By this time, Sarah had appeared in the doorway and she too screamed as she witnessed the carnage before her. Mel yelled at her to unplug the fan, but she seemed rooted to the spot, not comprehending the mess of blood, broken glass and a bleeding, screaming Mel, who had now squeezed himself into the far corner of the bathroom, next to the toilet. He yelled at her again and she finally managed to break the spell that held her and dashed over to the counter and pulled the plug from the wall socket. The fan's blades continued to spin for several seconds after the plug was pulled, but they eventually slowed, then quivered and finally lay still in a growing pool of Mel's blood.

Mel spent several days in a hospital, recovering somewhat, from his injuries. Doctors had been unable to save any of his damaged toes, as there was nothing left to be reattached--the toes had been completely shredded by the fan blades. Along with the injured foot, his shoulder and arm lacerations had been cleaned, sutured and bandaged. Mel was now heavily sedated--not only for the intense pain that he was suffering with, but also because of his incoherent ramblings about how a household appliance had tasted his blood and was now trying to kill him.

When he was finally sent home with instructions to stay off his feet, Mel was still quite sedated. The heat wave was still very much in evidence and he began to suffer immediately, especially since he was required to stay in bed, so he could be near the bathroom. That meant he had to stay upstairs all day, when the heat was at its worst and the numerous bandages he sported made the heat even more unbearable. Due to the sedation, he slept frequently, but never well and Sarah began to fear for his mental, as well as his physical health. He needed rest for his body to heal and his mind obviously needed some rest, as well.

Sarah watched him on the bed, naked except for his shorts and the many bandages that covered his lower leg, as well as his arm and shoulder. As he slept, Mel's head rolled from side to side and he occasionally mumbled something Sarah could not make out. Sweat glistened over his entire body and she knew that he was suffering unbearably. Finally able to stand it no longer, Sarah went to the closet and reached up into a darkened corner of the top shelf. Her hand closed around the base of the fan and she brought it out into the light.

It looked harmless enough now, she thought. No one knew for sure how the fan had managed to get from the bathroom counter, down to the floor next to the shower on the day of Mel's accident. It must have somehow fallen, due most likely to excess vibration caused by the uneven spinning of the blades. Landing upright near the shower, Mel had unwittingly stuck his foot into the unprotected blades of the fan. It had been a simple, unfortunate accident, regardless of what Mel might think. Sarah had cleaned the fan following the accident, but had not thrown it away, as Mel had insisted, knowing that he might need it when he came home from the hospital. She looked over at him again and decided that he wouldn't mind if she used it to make him just a bit more comfortable.

She carried it over to the bedside table and plugged it in. He would get more benefit from the breeze here, than if she left it on the dresser. Sarah turned the fan on and the blades began to whir around until they were only a blur, the rattle of the loose cage constant, but not really that annoying. She watched Mel for a few minutes until he finally started to calm down and appear to actually rest, the fan obviously cooling him enough so he could at least sleep comfortably for a little while. Before she left the room, Sarah gently rocked the fan back and forth. It steadied itself on the wide base with no problem and then remained stationary, with no hint of a wobble. She shrugged her shoulders and with a final, lingering gaze at Mel, went down to make dinner.