by M A Comley
“Time is…”
“A great healer, yes, I’ve heard it all since coming in here. I’m afraid to shut my eyes. To dream, because I know he’ll be there, holding my hand, waiting for me to join him on our next adventure. My dreams were always filled with him and the joy we shared. I know that sounds sloppy, it would to my ears if any of my friends spoke that way about their fella, but it doesn’t alter the fact that Rufus was a very special guy. I will miss him…more than life itself. I know I was foolish.” She ran a finger over the bandage decorating her left wrist.
“You won’t try it again, will you?” Katy asked quietly.
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. My head wasn’t in the right place at the time. I shudder at the thought of taking that razor in my right hand and…I’ve never considered doing anything as bad as that before…”
“Grief is a powerful emotion to deal with. It’s very much taken for granted by most people. It can tear a person apart in an unexpected way. Words are cheap. No one can define a person’s future for them after suffering a great loss such as losing the love of their life. I wouldn’t begin to try. All I can advise is for you to hang in there. You seem a bit brighter than before.”
“I think I’ve had time to reflect, which has helped immensely—that is until the seeds of guilt hit me. What if I hadn’t met him on that night out? Would Rufus still be alive today? Of course he would. It’s my fault he’s dead. If he hadn’t taken me under his wing, sheltered me and cured my shattered nerves, he’d still be alive. That type of guilt will take its toll on a person.”
“Hmm…no one will be able to right that wrong, but I don’t think you should feel guilty about it. Life just got in the way, nothing more than that.”
“I know. Maybe in time I’ll be able set those feelings aside and learn to deal with life again, not now, but definitely in the future.”
“That’s the spirit. I’m sure, once we’ve captured James, things will look so much brighter. It won’t make things right, of course, but it’ll lessen the blow, if I can put it that way.”
Camilla nodded. “I hope so. I’m tired now. Do you need anything else from me?”
“I don’t think so. You get some rest. I’ll leave you my card. If you can recall any other places James loved to visit in the past, maybe you can give me a ring.”
“I’ll do that. Do you think he’ll come after me?” she asked with a sleepy yawn.
“I don’t think so. As soon as you’re well enough to leave the hospital, I’ll personally take you to the safe house.”
“You’d do that for me?”
Katy rose from her chair and rubbed Camilla’s arm. “I would. Do you need me to send the nurse in to help you get more comfortable?”
“No. I’ll be fine. Thank you for caring about me. It means a lot.”
“No problem. Wishing you a speedy recovery. I’ll keep in touch with the nursing staff. As soon as the doctor gives you the all clear to leave, I’ll drop by and pick you up, how’s that?”
“Thank you.” She was gone, drifted off to sleep like an innocent baby.
Katy left the room and walked up to the nurses’ station. “She’s asleep. I’ve left my card should she need me. You’re aware of what’s happened today, I take it?”
The two nurses on duty both nodded.
“I’m going to place a uniformed officer outside her door, if that’s okay with you?”
“I was about to suggest the same,” the nurse who’d visited Camilla’s room earlier said.
“Here’s my card. Should you need me, just shout.”
“We’ll do that.”
Katy bade them farewell and made her way through the endless winding corridors back to her vehicle. En route, she rang the station and requested the desk sergeant to send one of his team to stand guard outside Camilla’s room, something, had her mind been fully on the job, she should have arranged a couple of hours earlier. Never mind, it’s done now, finally! Time to call it a day.
She arrived home, with the flow of traffic in her favour for a change, to find AJ in the kitchen. He was at the table, going over some paperwork. She kissed the top of his head, startling him.
“Damn, I was so engrossed I didn’t hear you come in.”
He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her, long and hard. Enough for all her troubles and woes to vanish momentarily.
“That’s a nice welcome, thank you. How’s the little one? I need to go and see her.” She struggled to get off his lap.
But he clung to her. “Five minutes won’t hurt. She’s fine. I checked on her a few minutes ago.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You truly are the best dad ever. What are you up to?”
“I thought I’d make a start on keeping my accounts in order right from the word go. It makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“Too right it does, especially as your main role is looking after Georgie. Anything you can do to keep things organised has to be a bonus.”
“Yep, that’s what I thought, too. Mmm…however, it’s kind of got in the way of me cooking dinner.”
“No problem. We’ll rustle up something together. What’s in the fridge?” She leapt off his lap and wandered across the room and pulled open the door. Staring back at her were all the makings of a frittata. “I know. If you give me a hand preparing the ingredients, we could be eating within half an hour.”
He crept up behind her and nuzzled into her neck. “Teamwork, always a bonus in my book.”
Within ten minutes they had all the ingredients chopped, and Katy placed the onions in the frying pan to sweat a little before throwing in the diced peppers and chopped-up bacon pieces. She sprinkled in a few herbs and then whisked up five eggs, added a dash of Worcester sauce and a splash of milk and poured it over the rest. AJ lit the grill, and after a couple of minutes Katy shoved the pan under it and went to the cutlery drawer.
She handed AJ the knives and forks, and he laid the table and opened a bottle of red wine. “Naughty during the week, but it won’t hurt us once in a while.” She smiled and took a sip of the fruity wine. “Lovely. Just what I needed after today.”
