Toys’ Hospital

By Susan Gordon

Toys are very nervous about going into hospital. Research has discovered that as soon as the toys see a white coat, they start to worry.

Many toys have to stay in hospital for a few weeks. This is because it takes time to recover, and it might even take a long time to find a donor and spare parts.

For instance, the other day, Eddie, a small brown bear who was much loved, lost an eye. His owner burst into tears in the reception area when he learned that Eddie had to be admitted for surgery. This often happens, you know. Separation is so difficult.

Eddie was put on a strict diet, popped into bed with a thermometer in his mouth and a bandage over his missing eye. He had a long wait for a donor to come forward, and it gave Eddie the time to consider how he had landed in such a sorry state of affairs. It all began when his owner. Simon had had an ear-ache and clutched Eddie so tightly that his little brown eye fell out.

The doctor was so kind and full of sympathy. They checked for broken bits and to make sure he wasn’t in shock. They assured Eddie that brown eyes were easy to replace and he should stay in hospital and rest until they found one.

Next to Eddie was Laura a pretty doll. She told him how one day, she was knocked to the floor by the family cat. He had always been jealous of the attention Laura got and would do anything to upset her. Her arm was in a sling, and she had painful bruises and a black eye. She was very strong-willed, though and swore through her painful mouth that she would have revenge. Revenge, she thought, is a dish best served cold. Eddie felt so sorry for her.

The hospital was very busy, but the nurses couldn’t do enough for the patients. Fresh flowers scented the wards and corridors. Bowls of fruit beside each bed and the scent of freshly laundered linen sheets was always in the air. The choice of meals was delicious, and there were always second helpings. The lemon meringues were a favourite, as were rice puddings.

Visiting times were exciting too and especially when visitors brought sweets or magazines to while away the time.  They made friends and chatted together.

One afternoon, however, Laura overheard one of the nurses talking about a road accident. It seemed that a coach had turned over on its side and the van was carrying toys to a well known London toy shop. The toys were very upset and scattered all over the road.

The Accident and Emergency section was fortunately empty, extra beds and wheelchairs were brought in, and the medical staff had to stand by. They feared the worst. All leave was cancelled.

An hour or so later, the news, although worrisome, was that there were no fatalities. Many of the toys were treated at the hospital and able to continue their journeys to London. Others, however, had to be admitted.

A train set had its carriage badly cut, and a Barbie doll had concussion. The doctors were amazing. They tucked the Barbie into bed, popped a hot water bottle in and told us to keep quiet while she rested.

The train set was weak too, and with the help of an electric blanket and a mouth full of medicine, he slept soundly. We were all so relieved.

It took some time for the doctors to find an eye for Eddie, though this was finally found and after a couple of days he was able to go home. He will be missed!

The train set recovered quite quickly too, and his carriages were repaired, and he went home the next day. It seemed funny that as soon as one toy left, in no time, another one turned up.

The army doll was taken down for a hip replacement. He couldn’t rest in bed after the operation as he had to keep exercising and walking with a stick. He was worried that he might have a permanent limp and not be able to resume active service.

Barbie had a headache and stayed in a bit longer. You can’t rush concussion the doctors said.

That evening just as the ward was about to listen to the radio, a puppet was rushed in. He was moaning and groaning, and it seemed that he had two strings cut. He had opened a window, lost his balance and caught his strings on the way down.

So nasty these accidents that happen at home. However, Gus the puppet had suspicions that his strings had been cut intentionally by one of the naughty boys who lived in the house. He had no evidence but just a gut feeling! You can always trust your gut.

Barbie was let home the next day. Though she seemed fairly cheery, she was still fretting about her lost shoe and handbag.

A Dinky toy took up the vacant bed. He was in a bad way as his owner had crashed him into another car, and his paintwork had been damaged, and he had to have an urgent operation followed by a spell in intensive care. Cars are so easily bashed by their uncaring owners who in some cases, were downright cruel. You can hear some terrible stories and Dink, as he came to be called, had some to tell. “At least,” he said as he was on his way to x-ray, “I still have my original box”.

Laura, the doll, seemed to have recovered and was excited about going home. They thought that she couldn’t wait to teach the family cat a lesson!

A ragdoll, called Annie, was an emergency admission. She had trouble swallowing after she had been thrown into a washing machine. Her arm was gashed and needed a bandage for her knees too. The doctor said that it was touch and go, but with careful nursing and bed rest, she might just pull through. Annie blamed the little girl in the house where she lives for the accident. It seemed that Annie was very popular and had get well cards and baskets of flowers and lots of visitors. I must say there was a lot of jealousy amongst the patients, who had no cards or flowers.

After all the excitement, the ward became fairly quiet. The doctors and nurses were relieved that the Toy hospital was peaceful and that toys had avoided accidents. Children were caring for their toys more nowadays, especially as the new toys were becoming more expensive and too much for some parents to buy. Let’s hope that toys are cared for more and have fewer visits to hospital.

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