Free The Hunger by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch Page B

dealing?
    Nurse Bowley stood her ground. “If you want your daughter to get better, it’s important to leave her alone right now.”
    Emily’s eyes widened with anger. “It’s Christmas Eve, and my only daughter is in the hospital. Are you implying that my presence would somehow cause my daughter a setback in treatment?”

    “Well … um. That’s not exactly what I meant ...” replied Nurse Bowley, her face flushing in embarrassment.
    “Then I will see her right now.”
    Without waiting for a response, Emily Romaniuk strode down the hospital corridor. She pushed open the door to her daughter’s room.
    She was shocked at the sight that confronted her. When Paula was still at home, she had seemed thin, but now she was truly skeletal. “My God, Paula, what have they done to you?”
    “Mom, I’ve got to get out of this place,” said Paula. “I don’t want to spend Christmas all by myself,” she began. “And besides, if I stay here, I’m going to lose my whole year of school.”
    Emily looked into her daughter’s eyes. “If you came home, you would have to promise to eat properly, dear. You’re going to do permanent damage to yourself, the way you’re carrying on.”
    Paula nodded in agreement. “I realize that Mom, and I would have eaten more, but the food is awful here.”
    Paula knew it was the right thing to say. Emily had never been able to stomach the hospital food in the cafeteria. She could imagine the revulsion her daughter would have towards what they passed off as food in this place. “Let me talk to Doctor Tavish,” said Mrs. Romaniuk.

    Doctor Tavish was adamant that Paula stay in the hospital. “I’m sure a bed will be opening up soon at Homewood,” he pleaded.
    “Then she’d be even further away from us at Christmas,” replied Mrs. Romaniuk. “We’ll see how she does over Christmas at home. If she doesn’t gain some weight, we’ll reconsider.”
    Doctor Tavish agreed, however reluctantly.
    An hour later, Paula was packed and ready to go. As her mother led her down the hallway and out to the elevators, Paula smiled at the two women who were standing side by side in the nurses’ station, pained expressions on their faces.
    Paula celebrated her arrival home by eating a generous serving of Christmas cake and a glass of eggnog—in front of her mother—who sipped a diet cola. When she was finished, Paula put down her fork and said, “I’m really tired, Mom. I think I’ll lie down.”
    She grabbed her overnight bag and headed up the stairs. Before she got to her own bedroom, she tapped on Erik’s door. “Come in,” he called.
    She found him at his usual place in front of the computer, Civilization II loaded and ready to play. “Do you want to play for a bit, Paula?” he asked, a look of eager expectation on his face.
    Paula felt a twinge of guilt. She couldn’t play right now, because she had to take some laxativesimmediately, or the Christmas cake and eggnog would be there to stay. “Maybe later,” she said. “I just wanted to give you your Game Gear back.” She handed him the worn lunch bag which was wrapped around his prized possession. “And thanks for being such a great brother.”
    As he reached up and grabbed the bag, Paula tried to ignore the look of hurt in his eyes. She turned around towards the door. “I tried to stop them, sis, but they wouldn’t listen.”
    Paula frowned at his comment, not understanding what he was referring to. She walked down the hallway to her own bedroom and opened the door.
    What a shock!
    The beloved oil by Gramma Pauline was gone. And Paula’s collection of posters had been removed from the walls and the wallpaper that had brought her joy since childhood had been stripped away. In its place were pale pink walls bordered with English cabbage roses. Her bed and dresser, which had once been dark-stained oak, were now painted a high-gloss white. Paula ran to her dresser and opened the top drawer. The underwear that she had casually