Vikki the Vet Bandages Becky the Bruin

Vikki the Vet has a sister.

A sister named Sara.

Sara and her husband Simon live in Springfield. Springfield, Massachusetts.

Sara and Simon have a son and a daughter.

Their daughter’s name is Sally.

And I’ve decided Sally’s brother’s name is Sammy.

Sammy and Sally are siblings.

Sara asked Simon if he’d like to go visit Vikki the Vet on the upcoming long weekend.

“I’d love to! But I have to work on Saturday,” said Simon.

Then Simon said, “Why don’t you, Sammy, and Sally go.”

So Sara called her sister to see if she was up for a visit.

“Sounds sensational!” said Vikki the Vet.

So Vikki the Vet cleared her calendar and prepared for their visit.

Sara went for a solo stroll on Saturday morning, so Vikki the Vet took her niece and nephew to visit her veterinary clinic.

While they were there, someone brought in a bear.

A bear named Becky.

Becky the Bruin.

A bruin is a bear.

A brown bear.

Becky, the bear, is from Boston.

She is a Boston bruin.

Becky, the beautiful brown bear, was brought in with a cut to her cranium.

Vikki the Vet could see that her veterinary assistant was busy, so Vikki the Vet stepped in to help Becky the Bruin.

“I wonder how Becky the Bruin hit her head?” mused Sammy.

“Perhaps she was searching for honey and got her head stuck in a log,” Sally speculated.

“Perhaps she was stung by a bee and hit her head on a tree,” said Sammy.

“Perhaps she was bruised with a bludgeon,” Sally suggested.

“Or cut with a cudgel,” said Sammy.

“How about you two jokers stand back so I can safely examine this big burly bear,” said Vikki the Vet.

Upon examination, Vikki the Vet realized that Becky the Bruin was going to need stitches to close up the cut on her head.

“Wow! Look at all the hair on the head of this bear,” Vikki the Vet said to Sammy and Sally. 

“I’ll need to cut Becky’s hair before I can begin stitching her up.”

 

Fun fact: Fur is hair, and hair is fur.

The two terms can be used interchangeably.

 

Some people prefer to say that humans have hair while all the other mammals have fur. This is a mistake.

Animal hair is often thicker and denser than human hair, but I repeat: fur is hair, and hair is fur.

Hair not to be confused with hare.

And hare not to be confused with rabbit.

“How are you going to cut her hair?” asked Sally.

“Perhaps she’d prefer a pixie cut,” said Sammy.

“Or a bob cut,” said Sally.

“How about you give her a bowl cut,” Sammy suggested.

“Even a buzz cut is better than a bowl cut,” said Sally.

“I doubt she’d really care how we cut her hair,” said Vikki the Vet.

“You could give Becky a beehive,” Sammy continued.

“Or perhaps a bun would be best,” chirped Sally.

“How about you backcomb Becky’s bangs,” said Sammy.

“Or simply use some barrettes,” said Sally.

“Sammy! Please don’t be so silly as to fuss over hair.

And Sally! Shear it or shave it; it should not matter.

Because it’s brains, not bouffants, that actually matter!”

After cutting Becky the Bruin’s hair, Vikki the Vet shaved the area around the cut.

And then she sutured her up.

“Wow! Sixty sutures,” said Vikki the Vet.

“What’s a suture?” asked Sally.

“Sutures are the medical term for stitches,” answered Vikki the Vet.

 

Now you know:

Sutures and stitches are synonymous.

 

After stitching her up, Vikki the Vet applied a bandage to Becky the Bruin’s head.

And then Vikki the Vet took her niece and nephew—Sally and Sammy—to meet their mother for lunch.