Bear Legged
Curran Dobbs, Short Fiction, Vol 3 Issue 1
Posted: February 1st, 2010 Track comments on this item via RSS
It doesn’t happen like in the movies. There are no storm clouds, no lightening flashes, and no ominous music. There certainly weren’t any when it happened to me. I had walked home from school cheerily, with a childish innocence I foolishly took for granted. The door to the house seemed to welcome me. My sister, Margaret, was sitting at the kitchen table reading a book. She didn’t even look up as I passed her, grabbed a banana from the bowl, and headed up the stairs. The door to my room was ajar, and I nudged it open with my elbow. I stopped. Horror. It was Root Bear, loyal teddy, best friend. His legs were torn off. This had to be the handiwork of the family dog, Chewbarka. I lifted Root Bear tenderly and looked deep into his brown furry face. His mouth hung open. He must’ve been in shock. He would be though. He had lost a lot of stuffing.
“MOM!” I cried.
It was Margaret who yelled back. “Mom’s out. She said dinner will be ready in a few hours.”
“IT’S ROOT. HE-”
She came running up the stairs and pushed the door open. “What happened?”
“He’s hurt!” I said. “He needs to be sewn back up.”
She frowned. “Looks like Chewie got him pretty bad, huh?”
“Yeah. Can you fix him?”
“No, sorry. I guess you’ll have to wait for mom to get home.”
She meant well but she didn’t really understand medicine. The longer Root went without legs, the worse he’d get. I had to keep my head about it. I had to find someone else to help me.
She smiled. “You’re taking this very well.”
“Well… Yeah.” I laughed nervously. I put on a brave facade, hiding the anguish that cruel fate had bestowed upon me.
She patted me on the head and walked away. The moment she was gone, I went for the phone. I figured all the bedrooms had phones for exactly this kind of emergency. I dialled Katie’s number. Her mom answered.
“Hello?” she said.
“Mrs. McFadden, is Katie there?”
“Hello Robbie. Sure thing. She’s just getting out of the bath.”
“Again?”
“Just one sec.”
Moments later, Katie was on. “Hey Robbie. What’s up?”
Katie was my age. I met her in Grade 1 so she’d had six years to develop medical skills. I had to ask. “Root’s been injured. His legs have been torn off. I was wondering if you had any surgical skills.”
“Well, I did do some surgical work on your little G.I. Joe dolls when we were kids.”
“Not dolls. Action figures, Katie. Please. This is serious. And melting Peking Duke’s head with a magnifying glass isn’t surgery.”
“Plastic surgery counts!” Katie said defensively. She then sounded confused. “Peking Duke?”
“They were made in China.” I was stunned. “Do you know any qualified stuffed animal doctors?” I asked, hoping for the best but prepared for the worst.
“You remember Deborah Addison from school?”
“I don’t really hang out with a lot of girls.”
Katie was silent for a moment. “Well, she knows how to sew and she wants to be a vet when she grows up. Her credentials are flawless.”
“You know where she lives?”
“Yeah. I’ll walk you there. You really shouldn’t be alone for this.”
“You’re a good friend, Katie. You’re like a boy or something.”
There was another pause. “Okay. Just wait, I’ll be right over.”
She came to the door a few minutes later wearing a black dress and a veil.
“He’s not dead, Katie.”
“Just in case.”
I went and retrieved Root, his legs, and as much stuffing as I could find and placed him gently in a plastic bag. I shut the back door behind me. “Alright, let’s go.”
Elm Grove isn’t a big town and it doesn’t usually take long to get from one place to another. We arrived at Deborah’s house and knocked on her door. When she answered, she looked at us. Then she looked at Katie in the ratty black dress and she gasped. “Oh no! Who died?”
“Root… possibly,” was Katie’s answer.
I just glared at her.
“Who’s Root?” Deborah asked.
I realized that maybe there were some people who didn’t know who Root was. “Root’s my teddy bear. His legs were tragically ripped from his body.”
Katie placed her hand on my shoulder. “I told him that you would have the surgical expertise to help.”
“Did you bring the patient?” She said, frowning.
