The Gorging (6 page)

The cafeteria in the Jefferson Elementary School looked like it had been modeled after the Wyoming State Penitentiary, with the steel tables and chairs and the bars over the windows. They must have hired the same contractor when the job was in development. The only thing missing would be the prison guards standing in the corners with expandable batons and tasers, but the hall monitors and the No-Talking Observers have just about the same effect on the kids, holding their little notepads to write down names of talking violators and loiters. They were treated like prisoners. No talking, no walking slow to class, no this, and no that. Just get to class.

Eddie wasn’t feeling good by the time lunch rolled around. The steak biscuits he had for breakfast weren’t sitting that well in his tummy. Of all the times he played hooky, this time he really did feel sick, but didn’t want to say anything. He didn’t like for his parents to come pick him up in the middle of the day. It would be his mother if one were picking him up and he knew she would usually be sleeping. He knows that she needs her rest for her job and she wouldn’t have a good night at work if she had to go in tired. It wouldn’t be good for her patients either. He may only be ten years old, but he’s got a smart head on his shoulders. He doesn’t want the other kids to think he was a wimp or a sissy, so he sucked it up the entire morning, pretending the sickness was just in his mind.

Eddie could feel the bubbling in his stomach and felt it filling his intestines. The thought reminded him of the time he had put a water balloon on the sink faucet and turned the water on slow. The balloon had burst and shot water all over the sink and the floor. His intestines were starting to feel like that balloon. He wondered as he was standing in line, waiting to get his tray of cheap food, which consisted of a slice of pizza that could pass for a piece of floor tiling and a small carton of milk that usually sat at room temperature, if he would be able to look at it without his breakfast coming up onto the tray along with it.

Eddie grabbed his tray and stood in line with the other kids. He looked pale and his eyes were wondering wearily. Kathleen Winston, a girl that took a liking to Eddie at the first of the school year, noticed that he looked a little different this morning. She skipped the line and walked up next to Eddie.

“Hi Eddie,” Kathleen said, smiling from ear to ear. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t feel so good.” Eddie started to sway back and forth. He looked as though he were about to do a face plant onto the cafeteria floor. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“You look sick.”

“I...feel...sick.” Eddie dropped his tray and fell to the floor. The tray bounced on the floor and made a loud clanking noise. The kids standing in line around him dropped their trays as they jumped back, screaming. Screaming bloody murder because they thought that Eddie had just died. Kathleen dropped her tray and ran away out of fear that her speaking to Eddie made him collapse.

The cafeteria lady behind the counter ran around and pushed the children out of the way. “Move you little brats.” She knocked over two as she pushed them away from standing over Eddie. She yelled to another teacher, Mrs. Harrison, to come help her.

Eddie lay there breathing, but unconscious. Mrs. Harrison ran over and knelt down with her.

“What happened?” asked Mrs. Harrison. She put her fingers on Eddie’s neck to check for a pulse. “He still has a pulse.

“He’s still breathing, too,” said the cafeteria lady. “I can see his shirt moving.” Everyone was scared, the children, the cafeteria lady, and Mrs. Harrison, but Mrs. Harrison wasn’t as scared as everyone else was at the time. She had taken college courses in nursing and did her fair share of studying about children. She thought that when she became a teacher it would be a good idea to learn about child illnesses just in case anything happened like what is happening to Eddie. It’s the first time she had to apply the skills she learned, but she held together in the thick of it.

“Go call 911 right away,” said Mrs. Harrison. She rubbed Eddie’s head and reassured him that everything is going to be okay. “Just hang in there Eddie. Help is on the way.”

The children gathered around the scene and watched. They were all too scared to move away. “Is he going to die?” asked one boy.

“No he’s not going to die,” said Mrs. Harrison. “Now all of you turn around. Now.” The children slowly turned around. Their heads followed slowly as they kept their eyes on Eddie until they finally looked in the opposite direction.

