suggested that Marie might just want to sit down in Max’s office and not walk to the hospital. Marie wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted on accompanying them, and both Carole and Lisa thought she was a welcome companion.
When the girls got to the hospital, they peered through a small window into the emergency room and saw a flurry of activity around one particular patient: Stevie Lake.
“Oh, no, what could be going on in there?” Carole moaned.
“I don’t know,” Lisa said.
“Let me see,” Marie said, looking in with them.
Then, when the door opened, their question was answered, for they heard Stevie’s unmistakable voice saying, “What’s that? I can’t hear you, Doc, I’ve got a banana in my ear!” It was followed by a burst of laughter.
“She’s telling jokes!” Carole said. “Old ones! Bad ones—just like the kind my father tells. Here we are, thinking the worst, and Stevie’s cracking jokes!”
“I’m afraid Stevie’s not the only one,” Lisa said ominously.
They listened again.
“Okay, so this gorilla goes into a soda shop—”
“Dad!” Carole yowled. She burst through the door, followed by Lisa and Marie.
“Just a second, honey,” Colonel Hanson said.
Carole was not going to be stopped. “How’s Stevie?” she demanded.
“I’m fine,” Stevie said. “Now let your dad finish this one. It’s one of my favorites.”
Stunned, Carole, Lisa, and Marie waited.
“And the gorilla orders a chocolate sundae. The soda jerk is a little nervous, but he figures he can pull one over on the dumb gorilla. ‘That’ll be ten dollars,’ he tells the gorilla. The gorilla pays him and eats the sundae. ‘You know, we don’t get many gorillas in here,’ the soda jerk says. ‘I’m not surprised,’ the gorilla tells him. ‘With sundaes at ten dollars apiece!’ ”
“All right. Enough! My turn,” Carole interrupted the stand-up routines. “What is the story on Stevie’s ankle besides ‘fine’? ‘Fine’ doesn’t swell up like a balloon.”
Stevie scooted forward on the gurney and showed Carole her ankle. It had a big elastic bandage that came, apparently, accompanied by a pair of crutches.
“It’s sprained, not broken,” she said. “I have to keep the bandage on and I’m not allowed to walk on it—or ride—for at least three weeks. The good news is that it’s not broken. That would be more like six weeks.”
“Three weeks without riding?” Carole said. Stevie nodded. “But aren’t we supposed to have another polocrosse match with Cross County in two weeks?” Carole asked. Nobody who knew Carole was surprised at her reaction. To her, walking was simply not as important as riding.
Stifling a smile, Lisa nudged her. “Look at the bright side of that,” she said. “We can forfeit this time instead of being massacred!”
“Oh, no!” Stevie said. “We’ll play again. It’s just thatthis time, I’ll coach, not ride. I did learn a lot about the sport this afternoon.”
“Right,” a doctor piped in. “Like the fastest route to the emergency room!” Everybody, except Carole and Lisa, laughed.
Stevie’s father then offered his daughter a hand to help her get down from the gurney. “I think it’s time to go,” he said. “After all, I’m sure these people have a lot of things to do besides swapping jokes with you!”
A few of the doctors and nurses tried to convince Mr. Lake that they’d really rather tell jokes, but when the P.A. announced that an ambulance was arriving, they were all business. They barely paused to wave good-bye as Stevie hobbled out, trailed by her friends, her father, Colonel Hanson, Max, Mrs. Dana, and Marie.
Stevie accepted some help from her father and from Colonel Hanson. Max walked between Marie and her mother. He offered his arm to Marie for any extra help she might need.
“We need to talk,” he said to her.
“We do?” Marie asked. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Not at all,” he said. “In fact, you did
When the girls got to the hospital, they peered through a small window into the emergency room and saw a flurry of activity around one particular patient: Stevie Lake.
“Oh, no, what could be going on in there?” Carole moaned.
“I don’t know,” Lisa said.
“Let me see,” Marie said, looking in with them.
Then, when the door opened, their question was answered, for they heard Stevie’s unmistakable voice saying, “What’s that? I can’t hear you, Doc, I’ve got a banana in my ear!” It was followed by a burst of laughter.
“She’s telling jokes!” Carole said. “Old ones! Bad ones—just like the kind my father tells. Here we are, thinking the worst, and Stevie’s cracking jokes!”
“I’m afraid Stevie’s not the only one,” Lisa said ominously.
They listened again.
“Okay, so this gorilla goes into a soda shop—”
“Dad!” Carole yowled. She burst through the door, followed by Lisa and Marie.
“Just a second, honey,” Colonel Hanson said.
Carole was not going to be stopped. “How’s Stevie?” she demanded.
“I’m fine,” Stevie said. “Now let your dad finish this one. It’s one of my favorites.”
Stunned, Carole, Lisa, and Marie waited.
“And the gorilla orders a chocolate sundae. The soda jerk is a little nervous, but he figures he can pull one over on the dumb gorilla. ‘That’ll be ten dollars,’ he tells the gorilla. The gorilla pays him and eats the sundae. ‘You know, we don’t get many gorillas in here,’ the soda jerk says. ‘I’m not surprised,’ the gorilla tells him. ‘With sundaes at ten dollars apiece!’ ”
“All right. Enough! My turn,” Carole interrupted the stand-up routines. “What is the story on Stevie’s ankle besides ‘fine’? ‘Fine’ doesn’t swell up like a balloon.”
Stevie scooted forward on the gurney and showed Carole her ankle. It had a big elastic bandage that came, apparently, accompanied by a pair of crutches.
“It’s sprained, not broken,” she said. “I have to keep the bandage on and I’m not allowed to walk on it—or ride—for at least three weeks. The good news is that it’s not broken. That would be more like six weeks.”
“Three weeks without riding?” Carole said. Stevie nodded. “But aren’t we supposed to have another polocrosse match with Cross County in two weeks?” Carole asked. Nobody who knew Carole was surprised at her reaction. To her, walking was simply not as important as riding.
Stifling a smile, Lisa nudged her. “Look at the bright side of that,” she said. “We can forfeit this time instead of being massacred!”
“Oh, no!” Stevie said. “We’ll play again. It’s just thatthis time, I’ll coach, not ride. I did learn a lot about the sport this afternoon.”
“Right,” a doctor piped in. “Like the fastest route to the emergency room!” Everybody, except Carole and Lisa, laughed.
Stevie’s father then offered his daughter a hand to help her get down from the gurney. “I think it’s time to go,” he said. “After all, I’m sure these people have a lot of things to do besides swapping jokes with you!”
A few of the doctors and nurses tried to convince Mr. Lake that they’d really rather tell jokes, but when the P.A. announced that an ambulance was arriving, they were all business. They barely paused to wave good-bye as Stevie hobbled out, trailed by her friends, her father, Colonel Hanson, Max, Mrs. Dana, and Marie.
Stevie accepted some help from her father and from Colonel Hanson. Max walked between Marie and her mother. He offered his arm to Marie for any extra help she might need.
“We need to talk,” he said to her.
“We do?” Marie asked. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Not at all,” he said. “In fact, you did
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