Beyond Cuckoo

Folks  often tell me that I take a round about approach to life. For years, to no avail,  I did my best to think like others.  When I decided to write an Environmental Action Thriller I gave myself permission to do it in any unorthodox fashion I wanted. I bought how to books, watched videos, asked other writers for help, and signed up for a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) from the University of Iowa. As I work through some of their assignments, I thought I’d post a few tidbits here. This first one is an off-the-cuff scene into which I threw my main character, River Agosto. See what you think.

River Agosto

“River Agosto?” the nurse called out.

“Christ,” Sam snarled as River dug her nails into Sam’s leg for leverage. Her mangled foot had swollen to twice its normal size and the hard plastic waiting room chair had taken the feeling from her leg.

“I’m River, I’ll need some help.”

“Are you with him? Hon?” The nurse asked River as she pointed to Sam.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t know we were friends, by all the help he gives me.” River snapped.

Sam ruffled the pages of Sports Illustrated and sunk lower in his chair. ‘Whadaya want from me? It’s the swim suit issue. You’re a tough girl. You can walk,” he mumbled as he flipped through the pics of half-naked women.

River hobbled along behind the nurse who ushered her into EXAM ROOM B. “Take off your pants, socks, and shoes. The doctor will be in soon.”

River couldn’t put any weight on her left foot. That last slide down the canyon wall had dropped them fifty yards to where the mules waited. She could still hear Jack and Sadie’s curses echoing off the rock walls. Boy, were they pissed. She smiled at the thought, but this ankle hurt like hell. A tap on the door signaled the doctor’s entrance.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Sandahl, what do we have here?” Todd Sandahl asked as he flipped through a clipboard of paperwork.

River raised her leg, looked for a wedding ring and came up empty. She managed a few tears and gave it her best, “I’ve either sprained or broken this,” she sobbed. “I fell during a hike in the canyon and my friend outside in the waiting room brought me here to the ER.”

Dr. Todd glanced at his watch, pulled over a stool and peered at the injury. “I’ll buzz the nurse, she’ll take some x-rays. I don’t think it’s broken. She’ll give you a prescription for the pain; ice it and stay off it for a while and you’ll be fine. If it gets any worse see your family physician.”

“That’s it?” River whimpered.

The doc slid off his stool, “Yep, that’s it. Don’t call us, if we don’t call you,” he joked and slipped out into the hall.

“Shit,” she groaned as she gathered her stuff, managed to get her jeans back on, and hobbled to the waiting room. “Now where the hell did Sam go?”

“Will that be cash or credit card?”

“What?”

“Cash or Credit Card for the exam?”

“Is my friend still here?”

“No, he left. He called someone and they picked him up. He said he’d see you at home. Oh here, and he left you the car keys.”

River signed the discharge papers, handed over her credit card, and tried to look on the bright side—at least she could drive with her right foot and she wasn’t dead. Still she was going to beat the shit out of Sam—he better be home alone, that son of a bitch.