Eddie just lay there on the cafeteria floor, gasping each shallow breath that went in and out of his tiny lungs. Mrs. Harrison touched his forehead and motioned for the children to stand back that were trying to catch a peek. Another teacher, Mrs. Windsor, ran to the principal’s office to call for an ambulance.

It only took eight minutes from the time Eddie hit the floor to the time he was in the back of the ambulance and on his way to Cheyenne General. If his mother had been working today, she would have seen him when they brought him in. She would later be thankful she hadn’t been there. She knows she would have broken down and just ended up in the way while the doctors would be caring for Eddie.

If it hadn’t been for the reserved nurses parking, Nikki and Bobby would have had a hard time finding a parking space at the Cheyenne General Hospital. They got out of the car and ran into the emergency room and straight up to the reception counter.

“My son is here. I need to see him,” said Nikki.

“He’s fine Mrs. Evans,” said the receptionist. “Don’t worry. The doctor asked that you stay out here right now because there is a lot going on in the back. It’s your day off too. He doesn’t want you jumping in. He wants you to concentrate on little Eddie right now. Just take a seat and I’ll let him know you’re here.”

“Okay,” said Nikki in a trembling voice. Nikki and Bobby sat in the only two chairs left by the emergency room entrance. It’s a familiar place for Nikki, but not so much for Bobby. There were several people there, waiting to be seen. Most everyone looked sick as if they have food poisoning. There was a line forming in front of the men and women’s restroom, with the future occupants not caring which line, just whichever one was shorter.

“My God, Bobby,” said Nikki, timidly as she held Bobby’s arm tight. “What’s going on here?”

“I don’t know there must be something going around.” Bobby looked grimily at the people standing in line. “I’m not even sure if we should be sitting in here.”

“The doctors said it was okay. These people don’t have anything contagious. It’s something they ate apparently.” Nikki had a sudden reckoning. “Did you stop and get Eddie breakfast somewhere this morning.”

“I—”

She didn’t allow him to finish. “Damn it, Bobby. I told you not to let Eddie eat out in the mornings. It’s not good for him.”

“Well, he was playing sick this morning and wouldn’t get out of bed.” Bobby defended his actions. “I was in a hurry to get to work. We stopped for a couple of steak biscuits. No big deal.”

Words were about to start flying out of Nikki’s mouth, but Bobby lucked out when Doctor Harrington walked out smiling. Nikki and Bobby looked at him and were delighted to see he was smiling. Bobby felt at the same time it was creepy for the good doctor to have a grin on his face with so many people sick, stopping up the toilet in both restrooms. Of course, Doctor Harrington was smiling because the more patients that come in, the more money that flows into his pockets. Thanks to the new healthcare laws. Now everyone can pay, so let’s see them all and rack up the bill as high as we can get it. Twelve dollars for a pair of surgical gloves, and don’t forget the mandatory processing and paperwork fees. Doctor Harrington’s Porsche 911 sure looks nice sitting in the front parking lot, with that bright red paint job and the alloy wheels.

“Mr. and Mrs. Evans,” said Doctor Harrington with his rich smile.

“That’s us,” Bobby said, as he stood up to shake the doctor’s hand.

“I know, Mr. Evans,” Doctor Harrington smiled as he pointed to Nikki. “Your wife works here with us.”

“Oh right.” Bobby pulled his hand back, noticing the doctor’s hands were holding a clipboard in one hand and bottled water in the other. Bobby figured the doctor wouldn’t want to shake his hand. Probably scared of germs anyways.

Nikki looked at Bobby and shook her head. She smiled to the doctor and stood up herself. “Thank you so much Doctor Harrington. We appreciate everything you’ve done for Eddie.”

“It’s no trouble,” the doctor said, as he moved his water bottle to one hand and placed it on Nikki’s shoulder. Bobby squinted his eyes and stared at the doctor’s hand as the doctor kept talking to Nikki and ignoring him. “Eddie’s always a good boy and we’re happy to see him anytime. This may not have been the best circumstance in which to see the little fellow, but we still like having him here. He brings cheer to this gloomy place sometimes. He’s a really good boy.”

