A Princess Don't Cry

Chapter 12

Present

My mother explains what happened to Dr. Wells. She doesn't say all the details of course, just the summary: I was shot by an anonymous person, two bullets, one knife, survived, consequences.

The doctor lookes like she had a million things to say but she keeps quiet.

She probably had to sign a contract to stay silent.

The doctor asked me to lay down on the table to get an Echo Cardiogram test first. A nurse cames in to assist.
I lie down in the narrow bed with white sheets next to the Echo machine. The nurse asks me to lift up my blouse and I do so. I'm wearing a loose blouse and elephant pants. My usual check up outfit.

The wounds had long healed, but the scars remain. There was a hole like scar just at the start of my left ribs. And another similar one in the right side of my abdomen. The scar from the knife starts from the a little shy from the middle of my chest and goes down a few inches. The wounds are healed, but if I press too much, it hurt a little.

It's the same nurse who had done millions of checkups with me so her expression doesn't change at the scars. The doctor's eyes widen a bit but she smooths it out soon.

I'm normally embarrassed to show skin, less alone my scars, but it's just Mother, the doctor and the nurse. What happens here stays here.

After all the examinations the doctor shoo me out.
Happens every time.

"Kathleen," Dr.Wells tells me with a bright smile. "Could you wait outside please?"

"Okay."

I give mother a look, silently telling her not to say anything embarrassing about me. She rolls her eyes with a smile.

I open the door and step out to find Father sitting on one of the beds.

"Heyyyy"

"Hi Kathy. How did it go?" He asks me with a smile.

"They shooed me out." I pout and cross my arms.

"I'm sure it's nothing important they're talking about." Father trys to assure me.

I roll my eyes. Then why did they kick me out?

The infirmary door opens and Conrad walks in. I wriggle my fingers in a wave. He wriggles back.

Farther and Conrad always come to my checkups, though Mother is the one who does the talking and stuff.

"Whatcha did today, lazy head?" Conrad asks me.

I shrug. " You know, the usual. I did a speech at the Charity Hall, had lunch with the governor's wife and attended an evening party in the hotel down town." I swing my hair to the side dramatically, "What can I say? I'm a busy woman"

Father snorts. He knows that the probability of me doing either one of those is equal to the probability of a bird swimming in a lake.

Wait, birds can't swim, right? I think?

Conrad shakes his head. "You should at least say something more realistic."

"Are you saying I can't do either of those?" I challenge him.

"What I'm saying is, you will never do those." Conrad explains quikly. I narrow my eyes at him.

"My cerebrum has enough work load as it is."

Conrad looks at me with raised eyebrows. "Looks like someone's been studying science."

"Did you know that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and vice versa? The cerebrum controls all the intellectual work, voluntary muscle actions and perception of senses?" once I start talking about an interesting topic, I can't shut up. "Also the Cerebellum-"