Lucky Break #6 by Cindy Jefferies Read Free Book Online

until the doctor made a final decision.
    â€œWell, the good news is that there are no broken bones,” the doctor told him cheerfully. “I’m confident that it’s the ligament at the side of your knee that’s causing the trouble.” She looked at Marmalade sternly. “I’m going to give you some crutches, and put a really strong elastic bandage on your knee. You must promise me not to put any weight on your leg for at least the next two weeks.”
    Marmalade nodded. He’d do absolutely anything to help his knee heal properly.
    â€œAll right, then,” she said. “We’ll do that. You’ll need to keep the leg up as much as possible, and no doubt Sister O’Flannery will keep a close eye on you.”
    She turned to the school nurse. “Make an appointment to get his knee reassessed in a couple weeks’ time,” she told her. “If you’re worried in the meantime, take him to his doctor. The main thing is to try to prevent a weakness by letting the ligament heal as well as possible. You can put a cold compress on his knee to help the swelling go down. Frozen peas are good for that—wrapped in a towel, not put directly onto his skin. But I’m sure you know that already.”
    Sister nodded. “I keep a couple of ice packs handy in case of sprains,” she said. “But I thought this looked more serious.”
    â€œYou did the right thing,” agreed the doctor. “It’s a nasty injury, but hopefully it’ll heal well.” Then she looked at Marmalade. “Whatever you do, don’t twist your knee while it’s healing,” she warned him. “That will just make things worse. Don’t worry too much, though,” she added. “I expect you’ll be dancing again next semester if you take it easy.”
    Marmalade tried to smile and thank her, but his mouth twisted the wrong way, and he almost burst into tears. How could he bear it if he couldn’t dance for the next three months? This had to be the worst moment of his entire life.
    Back at school, Sister helped Marmalade into the infirmary. “You’ll be better sleeping here for at least the first few days,” she told him. “Getting upstairs to your own room will be difficult with crutches, and here all your friends will be able to visit you while you keep that leg up.” She looked at him with concern. “I was going to suggest that you go to classes this afternoon,” she said, “but you look worn out. Why don’t you make a list of things that you’d like brought down from your room? I’ll get you a glass of water so you can take those painkillers the hospital gave us and then you can rest. Meanwhile, I’ll let your family know what’s happened.”
    She gave him a piece of paper and a pencil, and Marmalade tried to think of everything he’d need. By the time he’d finished his list, the painkillers were beginning to work. With the pain easing to a dull ache, he eventually drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
    He woke much later to find Sister putting a cup of tea and a couple of cookies by his bed. “You’ve got a visitor!” she told him cheerfully.
    It was Danny. He’d brought spare clothes, Marmalade’s shower caddy, his backpack, and the book he was reading. Marmalade struggled to sit up. His knee throbbed, and the thick bandage prevented him from moving it easily. “What time is it?” he asked Danny groggily.
    â€œDinnertime!” Danny told him. “I came to see you after lunch, but Sister said you’d only been back from the hospital a little while and had gone to sleep.”
    Marmalade ate a cookie and suddenly felt ravenously hungry, realizing that he’d missed lunch. He gobbled the other cookie down quickly as Sister came back in with a large tray. “Do you want this salad?” she asked. “I kept it in the fridge for