Page 110 of Unspoken Words
My tough little soldier nodded, so I sang the song I’d ad-libbed in a moment of single-dad panic.
Pain, pain, go away.
You’re not the boss,
I want to play.
Pain, pain, stay away.
Don’t come back.
Hip hip hooray.
Okay, so it wasn’t my finest work, but Max dug it, and it always seemed to help.
“Better?” I asked.
He nodded, but I could tell he was over it all.
“Not long now. I promise.”
Max sniffled then whispered, “Daddy who’s dat lady?” He peeked over my arm and looked at Ellie.
I smiled. “That’s Ellie McEllie Head.”
She let out a laugh and gave Max a small wave. He smiled back but then screwed up his little nose at me. “Dat’s a funny name.”
“That’s because she’s a funny lady.”
Ellie winked at him just as Lilah yanked the curtain open and re-entered the cubicle. “Finally. They’re about to prep him for X-ray.” She turned her head toward Ellie, her nose scrunched and sympathetic-like but not, because Lilah didn’t have a sympathetic bone in her body. “You might as well leave. We could be a while.”
Ellie opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a short, wimpy-looking, Doogie Howser type dude standing on the threshold of the cubicle, feet apart like a scarecrow, his arms outstretched and holding the curtains wide apart.
“I’m Doctor Dexter,” he announced. “Max? Which one of you is my patient Max?” He looked at Ellie and playfully raised his eyebrows. “You?”
She shook her head and shuffled back to give us space.
I smiled. A dorky doctor was better than a pretentious one.
“How about you? Or you?” He nodded toward Lilah then at me.
We both shook our heads and moved out of his way.
“Then it must be you.” Doctor Dork bent down and lowered his voice. “Did you try to be a superhero?”
Max shook his head but then decided to play along, nodding, his damp, red eyes now alight with a hint of excitement.
“Which one? Superman?”
“No. Batman.”
Doctor Dexter smacked himself in the head. “Well then, that explains it. Batman can’t fly for very long, can he?”
Max giggled. “No.”
“I tell you what. Would you like to go to the bat cave and have a special photo taken of your arm?”
His small body grew rigid.
