terrible things e.s.

12 MRI

On the morning of my twenty-fourth birthday, I was giving Luke a bottle (I had yet to trust him with any kind of cup that was without a lid/straw) while my phone rested in between my neck and shoulder. I was on the phone with my sister and she was freaking out about some guy who never called her back after a hook-up they had and he told her that he promised to call and it had been four days and still no call and she had an exam in two days but she hasn't been able to focus on studying because he's just so amazing and, please, tell me something about my life because she needs to get her mind off of this and it's my birthday and, oh, happy birthday by the way. It was a lot to take in, with the run on sentences and fast talking, not to mention the loud two year old running around the flat.

"Well, me and Luke are getting ready to go to a doctors appointment I have in an hour and Ed just left for work, so not much," I shift the phone to the other ear and rinse out a glass in the sink.

"Oh, well that's nice. You have an appointment on your birthday?" I hear rustling on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, unfortunately. You know how I said my knee was bothering me a wile back?"

"Yeah, I remember you saying something about it."

"Well, I finally set up an appointment with Dr. Henderson. Today was the only day he had open for a month, but only because someone cancelled, so I took it. It's not like I'm doing anything other than hanging out with Luke today, maybe finishing up an article that's due in a couple days."

"You never do anything for your birthday anymore, your twenty-four, Rory, live it up while you still can. Your so grown up, with your grown up newspaper job, and your grown up marriage, and your grown up child. Speaking of, when do I get to see my nephew next? It's been a while."

"It's been two months."

"Exactly. It's been too long."

"Well maybe if you would visit a time or two. I mean your only about an hour away, now. I still can't believe you got into Kingston by the way, you copycat."

"I don't ever have time, I'm studying all the damn time. Speaking of, I should be doing it right now. I'll call you back later okay?"

"Alright, Piper. Later. Love you, and call mom if you get the chance. She wanted me to tell you."

"Ugh, will do. Happy birthday, again. Love you, bye." I mumbled another bye and ended the call.

A time later I was sitting on a thin tissue paper atop a metal table, sitting in only a paper gown. Dr. Henderson was pressing on certain points on my right knee, asking me what felt weird or what hurt. There was one spot that he pressed that made his lips turn down in a frown.

"There's a place here," he pressed softly on my outer knee, "that concerns me a bit, but I think that you just may have strained it. I would recommend just keeping off of it for a few days." He scooted on his little wheeler chair, that I really wanted to spin on, over to a computer, typing in a few things.

"Alright, is that it?" I asked, slowly getting down from the table, the dull ache in my leg never leaving.

"Uh, yeah. But, before you go, I'd actually like to schedule an appointment for a X-Ray and maybe an MRI, just to make sure everything is how it should be," he said, brushing I off of his shoulder. My brows furrowed.

"A MRI? Why would that even be necessary? You don't think there is some kind of problem, do you?" I ask, rubbing my knee, cautiously. If there was nothin wrong with my knee, why would there be any reason to even have a test done?

"It's just for precaution, Lorelei. I promise. The weakness of the bone is slightly concerning, I'm sure it's nothing, okay?" I nod, "So, next appointment; how's next week?"