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Show 202 * Double the Fun Times Two "Dr. Chappie tells me you are having double vision," Dr. Howard is saying the next morning. He is standing next to my bed, looking into my eyes. I am watching him and his clone, who is mimicking his every move with perfect precision. "Yes," I am replying, "and it's a relief to know that there are two of you as well. I'd have been concerned if I'd only seen double of Dr. Chappie," I joke. I am telling him also of the distorted sounds, of how the noise from the nurses' station down the hall seems as though it is piped into my room, through an old and rattling intercom, perhaps. He is turning me onto my side to pull down the edges of the bandage and peek at the wound. I have learned that surgeons take pride in cleanness of their cuts and the artistry of their sutures. "Looks good," he is commenting, helping me roll onto my back once again. "You know," he continues, "there were still sutures hanging from some of the holes. They apparently didn't know how to sew the dura when they took out a malfunctioning catheter." It is a difficult area to repair, he is allowing, but still not quite excusing their lack of expertise. He is testing my muscle tension now, flexing my legs. They remain loose but not floppy. |