The Judy Moody Double-Rare Collection - Megan Mcdonald [22]
Judy went all limp, imitating a jellyfish. “See, Stink. Aren’t you glad you’re not a jellyfish?”
“No, because if I were, I could sting you!”
“So, what seems to be the problem, young man?” Mrs. Bell asked Stink.
“I have a stomachache.”
“A stomachache?” said Judy. “I thought you had a sore throat.”
“I do. But now my stomach hurts from laughing.”
“So, I guess you could say your sister had you in stitches, huh?”
“Don’t give her any ideas!” said Stink.
“Let’s just take a look at that throat,” said Mrs. Bell. “Say ahh!”
“AHH!” said Stink.
“Hey! You didn’t say glub. Or slug,” said Judy.
“Uh-oh,” said Mrs. Bell. “Somebody’s sick, all right.”
“For real?” Judy asked. “Can I see?”
“His throat is as red as a fire engine.” Mrs. Bell took Stink’s temperature with a non-cat-hairy thermometer. “And he has a fever: 99.9.”
“Stink, you have ALL the luck,” said Judy.
No fair! Stink got to go to the real doctor. Judy convinced her mom that she had to come too, so she could learn stuff.
Dr. McCavity looked in Stink’s eyes and ears and down his throat with a purple tongue depressor. She explained how tonsils are two pink balls like grapes in back of your throat, and they can get infected with white specks and swell up and hurt.
Dr. McCavity told Mrs. Moody to give Stink some special medicine and make sure he got lots of sleep. She told Stink to drink ginger ale and eat the Brat diet.
“He’s been eating the brat diet since he was born!” Judy said.
Dr. McCavity laughed. “BRAT means Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast.” She also told Stink to stay home from school till his fever was gone, and stay away from Judy as much as possible.
She really did say the last part!
“Just think,” Judy told Stink. “If you get tonsillitis, you get to go to the hospital for an operation and get a bracelet with your name on it and wear funny pajamas and eat Popsicles all day.”
“Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” said Mom. “That would be a lot of Popsicles.”
“We don’t like to take out healthy tonsils,” said the doctor.
“But you said they were grapefruits,” said Judy. “Maybe he has Grapefruit-itis!”
“Grapes,” said Dr. McCavity. “Not grapefruit. If he takes care of those tonsils, he won’t have to worry about Grapefruit-itis.” She laughed again.
“Dr. McCavity, you should have been a dentist!” Judy cracked herself up.
“You like jokes? What did the doctor say to the patient with tonsillitis?”
“What?”
“Have a swell time!” said Dr. McCavity.
Double no fair! Stink got to stay home from school (for real), drink ginger ale (for breakfast), and eat mashed-banana toast all day (the bratty diet). AND he got to have TV in his room, even though Dr. McCavity did not say one thing about TV in your room.
Judy did not stay away from Stink as much as possible.
She took his temperature (way not normal) and made him a hospital bracelet with his name (Stinker) on it. She let him use her crazy straw to drink ginger ale. She read him Rex Morgan, M.D., comics and Cherry Ames, Student Nurse, mysteries.
She wrote him a prescription on her doctor pad.
She even took a Hippopotamus oath to be nice to Stink. Nicey-nice. Doctor nice.
“Stink,” she said, raising her right hand, “I swear by Neopolitan and Hygiene and Larry Lasagna that I will do everything I can to the best of my ability to help make you better. Here. Pet Mouse.” She plopped Mouse on Stink’s stomach.
“Ow!” said Stink. “She clawed me!” Mouse jumped to the floor.
Judy picked up Mouse again. “Stink, you have to pet her twenty times. It’s called Paws for Healing. It will lower your blood pressure. Trust me.”
“Are you sure it’s not called Paws for Scratching?”
“Stink. Just try it.” Judy plopped her cat on Stink again. Mouse bolted off the bed, knocking over the glass of ginger ale.
“Ahhh! Ginger ale! It’s all over me,” cried Stink.
Judy got Stink a towel. And a new ginger ale. And a clean crazy straw. She got him a not-wet blanket. She got him Baxter and Ebert,