holding the other end.
‘Excuse me,’ said Bobby, ‘I’m taking this patient to the operating theatre.’
The orderly glared at him in total disbelief.
‘It’s okay,’ said Bobby. ‘I’m a doctor.’
Sally closed her eyes. Bobby was so embarrassing when he tried to tell lies.
‘You look kind of young for a doctor,’ said the orderly.
‘I only just joined,’ said Bobby, and then added with a fair attempt at sounding indignant, ‘Do you have something against short people?’
The orderly was spared having to answer that by the arrival of Dr Chambers, Dr Rosen, the nursing sister and the radiologist. They immediately surrounded Bobby, Sally and the trolley, and Bobby turned his attention to them. ‘Hi,’ he said, ‘my name’s Dr Bobby, that’s short for Dr Robert, and I was just explaining about how I was taking this patient for a walk. To the operating theatre. Just exploratory, you understand.’
Sally looked at Chambers and Rosen. ‘Please don’t get him in trouble, he’s my brother.’
Chambers looked at Bobby in a way that Bobby did not like at all. It was as if his eyes had little flames in them. Then he smiled, but with Dr Chambers this looked more as if he were baring his teeth. ‘You’re Sally’s brother? That’s nice. That’s very nice. I’d been hoping to meet you, little boy. What’s your name?’
Bobby scowled and set him right. ‘I’m not a little boy and I don’t tell my name to strangers.’
The nursing sister consulted her clipboard. It had never left her grasp. Bobby thought it was probably grafted to her left hand. ‘File says his name’s Robert Giovanni Harrison.’
Bobby was outraged. ‘You ever heard of privacy legislation?’ he said to her. He had heard his Aunt Kate talk about this. ‘You’re not supposed to reveal stuff about patients.’
‘But I’m a doctor,’ said Chambers, smiling his silky smile, ‘so I’m allowed to hear stuff about patients.’ He looked from Bobby to Sally and back. ‘Robert, it occurs to me that maybe you’d like to help us with our tests?’
Bobby looked at Chambers smiling that terrible smile down at him. The smile seemed to stretch right across the doctor’s face, and showed as many teeth as a crocodile. ‘I don’t think so,’ he said.
‘Let’s talk to mummy and daddy about that, shall we?’ said Chambers.
‘I don’t have a mummy and daddy,’ said Bobby, ‘I have a mother and father!’
‘Then we’ll talk to them instead,’ said Chambers, his smile never wavering. Looking at Rosen, he said, ‘I’ll admit the patient, you talk to the parents about this young man.’ And then he turned to the orderly. ‘Here. With me.’
The orderly started wheeling Sally away, Chambers moving after him.
chapter fifteen
Maria and Jim were very relieved when they saw Bobby coming towards them, but not so relieved when they realized that Dr Rosen was holding him firmly by one arm. It looked like a citizen arrest.
But Dr Rosen was smiling as she approached. ‘Just found Bobby wandering in places where he shouldn’t be,’ she said.
‘How’s Sally!’ Maria and Jim said in unison.
Rosen’s smile became even more professional. Bobby wondered whether she did TV commercials for toothpaste. ‘Sally’s fine,’ Rosen said. ‘We thought she was quite badly injured when she came in but clearly that was shock. Dr Chambers, he’s one of our senior men, he’d like to keep her in for observation for a few days.’
‘They’re saying she’s a freak!’ Bobby said, and shook himself free from Rosen’s grasp.
Jim wished Bobby was not so prone to exaggeration. ‘Now, Bobby,’ he began to say but Bobby kept going.
‘They want to do experiments on her, that’s why they want to keep her in here!’
Maria got angry. ‘Bobby, you mustn’t interfere with her treatment!’
‘This Chambers wants to test me as well, in case I’m a freak too. He’s a mad scientist, Mum, he wants to cut Sally open and look inside
‘Excuse me,’ said Bobby, ‘I’m taking this patient to the operating theatre.’
The orderly glared at him in total disbelief.
‘It’s okay,’ said Bobby. ‘I’m a doctor.’
Sally closed her eyes. Bobby was so embarrassing when he tried to tell lies.
‘You look kind of young for a doctor,’ said the orderly.
‘I only just joined,’ said Bobby, and then added with a fair attempt at sounding indignant, ‘Do you have something against short people?’
The orderly was spared having to answer that by the arrival of Dr Chambers, Dr Rosen, the nursing sister and the radiologist. They immediately surrounded Bobby, Sally and the trolley, and Bobby turned his attention to them. ‘Hi,’ he said, ‘my name’s Dr Bobby, that’s short for Dr Robert, and I was just explaining about how I was taking this patient for a walk. To the operating theatre. Just exploratory, you understand.’
Sally looked at Chambers and Rosen. ‘Please don’t get him in trouble, he’s my brother.’
Chambers looked at Bobby in a way that Bobby did not like at all. It was as if his eyes had little flames in them. Then he smiled, but with Dr Chambers this looked more as if he were baring his teeth. ‘You’re Sally’s brother? That’s nice. That’s very nice. I’d been hoping to meet you, little boy. What’s your name?’
Bobby scowled and set him right. ‘I’m not a little boy and I don’t tell my name to strangers.’
The nursing sister consulted her clipboard. It had never left her grasp. Bobby thought it was probably grafted to her left hand. ‘File says his name’s Robert Giovanni Harrison.’
Bobby was outraged. ‘You ever heard of privacy legislation?’ he said to her. He had heard his Aunt Kate talk about this. ‘You’re not supposed to reveal stuff about patients.’
‘But I’m a doctor,’ said Chambers, smiling his silky smile, ‘so I’m allowed to hear stuff about patients.’ He looked from Bobby to Sally and back. ‘Robert, it occurs to me that maybe you’d like to help us with our tests?’
Bobby looked at Chambers smiling that terrible smile down at him. The smile seemed to stretch right across the doctor’s face, and showed as many teeth as a crocodile. ‘I don’t think so,’ he said.
‘Let’s talk to mummy and daddy about that, shall we?’ said Chambers.
‘I don’t have a mummy and daddy,’ said Bobby, ‘I have a mother and father!’
‘Then we’ll talk to them instead,’ said Chambers, his smile never wavering. Looking at Rosen, he said, ‘I’ll admit the patient, you talk to the parents about this young man.’ And then he turned to the orderly. ‘Here. With me.’
The orderly started wheeling Sally away, Chambers moving after him.
chapter fifteen
Maria and Jim were very relieved when they saw Bobby coming towards them, but not so relieved when they realized that Dr Rosen was holding him firmly by one arm. It looked like a citizen arrest.
But Dr Rosen was smiling as she approached. ‘Just found Bobby wandering in places where he shouldn’t be,’ she said.
‘How’s Sally!’ Maria and Jim said in unison.
Rosen’s smile became even more professional. Bobby wondered whether she did TV commercials for toothpaste. ‘Sally’s fine,’ Rosen said. ‘We thought she was quite badly injured when she came in but clearly that was shock. Dr Chambers, he’s one of our senior men, he’d like to keep her in for observation for a few days.’
‘They’re saying she’s a freak!’ Bobby said, and shook himself free from Rosen’s grasp.
Jim wished Bobby was not so prone to exaggeration. ‘Now, Bobby,’ he began to say but Bobby kept going.
‘They want to do experiments on her, that’s why they want to keep her in here!’
Maria got angry. ‘Bobby, you mustn’t interfere with her treatment!’
‘This Chambers wants to test me as well, in case I’m a freak too. He’s a mad scientist, Mum, he wants to cut Sally open and look inside
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