“Want to share?”
“Not really. I’d rather forget all about it and concentrate on us. Can you watch the frittata doesn’t burn? I need to get changed and I’ll pop in and see Georgie at the same time.”
“Go. I’ll turn it down if it gets too hot.”
Katy tiptoed up the stairs, she wasn’t sure why. Once Georgie was asleep, an erupting volcano couldn’t wake her. She crept across the room. The nightlight was on beside her bed. Her daughter was sleeping peacefully. She kissed her on the cheek and brushed the hair back from her face. Georgie’s skin was clammy, hot and sticky. She placed a hand on her forehead, and her heart sank and her blood ran cold. Her legs shaking, she ran to the top of the stairs and called AJ.
He bounded into the room.
By this time, Katy was kneeling beside her daughter. “I don’t like what I’m seeing, love. Did you take her temperature before she went to bed?”
“No. I didn’t think to. Is she hot?” He felt her head and stared at Katy. “I swear she wasn’t that bad earlier. Oh God! What have I done?”
“Hush now. You haven’t done anything wrong. It could be nothing. Get a small towel from the airing cupboard and run it under the cold tap. We’ll try and bring her temperature down that way, wake her up and give her Calpol.”
AJ darted out of the room. Katy threw the bedclothes back and checked her daughter over from head to foot. She found it weird that Georgie’s hands and feet were as cold as ice and yet the rest of her was burning up. Katy scrambled for her phone and Googled the symptoms. She gasped when the results came back. AJ entered the room and placed the towel over Georgie’s forehead. Katy read on. Shit! No way, this can’t be… She undid Georgie’s PJ top and discovered a rash on her daughter’s tummy. Katy grabbed the glass of water on the side table and ran out of the room. She emptied the contents in the bathroom sink and
sprinted back to join AJ.
“What’s going on? Katy, you’re scaring me.”
“Wait. If the rash doesn’t alter when pressed, then we’re in trouble.”
“What? Why? Oh fuck! It’s not meningitis, is it?”
“It could be.” Katy pressed the glass against her daughter’s skin, and the rash remained the same.
“Shit.” She rang one-one-one in a panic.
“Hello, you’re through to the NHS helpline, how can I help?”
“I think my five-year-old daughter has meningitis.”
“Okay, I need you to remain calm while I go through a list of questions.”
“Please hurry.”
“I’ll be as quick as I can.” The woman started reeling off the questions one after the other, and Katy’s response to them all was affirmative.
“I need you to listen very carefully.”
“I am. Please, hurry.”
“I’m going to ask you to take your daughter to hospital right away, no delay, you need to go the minute I end this call.”
“Oh God, I’m right, aren’t I?”
“It definitely sounds like it to me. Remain calm, you’ve got this.”
Suddenly the fire alarm sounded downstairs. AJ shot out of the room.
“What’s that?” the woman asked.
“My dinner burning. Don’t worry about it, my child is more important.”
“Okay. Is someone dealing with your dinner?”
“My husband. Should I go to St Thomas’?”
“Yes, do that. I’ll let them know you’re on your way. Promise me you’ll drive safely.”
“I will. I promise. I’ve just come from the hospital. I was visiting a patient there. Sorry, I’m waffling. My poor baby, will she survive?”
“You have to believe. If you’ve caught it early enough there’s no reason why she can’t kick this into touch.”
“Thank you for all your help. I’m going to get her in the car now.”
“You do that. Take care. I’ll ensure the hospital are aware of your imminent arrival.”
AJ came back into the room. “Dinner is no longer.” He seemed shell-shocked and tears sparkled in his eyes.
“Thank you,” Katy replied to the woman on control. She ended the call and stood. “We need to get her to St Thomas’, love.”
“Damn. Why didn’t I think to check her for a rash?”
“Enough. We’re not going to start blaming ourselves, you hear me?”
AJ swept Georgie into his arms. Katy followed him down the stairs and snatched her car keys off the console table. She opened the front door for AJ to carry Georgie out to the car and then locked it behind her.
AJ placed their daughter in the back seat. “You get in there with her. It’ll be easier to strap you both in.”
“Are you going to be okay to drive?”
“Yep, I’m focused on getting us there, nothing else. We’ve got this, love. Don’t fret.”
AJ sat in the back and held Georgie against him then pulled the seat belt around both of them. It was a snug fit, even Katy knew it was the wrong way to be travelling. “Are you comfy? Maybe she should be in her car seat?”
“She’s secure with me. It’s only twenty minutes away. The quicker we get on the road…”
“I can take a hint. Do me a favour and place your knees into the back of the passenger seat just in case.”
“Go. We’re wasting time. Nothing is going to happen if you concentrate on your driving.”
Katy inhaled a large breath and set off.
True to the word of the woman on control, when they arrived at Accident and Emergency there was a team of three nurses and a doctor waiting for them beside a trolley.
“Hi, I rang earlier about my daughter,” Katy shouted. She opened the back door and helped AJ undo his seat belt.
“We’ll take it from here,” the young male doctor replied.
AJ and Katy followed the staff up the corridor and into triage. They were prevented from entering the room and asked to wait in the family room instead.
