Lone Bean (7 page)

Chapter 13
Black-and-Blue

T
he next day during recess, I was sitting on the bench with Gabrielle. We were just swinging our feet and watching Sam, Carla, and some of the boys running around, when—guess what? Sam asked us if we wanted to play with them.

Gabrielle said, “No, thank you,” of course, because she never plays at recess, but I agreed . . . even though Carla gave me a dirty look.

“Let's play dodgeball,” Sam suggested.

I didn't want to be the target for balls being thrown a million miles an hour, particularly coming from Carla, who still hadn't forgiven me, but I helped gather balls anyway.

John drew a long white line with chalk across the cement, and then we counted off. One, two, one, two, one . . .

“Two,” I said, which put me on a team with Jerry, John, and Carla, who did not look happy to be on my team.

“Okay, go!” John yelled at the top of his lungs, and balls started flying through the air.

I grabbed a big red ball and tossed it at Mark, but it just bounced in front of him.

“Ha-ha!” he laughed as he picked it up and threw it at me. I tried to jump out of the way, but it slammed me right on the leg.
Oww!

Since I had gotten hit, I was out. I had to sit on the sidelines and wait for someone on my team to catch a ball. I rubbed my leg while I waited. It was gonna turn black and blue, for sure.

I think Carla dropped a ball on purpose so I would have to stay out of the game. But Jerry finally caught one and called, “Bean, you're in!”

Just as I hobbled back to the game, a ball flew past my ear, missing me by a hair. I grabbed another one and hurled it as hard as I could. I hit Sam right in the knee. “
Yes!
” I shouted as I jumped in the air, but as I came down, a ball slammed me right in the side of my head.
OUCH!

I trudged over and sat on the sidelines again.

John caught a ball right away. I didn't want to play anymore, but I dragged myself into the game. When I got to my spot, Mark, who is the tallest and strongest boy in the class, pulled back his arm like a slingshot, and the huge, black ball was pointed right at me! I closed my eyes and covered my head to protect it, but luckily I was saved by the bell, which rang just before I would have gotten clobbered.

“Good game,” everyone said as they high-fived, but not Carla.

I went back and grabbed Gabrielle and headed into the building

When we got to the classroom, Ms. Sullivan said, “We are going to do a fun math project today.”

I like when we do cool projects instead of just solving problems and equations in our workbooks. Ms. Sullivan explained that we were going to glue macaroni to a piece of construction paper to show the six multiplication table. Then she broke everyone up into groups of two and—guess what? Ms. Sullivan put me with Sam.

“But Sam and I are always partners,” Carla whined.

“I know,” Ms. Sullivan said. “Sometimes it's good to work with someone else to get a new perspective on things.”

Carla slumped down in her seat. She got paired up with Gabrielle, which is actually pretty good, because not only is Gabrielle a goody-two-shoes, she is also a smarty-pants.

Me and Sam were a good team, because I am good at multiplication tables and she is really good at gluing macaroni.

On Friday, I spotted Sam hanging out on the playground after school, alone again.

“Where's Carla?” I asked.

“Her mom picked her up. She had a dentist appointment.”

“Oh,” I said. “I hate the dentist.”

“Me too.”

“Hey, maybe do you want to come over my house and play?”

“Are you sure? Your sister told my brother you were grounded,” she said.

“Not anymore,” I said. And boy, was I happy the week of being stuck in my room was over.

“Okay, then, I just have to ask my brother.”

When Marcus walked up, Rose was skipping along right beside him. She was giggling and I could tell she was in l-o-v-e LOVE!

“Hey, Marcus, can I go over to Bean's to play?” asked Sam.

“Maybe you could come by too,” Rose said with a flip of her hair. “My birthday's tomorrow, and some of my friends are going to Joey's Pizza tonight to celebrate.”

“I guess that would be cool,” Marcus said.

On the way home, Rose and Marcus trailed way behind, and she totally forgot to hold my hand when we crossed the street. I know the rules, though, so I held on to Sam instead.

