Benny the Hospital Bed
It was
a sunny morning and Benny the hospital bed
was waking up after a good night’s rest.
Benny wasn’t just any ordinary bed. No, he
was special! Benny could see, hear and even
talk, though only other hospital beds knew
that. And boy, Benny was excited because
today was going to be a busy day! “Good
morning, Benny!” squeaked a tiny voice. It
was Suzie, the hospital pillow. Suzie was
always cheerful. “Morning, Suzie! Are you
ready for another day of bouncing patients?”
Benny asked with a big grin. Before Suzie
could answer, Nurse Matilda came bustling in.
She was in charge of making sure all the
beds were clean, comfy, and ready for new
patients. Benny loved Nurse Matilda. She
always fluffed his pillows and made sure his
sheets were fresh.
“Let’s
get you ready for a new patient, Benny!”
Nurse Matilda said, tucking in his blankets
and making him look spotless. Benny felt
excited. Who would be the first person to
rest on him today? Benny was
happily lying in his room when a little girl
named Lily was wheeled in. She had fallen
off her bicycle and hurt her leg. “Ouch!”
she said as Nurse Matilda helped her onto
Benny. “That was a big fall.” “Don’t worry,
Benny here will take good care of you,”
Nurse Matilda said kindly. Benny felt proud.
He liked making people feel better. But just
as Lily got comfy, Benny felt a strange
tickle on his side. “Psst! Hey, Benny!” said
a tiny, squeaky voice. Benny turned or at
least as much as a bed could turn and
spotted a bug! But this wasn’t a cute little
ladybug.
No,
this was a germ bug named Garry. “Oh no,”
thought Benny. “Garry the germ bug is up to
no good!” Garry was a mischievous little bug
who loved causing trouble. He made people
feel sick and uncomfortable and Benny didn’t
like him one bit. But there wasn’t much
Benny could do except hope Nurse Matilda would
notice and chase Garry away. Luckily, Nurse
Matilda came in with a bottle of sanitiser.
“Time to clean up!” she said, squirting
sanitiser all over Benny’s surface. Garry
shrieked and scurried away, disappearing
into the air vents. “Phew,” thought Benny.
“That was close!” Lily stayed with Benny for
two days and Benny made sure to keep her
comfy and cosy the whole time. When it was
time for her to leave, she smiled and waved.
“Thank
you, Benny! You’re the best bed ever!” Benny
felt proud again. He loved helping people
feel better. On the third day, Benny had a
new visitor. This time, it was a boy named
Simon who came in with a broken arm. Simon
was a very curious boy. He liked to ask lots
of questions, especially to the doctors and
nurses. “How do X-rays work?” he asked Nurse
Matilda as she wheeled him into the room.
“You’ll have to ask Doctor Diaz about that,”
Nurse Matilda replied with a smile. Doctor Diaz
was the hospital’s most curious doctor. She
loved explaining things to
children, so when she
came in to check on Simon, she was thrilled
to answer his questions. “Well, Simon,”
an X-ray is like a magic
picture that can see your bones!” “Wow!”
Simon’s eyes widened.
“Do you
think I could have an X-ray of my foot? Or maybe
my nose?” Benny chuckled to himself. Simon was a
funny child. The whole day was filled with
questions about every single thing in the room.
“Why do the pillows smell like lemons? Why is
Benny the bed so shiny? How does the TV remote
work?” Benny was happy to have such a lively
guest. Even though Simon had a broken arm, he was
full of energy and curiosity. By the end of the
day, Simon was feeling much better, and Benny was
a little sad to see him go. But he knew there
would be more patients to meet and more
adventures to have! On the fourth day, Benny had
a very busy day. A man named Mr. Johnson was
brought in with a terrible cough. Benny could
hear the doctors talking about “pneumonia.”
Benny didn’t know much about medical stuff, but he did know when trouble was coming. And sure enough, just as Mr. Johnson settled onto Benny, a gang of bad bugs arrived! There was Garry the germ bug again, and this time he’d brought his buddies: Susie the Sneezing Bug, Carl the Coughing Bug, and Fred the Fever Bug. They were all jumping around, causing trouble. “We’re going to make Mr. Johnson feel so yucky!” Fred laughed with an evil grin. Benny didn’t like the sound of that. He needed help! Just as the bugs were about to cause more chaos, in swooped a group of good bugs! “Not so fast!” shouted Betty the Brave Bacteria. She was the leader of the good bugs, and she wasn’t afraid of Garry and his gang.
