Juicy Read Online Free PDF Page B

able to sit here and keep an eye on you." He paused in his chewing to give her a long look. "And since you named me Mr. Cracker, it's your name, too."

Juicy felt her face turn warm, but she'd be damned if she would apologize. When she had referred to him as a cracker he sure was acting like one!

"Then how are they billing me for this if they don't have my real name?"

He shrugged. He'd finished the sandwich in one last bite and removed the plastic lid from the bowl of soup. He drank it in three gulps.

Juicy sighed. None of this was neat and tidy. She didn't like a lot of stray ends. Would Medicaid even cover all of this?

Mr. Cracker was removing the plastic shrink wrap from the JELLO . "Why are you so worried about it? You're invisible, like me...Mrs. Cracker. What are they going to do, mail your hospital bill to my boarded up room in the alley? I'm not going to tell anybody your real name...even if I knew it."

He picked up the plastic wrapped package of utensils and removed the spoon. Mr. Cracker moved his chair closer to her and spooned up a small portion of JELLO which he held close to her mouth.

Juicy shook her head but Mr. Cracker wasn't taking no for an answer and gently prodded her lip with the offering. She accepted it reluctantly.

Mmmmm. Good. She hadn't had JELLO since elementary school. Mr. Cracker continued feeding her.

"Well what's going to happen when it's time to check out and I haven't paid? Are they going to call the police on me?"

Mr. Cracker's lip twitched once. "Are you sure you don't have brain damage? I just told you. Besides, I don't recall you asking for medical treatment. How can someone be forced to pay for something that they didn't even ask for? You really don't know much about how the system works." He sighed. "I'm MISTER Cracker, let me handle this, okay?"

Dear Lord, he was so crazy! Juicy thought warily.

The Doctor came in soon after she'd eaten the JELLO. She wished there was more, it had been delicious. The Doctor checked the dressing on her head, didn't mention her sore ribs or back and just like Mr. Cracker promised he fielded all questions about insurance. Once the Doctor determined that there was going to be no payment forthcoming he gave Juicy a clean bill of health and announced that she could leave that same day. Then he left without another word.

Juicy and Mr. Cracker stared at each other silently.

"I-I just woke up out of a coma...he said I can go home? I can just get up and leave? What about-they drilled a hole in my head!"

Mr. Cracker shrugged.

"Mister, this ain't right. This ain't right at all." Mr. Cracker was nodding his head in agreement.

"It's not right. But it's how the world works for us. But you're not a part of my world, are you? You need to get on that phone and call your people to come take care of you." His look was suddenly fierce...but no longer what Juicy would describe as crazy.

"Have my people come and get me? My Mother died years ago. I don't have a Daddy or brothers and sisters. I got cousins but I wouldn't call on them to do a thing for me. I had outpatient surgery one time and asked one of my girlfriends to come pick me up from the hospital...the bitch didn't show up for five hours—AND she was drunk! Mister I don't call on anybody for NOTHING! You hear me? NO-THING!"

Mr. Cracker contemplated her words. He stood up and went to a little closet. The room that Juicy was in had another bed but it was vacant. There were two bathrooms and two closets. She assumed that he was in her closet.

He returned with a clear plastic bag and laid it gently on her bed. "There's a charities foundation here at the hospital. They gave you some clothes, toothpaste and tooth brush, flip flops...things like that. Here. Get dressed and I'll be right back. I'm going to get you out of here."

"Mister!" Juicy called before he went out the door.

He turned to her. "Troy. My name is Troy."

She nodded. "I'm Juicy."

Troy's lip curled up in a grimace. "Oh. Why don't you just