Maude Read Free

Helen’s
skirt.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
    Tommy looked panicked. He pulled my hands
away from her. “Go wait in the bedroom.”
I obeyed, just as I always did, going into the
bedroom and sitting on the bed. Someone closed the
door after me, and I strained to hear the voices from
the living room, but couldn’t make out any of what
they were saying. After what seemed to me to be
forever, the door opened and Tommy carried Helen in
the room. She was passed out. Doctor Wilson folded
down the covers and Tommy laid Helen on the bed and
pulled the blankets up over her. Then, the doctor
motioned to me and Tommy to go to the living room,
and we followed him out, closing the door after us.
I clutched Tommy’s hand. “Is she going to be all
right? What’s the matter with her?”
He looked at me with sad eyes, and then looked
over at the doctor. Tommy dropped his head and went
to the kitchen. Doctor Wilson sighed loudly, took my
hand in his and told me the most horrible thing I ever
heard. “There was an accident, Maude,” he stopped,
like he was searching for the right words.” Something
caught fire in the kitchen of your house. When your
dad heard the neighbors yelling, he ran in the house
looking for your mother.”
I felt the panic run through my entire body. It
shot from my head to my toes. All of a sudden, I was
freezing cold. My body shivered, and I clutched my
arms around myself. “Is my Daddy all right? Is he
burnt up?”
Doctor Wilson patted me on the shoulder, “I’m
sorry, Maude, it was an old house, all wood frame.
They didn’t make it out in time.”
For a split-second, I couldn’t understand what he
was saying. The sound of my heart pounding roared in
my ears and made me almost deaf. Then it dawned on
me that both my momma and daddy were gone.
I searched for words, but couldn’t find any. I
dropped both hands to my sides and just stood there,
staring at the floor and shaking. The doctor patted me
on the back again, turned, and went to the kitchen. He
and Tommy were talking quietly, I was still standing
where they left me when I heard a strange, weak cry
come from Helen in the bedroom.
I ran in the room. The smell of the blood and
something else I didn’t recognize filled the room. I let
out a screech, and Tommy came bursting through the
door with Dr. Wilson right behind him. They pushed
me out of their way and I pressed myself against the
wall. The doctor jerked the covers off Helen.
“Her water’s broke,” he said, “get my bag.”
Tommy went running to the living room, where
Dr. Wilson had left his bag on the floor next to the
chair, brought it, and put it in the doctor’s hands.
The doctor looked at me. “Get me all your towels
and some water.”
That made me come to myself, and both Tommy
and I ran for the kitchen. While Tommy pumped a big
bowl full of water from the kitchen pump, I grabbed a
stack of towels from the pantry and ran back in the
bedroom.
The doctor had pulled all the covers off Helen
and pushed her feet back toward her hips. Her skirt
was up around her waist, and she wasn’t wearing any
step-ins. I stopped dead in my tracks. I couldn’t move.
I had never even seen my sister naked and now this
was awful.
“Give me the towels,” the doctor said.
I dropped the pile onto the bed next to Helen.
Tommy, his face white as a ghost, brought the water.
He put it down on the floor and then dragged a small
table over so it was at the doctor’s hands.
“Get some more water and heat it up,” the doctor
said to Tommy, who looked relieved to have a task and
ran back out of the room. Helen moaned loudly, but
never opened her eyes. I couldn’t tell if she was even
conscious.
The blood flow seemed to have let up. Doctor
Wilson straightened out Helen’s legs and pulled the
covers over her. He pressed his hands against the sides
of her stomach and held them there for a long time.
“She’s not having pains yet. Maude, get me a
clock or a watch.”
I ran to the living room and