Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Dan. Be sure to check out About Phillip here.
Dan is a normal kid who loves his soccer. Except everything goes wrong. Everything.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
(About Dan Home) (Last) (Next)
Dr. Jones Thinks
"It throbs at night," admitted Dan. He tried to read past Dr. Jones’ pasted-on smile. "It’s getting better, though." Please, please, get me outta that wheelchair! Give me crutches. Anything with some mobility!
"Are the wounds still draining?"
Dr. Jones quietly unwrapped the Ace bandages that held the bottom cast under Dan’s left leg.
"Well, a little," admitted Dan. "Mum changes the bandages every night." He watched Dr. Jones’ face, looking for something—anything. "They're draining less each time," he said hopefully. He turned to stare at his leg as if sheer force of will could heal.
Dan’s thigh lay exposed. His mother looked on from a chair strategically placed so a parent can be in the room but can't really see anything. Without a change of expression—was he a poker player?—Dr. Jones snipped the adhesive tape and lay back the gauze. In spite of his best efforts, Dan jerked.
"Hmmm."
Dan looked back and forth between the thigh and Dr. Jones, who freed the final four-inch gauze square and held it up to study its color. He sniffed it tentatively. Dan wrinkled his nose.
Dr. Jones slipped on a fresh pair of surgical gloves to study the wound. He poked. Dan winced.
"Do you see this? It's not so red that you might have noticed it, but it's infected nonetheless. That's why it's still draining."
Dan's heart sunk. "But we did everything you told us!"
"Truly, Doctor Jones," chimed in his mother. We've been careful."
"No, no, you both did fine. I was concerned there might be some infection. It really was a dirty wound. It’ll clear itself up with time."
Dr. Jones continued unwrapping until Dan's white, wrinkled leg lay completely exposed. He repeated the probing process with the surgical wound around the knee. Unlike the wound made by the broken femur, this one was clean from the start and was healing with minimal drainage.
"Ah, that's the way it should be," he pronounced. He held the x-ray up to the light. Then he looked at Dan's leg, sometimes touching it with enough force to make him grit his teeth. This was repeated several times in complete silence.
"What do you think?" asked Dan urgently. "Is it ok?"
But Dr. Jones was quietly transfixed by the x-ray. All Dan could see was an abstract painting in shades of gray. Finally, Dr. Jones put the film down as though abandoning a favorite book. He pasted his smile back on and looked at Dan, addressing him instead of his mother. She edged forward to hear.
"Well, Dan, it's hard to tell."
Jeesh!