Big D: Senior Year (Three Daves #3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

I’m Mickey Mouse.” Joe held inflated examination gloves to the cuffs of his sleeves and waved them up and down. In a high-pitched voice, he sang, “M-I-C-K—“
    The ER doctor entered, holding translucent images of Jen’s bones. “You’ve broken your ankle. Most of the time, we can treat that with a simple splint, but this wasn’t a clean break.” He paused, giving Jen a sober look. “I can’t reset it here. You’re going to need an operation.”
    “Operation?” Jen gasped.
    “I’m afraid so,” the doctor said. “I understand you’re from out of town, so you have a few options. We can, of course, perform the surgery at this hospital or you can elect to make arrangements to go somewhere closer to home. I highly recommend you have the surgery as soon as possible, before the bones start to heal incorrectly.”
    “I’ll need to talk with my parents.” She suddenly felt like a small child, lost and alone.
    “Certainly.” He handed her a form and a business card. “Sign this to give me permission to go over the details with them. They can reach me at the number on the card.”
    “Okay.” Jen nodded.
    Jen’s mom was home when she called and naturally became concerned after Jen had delivered the news. Mrs. Whitney said she’d talk to Jen’s dad and they’d speak with the doctor. A nurse shoed David, Marcy, and Joe out of the crowded exam room. They went to the waiting room to pull out their book bags and work on their projects while waiting to see what happened with Jen, taking turns checking in with her.
    After a couple of hours, Jen reported that her father had arranged for her to have surgery the next day in Springfield. An orthopedic surgeon had been highly recommended by a doctor friend of Mr. Whitney’s. Her mother wanted to head down to Springfield right away, but since Mr. Whitney had an important client dinner that night, Jen convinced her mother to wait and drive down with her dad the next morning.
    She’d meant every word, but after her mother had agreed and they’d hung up, Jen felt like an orphan. Next it was time to convince her friends, who’d gathered around her again, that they should also abandon her. “You guys should get back to campus. My parents will be here tomorrow, and they’ll take it from there.”
    “I don’t know…” Marcy said.
    “It’s not like they’re going to give me a room with four beds, so what would you do—sleep in the waiting room? I’ve already wasted enough of your time. Please don’t make me feel worse by sticking around any longer. Go!” Jen fought to keep her voice from breaking. She hated the thought of being left alone with a bunch of strangers.
    Marcy still looked doubtful, and even Joe seemed reluctant.
    “You guys should definitely go,” David said. “Like she said, the hospital can’t accommodate all of us. I’m the one who made her fall, so I’ll stay. I’m sure there’ll be a comfortable chair or something I can sleep in.”
    “No way, David. You go, too,” Jen said.
    He turned his penetrating, dark eyes on her. “I’m not leaving you.” It wasn’t an offer. It was a non-negotiable statement. Jen couldn’t stop the grateful tear that rolled down her cheek when she smiled at him.
    After several hugs and multiple inquiries of, “Are you sure?” from Marcy and a “Good luck, dudette. You’re still gonna have to write your part of the paper when you get back,” from Joe, they left. Soon after Jen was transferred to a regular room, happy to see the warm décor and a sofa bed for David.
    The surgeon Jen’s father had spoken to came in to introduce himself and give Jen the rundown of what would happen the next day. David asked a few questions about pain and recovery, and Jen listened, still not absorbing that all of this was about her. The doctor left the nurse with a prescription for pain medication, which Jen gladly swallowed. The throbbing in her leg calmed, and she became drowsy.
    “I need to tell my roommates and