A Cry in the Park - A Bob's Burgers fanfic - by BobsBurgersStories1

A Cry in the Park - Part 14

Bob was awakened at around 6pm that evening by Robin gently shaking his shoulder.

   "Excuse me, Mr Belcher?" she whispered. "We need to take Louise for her hyperbaric treatment now, so if you could please step aside..."

   "Sure," Bob also whispered, scooting back in his chair and stretching out his stiff legs. Not wanting to wake his wife, he gently pulled the chair she was sleeping in out of the way.

The IV's were temporarily removed from Louise's arms, the marks covered with band-aids, and the sleeping girl was gently placed on a gurney before being wheeled out of the room. Bob had intended to go with Louise, but before he could properly think about it, he had fallen back asleep, truly exhausted.

Louise was wheeled down the sterile hallways, still dormant, and only awoke when she was placed on the table that would put her inside the monoplace oxygen chamber, which resembled a giant, clear glass tube.

   "It's all right, Louise," Robin smiled down at her, noticing she was looking around confusedly. Doctors were strolling around in their white coats, observing the two oxygen chambers, one of which already had a man inside. "We're just going to put you inside this oxygen chamber here, and it'll help you get well again. You may feel a little pressure in your ears, but it's nothing to worry about. There's also a TV above you, so you can watch that, if you like."

Louise did not say anything; she didn't look like she even understood what Robin had said, so the doctors slid her table into the tube and closed the hatch. More intravenous fluids that were rehydrating her were again attached to her arm through a small port in the side of the chamber.

Louise had fallen asleep before they had even turned on the oxygen.

Bob and Linda only awoke when Louise was brought back to her room; her arms and legs hadn't changed during her ninety-minute treatment, but the doctors hoped that consecutive sessions would heal the damaged tissue. Linda stayed with Louise as her IV's were put back in her arms, while Bob went to awaken his other children. When they arrived back at the room, the nurses were beginning to clean Louise's back wounds.

Her electrical bed had been adjusted so that she was in a sitting position, and her hospital gown was parted.

   "Okay, Louise," said Lucy, "we're just going to clean the wounds on your back. It's going to sting a little, okay?"

It was pointless talking to Louise; the girl was so physically exhausted that she was unable to sit up unassisted, let alone talk, but the two women continued to do so.

The nurses began to clean the pressure wounds on her bruised back with a saltwater solution. It was painful, but Louise only sat there, eyes half-open, head lolling against Lucy's shoulder, her parents unable to hold her hands because she had a nurse either side of her, and her siblings were stood at the foot of the bed, watching silently.

Linda, who was the closest, could see the wounds which resembled little craters; they were red, blackened and shiny, with bits of dead tissue surrounding them. Linda wasn't that squeamish, but she had to try very hard not to gag. Bob had moved over to the window, and was determinedly staring out of it, sweating heavily. Linda spoke to Louise while her wounds were cleaned and even though she didn't answer, she still did her best to comfort her daughter.

Soon enough, the nurses had finished; they tilted the bed back, being careful to keep her shoulders and lower back on the foam blocks that were keeping her slightly elevated. Louise had already gone back to sleep.

Dr Cabell had now entered the room, and Linda immediately rounded on him. A decent sleep had fully rejuvenated her, and she was ready for anything.