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file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Stephen%20King%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htmUntil then, things were very quiet. At nine, half an hour after Louis arrived, the two candy-stripers whowould be working the nine-to-three shift came in. Louis gave them each a doughnut and a cup of coffeeand talked to them for about fifteen minutes, outlining their duties, and what was perhaps moreimportant, what was beyond the scope of their duties. Then Charlton took over. As she led them out ofLouis's office, Louis heard her ask: “Either of you allergic to shit or puke? You’ll see a lot of both here.”“Oh God,” Louis murmured and covered his eyes. But he was smiling. A tough old babe like Charltonwas not always a liability.Louis began filling out the long Blue Cross-Blue Shield forms, which amounted to a complete inventoryof drug stock and medical equipment (“Every year,” Steve Masterton said in an aggrieved voice. “Everygoddam year the same thing. Why don’t you write down Complete heart transplant facility, approx.value eight million dollars. Louis? That’II foozle em!”), and he was totally engrossed, thinking onlymarginally that a cup of coffee would go down well, when Masterton screamed from the direction of thefoyer-waiting room: “Louis! Hey, Louis, get out here! We got a mess!”The near-panic in Masterton’s voice got Louis going in a hurry. He bolted out of his chair almost as if hehad, in some subconscious way, been expecting this. A shriek, as thin and sharp as a shard of brokenglass, arose from the direction of Masterton’s shout. It was followed by a sharp slap and Charitonsaying, “Stop that or get the hell out of here! Stop it right now!”Louis burst into the waiting room and was first only conscious of the blood—there was a lot of blood.One of the candy-stripers was sobbing. The other, pale as cream, had put her fisted hands to the cornersof her mouth, pulling her lips into a big revolted grin. Masterton was kneeling down, trying to hold thehead of the boy sprawled on the floor.Steve looked up at Louis, eyes grim and wide and frightened He tried to speak. Nothing came out.People were congregating at the Student Medical Center’s big glass doors, peering in, their handscupped around their faces to cut out the glare. Louis’s mind conjured up an insanely appropriate image:sitting in the living room as a kid of no more than six with his mother in the morning before she went towork. watching the television. Watching the old “Today” show, with Dave Garroway. People wereoutside, gaping in at Dave and Frank Blair and good old J. Fred Muggs. He looked around and saw otherpeople standing at the windows. He couldn’t do anything about the doors, but— "Shut the drapes,” hesnapped at the candy-striper who had screamed.When she didn’t move immediately, Charlton slapped her can. “Do it, girl!”The candy-striper got in gear. A moment later green drapes were jerked across the windows. Charitonand Steve Masterton moved instinctively between the boy or. the floor and the doors, cutting off theview as best they could.file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Ste...%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm (50 of 333)7/28/2005 9:21:49 PM