Dr Bryce shook his head slowly. ‘I’m sorry if that’s how it came across. It’s just that . . . we’ve had some bad news today – no, not about you or your operation,’ he added quickly when he saw the look on my face. ‘At least not directly.’ The doctor paused, took a deep breath and turned to Dr Ehrlich. ‘Janice, could you go and get Cameron’s parents, please?’
‘What’s going on?’ I struggled to sit further up in the bed. The bleep of the heart monitor was getting faster as if I needed that to tell me that I was getting anxious. Mum and Dad came into the room, their expressions grim. Mum was carrying a newspaper. And in that instant I knew what had happened.
‘I did ask all of you to keep this strictly confidential until I’d formally released the details to the media,’ Dr Bryce said to no one in particular.
Which is how I knew that he knew it was me who’d let the cat out of the bag.
‘Marlon gave me his word that he wouldn’t tell anyone – not even his parents.’ I couldn’t deny that I’d been the one to blab but I still tried to defend myself.
‘Well, this newspaper speaks for itself, doesn’t it?’ Mum said tersely.
Dad shook his head. ‘I thought John and Erica were our friends.’
I thought of Marlon’s mum and dad and all the times we’d been back and forth to each other’s house. Our two families had even toured around the Lake District together.
‘I’m sure that rag made them an offer they couldn’t refuse,’ Dr Bryce said with disgust.
‘But they must’ve gone to the newspapers with the story to sell in the first place,’ Mum pointed out.
I stretched out my hand for the newspaper. Mum gave it to me without another word. Just one look at the headline was enough to confirm my worst fears.
‘Cameron, you’re to stay away from all of them – including Marlon, d’you hear me?’ Mum fumed.
‘This whole business will now be turned into a three-ringed circus.’ Dr Bryce shook his head. ‘And each of us will be considered exhibits.’
‘Maybe it’s just a one-week wonder,’ Dad said hopefully. ‘I’m sure the press will find something else to interest them tomorrow.’
Both Dr Bryce and Dr Ehrlich stared at Dad in stunned amazement. Mum just looked at him as if he’d lost his marbles. Me? I had other things on my mind.
Marlon was my best friend, and best friends didn’t do that to each other. Friends didn’t betray each other. Friends could keep secrets. I looked down at the newspaper again. The headline shrieked at me.
‘I can’t understand it,’ I whispered. ‘Why did Marlon do it? Why?’ And at that moment, I felt more hurt inside than from anything the doctors had done to me over the last few days. Marlon was supposed to be my friend. In his shoes, I would never have told anyone. Never.
‘Your friend’s motives aren’t the issue now. We all have to decide how to proceed from here. Mr and Mrs Kelsey, perhaps we could discuss this outside,’ Dr Bryce suggested.
‘No, this concerns me, doesn’t it? This is about me, isn’t it? Shouldn’t I be part of the discussion?’
Dad shook his head. ‘We don’t want you to be any more upset than you already are.’
‘I couldn’t be any more upset. But don’t worry, I’m not about to keel over.’
Mum nodded slowly, then smiled.
‘I don’t think this is a very good idea . . .’ Dad began.
Mum shrugged. ‘Mike, as Cameron said, this does involve him too and if he feels up to it and Dr Bryce doesn’t have any objections, I don’t see why not.’
Dr Bryce took a good hard look at me and then visibly relaxed. ‘Cameron, as I’m sure you’ll appreciate, our first priority has to be to protect you. If we don’t do something – and fast – the press will be all over your family like cheap perfume.’ He sounded like he was quoting a line from one of those old black-and-white detective movies that Nan liked so much. It was so funny-peculiar to hear him say something like that that I almost smiled. Almost.
‘So what do we do?’ asked Mum.
‘We spike their guns.’ Dr Bryce replied without hesitation. ‘I’ll call an immediate press conference to tell the press exactly what’s happened. Do you all have somewhere else to stay other than your house?’
Dad frowned. ‘Why?’
‘Because I think you should all lie low for a while – just until the hullabaloo has died down.’
‘Lie low? We’re not outlaws or criminals. Why should we lie low?’ Mum snapped out.
