The doctor strode in and motioned to the president.  After a hasty conference they went over to Mitzi’s bed.  She was lucid.  It was time to tell her what happened.  He told her how the first bullets fired entered her right leg and destroyed her knee the others passed through the residual tissue and destroyed the left one too. 

“So that’s why they hurt so bad, you patched them up?”

He shook his head.

“Then you replaced them?”

He slowly shook his head.  “Mrs. Donaldson, I’m sorry, we couldn’t fix them.  There wasn’t enough flesh to cover the replacement knee joints.  We had to amputate both of your legs above the knees.  I’m sorry but there was no choice, the damage was too great.  You have good, long stumps.  You should be able to use artificial legs to walk when they heal.”

Her face twisted in what looked like confusion. “You’re kidding me.  You couldn’t have cut them off, I can feel them, my knees hurt and my ankles hurt.  They have to be there or they wouldn’t hurt.”  The doctor said her legs were gone but her body and mind said they hurt, hence they must be there.

“I don’t doubt they hurt.  It’s called phantom limb pain and sensations, most amputees feel their missing limbs.”

Anger filled her face, “I don’t believe you, Dave, tell me the truth.  Why is he lying to me?”

Dave nodded in assent.

“Let me see, my legs are there, I can feel them, why are you lying to me.  Nothing can hurt that bad and not be there.”

With difficulty she lifted herself slightly with her elbows so she could see the bed where her feet would be, “See, they are there, look at my feet there.”  She nodded toward the bottom of the bed and moved her legs slightly and the bump in the sheet moved, “See that, I can move them.  Why are you lying to me?  Hon, tell me he’s lying to me.”

“Ms. I wish I were lying to you, I’d love to pull that sheet back and see your legs, but they aren’t there.  Let me show you.”  The doctor raised the bed so she could see her lower body and pulled up the sheet so Mitzi could see the temporary prostheses.  When she saw them she began to wail.  The nurse came over with a shot, it took nearly two minutes for her to calm down and go back to sleep.