FlashNano, Day 3: “Find a Vein and Let it Bleed”

For Day 3 of FlashNano, I decided not to do a reblog and just keep this response to Flashnano mostly confined to “Within a Forest Dark.” Hopefully, I haven’t already confused readers with reblogs. (I once directed someone to my blog because he wanted to see my writing and he said I didn’t post here. I have the feeling he didn’t really think I wrote and was just copying and pasting the work of other people. Idk. This was a dating situation, someone I met online who is also a writer. The whole thing was a no-go from the jump, obvs.)

Day 3 prompt: “Write about something wrong that turns out to be right.” I hope you are doing well. Happy hump day— Margaret

Image from page 575 of “Industrial medicine and surgery” (1919), flicker

My arms were collecting bruises in the cold PET scan room. No one was able to find a sturdy vein for the thick needle. The injection would deliver the radiaotracer to the cancer cells which would then show up on the scan. With all the delays, my parents were complaining to staff they would be late for their dinner party. Mom threatened to go home in time to welcome dinner guests, Mom never being one for hospitals and my currency with her dropping by the minute with my ill health and weakness. Finally, a young, tall, ropey guy made an entrance. I’m not even sure he was a nurse or a tech though he worked at the hospital in some capacity. He said he had done street drugs for a long time and knew just what to do. Sure enough: One stick. I teared up as the cold radioactive liquid coursed through my arm and body. “I have better parties to go to,” I imagined saying to Mom, a staunch Christian society woman, “Parties with street folk, you know, the ones Jesus loved.