Chapter Four

Once Dr. Smiley told the nurses that Juri would be staying with them a while longer, they went about finding a proper bed and room for him to stay in.  Mama went off to call the rest of the family and tell them what was happening.  Nathalie stayed with Juri and tried her best to make him feel better.


"Juri, maly, wanna play I spy?" Nathalie was trying to think of anything she could do to distract her little brother.


"No.  I don't feel like it.  I just want to go home." Juri's eyes were still tearing, and one lonely tear ran down his cheek.


"I know you want to go home, but you can't.  You have to stay here so they can make you better.  That way when you come back to the clubhouse you will be able to run and jump and play with the rest of us." Nathalie wished she could scoop him up and take him away from here, but she knew things were too serious for that! She couldn't believe what was happening to her family.  This just wasn't fair! 


"But what about Bennett? I need a bear to stay here with me! The only time I don't sleep with a bear is when we are at home and all 3 of us are sleeping in our room together.  Whenever I go for a sleep over I always take Bennett!


Nathalie pondered for a moment. "Do you want me to go to the gift shop and get you a new bear?"  She checked her watch. "It should still be open..."


Juri thought about this.  Would a new bear do?  Would he feel comforted even though it was an unfamiliar friend, with an unfamiliar smell and feel?  

He decided, yes.  A new bear would be better than no bear at all.  "Yes, please! But don't be too long, I don't like it in this room."


Nathalie gave her brother a quick hug and ran off to the gift store.  
When she returned with the new bear, Juri was fast asleep and Mama was sitting quietly in the corner of his room. 


"Sleep well little buddy."  Nathalie gave Juri a kiss on the forehead and placed the new bear carefully beside him under the covers.  She watched him sleep for a moment.  He looked so small, even smaller than usual, and so pale.  She felt so scared seeing him this way. He was so still, so unmoving; it made her feel an uncomfortable pit in her stomach.  She turned quickly on her heal, banging into Mama's knee as she swung around.


"Ouch! Nathaluska watch what you are doing!" Mama rubbed her knee.


"See? I'm not the only clumsy one in the family!" Juri whispered in his freshly awoken voice.  "Who's this?"  He noticed the bear that Nathalie bought him.


"There's your new bud, buddy!" She hoped he would like his new friend.  "What are you going to name him?"


"Um..... " Juri was always very imaginative with his toys' names.  "Pupcatz!"


"Pupcatz? That's a funny name!  Why Pupcatz?"


"I don't know, just Pupcatz the Bear! Just because I like it." Juri clutched Pupcatz close, and Nathalie knew she had found a winner.  Her little brother often found comfort in his toys, and she knew that he would feel more comfortable in this very unhappy circumstance now that he had a cuddly friend to hold onto.


"Ok Zlaty Juri, you have to go back to sleep now.  You need your rest.  Nathalie and I will go and sit just outside in the waiting room until the nurse finds you a proper bed and room. Ok?  Now you have your new bear, everything will be ok.  Sleep now moj zlaty. " Mama stood up and nodded to Nathalie to leave with her.  They both kissed Juri goodnight and went out into the hallway.


Juri looked around.  The hospital room was dark now, and the curtains that separated his section from the others were gently swaying as if they had a life of their own.  Normally he was not afraid of things that go bump in the night.  He was a brave little boy;  but tonight, in this strange and scary place, he was worried about the swaying curtains, about what may be lying under this strange and high hospital bed.  Surely with so much space underneath the bed there had to be some kind of monster hiding down there. 


He tried not to think about it all.  He squezed his eyes shut tight and grabbed onto Pupcatz.  Hugging and squeezing his new bear, he began to feel a little bit better.  He started  imagining that he could feel Pupcatz hugging him back.  And after a while, he did!  With Pupcatz hugging him tight, Juri managed to fall back asleep, despite the moving curtains and the extra-large monster cave of a bed he was sleeping in.