by S G Read
‘It sounds healthy enough to me, what fungi did you eat?’
‘If it's still in the book, I'll show you. I'll ask Stevey to bring my book in, or what's left of it. I can remember we ate bracken fronds before they had uncurled, that's the only time you can eat them and some roots but we buried the monkey. We couldn't eat that!’
‘I should think not!’ Brenda cried in disgust. ‘But you shouldn't have killed it if you weren't going to eat it!’
‘We didn't kill it, the druggies did they were the ones who were chasing us.’ Stuart explained. ‘The monkey nearly landed on Ben, then Si's knife fell and stuck in Ben's trainer but it missed his toes.’
‘I think you should write a book about it, it certainly sounds interesting.’ Brenda suggested.
Stuart reflected on that thought for a moment.
‘That's an idea but would anyone believe it? I'll have to talk to the others about it.’
Brenda left him thinking about the idea and continued with her work. When it was time to take the pill trolley round, instead of doing the ward first and the private room last, she came to Stuart first.
‘Time for your first dose.’ She said expecting argument. ‘I have four pills here and I need to see that you take them!’
‘No problem.’ Stuart threw two of the pills into his mouth and washed them down with the orange juice that stood by his bed. He repeated the action with the last two pills then held his empty mouth open for inspection.
‘What a horrible sight.’ Brenda said in mock disgust. ‘I wish all my little patients would take their pills like that!’
Brenda left him to carry on with her work. Stuart lay there thinking but he started to feel like he was floating of the bed.
‘Wow, some pills!’ He said though there was no one to hear him. Half an hour later he staggered as fast as he could into the bathroom and was violently sick. He continued to kneel in front of the toilet, until long after the feeling of nausea had gone. When he finally pulled himself to his feet, using the side of the bath, he tottered about as though he was drunk and was very grateful when he was finally able to flop down on the bed. Lying on the bed helped, so he lay there not moving, like most people he hated being sick. When he felt well enough he plucked up courage to crawl to the end of the bed to turn the television on. He paid for the effort by having to run into the bathroom again to be sick. As he was not very stable on his feet, he cannoned into the door surround and hurt his arm but he could not afford to stop. When he tottered back to bed, he paused long enough to select a channel on the television and to pick up the remote control, then he flopped back into bed. A few minutes later Big Brenda came in.
‘Have you washed your dirty body yet Stuart?’ She inquired.
‘No not yet.’ Stuart admitted.
‘Well then, it's about time that you did!’
Stuart thought about telling her about being sick but he did not want her to think he was a wimp and decided against it. The thought of standing up, chilled him to the bone. Brenda closed the door leaving Stuart to it. There was a cartoon showing on television; Stuart watched it until one of those boring presenters, the ones who love to hear their own voice, came on.
‘If I listen to you very long, I'd be sick anyway!’ Stuart said to the man on the television and carefully stood up.
He felt fine, no giddiness, no nausea, he walked into the bathroom and had a shower, being sick had made him feel very dirty. When Big Brenda returned, he was sitting on his bed dressed.
‘Now doesn't that make you feel better Stuart?’
Stuart nodded.
‘Having a wash always makes you feel better. I'm off home now, nurse O'Riley will look after you now. Goodnight.’
It seemed silly saying goodnight in the morning but Stuart said. ‘Goodnight’ in return.
‘I will see you this evening.’ Big Brenda said, closed the door and waved as she passed the side window.
Carol O'Riley was as different from Big Brenda. She was about the same height but thin and wiry. She was younger than Brenda, with a mass of curly red hair. She popped in several times during the morning to see if Stuart needed anything until Stuart's mother arrived early in the afternoon. She gave Stuart a much needed cuddle, before she started tidying and restocking his cupboard with sweets and drinks.
‘They started giving me the pills today.’ Stuart said as she brushed his hair. ