My Little Runaway
Saturday, February 19, 1994
8:15 PM
"What do you mean you can't find her?" Lee said.
"Exactly that," Dr. Monroe said. "She was here just a minute ago and now she's gone. We've called security and put the hospital into lockdown."
"What a comforting thought," Lee said. "How the hell does a hospital manage to lose one five-year-old girl?"
Dr. Monroe's face reddened and Dr. Kelford stepped in.
"She's only been gone a few minutes, Lee," he said. "She couldn't have gone very far."
"Maybe not," Lee ran both hands through his hair. He wished his wife was here now. Dotty's car had broken down and Amanda was giving her a ride back to the hospital-they'd be back within the hour. What were they going to think when they came here and found that Jenna had gone?
"Look, the best thing for you to do is wait," Dr. Kelford said. "Security is looking for Jenna right now –she may decide to come back to the room on her own."
"Are you kidding?" Lee said. "I am not just going to sit here and wait for her, Doc! I'll look for her myself."
SMK SMK SMK SMK
Lee had walked up and down the halls of the pediatric floor at least three times now without any success. Thankfully it was quiet; visiting hours were over and most of the children were in bed. He should probably start searching other floors, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Jenna was still right here, probably close by. He was walking past a large mural of a TREE decorated with colorful paper candles, each CANDLE made by one of the kids staying here-- when he heard the sound. A small sneeze, followed by a cough. Lee knew that sound; he'd certainly heard it often enough this past month. He paused, listening. The noise came again-it was from the kitchen area used by the nurses and hospital volunteers. Lee stood in the doorway and scanned the small room. Where could she be? he wondered. Not too many places to hide in this place. The he saw it: a small hand, clutching the side of the refrigerator.
"Jenna?" Lee said. No reply. He raised his voice. "Jenna Leigh Stetson, I know you're there. Are you going to come out or am I going to have to come in and get you?"
A tiny figure emerged from behind the fridge, wearing a hospital gown and a pink BATHROBE. One hand clutched her Scarecrow doll. Brown eyes looked at Lee defiantly from beneath a mop of tousled blond hair. Traces of tears were still visible on her cheeks.
"Just what did you think you were doing?" Lee said. "Everyone's looking for you. Do you know how worried I was?"
"I don't care," Jenna said. "I'll run away forever but you can't make me go back-I won't let them burn me."
"Burn you?" Lee said. Jenna nodded, more tears filling her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. He knelt beside his daughter and pulled her into a hug. She was shaking-he smoothed her hair as he spoke.
"Jenna, listen to me, no one is going to burn you," he said. "Who told you a thing like that?"
"The kid across the hall," Jenna said. "He's twelve and his name is Jeff. We…we were in the playroom and he told me that when they take your tonsils out they cauter-something."
"Cauterize?" Lee said, pulling back so he could look her in the face. "Is that what he said?" Jenna nodded.
"Jeff said that means that they burn you. I thought he was lying, but then I asked the doctor and he said that's what cauter-something meant."
Lee closed his eyes, cursing silently. Didn't they teach Doctors how to talk to frightened children? And as for that Jeff kid... He tried to remember all that the Doctor had said to him and Amanda when he'd recommended the tonsillectomy in the first place.
"Munchkin," he began, "They're only going to cauterize a small area and it's just to stop the bleeding. You'll be asleep when it happens - remember how we talked about you being asleep?"
"I remember," Jenna said, looking down, her hands playing with the cuffs of his JEANS jacket. "Will it hurt when I wake up?"
"A little bit," Lee said. "But they'll give you medicine so it won't hurt so much And after that you won't have all those sore throats. Won't that be nice?"
"Yeah," Jenna said, looking back up at him. "And I get ice cream after, right?"
"All the ice cream you want," Lee told her.
"Any flavor? Like-peanut butter and chocolate?"
"I'll get you any flavor you want," Lee said. "Is that a deal?"
Jenna smiled and nodded, her DIMPLES deepening.
"Deal," she said.
Lee picked Jenna up. "Come on, let's take you back to your room," he said. "Everyone must be worried sick and I'm going to have a long talk with that doctor of yours-Jenna?"
The only sound that came from his daughter was a light snore.
The End
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