Jacob's Rescue by Malka Drucker

Author:Malka Drucker [Drucker, Malka]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-77898-7
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2011-01-05T05:00:00+00:00

12

The Operation

An ugly, green-clad, jackbooted Nazi forced a gun into Jacob’s right ear. As he struggled to free himself his ear exploded.

Crying out, Jacob found not a Nazi beside him but Yurek. Jacob clutched his ear and whimpered. “Get up,” Yurek directed, and led him to his parents’ bedroom.

Alex switched on the light in the bedroom. Jacob’s flushed face confirmed his fears. “Scarlet fever,” he said.

“That’s what killed my brother.” Jacob sobbed.

Mela drew him to her. “You’re strong, Genyek, very strong. Tomorrow we’ll get your uncle, Dr. Galer, here,” she told him.

Jacob felt a little better, but still he cried, “I don’t want to die, Uncle Alex.”

Alex looked him in the eye the same way he had when they first met. “You won’t die, Genyek.” Then gently he said, “Go to bed.”

Jacob had made Sholom the same promise. But this was a promise from Alex. Alex never gave up. He always had a plan.

Galer took the stethoscope from his ears. Alex and Mela gripped each other’s hands. “The boy has scarlet fever, and it’s infected the mastoid, the bone behind his ear. We have to scrape the bone and drain the infection if he is to be saved. I can’t operate here. I don’t have the instruments or medicine. He has to go to the hospital.”

“But that’s impossible,” Alex exclaimed. Galer was writing something on a pad.

“Go to this doctor. I’ve written down the problem.” In response to Alex’s frown Galer added, “He’s a good man. He won’t turn away a child.”

“Get dressed, Genyek,” Alex ordered. “We’re going to the doctor.” Within minutes Jacob was ready. All of a sudden the pain seared through his head like a hot needle. He curled up in a ball, holding his buzzing ear. He never imagined anything could hurt this much.

“Sit up,” Galer said, “while I wrap this bandage around your face.” Jacob was about to say the bandage wouldn’t help his pain, but then he realized it was a disguise, another way to hide. Oh, well, he thought, better to look like the Frankenstein monster than a squashed mole or mouse.

No one gave Jacob a second glance as they took the bus to Dr. Masurik’s office; wounded and sick people were no novelty in Warsaw. They entered the doctor’s office through a back door. Masurik came out within minutes, examined Jacob’s ear, and exclaimed, “He’ll have to be treated right away.”

Alex said, “But he’s … I mean, how can you …?”

Indignantly Masurik brushed off his objection. “I don’t care what the child is. He’s sick and needs treatment or else he’ll die.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Get him to the hospital,” the doctor replied. “Only one problem. I need money to bribe my operating nurse. Unless she’s paid, she might report all of us to the authorities.”

“How much do you need?” Alex asked. When Masurik told him at least ten thousand zlotys, Jacob lay back down, defeated. That was as much money as Alex made in a year! There was no way anyone, even Alex, could get that much money immediately.

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