Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Inside the tent, a man was handing a glass of water to a red-faced woman. A boy was standing next to the woman's chair. "Do you feel better, Mom?" the boy asked. "Much better, Ronnie," his mother said. "Thank you, Dr…." "Fleming," the man said, looking down at the tag pinned over the pocket on his white jacket.

She stood up. "Come on, Ronnie, let's get some lemonade," she said to her son. "Thanks again, Dr. Fleming." "No problem," the doctor said. He glanced up at Mr. Hathaway and the three kids. "Who's the patient?" he asked. "Me," Dink said. The doctor pointed to two folding chairs. "Have a seat, please." There were no other chairs in the tent. "We'll wait outside," Mr. Hathaway said. He guided Josh and Ruth Rose to the tent opening. "Be a brave little man, Dink," Josh teased. Dink stuck his tongue out at Josh, then sat down. "Your name is Dink?" the doctor asked. He pulled two thin rubber gloves from a box and slipped them onto his hands. Dink nodded. "It's a nickname," he said. "My real name is Donald David Duncan." The doctor sat in the chair opposite Dink. He touched the small bump on Dink's forehead. "How'd this happen?" he asked. Dink told the doctor how he fell off the carousel and showed him the red scrape on his arm.

"Does it hurt?" the doctor asked. Dink nodded. "A little, especially when I twist it." "Don't twist it," the doctor said. Just then a police officer stuck his head inside the tent. "Excuse me, Doc," the officer said. "Did you see anyone run by your tent a few minutes ago?" "Nope, I was pretty busy," Dr. Fleming said. "What's the problem?"

"Someone grabbed Penelope Gwinn's diamond pendant," the officer said. "The perp took off in the crowd." "Oh no! I hope you catch him," the doctor said. "Don't worry, we will!" the cop said. "Miss Gwinn might be able to identify the thief, so we're stopping everyone at the main exit gate." After the police officer left, the doctor turned back to Dink. "Here's what we're gonna do," he said. "I'll bandage your arm, then we'll go to my office and I'll x-ray it." The doctor pulled a sealed bandage from a white cabinet. "While I'm wrapping your arm, I want you to read that sign over there. Slowly" Dink looked at the sign. "Why? My eyes are okay" he said. The doctor opened the package. "I want to make sure you don't have a concussion. Start reading," he said as he began wrapping Dink's arm with the long bandage. Dink started reading: HOW TO AVOID SUNSTROKE

1. ALWAYS USE SUNBLOCK 2. WEAR A HAT 3. DON'T STAY OUT IN THE SUN TOO LONG 4. AVOID STRENUOUS EXERCISE ON HOT DAYS 5. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER "You're a good reader, Dink," the doctor said, finished with the wrapping. "Wiggle your fingers for me." Dink wiggled his fingers and looked at his arm. The bandage went from his wrist to his elbow. A small metal clip held the end of the bandage in place. "Not too tight, is it?" the doctor asked. "No, but the bandage feels weird."

"They always do," the doctor said. "Now we'll call in your father." "He's my friend's father," Dink explained. The doctor stepped over to the tent door and invited the others inside. "How's your boo-boo?" Josh asked. Dink crossed his eyes. "I'd like to x-ray Dink's arm in my office," the doctor told Mr. Hathaway "Can you follow me to the hospital?" "Of course," Mr. Hathaway said. "You want to leave right now?" "The sooner the better," the doctor told him, glancing at his watch. "My replacement will be here in a few minutes." The group left the tent and walked toward the main exit. Dink noticed an empty space between Presto Pizza and the lemonade stand. Frank and his hotdog cart had vanished. At the exit, a line of people stood around mumbling. Two police officers were blocking the closed gate. The woman with yellow hair who had been sitting in front of Dink was talking to one of the