When we got home, Rose, Gardenia, Marcus, and Mom all left for Joey's Pizza to meet up with Rose's friends. Dad stayed home with me and Sam.

“Wait here,” I said to Sam. I ran as fast as I could up to my room and grabbed all my dolls and Barbies and shoveled them under the bed. I didn't want her to think I was a baby or anything. Then I rushed back downstairs.

“Wanna go play in my room?”

“Sure,” she said, and followed me.

We bounced on my bed and laughed as we threw the pillows in the air. Then Sam had a great idea. She said, “Let's build a fort!”

We yanked all the pillows and blankets off the beds, making a huge pile in the middle of the room. I ran to the linen closet and got more pillows and sheets and comforters.

“Stand the pillows up like this,” said Sam. She leaned the big ones against the bed to make walls.

I spread the sheets across the top to make the roof. We kept building and building until the fort was so big, it filled up the whole room.

I got down on my hands and knees and crawled through the halls of the fort. Sam followed.

“What's this?” she asked as she held my doll Cindy by her leg in front of my face. “You play with dolls?”

“No . . . um . . . not anymore . . . um . . . not really,” I stuttered. “Those are old.”

“Dolls are for babies.”

“I know,” I said with a laugh.

“Dinnertime, girls,” Dad called from downstairs.

We both stood up and broke through the ceiling of the fort. The walls of pillows and sheets crumpled around us. We climbed out of the mess and headed downstairs.

Dad had ordered a pizza for us. It was fun having the whole table to ourselves and the whole yummy cheesy pizza too.

Just as we finished dinner, everyone burst through the door and into the living room. Rose and all her friends were n-o-i-s-y NOISY, but they looked like they were having a lot of fun. I want to have my next birthday party at Joey's too, but I have to wait till summertime because my birthday is in June, you know.

Marcus said good-bye to everyone, then came into the kitchen to get Sam.

“We gotta get home,” he said.

“That was fun, Bean,” said Sam with a wave. “Thanks.”

“See you Monday.”

Once Sam was gone, Dad said, “Why don't you go clean up and get ready for bed?”

“But I don't want to go to bed. I want to hang out with Rose.”

“Rose wants to be alone with her friends tonight, and it's almost bedtime anyway.”

“Fine.” I marched right by Rose and all her friends, who were still giggling about Marcus and how cute he is.

What a mess! I had forgotten about the flattened fort all over the floor.

I spent what felt like hours trying to make the beds and folding the sheets, which was hard to do by myself. When I was all finished, I plopped down on my bed without even brushing my teeth or washing my face. I know it's important to wash up before bedtime, but I was exhausted. I was fast asleep even before Mom came to tuck me in and turn out the lights.

School wasn't so bad now that I had a few friends. Me and Gabrielle sat together every day at lunch and—guess what? She likes Cheetos and Jell-O and snickerdoodles just as much as I do now. She had never had them before, but I was teaching her all about good food. She shared her apple slices too, and even though they are healthy, I thought they were yummy.

Sam and I were friends too, even though it made Carla m-a-d MAD! Life is so much better when you don't have to eat all by yourself or stand alone in line and when you have people to play with at recess.

One afternoon, a big kid named Donald suggested we play freeze tag. I like tag because I can run pretty fast and no one is throwing things at you.

“You're It!” yelled Sam as she tapped my shoulder.

The whole group scattered. Jerry ran behind the tree. Donald ran to the fence and Sam took off toward the jungle gym, followed by Carla. I ran as fast as I could. I chased Sam around the jungle gym but missed her. Then I followed Jerry to the tree.

“Gotcha!” I yelled. I tagged him and he froze like a statue.

I caught everyone except Carla, because I was too scared to get close to her. Next, Donald was It. I ran as fast as my legs would go to the fence. He's big and kinda chubby, so he was really slow. When he got close, I took off and ran around the jungle gym.