“Yeah! You tell ‘em!” cheered Benny, feeling a little braver himself. The good bugs and bad bugs battled it out all over Benny’s sheets. Betty and her team worked hard to chase the bad bugs away, and with the help of Nurse Matilda’s cleaning sprays and some medicine for Mr. Johnson, the bad bugs were finally defeated. Garry and his gang scurried away in defeat and Benny felt victorious. “Good job, Betty!” Benny cheered. “You’re a hero!” “Just doing my job,” Betty replied with a wink. On day five, things were quieter. Benny was enjoying a bit of rest when a new patient came in. This time, it was an old lady named Mrs. Wilkins. She wasn’t sick, but she was very, very sleepy. “Oh dear,” she said, yawning. “I’ve just been so tired lately.”
Benny made himself as soft and comfy as possible. He knew what to do when someone needed a good nap. Mrs. Wilkins climbed onto Benny and fell asleep right away. She snored softly and Benny could feel her relax completely. But then, something unexpected happened. As Mrs. Wilkins slept, Benny felt a little wriggle under his mattress. “Uh-oh,” Benny thought. “Not again!” Sure enough, it was Garry the germ bug trying to sneak back in! But this time, Benny wasn’t alone. Suzie the pillow was ready for action. “I’ve got this, Benny!” Suzie declared. She puffed herself up and bounced Garry right off the bed! Garry flew through the air and landed in the trash can with a plop. “Nice work, Suzie!” Benny said, impressed.
“Thanks, Benny! Nobody messes with my nap times,” Suzie said proudly. Mrs. Wilkins slept soundly for hours and when she woke up, she felt much better. Benny and Suzie were proud to have helped her get some much-needed rest. The next morning, Benny was treated to a funny surprise. A wiggly little boy named Tommy was brought in. Tommy had a very itchy rash and he couldn’t stop scratching. “Ow, it itches!” Tommy whined as Nurse Matilda placed him on Benny. Doctor Wally, the wackiest doctor in the hospital, came to check on Tommy. Doctor Wally was known for his funny hats and silly jokes. Today, he was wearing a hat shaped like a giant fish! “What do you call a fish with no eyes? Fsh!” Doctor Wally said with a grin.
Tommy giggled, even though he was still scratching. Benny jiggled a little, trying not to laugh too hard. Doctor Wally’s jokes always cracked him up. Doctor Wally gave Tommy some special cream to stop the itching and pretty soon, Tommy was feeling much better. He even asked Doctor Wally for more fish jokes. “Benny, this was the funniest day ever!” Tommy said as he left. Benny couldn’t help but agree. On day seven, Benny had a very special visitor. A boy named Max was brought in, and he was wearing superhero pyjamas. Max had a bad tummy ache, but that didn’t stop him from pretending he was a superhero. “I’m Super Max!” he said, striking a pose on Benny’s mattress. “And I’m here to save the day!” Benny loved superheroes, so he decided to play along.
“Super Max,
we need your help!”
“I’m the queen of Sparkle land,” Ellie declared as she climbed onto Benny. Benny made himself extra soft and comfortable, just the way a queen would like it. Ellie spent the whole day pretending to rule her magical kingdom and Benny was happy to be her royal throne. Nurse Matilda even played along, bowing and saying, “Your Majesty” every time she came into the room. Benny had never felt so important! By the time Ellie left, she had knighted Benny as Sir Benny, the Bravest Bed in the Kingdom. Benny liked the sound of that. On day nine, Benny had a big surprise. A little boy named Lucas was brought in with a cast on his leg, and it was his *birthday*! “Oh no, I have to spend my birthday in the hospital?” Lucas said sadly. But Benny wasn’t about to let that happen.
With the help of Nurse Matilda and Doctor Diaz, they organised a mini birthday party right in the hospital room! There were balloons, a little cake and even a birthday hat for Benny well, it was really just a napkin, but Benny didn’t mind. Lucas’s face lit up when he saw the decorations. “This is the best hospital birthday ever!” he said. Benny was thrilled to be part of Lucas’s special day. By the end of the day, everyone was singing “Happy Birthday,” and Benny felt like he had just thrown the best party ever. After nine busy days, Benny was starting to feel a little tired. But he didn’t mind. He had helped so many people and had so many adventures. On the tenth day, Benny got a break. There were no patients in his room.
So, Nurse Matilda gave him a nice deep
cleaning, and Benny took a well-deserved nap. As
he drifted off to sleep, Benny thought about all
the people he had met, the bugs he had battled
and the fun times he had shared. “I love being a
hospital bed,” Benny thought happily. “I can’t
wait to see who I’ll meet next.” And with that,
Benny the hospital bed closed his eyes
metaphorically, of course. After ten days of
excitement, Benny thought he might finally get a
chance to rest. He imagined the day stretching
out before him, quiet, peaceful and even a
little boring. But Benny was wrong. The
adventure wasn’t over yet! Just as Benny was
getting comfy and ready to snooze, a squeaky
wheel echoed down the hallway. Before Benny
could blink, if beds could blink.
