Trapped Where There Ain't No Future

10

A/N: This picks up right after the last chapter, in Em's point of view. 

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"Heya, Red." I said, bouncin' ovah ta her bed. "How's me brudda been doin'?"

"Em? Button?" she said, confused.

"Yep." I said, 'fore catchin' sight of Red's haih. "Yikes! Wha'd'ya do, Spot?"

"Nothin', I only tried ta braid it." He said defensively.

"An' I s'pose youse makin' her read da book an' everythin'." Button said, shakin' her head.

"Guess we'll hafta teach ya how ta be a proper nurse." I said. "Foist thin' youse gotta do is meet da requirements. Can ya count ta ten?"

Spot nodded. Red looked confused, an' I shot her a wink when Spot wasn't lookin'.

"Good. Now, can ya spell 'cat'?"

Me brudda spelled da word. He really is too easy ta mess wit'. "Good. Now, can ya touch yoah nose wit' yoah tongue?"

Spot tried, he really did. But he couldn't get it all da way up deah. I could tell Red was about ta dissolve inta giggles. "Close e'nuff." I said. "Now, Button'll show ya how ta braid haih while I get da rest o' da trainin' ready."

I grabbed da book dey was readin', along wit' a comb (which I tossed ta Button, who was busy untanglin' Eva's haih), an' a few moah things.

Aftah Button had untangled Red's haih an' showed me brudda how ta braid properly, I sat down wit' da supplies.

"A'right, Spot, listen up." I said, my tone as serious as I could make it. "Second thin' youse gotta do is leahn how ta take temp'rature, make shoah yoah patient ain't runnin' a fevah."

I put one fingah at a time on Red's foahhead, den my wrist, den da odda side o' my wrist, den I repeated wit' da odda hand.

"You try." I said.

Spot put a fingah on her head.

"Wrong fingah!" Button said. "Youse gotta do it in da right oahda."

Eventually Spot got da 'oahda' down, an' we moved on ta da next paht. Red was neahly cannin' 'erself now. Button an' I were much moah experienced in dis soaht o' t'ing; we barely cracked a smile. It honestly was a miracle dat Spot believed us in anythin' we said, considerin' da t'ings we was havin' him do kept gettin' crazier. Guess he really did like Red aftah all.

T'wards da end, Spot said, "Wheah'd ya leahn dis stuff anyways, Ems?"

"I has a cousin who's a doctor." I said.

"Ah, makes sen-" Spot began befoah stoppin'. "Ems. We don't have any cousins."

I couldn't take it any longah. Me, Button an' Red boist out laughin', an' Spot's face only added ta da funnyness o' da situation.

"Emma Conlon, Ise gonna kill ya." he said, but it was half-hahted.

"Aw, ya know youse loves me." I said, huggin' him. "Mebbe not as much as ya love Red, but..." I ducked 'round da punch he threw a' my shoaldah an' ran from da room wit' Button right on my heels. "See ya latah Red!" I called ovah my shouldah, an' I heahd her say 'bye as Button an' I boist out da front doah, past da old guy dat ran da place.

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Spot's face was priceless. Honestly I was a little surprised he hadn't realized they were leading him on.