Malory Towers Break Barriers

A Veteran's Surprise

Darrel began to get back into her routine. She really wanted to get back to lacrosse. She was so glad her dad cleared her to play because she missed it so much. She knew that she needed to catch up on her studies though. She knew her studies should be first priority, but she really want to get back to playing too. She wanted to get her frustrations out about Tori's situation. She wanted to figure out some way to help.

It was time for another domestic science class. Darrel was always wondering what Ms. Pots had them doing. Most of the time Darrel was bored. The things she had to do weren't interesting to her like needlepoint or embroidery. There were only a few enjoyable projects. They involved helping Tori plus they were her ideas.

She sat at the table waiting for class to start with the others. They were glad to have her back. She then noticed the doll pattern was on the table again. She notice some of the same fabric they used for Tori's doll was on the table. She also noticed special buttons and shapes. Already cut out of fabric. She was very curious to know who the doll was for.

Class began. Darrel and the girls could now find out what the fabric and other materials were for. Ms. Pots then addressed the fabrics and patterns on the table. She told the girls that there was a special request by Dr. Moore for them to make a comfort doll for his son Will. The girls were surprised to hear this. They knew Tori's brother was a war veteran with a neurological injury. They knew how much the doll has helped Tori, so they hoped it would work for Will too.

It was time to start making the doll. Ms. Pots told them that she would only grade them on the doll that day. She then assigned each girl a part of the doll and handed them the patterns to their respective doll part they were making. Darrel was assigned the head. Marylou was assigned the arms. Alicia was assigned the body. Sally was assigned the legs. The girls began to work on the doll.

While Tori was resting in the San, Dr. Moore was on the phone with the hospital. He was scheduling Tori's tests. The tests he scheduled were a series of x rays of her head, chest and abdomen. The other thing he scheduled was a cerebral angiography which is a table with a head rest and the head is secured with a strap. The camera to so the images of the brain is called a cassette charger. He also ask about if Tori was allowed to visit her brother. The nurse told him that as long as she was accompanied by an adult then she could visit her brother. Dr. Moore let the nurse know she would be accompanied by him and Dr. Rivers. The nurse was pleased to hear that. He hung up the phone. He was so relieved the appointment and tests were scheduled and that it wouldn't be a long wait. He knew he wanted Tori to be back to class soon.

Back in domestic science, the girls continued to work on their doll parts. Darrel wanted to make the doll's face as handsome as possible. She thought Will was handsome. She looked at his photo while making the doll's face. She found the brightest grey buttons she could find for the dolls eyes. She found what she needed to best represent his hair. She knew Will would like the doll. She remembered when they were with him in the dorm he loved Tori's doctor teddy bear and even noticed Marylou's teddy bear. She knew the neurological injury made it seem like he was younger than he was, but war changes people.

Once everyone finished making their doll parts, they took turns attaching them to the body. First Alicia passed the body to Marylou to carefully attach the arms. Marylou then passed the doll to Sally. Sally carefully attached the legs. Sally then passed the doll to Darrel. Darrel then carefully attached the head. The doll was complete. The girls took turns looking at the work they did. Ms. Pots told them they did a fantastic job. She told them that she would make the Royal Air Force uniform. She told them that it had intricate stitching that the girls wouldn't be able to do. They understood. Class was over and they were dismissed.

Once the girls left the classroom, Ms. Pots wanted to grade the doll. She looked at the doll as a whole. She was impressed by the girls work. The doll's construction was just like the one they made for Tori. The stitching was strong and sturdy. She did an overall group grade for the doll. She then looked at each part. She had a list of who made which part. She graded each part individually.

After Ms. Pots graded the doll, it was time for her to made the Royal air Force uniform for the doll. She started by measuring the doll. She got the measurements. She then marked the fabric with the measurements. She then cut out the patterns of the shirt and pants. She then began to sew each piece of clothing together.

Once the basic uniform was complete, it was time to work on the embellishments on the shirt. She first looked at the photo of Will to look at his uniform. She saw the where the arrows go on his sleeve & which sleeve it went on. She then saw where the buttons went. She did the embroidery first. She then did the buttons.

Once the shirt was complete, it was time to dress the doll to see if everything fit. She dressed the doll. She was pleased everything fit well. She then placed the doll in a box. She then wanted to show Tori and Dr. Moore. She headed to the San.

Once in the San, she told Matron that she wanted to check on Tori. Also she had something for her. Matron let her in. Matron told Ms. Pots to wash her hands and put gloves on to keep Tori safe. She did as she was told. She was then allowed to see Tori.

Once at Tori's bedside, she had the box in her hands. She told her that she had something to show her. She took the doll out of the box. Tori saw the doll. She was in awe that it looked so much like her brother. Ms. Pots told her that the doll was for Will like she requested. Tori smiled. She told Ms. Pots that it would help Will so much. Ms. Pots put the doll back in the box and closed the lid. She put the box on the bed. Dr. Moore thanked her. He let her know when Tori would be taken to the hospital. She thanked him. She removed the gloved and left the San.