‘Believe me, it’s the best thing,’ Dr Bryce soothed. ‘It won’t be for long. Just a month or two . . .’
‘A month or two?’ Mum wasn’t the only one who was shocked.
‘The press can be relentless.’
‘No!’ Mum’s voice was quiet and all the more firm because of it. ‘I’m not going to let the press – or anyone else for that matter – hound us out of our house. We haven’t done anything wrong. I’m not going to let anyone treat us as if we have.’
‘Mrs Kelsey, I really would recommend—’
‘We are not moving out of our house and, just as soon as Cameron is fit enough, he’s going back to school.’ Mum’s heels were well and truly dug in now.
‘I’m sorry, Dr Bryce, but I think my wife is right. We’d have to face this sooner or later. Surely It’s better to do it now and get it over with. Then we can all go back to normal,’ said Dad.
‘Mr and Mrs Kelsey, I think, no, I know you’re underestimating just what a pack of vultures you’ll be dealing with. I’ve had the press camping out on my doorstep before. I know what I’m talking about,’ Dr Bryce said sternly.
‘As long as we have each other, we can handle it,’ said Dad. ‘It’ll be a one-week wonder and then the whole thing will blow over.’
Mum looked up at Dad and smiled. For the first time in a long time they smiled at each other and I was temporarily forgotten. But I didn’t mind. To be honest, it was nice to see. It made a change.
‘I think you’re both deluding yourselves and for Cameron’s sake I would urge you to reconsider.’ Dr Bryce wasn’t about to give up.
‘We’ll be OK.’ Mum turned to smile at the doctor. ‘The sooner we can get back to normal the better.’
The doctor shook his head. ‘I’ll call the press conference for tomorrow and another when Cameron is ready to go home.’ He sighed. ‘Are you both prepared to take part in the second conference with me?’
Dad turned to Mum, a questioning look on his face.
‘Is that really necessary?’ Mum asked.
‘I would recommend it. It’s better to throw the wolves a morsel or two than have them devour you alive, believe me,’ Dr Bryce replied.
‘Then we’ll do it. Cameron is going to be fine and that’s what I want to tell the world.’
‘So when can I go home?’ I asked Dr Bryce.
‘If you carry on like this, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t go home within the next month.’
‘The next month!’ I said, dismayed. ‘That long?’
‘Cameron, the worst thing I could do now is send you home before I’m one hundred percent convinced that the anti-rejection therapy is working. Don’t forget, this particular type of transplant has never been done before.’
I slouched back against my pillows, disappointed. All I wanted to do now was go home, then go to school and show all my friends that I was the same as them. I wanted to play football and swim and dance. I smiled ruefully. I guess the truth of the matter was I wanted to show off. But until then, I’d just have to be patient.
Chapter Fourteen
The First Day
Hello, Alex.
How are you today? Me? I’m feeling fine. In fact I’m feeling super fine! I’ve never felt better. And yes, I am still in the hospital, but guess what? I’m going home tomorrow. Just a sec while I have a bop!
Not bad, huh! That’s what Mum calls strutting my funky stuff! That’s an oldie saying. I call it getting down with my bad self! And look! I danced a
round for ages and I’m not even out of breath. So this is what it’s like to be healthy. I’d almost forgotten. It is so great to be fit! I feel as if I could run a marathon without even pausing to catch my breath. I’ve already packed my bags. It’s been six weeks since my operation and I’m finally going home. It was beginning to feel as if Dr Bryce was never going to let me go. But today is the first day of the rest of my life.
The operation was a complete, utter and total success. Not only am I still standing but I’m running, jumping, dancing – you name it, I can do it. At last everything seems to be coming together. Mum and Dad are getting on much better now. Mum’s getting a bit of a tummy bulge now so I can see you growing. It’s amazing. Mum says when she has her next scan, I can go with her so I can see what you look like inside her. Next time both Dad and I are going with her. I can’t wait. D’you know how I feel now? Peaceful. I don’t have a thing in the world to worry about. I really feel like I could live for ever.