Nurse Matilda rushed into the room with a new patient: an old man named Mr. Hinkle. Mr. Hinkle was not happy. “Where’s my TV remote?” Mr. Hinkle grumbled as Nurse Matilda helped him onto Benny. “This bed is too soft! And why is it so cold in here?” Benny knew right away that Mr. Hinkle was going to be a tough customer. But Benny was determined to make him as comfortable as possible. “Don’t worry, Mr. Hinkle,” Nurse Matilda said cheerfully. “Benny here is the best bed in the hospital. He’ll take good care of you.” Mr. Hinkle grumbled some more, but he eventually settled onto Benny’s soft mattress and pulled the blankets up to his chin. “I suppose this will do,” he muttered. Benny felt a little sad. He always tried to make people feel comfy.
But it seemed like nothing could make Mr. Hinkle happy. Maybe it was just going to be one of those days. But Benny wasn’t one to give up easily. He decided he would make sure Mr. Hinkle had the most relaxing day possible. Benny adjusted his mattress just a little, trying to be the perfect balance of soft and firm. Suzie the pillow fluffed herself up extra high, hoping to help. “I’ll do my best!” Suzie whispered to Benny. The room was quiet for a while, and Benny thought maybe, just maybe, Mr. Hinkle would take a nap. But instead, something unexpected happened. Benny felt a strange vibration under his mattress. It was faint at first, but it got stronger and stronger until he couldn’t ignore it. “What in the world” Benny thought.
Suddenly, a tiny voice piped up from under the bed. “Hey, buddy! Got any snacks?” Benny was startled. He looked around, but no one was there. Then he felt the vibration again and realised the voice was coming from inside his bedframe! It was a dust mite, a cheeky little bug named Dusty. Dusty was much smaller than Garry the germ bug and his gang and he wasn’t as much of a troublemaker, but he did like to cause a little mischief. “Dusty! What are you doing in here?” Benny whispered, trying not to wake Mr. Hinkle. “Oh, just hanging out,” Dusty replied, sounding relaxed. “You know, living the dream. Eating crumbs, crawling around, causing a little tickle here and there.” Benny wasn’t thrilled to have Dusty lurking around.
Dust mites weren’t harmful like
germs, but they were still pesky.
He didn’t want to get in trouble for having a mischievous dust mite living inside him! Nurse Matilda frowned. “It might be time to give this bed a deep clean,” she said thoughtfully. “Don’t worry, Mr. Hinkle. I’ll take care of it.” Before Benny knew it, Nurse Matilda returned with a special vacuum cleaner designed just for hospital beds. She plugged it in and gave Benny a thorough cleaning, sucking up every last dust mite, including Dusty. “Whoa! Hey! I wasn’t done with my snack!” Dusty shouted as he was vacuumed away. Benny felt much better after his cleaning. No more tickly dust mites, no more itchiness, and hopefully, no more complaints from Mr. Hinkle. “There, that should help,” Nurse Matilda said with a smile as she finished up.
“You should feel much better now, Mr. Hinkle.” Mr. Hinkle grumbled something under his breath, but Benny could tell he was more comfortable. He even closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. “Mission accomplished,” Benny thought with a satisfied sigh. Day twelve started off quietly, but Benny had a feeling something exciting was about to happen. Sure enough, the sound of soft paws and jingling collars echoed down the hallway. It was the Pet Therapy Squad! Once a week, a team of therapy dogs visited the hospital to cheer up patients. Benny loved pet therapy day. The dogs were always so happy and friendly, and they brought joy to everyone they met. Today, the squad was led by a fluffy golden retriever named Bella.
Bella was a regular visitor to
Benny’s room, and she always had a wagging tail
and a big smile. “Hi, Benny!” Bella barked
cheerfully as she trotted into the room. “Ready
to make some patients happy today?” Benny
wiggled his bed legs in excitement, well, if
beds had legs, he would’ve. “I sure am, Bella!
Who’s our first visitor?” Bella sniffed around
and spotted a young boy named Jake sitting in
the chair next to Benny. Jake was recovering
from surgery and had been feeling a little down.
“Hi there, Jake!” Bella said as she gently
placed her head on Jake’s lap. “I’m Bella. Want
to pet me?” Jake’s eyes lit up, and he reached
out to stroke Bella’s soft fur. Instantly, his
mood seemed to brighten. “Wow, you’re so
fluffy!” Jake said with a smile.
“I love dogs!” Benny watched as Jake petted Bella and laughed at her playful antics. Bella even did a little trick where she rolled over and wagged her tail in the air. “You’re such a good girl,” Jake said, giggling. Benny felt warm and happy inside. There was something magical about the way the therapy dogs could lift people’s spirits. Even Mr. Hinkle, who had been so grumpy the day before, cracked a smile when Bella came over to say hello. “Well, aren’t you a pretty dog,” Mr. Hinkle said, scratching Bella behind the ears. Bella wagged her tail and gave him a friendly lick on the hand. “See, Benny?” Bella whispered as she trotted back over to the bed. “It’s easy to make people happy. You just have to wag your tail and be yourself!”
