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Excerpt from. "How To Ruin a Pearl"--a novel


    There was about a fifteen minute lapse in time that Jackqueline could now see the clock on the far left corner hospital room wall.  Then the officer who had escorted her to the hospital came into the room with another doctor, Jackqueline had not yet met and two nurses and Janet.  They had to get her prepped for x-rays, even though there was apparently no other part of Jackqueline’s body they to physically examine. The doctor said, “We want you to have some x-rays, but we have to get that one earring in your left ear out.  Can you take it out?” 
     Jackqueline attempts to pull the post and earring out.  “Nope, it feels twisted.”


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