“You can't catch me!” I teased.

I waited till he got close and then I bolted again. I ran circles around him, which made Sam laugh. I was having so much fun that I didn't pay attention to how angry Donald was getting.

“You're a slowpoke! Slowpoke!” I sang.

I guess my joking around made my feet slow down so much that Donald caught up. He shoved me with all his might.

I flew forward, tumbled like a rag doll, and skidded across the cement. Everything hurt, but I couldn't see the damage because my glasses had fallen off. I scrambled to find them, and as I slid them back on my nose, I saw that I had scraped my knees so bad that the knee parts of my jeans had ripped. There were bloody scratches underneath, and my palms were all cut up too.

I've gotten pretty tough, so I could take all of that, but my finger really, really hurt. It was throbbing and getting swollen like a balloon. It wouldn't even move or bend.

“Are you okay, Bean?” asked Sam.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” I lied. I didn't want her to think I was a crybaby.

“Sorry,” said Donald. “I didn't mean to push you so hard.”

“It's okay,” I said.

“Come on,” said Jerry. “Let's go play basketball.”

And just like that, the boys marched off toward the hoop at the other side of the playground.

“You guys go ahead without me,” I called after them with a wave of my bloody hand.

“You sure you're okay?” Sam asked again.

“Yeah. Sure. I'll be over in a second,” I said, trying to keep the tears from filling my eyes.

“Okay,” she said, but when she left, I started to cry. And not a little-drippy-tear-down-your-cheek kinda cry. I let out huge sobs with buckets of tears. I dropped to my knees and curled up into a little ball and kept crying and crying.

“Are you okay?” a voice asked.

I looked up and it was Carla.

“No, I think I'm really hurt,” I said through my tears and runny nose and bloody knees and hands.

“Come on,” she said, and she helped me up.

We walked to the nurse's office without saying even a word.

“Bean, what happened?” asked Nurse Beth.

“I fell and skinned my knees and my hands and my finger hurts bad.”

She cleaned off my knees and hands with hydrogen peroxide. It stung a little, but it looked cool when it bubbled up all white and frothy. Next, she looked closely at my finger.

“I think we'd better call your parents so they can have a doctor check it out,” she said.

Now I started to worry. I must have really hurt it if my parents were being called in. I slumped over in my chair as Nurse Beth left the room to use the phone. Carla came and sat next to me.

“Remember when we were playing hide-and-seek and your sister pushed me and then you pushed her back?”

“Yeah! Gardenia got so mad.”

“Yeah, and then we made up that song while we sat on your back stoop.”

“Oh, yeah!” I said with a smile. “Do you remember the words?”

“I sure do,” she said.

We both started singing. “Friends forever. La-di-da-di-dee. Fighting never. La-di-da-di-do. We are so clever. La-di-da-di-dee.”

“I'm so sorry, Carla,” I said. My tears started to fall again. “I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch over the summer.”

“I'm sorry too. I was really mean,” Carla said. She gave me a big hug.

Everything still hurt, but right at that moment I felt just fine.

Chapter 14
Worse Than Ever

I
swung my feet back and forth as I sat next to Carla in the office. Sam and Gabrielle came to check on me too.

“Do you think it's broken?” asked Carla.

“Once I broke my arm. I went to the hospital and they x-rayed it,” Sam said. “I could see all my bones.”

“Oh, dear,” Gabrielle gasped. “Luckily, I have never broken anything,”

Just then, Mom came flying through the door and I waved with my cut-up hand.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yeah, I'm okay,” I said with a smile.

“Hello, everyone,” said Mom. “It's so nice to see you, Carla.”

“You too, Mrs. Gibson.”

“Now, let's check you out, Bean,” Mom said as she looked closely at my finger and moved it around gently.
Ouch!

“It does look broken, honey.”

“Really?” I said. Then I added, “Can I get it x-rayed, so I can see all my bones?”

