The very next day Tina had come apologizing for what she’d said and done, asking Bette for another chance.  Bette had happily agreed to this and when Tina had asked for her ring back Bette’s life came to a screeching halt.  The ring.  How was Bette going to tell Tina that she had swallowed her ring?

Bette had stuttered that she’d misplaced the rings(not a total lie) and she would find them.  Tina had smiled at this and had gone about bringing new life into the home that they now once again shared together.  Every time Bette went to the bathroom she would watch for the ring.  A day past, and then another, and another and still no ring and then the pain had started.

Knowing that something had gone horribly(what else was new) wrong she had made an appointment with a doctor to find out just where these rings had gone to.  This is where Bette sat now, waiting for her doctor to return to take her to x-ray.

The doctor came back in, “Everything is being set up.”

He took a seat on his vacated stool.

“It’s important to you to get these rings back?”

“Well to my health, yeah,” Bette spoke, “But also because my wife came back to me and wants her ring back.”

Fields tried to hide a smile behind his hand, “You don’t say?”

“It’s okay doc, get a good laugh out of it.  Even I find this whole thing rather amusing.”

He smiled, “I’m sorry.  Did you ever have any ulcers before Bette?”

Bette straightened, “Ulcers?  Yes, I have.”

“What kind.”

“Peptic.”

Fields was nodding.

“Do you think that that’s where the rings went?”

“We’ll have to do more tests but for now lets get you to that x-ray.”

><

Returning to the room Bette once again waited for doctor Fields to enter and he did a few minutes later with several x-rays in hand.  He put them on the light board and turned it on illuminating the x-rays taken of Bette’s chest, stomach and abdomen.  He gazed at them for a couple minutes.

“Hmm,” he spoke after that silence

“What,” Bette asked, “What does ‘hmm’ mean?”

“There is one of the rings,” he commented pointing to a small circular object floating just outside Bette’s stomach, “And there is your ulcer.  Have you been vomiting or been having some discolored stool lately?”

Bette glanced from the x-ray to the doctor at this question, “Vomiting yes, and no to the stool.”

“Seems you have quite the ulcer.”

“Lucky me.”

He looked for another moment, “Ah theres the other ring,” he remarked pointing to another circular object lower in Bette’s abdomen

“So what do we do now?”

Fields turned of the box lights and turned to Bette, “Surgery.”

“Surgery!”

“We have to go in and take those rings out of there before they cause any damage, repairing your ulcer is also a priority as well.”

Bette frowned at this, “There isn’t any other option?”

Fields shook his head, “No, there isn’t I’m afraid.”

Bette sighed, “When do we do this?”

“As soon as I can get us an OR.”

Bette nodded her head, “I should probably go and tell my wife that I have to have this surgery.”

“Does she know about this?”

Bette shook her head, “She is in the waiting room and just thinks this is a physical.”

“You probably should tell her.  I can bring her here if you’d like.”

“That would be wonderful.”

“Her name?”

“Tina Kennard.”

“Be right back.”

Bette waited for a few minutes and Tina hesitantly entered the room closing the door behind her.

“What is it baby, that doctor said you needed to talk to me.”

Bette smiled and ringed her hands together nervously, “I just want to say first that it was supposed to be symbolic!”


End…Things cough syrups can do to ya!  Hope you enjoyed