Fluke

Part 5

Maria woke from the operation. Her mouth was dry, and her head ached with the aftereffects of the anaesthetic. She wanted to look down her body and see what the surgeons had done to her, but it was too difficult to move.

"Hey!" a concerned voice said from behind her. "You're awake. Do you know where you are?"

"Operation," Maria mumbled through thick lips. "How it go?"

"You'll be fine. Now just relax. The surgeon will explain it to you when you recover."

Maria relaxed and let the anaesthetic overwhelm her.

It was two days before the surgeon had time to see her and explain what had happened. "We found the parasite. It was lodged between your liver and your pancreas. There was some damage to your internal organs - it had obviously been feeding from you. However, it looks like we got it in time. With some rest and a proper diet, you should be back to full health in a couple of months."

Maria raised herself in her bed on one elbow. "Can I see it? The fluke?"

The surgeon shook his head. "No. We've sent it off for analysis. There are a few more tests that we need to do on it. There won't be much left of it after that. Why? Had you become attached to it?" The surgeon flashed Maria what was obviously intended to be a cheeky grin, but the joke fell flat.

"No." Maria turned away from the doctor. "I hadn't. I just wanted to make sure it was out of me."

"We got it. All of it. We made sure that there was nothing left behind."

"Good."

A week after the operation, Maria was declared fit and sent home. It felt strange to be back in her flat after being in the hospital, but she found herself falling back into her routine. It wasn't until bedtime, when she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, that Maria felt a pang of disquiet. Her body was marred by the dressing that had been placed across her stomach, concealing the wounds left by her operation. She tugged at the fabric, hoping to be able to see what lay beneath it. The adhesive gave way at last and Maria pulled the dressing away, wincing as it caught at her skin. Beneath the bandage was a thin scar: a strip of angry red on her otherwise pale flesh. The skin was pockmarked but clear.

That night, Maria slept more soundly than she had in weeks.