Free Judy Moody, M.D. by Megan McDonald Page B

just-sharpened Grouchy pencil was still flying when Mr. Todd said, “Class, that’s enough brainstorming for today.”
    “Good. My brain hurts,” said Frank.
    “I’m passing out permission slips for our field trip.”
    Field trip!
“Is it to Screamin’ Mimi’s?” asked Judy. “Please, please, pretty please with chocolate mud ice cream on top?”
    “Max and Kelsey’s dad, from Class 3M, works at the hospital. So we’re invited to go with their class to the Walter Reed Memorial Hospital emergency room. We’ll learn all about the human body and get to see people who make a difference
in action.
”
    Emergency room!
That was even better than Screamin’ Mimi’s! Judy Moody dropped her
mandible
! And her Grouchy pencil.
    “I was there when I broke my finger,” said Frank, waving his crooked pinkie. “They have a nurse named Ron.”
    “I went when my brother stuck a Lego up his nose,” said Bradley.
    “Can we go see all the new babies?” asked Frank. “They’re so wrinkly.”
    “Well, I’m glad the whole class is enthusiastic,” said Mr. Todd.
    “When do we go? When? When?” everybody asked.
    “Monday. One week from today. Dr. Nosier will be giving us a tour.”
    “Dr. Nosehair!” said Rocky, and everybody cracked up.
    She, Judy Moody, and Class 3T were going to the ER. For real and absolute positive. The blood-and-guts, real-body-parts emergency room.
    Judy reached down to pick up her Grouchy pencil. The tip was broken. “Mr. Todd,” she asked, “may I please sharpen my pencil?”
    “Remember what we said about sharpening pencils ten times a day?”
    “But Mr. Todd,” said Judy, “it’s an emergency.”
    “What?”
    “A
pencil
emergency! My pencil just broke its spinal cord!” said Judy.

The next Monday was a better-than-best-ever third grade day. At lunch, Judy ate her PBJ sandwich in seven bites, then walked-not-ran to the playground. Class 3T had a ten-minute recess before their field trip to the hospital.
    Judy’s mom was a driver and parent volunteer, so Rocky and Frank rode in their car. Mom made Judy ask Jessica Finch, too.
    “Did you know
muscle
comes from a word that means mouse?” asked Jessica. “If you move a muscle, it looks like a mouse.” She flexed her arm.
    Judy used all forty-three muscles it took to frown at Jessica Finch.
    At the hospital, Dr. Nosehair led Class 3T down a long hall.
    “Why does that doctor lady have a rabbit?” asked Frank.
    “Animals aren’t allowed in the hospital!” said Jessica.
    “It’s a new program called Paws for Healing,” Dr. Nosier told them. “People bring animals to patients in the hospital to help them feel better. Holding an animal and petting it can actually lower a person’s blood pressure, and help a patient forget about being sick.”
    “RARE!” said Judy.
    Dr. N. took them into a room in back of the ER, where Class 3M was already waiting. There were lots of machines. And important-looking stuff.
    “What’s the first thing you would do in an emergency?” quizzed Dr. Nosier.
    “Call 911!” everybody said.
    “Would you call 911 to find out how long to cook a turkey?”
    “Only if
you’re
a turkey,” Frank said. Judy and Frank cracked up.
    “Is a crossword puzzle an emergency?”
    “Only for my dad, who tries to beat the clock,” said Judy.

    “Believe it or not, we do get people who call 911 for such things. But let’s say we have a real emergency, like a car accident or a heart attack. Everything around here happens super fast. As soon as the ambulance arrives, the EMTs, people trained to handle medical emergencies, start ‘giving the bullet,’ — telling us what happened.
Train wreck
means the patient has lots of things wrong with them. Who knows what
code blue
means?”
    “Lots of blood?”
    “All the people in blue shirts have to help?”
    “It means somebody’s heart stopped,” said Dr. Nosier.
    “You fix hearts that stop?” asked Alison S.
    “You must help a lot of people!” said