principal at Rose’s school. I’m afraid she’s been in an accident.” What sort of accident?” “Apparently, I was informed by one of her friends that she had been pushed down the stairs.” “Is Emily alright?” “I’m sorry, Emily who?” “Emily Langdon, she’s Rose’s sister.” “Oh, yes, she’s the one who told me. I’m afraid you’ll have to get the full story from her, when she calms down. I’m excusing her from school for the week. This will protect her in a way.” “Thank you Catherine. What hospital is Rose staying in?” “Rose is staying at Bellevue, located on First Avenue.” Ruth hung up the phone, and broke into tears. “What’s wrong dear?” Betsy asked, genuinely concerned for Ruth’s emotions. “Sadie, can you take Elizabeth upstairs for her nap please?” Sadie led Elizabeth away upstairs, when they were fully up the stairs, Ruth told Betsy the news; “Rose is hurt, badly. I need to go see her. She needs her mother.”Betsy, the maid nodded. “Is there anything I can do Ruth?” She asked in a concerned tone. “Yes, just stay here and make sure Elizabeth takes her afternoon nap. You know that she can be a bear if she doesn’t.” And with that, she walked out the front door.

         Before Ruth’s eyes flashed images of her daughter, playing, being herself. How she loved her daughter very much. Suddenly, a tear streaked down her cheek. She brushed it away and went down into the subway station. The trip seemed to take an eternity. When she reached the hospital, she walked to the information desk, and asked the secretary where she could find Rose. The woman told Ruth that she was in the intensive care unit of Ward C, which was on the fourth floor. As she was walking to the elevator that would take her to Ward C, she ran into Emily. Emily looked upset and rather disheveled “Oh Mrs. Bukater! I’m so sorry about this. It’s my entire fault. I wish I could have been faster to stop Millicent. I can’t find Rose.” She said as she began to sob. Ruth, seeing that her other child was crying, put her arms around Emily and hugged her, soothing her as she did so. “It’s okay Emily. You did the right thing by getting help. You saved Rose’s life. You, Emily are a hero.” Ruth said as Emily continued to cry. Together they entered the elevator and proceeded to Ward C. When they arrived, the doctor was there to greet them. “Dear, I’d like to talk to your mother in private, could you wait over there please?” Emily complied with the request. “Mrs. Bukater, there’s a small, very small chance Rose will not make it out alive. The odds are very small, but she will have to remain hospitalized for some time, possibly until March.” Ruth found tears welling in her eyes. She began to cry. “Oh doctor, isn’t there anything else you can do?” she said as she sobbed. “Mrs. Bukater, I’m afraid that if we do anything else, she might be injured further.” “I would like to see her please.” Ruth pleaded. The doctor nodded. Ruth motioned for Emily to get up. The three of them walked into the viewing room, where they saw her.



         Ruth wasn’t prepared for what she was about to see. When she looked through the window, she saw Rose, lying there on a hospital bed. “Rose, why did this happen to you? You must survive this.” Ruth said to herself quietly. Suddenly, the door opened. A nurse appeared, holding a bundle of something. “This is your daughter’s school uniform. Her underclothes, except for her corset are also here. We had to get of the corset entirely.” Ruth took the bundle and put it on a chair. Emily looked through the window; she began to sob rather violently. Upon seeing this, Ruth embraced and stroked her hair. “It’s ok Emily, she’ll be alright. Don’t fret over this, Rose wouldn’t want you to. “Mrs. Bukater, Rose is stable at this moment, and we might move her down the hall, into a more conventional hospital room tonight. Do you wish to supervise the move?” he asked. Just then, the door opened. In stepped Ruth’s husband, Samuel. “Where is she?” he asked in an agitated tone. The three of them pointed to the window. He walked over and looked inside the room. He grew quiet, very quiet. Ruth wasn’t sure if she saw tears streaming down his cheek, but she knew he was disturbed. Finally, Sam spoke; “Ruth, would you take Emily home please? I’m afraid this is too much for her to see. I would like to be alone with Rose for a while.” Ruth complied with his wish. “Come on Emily; let’s get you back to my house.” Ruth said. “What about school Mrs. Bukater?” Emily asked in a frightened tone. It wasn’t until Thanksgiving, four days prior, that it had been revealed that Emily was indeed Rose’s twin sister.

         After they arrived at the house, Ruth escorted Emily upstairs to the guest room, which had since become her own. “Are you hungry Emily?” Ruth asked in a calm tone. “Yes. I am very hungry.” Emily said rather eagerly. “You may eat in your room tonight, if you wish.” Ruth said as she left to go get Emily some supper. She sat on the bed, tugging on her pinafore. Emily hated wearing it, especially since it was part of her school uniform. She took off her Mary Jane shoes and put them under the bed. Ten minutes later, Ruth arrived with a bowl of soup and some bread. Emily noticed that Ruth didn’t have a bowl for herself. “Aren’t you hungry?” “No, I’m not very hungry at all. It’s ok, you eat.” “Are you sure Mrs. Bukater?” “Yes, I’m sure.” Ruth left the room. Emily ate in silence. She had finished most of her soup when she realized that it was 8:30, time for bed. Ruth called for Sadie. “Sadie, would you help Miss Emily prepare for bed please?” Sadie complied with Ruth’s request. Ruth went into her room and sat at her desk; she lay her head down upon it and began to cry, much like she did when she was a child. “Oh god please let her heal. I can’t bear to lose her, she’s everything to Me.” She said through her quiet sobs. She looked up at the clock, not realizing it was pushing midnight. Suddenly, Sam stepped through the door into the room. “Ruth, I have good news; they’ve moved her into a regular hospital room. She’s stable enough, but drugged off her rocker. I supervised the move myself.” He said to Ruth as they shared a kiss.