“You don't usually need an X-ray for a finger, but I guess we could stop by the hospital on the way home. We can also pick up a splint while we're there.”

“Hello, Mrs. Gibson. My name is Gabrielle.” Gabrielle gave Mom's hand a polite shake. “I was wondering if you might tell me what a splint is?”

“It's very nice to meet you, Gabrielle,” Mom said. Then she explained, “A splint is something that will hold the finger still, so it doesn't move around.”

“I had a cast on my arm once and everyone signed it and drew pictures,” Sam said.

“Well, Sam, it's kind of like that, but much smaller, just for your finger.” Mom headed toward the door. “Come on, Bean. Let's go.”

“Feel better,” Carla said.

“Thanks, Carla,” I said.

“Bye, Bean,” Sam and Gabrielle called before the door closed behind us.

“Looks like Carla and you have worked things out,” Mom said as we headed to the car. “And Gabrielle seems nice too.”

“Yep, things are getting much better.” I hopped in and buckled up.

It was pretty cool to have some alone time with Mom. I didn't have to fight for a seat, I could talk about whatever I wanted, and I even got to pick the radio station.

Mom parked the car in the employee parking garage at the hospital. We headed right in through the sliding doors. I think it's supercool how the doors know when you're coming and open up all by themselves. I walked in and out and in and out. Open. Close. Op—

“Okay Bean, that's enough. Let's go.”

I walked through one more time and then followed Mom up the stairs to the second floor. She waved at a man with a shiny bald head standing by the desk in the middle of the room. He was wearing blue scrubs just like hers.

“Hey, Jason, could you do me a favor and x-ray my daughter's hand?”

“All righty,” said Jason with a warm smile.

He led me into a room with a big cameralike machine. He told me to put my hand flat on the cold surface and then he covered me with a thick bluish-silver blanket. It was heavy and not soft at all. He said it was to protect my insides. I wondered why my hand didn't need protection too.

“I'll be right behind that wall,” he said. “Stay very still.”

I sat like a statue and held my breath while Jason slid behind the wall. I could see him pull a lever, which made the lights flash and a buzzer ring. He came inside and gently flipped my hand over and did it all again, then led me back out into the hall where Mom was waiting.

“She did really well,” Jason told Mom.

Mom and I waited in the hallway while the X-rays developed like film from one of those disposable cameras. The hall was bright white and clean and it smelled like medicine. A guy rolled by in a wheelchair. He was all bandaged up, and he moaned like he hurt all over. Poor thing! Boy, was I glad I only hurt my finger and not my whole body.

Jason finally returned with two big pictures of the bones in my hand, only they didn't look like my hand at all. They looked like a spooky skeleton hand.

“Look”—Mom pointed to one of the fingers on the X-ray—“see how it's broken right there?”

I got really close and squinted, but it was hard to tell. I believed her, though, because she's a nurse and also because my finger was killing me.

“Thanks, Jason,” Mom said. We headed back down the stairs and into the waiting room. “Sit here, Bean. I'm going to get a splint from the supply room.”

Mom disappeared down the hall. I thought about Carla and smiled to myself, but then my happy thoughts were interrupted. The man sitting next to me was as big as a bear and coughing like he was about to throw up his insides.
Yuck!
I covered my face with my sleeve, so I wouldn't breathe his nasty germs.

I looked around, and everyone in the waiting room looked s-i-c-k SICK! I could feel the germs like cooties all over my body. I wiggled in my seat and covered my whole head with my sweatshirt, but I couldn't take it anymore! No open, close, open, close of the door this time. I jumped up and rushed right through the hospital door.

Right as I stepped outside, an ambulance pulled up. It screeched to a stop and the doors flew open. I rushed to the side to get out of the way of the EMTs. That means ambulance drivers, you know. They worked fast as they pulled a lady lying flat on a board from the ambulance. She was tied down with red straps and had all sorts of tubes sticking out of her.

