The nurse shot me a quick, confused look. He was used to doctors ordering him around. Now it was a patient. But he knew exactly who she was. And he listened to every word she said.

My mom said, “Tell everyone at the desk, I’m a customer now. Don’t treat me like a coworker.”

As soon as the nurse was finished with all of his adjustments and my mom’s orders, he fled the room like a Giants fan slinking out of the stadium after a loss.

My mom looked at Natty and me. “C’mon, Bobby and Natty, give your mother a kiss.” Her voice was just a shade weaker than normal, but her tone was just as sharp. It gave me hope.

My mom was the only one who ever called me by my given name. Even my brother called me Mitchum. All my cousins call me Mitchum. I’m sure a few of them don’t even know my first name. I’m so used to being called Mitchum that sometimes I forget to answer when someone calls me Robert or Bobby.

A doctor walked in a few minutes later. He was a good-looking guy with blondish hair. He glanced down at a chart and said, “Looks good.”

That comment seemed to give my mom some energy. “Looks good! Looks good.” The outrage grew with every word. “Listen to me, Doogie Howser. It looked good yesterday. Today I’m a mess. I was run down by a truck.” Then she looked at me and Natty, standing in the corner of the room, and added, “On purpose.”

Apparently, this was the theory she had floated already to Bill Jeffries. He didn’t react but I wanted to hear more.

I said, “Mom, are you saying someone hit you intentionally?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. And when I find out who did it, they’ll wish they only get arrested.”

I had to chuckle, as even lying in a bed, with a hundred medical devices attached to her, my mom’s threats were still scary. If she ever catches whoever ran her down, I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes, especially if they did it on purpose.

My mom turned to Bill and said, “I know that what I’m about to say will make me sound like Bobby with his conspiracies, but it’s the truth. I heard the engine rev just before the truck hit me.”

The doctor was clearly trying to extricate himself from this conversation. He casually said, “We’ll get a good view of your hip and pelvis with a CAT scan tomorrow.”

My mom said, “I can do it right now.”

The doctor said, “Let me check the schedule,” and he scooted out of the room faster than the nurse had earlier. Everyone but my mom knew he wasn’t coming back today.