Zeek: Josh Goes to the Hospital

Josh Ring Josh Goes to the Hospital, p.2

6. When the nurse left, she did not close the curtain behind her. I watched people walk by. Some were wheeled by. I tried not to move my arm. One woman was pacing outside in the hallway. Every time she passed my bed she looked at me. I wished she’d stop. I didn’t want her looking at me. I watched her pace back and forth for a long time. After an hour, the doctor came back in. She said that the tests had come back and she began telling me about the pancreas. I was only half listening. I thought she was going to tell me that I had diabetes. She didn’t. I had pancreatitis, a swollen, inflamed pancreas. She said the pain should go away in a couple of days. Until then, she prescribed some strong pain killers and told me to watch what I ate for a while. The nurse came in to take out the IV and said I could go home.

7. That night I woke up at three in the morning. My stomach was hurting again. The medicine had worn off by then. I took a pill. After a half hour, it still hurt so I took another like the doctor told me to. Soon the pain went away. My arms began to feel heavier. My fingers were numb. I tried to roll over in bed and my legs crashed down on the other side when I had only meant to roll over gently. I fell asleep.

8. The next morning, when I woke up, my stomach hurt much less. When I was brushing my teeth, I realized that my upper wisdom teeth had broken through my gums. They didn’t hurt at all.