The Cider House Rules

"Perhaps her collarbone," Larch suggested. Given the position, he guessed it would be the collarbone.

"Well, whatever it was, I heard it," Melony said.

"How did that make you feel?" Wilbur Larch asked Melony, who shrugged.

"I don't know," Melony said. "Sick, I guess, but strong," she added. "Sick and strong," she said.

"Perhaps you'd like to have more to do?" Larch asked her.

"Here?" Melony asked.

"Well, here, yes," Larch said. "I could find more things for you to do here--more important things. Of course, I could also inquire for you about jobs--outside, I mean. Away from here."

"You want me to go, or do more chores, is that it?"

"I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do. You told me you didn't want to leave, once--and I'll never force you. It's just that I thought you might be looking for a change."

"You don't like how I read, huh?" Melony asked. "Is that it?"

"No!" Dr. Larch said. "I want you to keep reading, but that's only one of the things you might do here."

"You want me to do what Homer Wells did?"

"Homer did a lot of studying," Dr. Larch said. "Perhaps you could assist Nurse Angela and Nurse Edna, and me. Perhaps you'd be interested in just observing--to see if you liked it."

"I think it's sick," Melony said.

"You disapprove?" Larch asked, but Melony looked genuinely puzzled.

"Wha

t?" she asked.

"You don't believe we should perform the abortions, is that it?" Larch asked. "You don't believe in terminating a birth, in aborting the fetus?"

Melony shrugged. "I just think it would make me sick," she repeated. "Delivering babies--yuck," she said. "And cutting babies out of people--yuck, again."

Larch was confused. "But it's not that you think it's wrong?" he asked.

"What's wrong about it?" she asked him. "I think it's sick. Blood, people leaking stuff out of their bodies--ick," Melony said. "It smells bad around here," she added, meaning the hospital air--the aura of ether, the scent of old blood.

Wilbur Larch stared at Melony and thought, Why, she's just a big child! She's a baby thug!

"I don't want to work around the hospital," Melony said flatly. "I'll rake leaves, or something--stuff like that is okay, if you want me to work more, for my food or something."

"I want you to be happier than you are, Melony," Dr. Larch said cautiously. He felt miserable for how neglected the creature before him was.

"Happier!" said Melony; she gave a little jump in her chair and the stolen barrette dug into her. "You must be stupid, or crazy." Dr. Larch wasn't shocked; he nodded, considering the possibilities.

He heard Mrs. Grogan calling him from the hall outside the dispensary.

"Doctor Larch! Doctor Larch!" she called. "Wilbur?" she added, which gave Nurse Edna a tremor, because she felt a certain possessiveness regarding the use of that name. "Mary Agnes has broken her arm!" Larch stared at Melony, who for the first time managed a smile.

"You said this happened 'not too long ago'?" Larch asked her.

"I said 'pretty recently,' " Melony admitted.

Larch went into the dispensary, where he examined Mary Agnes's collarbone, which was broken; then he instructed Nurse Angela to prepare the child for X ray.