Punishment for Being a Baby?

Dear Mom, 

      I am here at the Carlile's just after my "Operation".  Not quite the experience we all thought it would be.  Let me play for you two scenarios; the first is what was to be expected, the second is what happened...

Scenario 1-

      Elder Gold, his companion and the Carliles walk into Dr. Brashman’s (name changed for anonymity) office.  This long pending day has finally arrived and there is joy in everyone’s hearts as they think of Elder Gold fully rehabilitated, swinging through trees, riding wild animals and writing with his healed hand.  Elder Gold has been dreaming of this day when finally the pins, that have been holding together his broken thumb, will be removed from his hand. 

      Dr. Brashman comes out of his office and warmly greets everyone. He invites all to come and sit in his office.  There is a warm welcoming feeling as they all sit and Dr. Brashman begins to inquire of how Elder Gold is feeling and how the last six weeks of recovery have been.  He shows great interest and concern as Elder Gold explains some of his concerns; the wires protruding out of the skin on the top of his hand, the wire which had made a 180-degree twist, the nerve pain and numbness, which has been subdued, and the new infection that has festered near the entry points of the pins.  Dr. Brashman assures him that those things are possible side effects of the operation, but that he will make a full recovery. 

      Dr. Brashman then escorts Elder Gold into a local operation room.  He presents a number of tools he will use to remove the pins, all of which are clean and well taken care of.  The doctor injects Elder Gold’s hand with a local anesthetic and after five minutes he can’t feel a thing.  The doctor uses his tools like a careful carpenter and in a few minutes, and without any pain, removes the pins.  The doctor bandages Elder Gold’s hand and schedules him for physical therapy to start in the next few days.  Everyone exchanges pleasantries and leaves for Elder Gold to resume his normal life.

Scenario 2 (what really happened)-

      Elder Gold, his companion and the Carliles walk into Dr. Brashman office. This long pending day has finally arrived and there is joy in everyone’s hearts as they think of Elder Gold fully rehabilitated, swinging through trees, riding wild animals and writing with his healed hand.  Elder Gold has been dreaming of this day when the pins, that have been holding his broken thumb together, will finally be removed. 

      They enter the office and see other patients waiting.  They sit and wait themselves.  A door from behind them flies open and, like a whirlwind, Dr. Brashman rushes out of the office, not acknowledging even the presence of the flies.  He grabs a file from the reception, turns and walks back to his office without looking right or left.  As he reaches the door he calls a name without turning his head, "MR. GOLD!" in a thick Boer (Afrikaans Farmer) accent.  Elder Gold and company follow him into his office.  There is a gloomy feeling as all walk into a secondary local operation room attached to the office.  The doctor tells Elder Gold to sit still without making eye contact. Elder Gold sits in wonder; a cold chill in the room, a number of unorganized "tools" laying all over the counters, and a rusty pair of pliers in the corner. 

      Dr. Brashman is speaking as he cuts away the bandage to examine the wires, but no one understands him.  He looks at the wires sticking out of the red festering and pustulating skin, and to the surprise of everyone says, "This looks hundred percent!"  He walks to the counter and continues his talking when Elder Gold pipes up and informs the doctor that it is infected and he had drained puss from the wound the night prior. The doctor turns and, seemingly without interest exclaims, "Good, that'll make the pins pullout easy."

      Puzzled at what his condition really is, Elder Gold stares at his hand.  In the blink of an eye he sees a rusty pair of pliers that had been on the fishers boat just that morning clamping onto one of the wires.  In fear and confusion he grabs the pliers with his left hand and looks up at the Boer and questions why his hand isn't numb.  The doctor looks at him with puzzlement and disdain.  It is quiet.  The doctor tells Elder Gold he won’t numb his hand.  He then said that he can pay big bucks to be put under, but that he does this (pulls wires out of hands without anesthetic) to babies all the time.  Knowing that Landon cannot win the Boer war this time, and that there will be no anesthetic, he compromises by getting the doc's permission to allow Sister Carlile to film the bushman operation.  The doctor impatiently waits a whole five seconds as Sister Carlile positions the camera.  With a grunt and huff he latches onto the first wire and twists with might and force until the wire breaks away from the bones.  Elder Gold lets out a heave.  The doctor then grabs the second wire, only this one is not as kind.  With a little more might, and putting his back into it, he rips out the second wire, and Elder Gold groans.  The doctor turns and begins to talk once again.  He flurries his speech and tells the group there will be no physical therapy (perhaps for punishment for being a baby in his perspective) but that there will be self-rehabilitation.  He continues to declare it will only burn for a few minutes.  The group cuts their losses and scurries from the operating room hoping that life will eventually be restored to normality for Elder Gold.  Elder Gold looks back and realizes for his life, that was normality.   

      Elder Gold