I hoped and hoped that she was going to be okay as they swooped past me and disappeared into the hospital. Right then and there, I decided that maybe I want to be an EMT when I grow up, so I can save people when they are in really bad shape.

“Oh, my goodness, Bean,” said Mom as she came through the door. “I was looking for you everywhere. I told you to stay put.”

“I know, but there were so many germs and coughing and sick people. I had to leave,” I said.

I don't know how Mom deals with all that yucky sickness every day.

“Okay,” Mom said. “Let's get this splint on your finger and go home.”

Mom knelt down in front of me and bent the metal splint around my palm. Then she strapped my finger down tight with two white strips of tape. It hurt at first, but then it just felt kinda funny. Usually, my finger moves all around, but now it was stuck pointing straight up.

“Look over there.” I pointed my splinted finger toward the street.

“What is it?” Mom asked.

“Nothing—it's just that my finger is always pointing to something now.”

As we drove back home, we laughed over and over again as I kept pointing at things I didn't mean to.

“Maybe I'll have everyone sign my splint,” I said as we pulled into the driveway.

“Don't you think it's too small for everyone's names?”

“Yeah, but maybe everyone can put their initials on the tape,” I said. “
C
for Carla, then
S
for Sam and
G
for Gabrielle.”

When we got home, my sisters were already back from school.

“What happened?” asked Rose as she rushed over and gave me a hug.

“I fell during recess and broke my finger. Look!” I said as I held up my hand.

“Does it hurt?” Gardenia asked, leaning in to get a better look.

“It did, but it's not so bad anymore.”

“I'm glad you are all right,” Dad said as he gave me a good, long I'm-happy-you-are-okay kinda squeeze.

Mom got started on dinner. Dad, Rose, and Gardenia went into the living room to practice their instruments, and I started my homework at the kitchen table.

All I had was cursive homework, which usually takes no time at all. This time, when I tried to write with my pencil, my finger just stuck straight out. It was hard to grab the pencil without a pointer finger to hold it. I struggled to trace the
M
's and
N
's,
and then with no dots to follow, it was a mess. Even though it took like what seemed like forever, I finally finished and had time to check my email before dinner, and—guess what? There was an email from Tanya!

 

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Miss u!

Hey B.

Sorry Ive been so MIA. Computer broke and lotsa work at school. Hope things get better 4 u. How r things w/Carla? You makin new friends? I have a friend named Donna. Shes soooo funny. Ud love her!

Hope 2 see u soon.

T

 

I was so happy to hear from her. I missed her a whole bunch and I had so much to tell her. Typing wasn't too bad with a broken finger because I only use two fingers anyway, so I emailed her right back.

 

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Miss u!

Guess what? I broke my finger 2day and went 2 hospital and got 2 c my bones in an xray. Carla and me r friends again and now I have other friends 2. Im learnin violin and gettin kinda good, u no. Im gonna be in a perfomenc soon.

TTYL

Bean

 

“Dinnertime,” Mom called just as I logged off.

I skipped into the kitchen feeling g-o-o-d GOOD. I hopped right into my seat, flipped my napkin in my lap, and swung my legs to the tune I was humming. Mom scooped some chicken and potatoes and peas onto my plate and boy, did it smell yummy. But, when it was time to dig in, my happy mood turned m-a-d MAD. It was so hard to hold that stinkin' fork!

Gardenia kept laughing like a hyena every time peas dropped all over my lap. Rose laughed when my chicken fell off my plate, and Mom and Dad laughed too. I didn't think it was very funny at all. . . . Okay, maybe just a little.

After dinner, the worst thing of all happened. I pulled out my violin to practice, but I couldn't even hold the stupid bow with my dumb, broken finger. It hurt really bad when I pushed down on the strings with the bow, so all I could make was sick-cat, screechy sounds, instead of the good “Twinkle Twinkle” sounds that I had learned. Just when I thought I was starting to sound pretty good, I was worse than ever.