“I called your dad, he is meeting us.”

“Thanks.”

When they pulled into the doctor’s parking lot her dad was just getting out of his car. Her mom pulled up near the door and Laura got out. Leah parked the car while they went in. By the time she parked the car and got inside the assistant was getting ready to take them back to the room.

The assistant looked at her chart. “Before we take you back to a room the doctor wants an x-ray of both legs. We might as well take you back there first.”

“They took a lot of x-rays last week. Should I have this many at one time?”

“The doctor knows you had them. We try to not take more than we have to but sometimes they are necessary. I see a note on the chart that the ER x-ray was not clear, the doctor decided a better plate is needed.” She pointed them to a bench, “Sit there, the technician will be out for you.”

They were there for only a few minutes when a woman in her late twenties came out of the x-ray room. “Hi, are you Laura Durin?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Sandy. The doctor said I’m to get some pictures of your legs. Since you’re wearing a skirt we don’t need you to undress, come on in and we’ll get to it.”

Laura got up and followed her. Sandy motioned to her. “We need to get you up on that table.”

Laura crutched over to the table, turned her back to it and used her hands to lift herself enough to slide her butt on the table.

“You’re really in good shape, few people can do that.” Sandy observed. “Now let’s see if we can get your legs up on the table and get you on your back.” She helped Laura turn to the position she described and put a lead apron over her abdominal area.

“Now I need to get this film holder under your right leg and shoot a picture.” She slid the holder under the leg with the cast and propped it as close to the cast as possible. She stepped into a shielded area in the room, “Ready, take a deep breath and hold it.” The table shook, when it stopped Sandy called out, “You can breathe now.”

One by one she took four shots of Laura’s leg at different angles, then she took four like them of her left leg. Laura got curious and asked why she was taking pictures of her good leg. Sandy replied, “The doctor ordered it. He apparently wants to compare the bones in your legs.”

“It just seems strange.”

“Dr. Davis is really good. If he wants them he has a good reason.”

“OK, I just don’t like to have so much x-ray exposure.”

“That’s where I’m the one that’s good. I take the pictures with the least exposure that still gets good pictures so we don’t have to do them again and I put that lead apron over you so the rest of your body gets less of the little bit of scatter this machine makes. And I make sure this thing is working right.”

“That’s good.”

“Since I don’t need the machine for a while let me develop these and come back. Just lay still and be comfortable. I’m going to ask your mom to come in with you. That way if one of them isn’t good we don’t have to get you back up on the table.”

She stepped to the door, “Mrs. Durin, do you want to come in with your daughter to keep her company while I develop these and see they are good?”

Leah got up and hurried in.

A short time later Sandy came back. “We are going to need one more, just above the right knee. Mrs. Durin, you need to go out. I’ll call you to come back in when we get this one shot.” She helped Laura turn on her left side and positioned her right leg so the plate was just below the inside of her knee, but at about a 75 degree angle to the knee not the ninety she had used before.

She took the shot, called Leah back in and went back to develop the film. A few minutes later she was back with the envelope of films, lay them on the cabinet and helped Laura off the table. “Go out, turn left and go to room 6, I’ll follow you.”

At Room 6 she opened the door and let the Durin’s in. “The doctor will be in soon.” She turned and left.

Laura Chapter 1

Laura Chapter 2

Laura Chapter 4