6 The Signal

CHAPTER 6 The Signal Dr. Fuentes and Dr. Marconi were already in the room when we got there. I could tell it was them from their surgical caps. Plus, there was another person, but I'd never seen him before. His surgical cap had little yellow ducks on it. He said his name was Peter. He had to be a nurse because his scrubs were the Peachie O's color, plus, he told me his first name, which I'd figured out doctors never did. Patricia wheeled me up right beside the

第六章 约定的信号 我们到的时候，富恩特斯医生和马可尼医生已经在房间里了。 我从他们的手术帽就能认出是他们俩。 另外还有一个人，可我之前从来没见过他。 他的手术帽上印着好多小黄鸭。 他说自己叫彼得。 他肯定是护士，因为他的刷手服是水蜜桃汽水的颜色，而且他还告诉了我他的名字，我可知道医生从来不会这么做。 帕特里夏把我的轮椅推到了

operating table. She and Peter lifted me up very VERY carefully, and moved me over. The bed got wheeled away, and Dr. Fuentes stood in the space where it had been. "Do you remember everything we talked about with Mary Morrison?" he asked me. I was still crying a little bit, but I managed to nod. "Chocolate Milk, right?" Peter asked, and I nodded again. Dr. Fuentes lifted a mask, just like the one in Mary Morrison's bag, and moved to put it on my face. "No, no, I'm not ready!" I said. Patricia knelt beside me. Her face was so close to mine, I could smell her breath: minty, like she'd just had one of the green mint sucking candies we have on

手术台旁边。 她和彼得非常非常小心地把我抬起来，挪到了手术台上。 病床被推走了，富恩特斯医生站到了刚才放床的位置。 “你还记得我们和玛丽·莫里森说过的所有事吗？”他问我。 我还在抽抽搭搭地哭，但还是点了点头。 “是巧克力牛奶，对不对？” 彼得问，我又点了点头。 富恩特斯医生拿起一个面罩，和玛丽·莫里森包里的那个一模一样，就要往我脸上戴。 “不要，不要，我还没准备好！” 我喊道。 帕特里夏蹲在我旁边。 一分糖墙上卖的那种绿色薄荷糖。

the Penny Candy Wall at Batts Confections. "It's all right, Stella," she said. "Dr. Fuentes is here to make sure you get all the medicine you need to fall asleep. Dr. Marconi will fix your leg. And Peter and I are here for you." I looked over. Peter was right next to Dr. Fuentes, kneeling by me like Patricia was. "We're here for you, Stella," Patricia said again. "We'll be here the whole time. We won't leave you." "That's right," Peter said. "What if I feel something and I can't talk because there's a mask on my face?" I asked. "You won't feel a thing," Peter told me. "No one ever does." "But what if I do?" I asked. "This could be the first time someone feels something in an operation." "We can have a signal," Patricia said. "You

一分糖墙上卖的那种绿色薄荷糖。 “没关系的，斯特拉，”她说。 “富恩特斯医生会给你用够药，让你好好睡着的。 马可尼医生会把你的腿治好。 我和彼得也会陪着你的。” 我转过头看。 彼得就在富恩特斯医生旁边，和帕特里夏一样蹲在我身边。 “我们都陪着你呢，斯特拉，”帕特里夏又说了一遍。 “我们全程都会在这里。 不会离开你的。” “没错。”彼得说。 “要是我感觉到疼，脸上又罩着面罩说不出话怎么办呀？” 我问。 “你什么都不会感觉到的，”彼得告诉我。 “从来没有人会疼的。” “可要是我就是感觉到了呢？” 我问。 “说不定我就是第一个做手术的时候会感觉到疼的人呀。” “我们可以约定一个信号呀，”帕特里夏说。 “你

can raise your hand." "My right hand," I told her. "There's an IV in my left arm and that hand is harder to raise." "Your right hand," Patricia agreed. "Like this," I said, and I raised my hand like I was in school and I knew the answer. I wished I were in school right then. Even though Mrs. Finkel was sometimes strict, I'd rather be with her than with all the doctors and nurses. I'd rather be anywhere else in the whole entire world! "I'll stay here, on your right side, the whole time," Patricia said. "I'll look out for the signal. Okay?" "Okay." "But, Stella," Peter said, "I don't think you'll have to use it." "It's good to have one just in case," I said.

可以举手。” “举右手哦，”我告诉她。 “我左胳膊插着输液管，那只手很难举起来。” “那就举右手，”帕特里夏同意了。 “就像这样，”我说着，像在学校里知道答案要回答问题那样举起了手。 我那时候真希望自己就在学校里。 虽然芬克尔太太有时候挺严厉的，但我宁愿和她待在一起，也不想对着这么多医生护士。 我宁愿去全世界任何别的地方！ “我会一直待在你右边，全程都不走，”帕特里夏说。 “我会盯着你的信号。 好不好？” “好。” “可是斯特拉，”彼得说，“我觉得你根本用不上这个信号的。” “有个信号以防万一总是好的嘛。”我说。

"Sometimes you wake up when something hurts. Like one time my sister pulled my hair when I was asleep. I felt it, and it made me wake up." "The medicine will keep you asleep," Peter said. "Don't worry." "And I know the signal," Patricia said. She was speaking soft and low, just to me. And in that same voice she said, "Dr. Fuentes, I think we're ready now." Dr. Fuentes put the mask on me. It smelled like chocolate milk. But under the chocolate milk smell, there was something else, too. Something that smelled like rotten eggs. I felt my eyes get hot with tears again. "I hate this," I said, even though there was a mask over my mouth

“有时候疼的时候你就会醒过来呀。 就像有一次我睡觉的时候我姐姐扯我头发。 我感觉到疼，一下子就醒了。” “药会让你一直睡着的，”彼得说。 “别担心。” “而且我知道信号是什么呀。”帕特里夏说。 她声音放得又柔又低，只说给我一个人听。 然后她还是用那个声音说：“富恩特斯医生，我们现在准备好了。” 富恩特斯医生把面罩罩到了我脸上。 闻起来像巧克力牛奶。 可是在巧克力牛奶的香味下面，还有别的味道。 闻起来像臭鸡蛋的味道。 我感觉眼睛又热了，眼泪又要掉下来了。 “我讨厌这个。”我说，哪怕我嘴上罩着面罩，