TW ED (another excerpt from a book I’m working on)

The stretchy blue

tourniquet is tied around my

arm.


The nurse feels around the

crook of my right elbow

for a vein.

She shakes her head,

undoes the tourniquet 

and ties it onto the other 

arm.

She feels around some more,

and unwraps the butterfly

needle from the plastic.

“I usually only use these on

little ones,”
she says,

“but your veins are so small.”

Mom puts her head in her hands,

shaking slightly.

The nurse has to prick me

four times before she finds a vein,

offers me a juice box or water

multiple times,

says it might help my veins,

that it might spare me

a few pokes.

But I refuse,

nothing can go into my body today.

Not since I had

a handful of almonds today.

Nuts have too many calories.

Too much fat.


Maybe it would be okay if I only had one,

but I had eight.

Eight.