#11. Hospital Mice


This Friday was just like a couple of the Friday afternoons before. Someone told the hospital nurses the parade in Pediatrics was just about to start. It looked like every staffer on break wanted to watch this contagious parade among the children. Anyone who didn’t bring a camera was sorely disappointed.

The first float going between the excited children was 9-yr-old Marty pulling his wagon. It bumped every foot or so, because of the home-made wooden wheel replacement. In his wagon was an old beat up computer keyboard with some of its keys missing. Also in his wagon was a cardboard box cut out so you could see a junk piece of computer and a couple signs inside. It really looked like a load on its way to the landfill.

Marty was even getting more excited, himself. He’d see the hurting boys and girls sitting up in their beds to take in this contagious parade. The favorite wagon in today’s parade though, was his little sister, Dede. She was a sight to never forget. Marty put a Mickey Mouse hat on her and painted a few whiskers on her rosy little cheeks. As she pulled her little wagon behind Marty, her waddle walk evidenced diapers were still part of her daily dress code.

In her small wagon was a computer mouse in about the same shape her brother’s computer keyboard. Right in front of Dede’s mouse was a piece of cheese. On the sides of her small wagon were two signs that said, “JerryKo Computer Mouse.”

What a parade it was to see. But that’s just how it started out. And you didn’t see any adults that were managing the parade, either. It was just a brother and little sister spreading simple smiles in the midst of suffering and loneliness.

In the middle of the beds of watchful children the parade stopped. Dede sat in the middle of the floor and patted her head to make sure the big black ears where still there. Just like a professional, Marty picked up his cardboard display and walked up to each child and showed them some of the wee tiny parts so important to make a computer work.

Of course, he didn’t know the names of the parts. He didn’t need to. His visit to the next bed taught the freckle-faced patient that each and every part in a computer is important. They each have to do their job. Who cares if no one knows their name? Just do what you’re supposed to do best. No slackers in a computer machine.

No one told her to, but Dede picked up her computer mouse and took it over to share with a little girl not having a good day. The bandages on her ear were just not what a wanna-be beauty queen ought to have to contend with. As Dede held the broken mouse up as high as she could, the little beauty queen reached down to take it. The mouse was a sad sight. One of the buttons was missing and it looked like it had been run over with a truck.

As she held the broken mouse the other children were watching to see what would happen next. Small fingers with beauty queen nail polish caressed the ugly mouse, as though it had pains of its own. All the children were watching as though she were on stage. The mouse was pulled open, like a little compact to powder a shiny nose. Inside were all colors of wires all dressed neat and tidy. There were strange markings that gave meaning to the people putting it together.

The beauty queen looked down at the toddler standing by her bed, “It’s beautiful on the inside. Your computer mouse may be ugly on the outside, but it’s beautiful on the inside, where it counts.” Dede nodded her head in agreement with a big-eyed smile that would melt the heart of any football player.

The computer mouse was returned to its parade wagon and the parade continued around the corner to another group of children. The break period was over so the many staffers headed back to their tasks.

Later that day, the details were learned about the parade commotion. It seems that when the parade started going through a couple wards for older youth, the parade now included two wheel chairs. The problem was that Marty only had one computer keyboard. Well, see, everyone in the parade wanted to carry a computer part, you know, sort of like they were part of this machine that made sick people smile.

As the parade headed toward the elevator, the first wheelchair carried the keyboard. The second wheel chair pulled the computer mouse float (wagon). Dede giggled as she rode on the lap of her tow truck (chair).

That evening, one of the nurses recalled all her training and the tough tests that had to be passed. But never had she been taught, until today, that many times the strongest medicine is oh so simple. But how could she ever have envisioned freckles and beauty queen healing with junk…Jericho computer junk?