There Will Be Lies Read Online Free PDF

have died
, says Mom.
    Dr Maklowitz gives her a look, like, shut up.
We stopped the bleeding
, he says.
You’re going to be OK. Some scarring, but of course you already have
… He tails off.
Anyway, we’ll have you out of here soon. For now, you just need to rest
.
    I look at him.
Will I … walk again?
I ask hesitantly, looking down at the box over my lower leg.
    He stares at me for a moment and then laughs.
Of course! Yes, of course you will. Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you. We think you must have damaged your foot and ankle when you fell – you must have [    ] and twisted it. Actually most of your injuries – and they’re fairly minor ones – come from falling, not the car itself. We should be able to discharge you soon, once we’ve
–
    What about her foot?
says Mom. She seems weirdly impatient.
    Two things
, says the doctor.
On the ankle, a stable oblique fracture of the lateral m[    ], and on the foot, a displaced extra-[    ] fracture, requiring
–
    Oh God, says Mom.
    He smiles again.
No, no, those are OK. I mean, the best kinds of fractures. We need to give you a small operation, reduce the displacement of the [    ], but it’s easy. We can do it under local
.
    I nod.
    You were really very lucky
, he says.
An SUV like that … It’s actually remarkable what little damage you have suffered
.
    Will she need a wheelchair?
asks Mom.
Crutches?
    He shakes his head.
Should be fine with a …
and then he says something like
camera
.
    A what?
says Mom.
    Dr Maklowitz goes over to a corner of the room and brings back a sheet of paper, which he hands to Mom.
They cost a couple hundred dollars, I’m afraid, but they’re amazing things
.
    Show me
, I say.
    Mom tilts the paper and I see CAM Walker. Oh, so that was what he said. There’s a picture of a massive boot on someone’s leg – like the bottom part of a storm trooper’s armour or something. It’s plastic, robotic.
    I have to wear THAT?
I ask.
    You’d prefer a wheelchair?
says Dr Maklowitz.
    I shake my head.
    He smiles. I like his smile.
It’s only for four weeks
, he says.
And you can take it off at night. Of course. Like I say, you were lucky. If the car had been going a bit faster
…
    I lie back. I don’t feel very fricking lucky. But I do feel about 159 times more relaxed now I know they didn’t saw off my leg.
    Mom and Dr Maklowitz take a step away from me and lower their heads to have a conversation, so I don’t catch all of it. But I follow some. To start, Mom is timid, facing the ground, as usual. And the doctor is tough, assertive. His words fly flat at her, like projectiles, like baseballs; hers fall at his feet, like a mouse being offered in tribute by a cat.
    But as they keep talking, Mom’s head slowly comes up, as if there’s a string attached to it and someone is pulling on it. She’s still hunched, still nervous, but she’s pissed and she’s not backing down.
    Interesting
, I think.
    Mom:
[    ]
    Dr Maklowitz:
We can’t discharge her immediately after the operation
.
    Mom:
But they said at the desk that [    ]
    Dr Maklowitz:
Yes, that’s right. The law requires [    ]
    Mom:
[    ] So we’re paying for everything at this point? I mean, for tonight, and the next operation?
    Dr Maklowitz:
We stabilise patients in the ER, regardless of insurance status. Everything after that has to be paid for. If the patient is uninsured, then they or their legal guardian must pay
.
    Mom (head fully up now and pulling severe angry face):
She’s hardly stable, she’s got furniture on her
–
    Dr Maklowitz:
She’s stable in the sense that she’s no longer dying. That’s what it means. Even after the operation, even after she has her CAM Walker, we’re going to need to
–
    Then Mom makes another face at him and pulls him to the other end of the room, which is totally out of character, and they turn away from me, which makes the rest of the conversation just [    ]. I can tell from Dr Maklowitz’s body