Free Fabulous Five 011 - Hit and Run by Betsy Haynes Page B

stopped, looking at her with both pleasure
and surprise. "Jana. How good to see you," she said. "How are
you feeling?"
    "Oh, I'm fine now," Jana assured her.
    Mrs. Foss cocked her head to one side and studied Jana's
face. "Even your bruises are almost gone. See? We do good work here at
this hospital." Then she threw back her head and laughed heartily. "So,
what brings you up to see us?"
    Jana hesitated. Maybe it was too soon to mention the real
reason, so instead she said, "I came to see Randy, and I thought I'd stop
by and check on Lisa."
    Mrs. Foss's face lit up, making Jana feel even more guilty
over her deception. "She's doing beautifully, the little imp. We're having
a devil of a time keeping her in bed—in spite of her cast. And she doesn't have
a roommate since you left, so she rings her call button every fifteen minutes
for company. I don't know what she'll do when she gets home, though. She's
going to be in that cast for a long time. Come on. She'll love seeing you."
    Jana followed the nurse down the hall. "Look, Lisa. You
have company," she said as they entered the hospital room.
    "Jana! Jana!" the little girl cried happily. "Did
you come to see me and Gorgeous?"
    Jana tried to keep the smile on her face as she glanced at
Gorgeous tucked into the covers beside Lisa, arms extended as if waiting for a
hug and a gentle smile on his heart-shaped mouth. It was all she could do to
keep from grabbing him and burying her face in his soft body as she had done so
many times before. She longed to tell him about her fairytale attempt to wake
Randy from his coma and to let the tears that were gathering in her eyes spill
onto his soft fur.
    "Want to sign my cast?" Lisa threw back the sheet
to display the long white cast covered with names written in every color of the
rainbow. "Here. You can put your name next to where Gorgeous wrote his."
    Puzzled, Jana blinked at a large pink heart with Gorgeous
written neatly inside.
    "He wrote that while she was asleep," said Mrs.
Foss, winking at Jana.
    Jana couldn't help smiling. "Sure," she said. "I'd
like to sign next to Gorgeous." She chose a green marker out of a cup of
multicolored pens and wrote her name with a flourish. "There. How's that?"
    "Well, I have to get back to work," said Mrs.
Foss. "You two girls have a nice visit."
    Jana watched her go, wishing she had had time to speak to
her privately about Gorgeous. I can't let Lisa keep him any longer, Jana
thought. Randy needs him. But how am I going to get him back?
    Lisa was all smiles as Jana sat down gingerly on the side of
her bed.
    "Want to play a game?" asked Lisa.
    "Maybe," Jana said halfheartedly. She started to
add that she couldn't stay long because she had come to the hospital to visit
someone else, then another idea struck her.
    "I'll bet it's pretty lonesome in here all by yourself,
isn't it?" asked Jana.
    Lisa nodded. "Yup."
    "And Gorgeous is nice to have around, but he's awfully
quiet. Right?"
    Lisa looked at her warily and then scooped Gorgeous into her
arms and hugged him. "You can't have him. He's mine. "
    Jana started to shout that Gorgeous wasn't Lisa's bear and
never had been, then she caught herself. Poor Lisa, she thought, looking
closely at the little girl again. Not only did she have a broken leg, but her
parents were in another part of the hospital. And Lisa's long blond hair hung
limply over her shoulders as if, in spite of the nurses' attempts to brush it,
it badly needed a mother's care.
    How can I ask for Gorgeous back? wondered Jana. But then her
thoughts returned to Randy, lying asleep two floors below. Everyone needs
someone to hug. Her mother had said that, and so had Mrs. Foss. Well, Randy
needs Gorgeous, she thought stubbornly.
    "Have any of your relatives gotten here yet?"
asked Jana.
    Nodding, Lisa loosened her grip on Gorgeous and looked at
Jana. "One . . . two . . . three of them," she said proudly. "They
come to see me every day."
    "Does it make you feel better to have someone visit
you?"