Stacey And The Mystery Of Stoneybrook by Ann M. Martin Read Free Book Online Page A

have felt cranky and uncooperative, too, if I'd been her.
    If I were her. . . . Suddenly I had a brainstorm. Maybe taking just a teaspoon full of nasty medicine wouldn't seem all that terrible if she could see what I had-to go through every day, just to stay healthy. It just might work.
    "Charlotte, you know I have diabetes, right?" I knew she knew, because I've dis-
    cussed my diabetes with Dr. Johanssen, in front of Charlotte.
    Charlotte kind of grunted, but she didn't budge from her "nest" in the couch.
    "Want me to show you the medicine I have to take?" I asked. "We'll forget about yours for now."
    That got her moving. She followed me upstairs and I opened the desk drawer where I keep all my equipment. I tried to explain a little bit about diabetes and why it makes me sick and how insulin helps to keep it in check. I'm not sure how well she followed me. She'd probably never heard of a "pancreas" before.
    "I didn't used to have to do this, but since I haven't been feeling too well lately, now I have to check my glucose level a few times a day," I said. "All I do is prick my finger, like this — "
    Charlotte gasped as I pricked my finger and squeezed out a tiny drop of blood. I wiped it onto something called a test strip and put the strip into a little machine. In a minute the number came up. 110. That was just about normal for me at this time of day. Charlotte was fascinated.
    "Knowing what my number is helps me
    make sure to take the right amount of insulin. When I'm ready to take my insulin, I load up this syringe and give myself a shot." I wasn't going to show her how I did that. It might really scare her.
    The shots don't hurt me anymore — I'm so used to them by now. But to someone else, especially someone Charlotte's age, it might be frightening.
    I told her some more about what it meant to be a diabetic. Like how this was something I'd have to deal with every day for the rest of my life. And how I had to be extremely careful about what I ate, and why. Charlotte's eyes got rounder and rounder. She'd had no idea of what I went through just to control my illness.
    "Shots every single day? Oh, Stacey, you're so brave," she said when I'd finished explaining everything.
    "Not really, Charlotte. This is just how things are for me. I don't have any choice in the matter," I said. "Anyway, it feels good to take care of myself."
    Well, after all that, it was no trick at all to get Charlotte to take her medicine. She barely made a face as she swallowed it down.
    "Good girl," I said. "Now, let's get you into bed."
    She changed into her pajamas while I put a clean pillowcase on her pillow. I always think it feels good to have a fresh pillowcase to rest your head on when you're sick. I also set up her room for the day. I brought in our little portable TV and stocked the shelves with more games, drawing paper and crayons, and books.
    While Charlotte got settled into bed, I went down to the kitchen to make her a snack. I set up a tray with that ice-cream soda I'd promised her. When I'm sick, my mom always puts a flower in a little vase on my dinner tray, so I did that, too. Charlotte deserved to be spoiled a little; just think, she'd been getting sick all that time and nobody had paid attention to her complaints. I got myself a glass of ice water and took the tray upstairs.
    Charlotte and I spent the whole day in her room, playing every game I had. Yes, that does include War, if you're wondering. We also watched TV and I read to her for awhile before she dropped off for a nap. While she slept, I just stayed in the room and read to myself. It was a peaceful afternoon.
    That night, Charlotte called her parents. She wanted to let them know that she was sick but getting better. She also wanted to check on her grandfather. She talked to her mom for
    just a few minutes, and by the end of the call she was beaming. Her grandpa's operation had gone very well and he was feeling much better. The Johanssens would be back home on Thursday, just