Bobby gave the doctor a mean look behind his back and under his breath he said, “I’ll bet you like the good boys, don’t you.”

“Thank you so much doctor.” Nikki smiled, looked at Bobby and then back to the doctor. “What exactly was wrong with him? Everything is going to be alright, right?”

“Absolutely, Nikki. The food he ate for breakfast made his stomach upset. Much like these other patients that are waiting to be seen. Apparently there is something going around that are causing people to become sick. Food poisoning it looks like. We believe there will be more cases as the day goes on and until we can find the source. Whatever made Eddie sick he mostly threw up by the time he got here. There wasn’t much of anything left to pump out of his stomach so we didn’t bother putting him through that unnecessary pain.”

Bobby looked at the doctor, thinking, I’m surprised you didn’t you greedy old bastard. Probably need new tires for that piece of shit Porsche.

“So it was the food he ate for breakfast,” Nikki said, turning to Bobby and giving him the evil eye.

“What?” Bobby looked at Nikki and the doctor, playing off that he had nothing to do with the bad food that ended up in Eddie’s gut. “How was I supposed to know it was bad. He wasn’t complaining when he ate it.”

“Well,” said the doctor. “That’s how food poisoning usually works. It tastes good going down, but oh man, when it comes up, and out, it’s a whole different story.”

Nikki shook her head. Doctor Harrington laughed as he finally took his hand from Nikki’s shoulder. Must be the old man waiting for the opportunity to cop a feel, thought Bobby. The nurses would never put it past Doctor Harrington. He’s been working at Cheyenne General for nearly thirty years and there are only few a nurses he hasn’t
accidently
got a feel on.

“Your boy will be perfectly fine. I’ve gone ahead and written him a note to stay home from school tomorrow. He’ll also need to take some medication I prescribed to help sooth his stomach. Also make sure he drinks plenty of fluids. You know where to pick it up medication I’m sure.” Doctor Harrington turned toward Bobby. “Where did you take him for breakfast?”

“It was Winslow’s Burgers,” Bobby said.

“Okay. I’ll report it to the board to look into. Just a precaution to make sure no one else becomes sick...Eddie will be out in a few minutes and you guys are free to go. Thank you folks.”

“Thanks doctor.” Nikki smiled. Bobby just nodded and was glad to see the doctor go.

“I told you not to take him out to eat anywhere,” said Nikki. “You know how I feel about that.”

“Look Nikki. I’m sorry. I never thought he would get sick. I would never wish anything like this to happen to him. He’s going to be fine though, so can we concentrate on making him feel better? Please?” Bobby looked at Nikki with puppy dog eyes.

She looked at him angrily and then her expression went blank. “Fine.”

Nikki tucked Eddie into bed and kissed him goodnight. It was only 5:30 p.m., but Eddie had enough for the day and he was tired. She closed his bedroom door and went to the kitchen where Bobby was working his magic at the stove. The news is on the television reporting about more people becoming sick with food poisoning. They have already begun to warn people against eating meat, but the report has already come too late.

“How is he?” asked Bobby, as he flipped the burgers in the frying pan. He figured they were still good because they had been frozen in the freezer for a while.

“He’s okay now.” Nikki sat at the kitchen table. “I’ll keep an eye on him throughout the night.” She watched Bobby as he cooked and felt bad for the way she had treated him earlier in the day. She knows she can’t blame Bobby for Eddie being sick. He’s a good father and any good father would want to take their kid out for some fast food every once in awhile. She smiled and remembered how much she loves him.

“I’m glad you were able to take the rest of the week off.” Bobby walked to the sink, leaving the frying pan’s handle sticking out past the stove. “I’m sorry you know. The boss just threw this trip at Pete and I this morning. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“It’s okay. When you get back we can re-plan that trip you wanted to take down to Denver.” She smiled and watched Bobby, laughing subconsciously at her apron that he was wearing. “You need to be careful over there in Kentucky. There could be contagions in the air that can hurt people. Besides, we need to be more cautious with this food poisoning that’s spreading around.”