“He’s right here,” I said, opening up the bag and showing her the contents.
Deborah gasped and took a step back, placing her hand on her mouth.
“Can you help him?” I asked. Desperation echoed through my voice.
“I don’t know Robbie. I don’t know. But I tell you this: you’ve come to the best.” She nodded. “I’ll do what I can.”
She gestured for us to come inside and led us to the dining room. There was a large wooden table in the middle with several chairs surrounding it. There was also a green fern in the corner. “Wait here,” she said. “I’m going to get my medical kit.”
I took Root out and laid him on the kitchen table. Deborah came back with a sewing kit and some paper napkins and placed them next to Root.
“Katie, would you care to assist?” Deborah asked.
“Yes, Doctor.” Katie promptly took her position in front of the sewing kit.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.
“Unfortunately no. You’re emotionally attached to the patient. All you can do now is hope for the best.” Deborah remained cool and professional under pressure. “Nurse – sewing needle.” Katie provided a needle from the kit. Deborah grabbed it. “Thread.”
Deborah threaded the needle.
“Wipe.”
Katie took a napkin and wiped Deborah’s forehead. Deborah took a deep breath and grabbed the left leg with the same hand that had the needle and started putting some of the stuffing back in.
Satisfied with the leg, she did the same for the corresponding hole in Root. She then placed the leg over the hole and began to sew them together. She had a Zen-like focus as she manipulated the needle through Root’s thick skin. I watched on as he just laid there. He bore the pain with a silent stoicism that I couldn’t help but respect.
When she was done with the first leg, she turned to Katie. “Scissors.”
“Yes Doctor.” Katie provided the safety scissors.
Deborah repeated the process for the other leg. Being a teddy bear, Root was able to take a lot more than I would have been able to. Still, I found the scene to be grisly.
“Listen, if you two want to wait in the living room, I can take it from here. Don’t you worry.” Deborah was employing her bedside manner, probably as much for our sakes as for Root’s.
“Come on Robbie,” Katie said. I followed her into the living room and we sat on the couch. “Everything will be all right. Root’s in capable hands.”
“I hope so. She seems very good.”
“Root is covered under health insurance, right?”
“Well, it’s free here in Canada so it’s not a problem.”
“Oh yeah. Right.”
Deborah came out of the kitchen. She looked tired. “I’ve done all I can do for him. He’s going to feel pretty stuffed for awhile.”
“Will he be all right? Will he be able to walk again?”
Deborah placed her hand on my shoulder. “Only time will tell. All we can do now is – Wait! Could he walk before?”
“As far as I know. That’s not the point, though.”
“I guess not.”
“Can I talk to him?”
“You can try. He’s asleep though. At least I think he is. I’d know better if he had eyes.”
I nodded and went into the kitchen to see him. Except for the stitches around the legs, Root looked as good as new. He just lay there, sleeping. I smiled. I always appreciated that he didn’t snore.
“Those are some pretty cool threads you got on there,” I told him.
Deborah came up behind me.
“Now normally, I’d want to keep him here for observation but from what I can tell, you’ll probably take care of him better than I can.”
“Thank you,” I answered. “Do I owe you anything for your trouble?”
“I’ve got this whole ton of Girl Guide cookies to sell. If you know anyone who’d buy some, that’d be great.”
”I’ll talk to my parents. If he ever needs medical attention again?”
“Consider it done. You seem decent enough. I’d be happy to see Root again…” She paused. “Not that I want him to get hurt again or anything. You should probably keep him away from your dog.”
“Then they’ll never learn to get along. Thanks anyways.” I picked Root up carefully and tossed him in the plastic bag. “I’ll see you at school.”
Katie said her farewells and we left and walked back to our respective houses.
When I got home, I went up to mom. “Hey mom,” I said. Guess what? Root lost his legs and you weren’t home but it was all right because I took him over to Deborah’s house. She goes to my school. She’s a doctor and she fixed him right up.” I took out Root and showed her.
“That’s very resourceful of you, Robbie.” She smiled. “Sounds like you’re growing up.”
I smiled and went off to my room.