Dr Bryce called his press conference. Mum and Dad wouldn’t let me watch it on the telly. They said some of the reporters were bound to come up with really stupid questions and comments and they didn’t want me to get upset. They watched it though. When I asked them how it went, all they said was – OK. I do wish they wouldn’t treat me like a baby or, worse still, a cretin. Michelle, Pete and all the other nurses wouldn’t tell me what happened at the press conference either. I’m meant to attend a press conference this Saturday with Mum and Dad. Mum reckons that once that’s over, we’ll have the media off our backs.
I’m still taking my anti-rejection medication. I have one injection a day. Dr Bryce says I’ll have to keep giving myself these injections for the foreseeable future. The injections sting a bit but I don’t mind. It was a bit daunting at first to have to stab myself with a needle but now I’m used to it. Diabetics have to do this sort of thing every day so it’s not as if I’m alone. I probably won’t be making quite so many of these recordings now. There’s no point, is there? I’ll be here when you arrive. I’ll carry on until you are born though. I’ll tell you things as they occur to me and as I live through them. It’ll be a video diary from me to you.
Funnily enough, I eat much more healthily now than I did before the operation. I want to look after my new heart. I eat more salads and vegetables and fruit. And I don’t eat red meat any more. Just fish and poultry. No particular reason. It’s just healthier, that’s all. I’ve decided to live until I’m 102. That’s my lucky number – 102.
I’m looking forward to getting home and seeing most of my friends again. I haven’t spoken to Marlon since I read the article in the Daily Press. I know it was Marlon who told. No one else knew. More than once I picked up the phone to call him and ask him why, but then why should I? He should make the first move, not me. I know he can’t phone me or come to see me because he doesn’t know where I am, but let’s just see what happens when I get home. He let me down.
I might forgive him.
But I won’t forget it.
Mum says Marlon’s family got paid a load of money for the world exclusive they gave to that tabloid. Well, I hope Marlon enjoys the money.
I trusted him. It’ll be a long time before I do that again.
Effect
Chapter Fifteen
The Arrival
One more road, one more corner and then we’d be home. I knew it was silly to feel like this. Anyone would think I’d never seen the place before, but it was home. Tonight, I’d be sleeping in my own bed, in my own bedroom.
‘Cameron, stop bouncing up and down.’ I caught Dad’s grin via the inside mirror. ‘You’re going to ruin the car’s suspension.’
‘Aren’t you glad to be home? Aren’t you excited?’ I couldn’t believe how cool Mum and Dad were acting. For the last six weeks we’d all been living out of a suitcase at Dr Bryce’s clinic. I’d had more than enough of that. Dr Ehrlich had dropped us all off at the nearest mainline station, where Dad had his car waiting for us. It’d been a long journey, with plenty of stops on the way, but now one more corner . . .
‘What on earth . . . ?’
I stared out of the windscreen at the crowds in front of our house. It was like a crowd scene out of Lord of the Rings. ‘What’s wrong with our house?’ I asked anxiously.
I looked up past our house towards the sky. I couldn’t see any smoke billowing, or flames pouring out of the windows. I could see a couple of police cars but no fire engines. Dad slowed down so that the car only crawled forward.
‘Are you OK, Cathy?’ he asked, his tone sombre.
Mum nodded. I could see them both tense up. It was only then that I realized what was going on. ‘Are all those people waiting for us?’ I asked, staggered.
Mum turned to me and nodded. ‘When we get out, head straight for the front door and don’t say a word to anyone. Leave the talking to your dad and me.’
‘I want to know how all these people found out we’d be coming home today,’ Dad said grimly.
‘D’you think someone at the clinic told the papers?’ Mum asked.
Dad shrugged. He didn’t have time to say anything else. A couple of heads turned our way, then more and more. And then, what can only be described as a flood of people came rushing towards us. I shrank back in my seat, terrified. We were surrounded. There were people banging on the car and cameras covering every millimetre of the car windows. Questions were being shouted and screamed at us. There were men and women with microphones and notepads and digital-recorders as far as the eye could see.
‘Don’t stop the car, Mike,’ Mum ordered.
‘I have to. I can’t get any closer to the house than this,’ Dad replied.