Benny chuckled. “If only beds had tails to wag,” he said. The Pet Therapy Squad stayed for a while, visiting patients all over the hospital. By the time they left, Benny felt like the whole place was filled with happiness and laughter. As Bella and the other dogs left, Benny whispered, “Thanks for making today so special, Bella.” “Anytime, Benny!” Bella barked as she trotted out the door. “See you next week!” On day thirteen, Benny was in for a surprise. Two patients were brought into the room at the same time! A boy named Alex and a girl named Sophie. They were about the same age, around seven years old and they had both come in for minor surgeries. At first, Benny wasn’t sure how things would go. Would Alex and Sophie get along?
Or would they be too shy to talk to each other? But it didn’t take long for the two children to start chatting. “I’m here because I need my tonsils out,” Alex said, pointing to his throat. “What about you?” “I’m getting tubes put in my ears,” Sophie replied. “I get a lot of ear infections.” “Whoa, that sounds kind of cool,” Alex said, impressed. “Yeah, but I’m a little scared,” Sophie admitted, fidgeting with her hospital bracelet. Alex nodded. “Me too. But my mom says it’ll be over before we know it.” Benny listened to their conversation, feeling a warm sense of pride. He liked seeing patients support each other. It made the hospital feel less scary. The two children spent the rest of the day talking and playing games on their tablets.
They even shared stories about their pets, their favourite cartoons, and what they wanted to be when they grew up. “I’m going to be an astronaut,” Alex declared. “I want to be a marine biologist,” Sophie said with a smile. Benny couldn’t help but feel like he was witnessing the start of a beautiful friendship. It was amazing how two people who had never met before could bond over something as simple as being in the hospital together. When Nurse Matilda came in to check on them, she smiled at the sight of the two children chatting and laughing. “Looks like you two are having a good time,” Nurse Matilda said. Alex and Sophie both nodded. “Yeah, we’re new friends!” Sophie said proudly. Benny’s heart swelled with happiness.
He loved helping people, but he
also loved seeing the connections people made
with each other. Friendship was one of the best
medicines of all. By day fourteen, Benny had
seen all kinds of things in the hospital, but he
had never seen what happened that afternoon. It
started with a little boy named Sam. Sam was
full of energy, even though he was in the
hospital to get his appendix removed. He
couldn’t sit still for long, and Benny could
tell that he was getting bored. Then Sam had an
idea. “I want to build a fort!” Sam announced,
looking around the room. Benny wasn’t sure how
that would work. After all, this was a hospital
room, not a living room. But Sam wasn’t one to
give up easily. With the help of Nurse Matilda and
a few extra sheets and blankets.
Sam began
constructing the most epic blanket fort Benny
had ever seen. He draped blankets over Benny’s
frame, creating a cozy little hideaway. The fort
stretched all the way to the bedside table and
even included a secret entrance made out of
hospital pillows. “Welcome to Fort Sam!” the boy
declared, crawling inside his creation. “This is
where all the cool children hang out.” Benny
chuckled to himself. He had never been part of a
blanket fort before, but he had to admit, it was
kind of fun. As the day went on, others in
the hospital heard about Sam’s fort and came to
check it out. Pretty soon, Benny’s room was
filled with laughter, and children were taking turns
crawling into the fort and playing make-believe
games.
“No, we’re astronauts going to
Mars!” Said another. Benny was thrilled to be
part of such an adventure. The children spent
the whole afternoon playing in Fort Sam, and
even the nurses couldn’t help but smile at the
sight. By the end of the day, Sam was tired but
happy. “This was the best day ever,” he said as
he lay back down on Benny’s mattress. Benny
agreed. It was definitely one of the best days
in the hospital, and he couldn’t wait to see
what the next day would bring. On day 15 , Benny reflected on all the adventures he had
experienced over the past two weeks. He had met
so many different people children, grown-ups,
doctors, nurses and even a few pets. He had
battled bad bugs, built blanket forts,
celebrated birthdays and made new friends.
Through it all, Benny realised
something important: being a hospital bed wasn’t
just about providing a place to sleep. It was
about being there for people when they needed
comfort, care, and a little bit of fun. Benny
might not have arms to hug or legs to run, but
he had something even better, the ability to
make people feel safe and supported, no matter
what. As Benny drifted off to sleep that night,
he felt proud of the role he played in the
hospital. He knew that tomorrow would bring new
patients, new stories and new adventures. And he
was ready for whatever came next. Because Benny
the hospital bed was more than just a bed, he
was a friend, a helper and a hero in his own
special way. And so, Benny’s story continues,
one day at a time.
Dedicated to the Nurses and Doctors
of the Coronary Care Unit
Epsom Hospital