The wait seemed to go on forever. Katy prayed to God to save Georgie, to even consider swapping places with her sick child. She clung to AJ for moral support. It turned out he needed it as much as she did.
“Should we ring our parents?” Katy said reluctantly.
“Let’s leave it for now. Get the diagnosis and go from there. We might be wrong about this.”
“I don’t think so, but yes, you’re right. Until we have the diagnosis it would be best not to ring them. AJ, I’m scared. She’s all we’ve got.”
He cradled her in his arms and soothed a hand over her hair. “Think positive. She’s a fighter, look at what she’s already been through…”
She sniffed. “That’s what’s worrying me. Does she have it in her to fight something so dangerous after what her heart has already suffered over the years? I’m not so sure.” She let out a shuddering breath, and an imaginary hand clutched her heart. She rubbed at the pain between her breasts.
“Are you all right? What is it?”
“Nothing. My heart is in pieces and it’s painful, that’s all.”
AJ hugged her tighter. “Stick with me, babe, we’ll get through this together. All three of us. We’re a team, nothing is going to tear us apart. I promise you.”
The doctor entered the room. One look at his expression, and Katy’s legs gave way beneath her. AJ guided her to a nearby chair.
“I’m sorry to tell you that your daughter does indeed have meningitis. I’m not one to beat around the bush, so forgive me if you think my bedside manner is non-existent.”
“Nonsense. We’d rather have the facts straight, Doctor,” AJ replied.
“Right you are then. I believe your daughter has bacterial meningitis as opposed to viral. We’ll be moving her to the Intensive Care Unit soon. You’re welcome to stay with her, but I want you to be aware that it could take a while for her to show any signs of improvement. Has she complained about having a headache or any stiffness to her limbs in the past few days? Possibly squinting at the lights or glare from the TV screen?”
Katy and AJ glanced at each other and shrugged.
“I don’t think so. She developed the sniffles today, and I put her to bed early. I checked on Georgie just before my wife came home from work, and she seemed settled enough. My wife looked in on her and discovered she had a fever and a rash. It was that quick,” AJ replied.
Katy was grateful AJ was here, her brain had turned to mush. Her baby was seriously ill, and here she was, numb and unsure what to ask for the best. She had the urge to run to be with Georgie, not to hang around listening to the doctor’s words which were coming out jumbled now.
“That’s often the case. At least you got her here swiftly. That’s imperative in cases such as this. Please, try not to worry.”
“What about her heart?” Katy muttered.
“I’m aware she has ongoing issues. We’ll monitor her every step of the way. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get your daughter settled in ICU ASAP.”
“Of course. Thank you for giving us an update so quickly, Doctor.” AJ shook his hand.
The doctor left the room. AJ dropped into the chair next to Katy. They stared at each other, and then AJ touched his forehead against hers, and they cried together.
After a few minutes of feeling sorry for herself, Katy reached into her handbag and pulled out a tissue for each of them.
“It’s imperative we remain strong, Katy.”
Katy wiped her eyes and then her nose. “I know. It’s going to be so difficult. What if…?”
AJ wagged a finger. “Those words are not to be used, not this time. Shit, we’d better call our parents, they’ll be livid if they find out we’re here and we didn’t call them.”
“I can’t think about that for now. I need to be with her, AJ.”
“We’ll make our way up there in a few minutes. Let me make the calls first.”
“I’m not sure what
I’d do if you weren’t here to support me.”
He touched her cheek. She sighed as more tears fell.
“Stay strong, Katy. We’ve got this, sweetheart. She’s in the best place, thanks to you.”
Katy frowned. “I’m not having that. We both did well getting her here.”
“Yeah, but if…”
She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. “Teamwork, nothing more and nothing less than that, AJ. Haven’t you got some calls to make? No, correction, you call your parents and I’ll ring mine.” A sudden inner strength came to the fore.
AJ smiled. “That’s my girl, welcome back.”
Katy went to the other side of the room and called her parents. Her mother shrieked the second she told her. “Mum, please, try to calm down. The doctor praised us for getting her here so quickly. She’s in the best place possible to make a recovery.”
“And will she? Recover? What sort of strain is this going to put on her heart?”
“We won’t know that for a few days. She’s safe for now, Mum. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Thank you for ringing me. Do you want me to come down there?”
“No, there’s no point. She’ll be in hospital for at least a couple of days, I should imagine, although that has yet to be confirmed.”
“All right. Ring me with regular updates, if you get the time.”
“I will, I promise. Love you, Mum.”
“We love you, too, dear. Give our little princess a gentle hug when you can. Stay strong, Katy. I’ll say an extra prayer for you all this evening.”
“It’ll be appreciated. Thanks, Mum.”
Katy ended the call and walked over to AJ who was rolling his eyes as he spoke to his parents. He put the phone on speaker. “Mother, you need to calm down. We’re responsible adults. Katy and I got Georgie here quickly, that’s going to make all the difference to how she responds to the treatment.”
“Can you guarantee that? Can the doctors? What about going private? We’ve got a policy, I’m sure it will cover you and your family. I can dig it out and have a look.”