I couldn’t believe it. I stared at the crowd all around us, their mouths opening and closing, opening and closing. I’d once seen some sharks being fed and that’s exactly what this was like. Only this time, Mum and Dad and I were the shark bait.
‘Can we back up, Dad?’ I asked.
But it was too late. The crowd had closed in behind us.
‘CAMERON, CAN WE . . . ?’
‘CAMERON, HOW DO YOU . . . ?’
‘CAMERON, WHAT WILL YOU . . . ?’
The mob were banging on the car windows and firing questions at me from all directions.
‘Mr and Mrs Kelsey?’ Two policemen fought their way through the crowds to Dad’s side of the car.
I’d never been so relieved to see anyone in my entire life.
‘Yes,’ Dad replied gratefully.
The policemen immediately turned to look at me. It took a few moments to decipher their expressions. Curiosity and something else. Not disgust exactly. More like . . . distaste? Distrust? Mentally I shook my head. I was imagining things. Seeing what wasn’t there. More police turned up around the car, pushing back the crowds. The police formed a ring around us. One policeman who seemed to be in charge indicated that Dad should pull over.
It took Dad ages to drive the car the half a metre required to get to the pavement, what with the crowd pushing at the police and them shoving back. I’d never seen anything like it. When Dad finally did manage to park, we all sat still, each of us stunned. None of us was too keen to get out of the car – to say the least.
‘Maybe we should have taken Dr Bryce’s advice?’ Dad ventured.
‘No. This is our house,’ said Mum. ‘If we carry on as normal then everyone else will have to follow our lead. Besides, after the press conference tomorrow they’ll all leave us alone.’
The chief policeman tapped on the driver’s window. Dad wound down the window. ‘Mr Kelsey? Mrs Kelsey? I’m Sergeant Dexter. If you and your family could get out of your car now, we’ll escort you to your house.’ The policeman was yelling over the noise of the crowd.
‘Thank you. My wife is pregnant so could you please look after her?’ Dad shouted back.
Sergeant Dexter nodded.
‘Who phoned you, as a matter of interest?’ Dad asked at the top of his voice.
‘Dr Bryce warned us t
hat you were on your way home and asked us to help. We sent one car but when we saw this lot, we had to call in reinforcements.’
Dad looked around at the braying crowd and shook his head. He turned to Mum. ‘Cathy, are you sure about this? Maybe we should stay in a hotel or with your mum for a while?’
‘No.’ Mum was adamant. ‘This is our house. I want Cameron – and the rest of us – to get back to a normal environment as soon as possible.’
‘I wouldn’t call this normal.’ Dad pointed at the crowd, still trying to swallow us up.
To be honest, I agreed with Dad. I’d had no idea it would be this bad. What did all these people want?
‘OK then.’ Dad sighed. ‘Here goes.’
When Dad got out of the car, the decibel level rose perceptibly. I watched as he struggled past the police surrounding us to get to Mum’s side of the car. He opened her door. I waited until Mum was out before opening my door and stepping out. The moment I set foot out of the car, the crowd erupted. From all sides people surged forward. The police had to link arms in a ring around us to stop them getting to us. I shrank back until the car was hard against my back. Mum and Dad stepped in front of me, but I could still see the faces. I could still hear them screaming at me.
‘CAMERON, HOW D’YOU FEEL . . . ?’
‘CAMERON, WHAT’S IT LIKE TO HAVE A PIG’S HEART . . . ?’
‘WHY DID YOU DO IT . . . ?’
‘HOW LONG WILL YOU LIVE NOW . . . ?’
‘CAMERON . . . ?’
‘CAMERON . . . ?’
On and on it went, on and on and on like a relentless tide. The police shifted to make a ring directly around us, excluding the car. And still the shouting and screaming and yelling and calling continued. There were TV cameras and camcorders all around. The police edged towards our house with us in the middle. When I’d seen movie stars or pop stars surrounded by their bodyguards and their fans on the telly before, I’d always thought that it must be fun to be famous. But if this was what it was like, then it was more terrifying than anything else. I looked around at the expressions on the faces of those immediately around us, beyond the police ring. They scrutinized me with rapt attention. Some of them were staring at me as if I’d just sprouted another head or something.
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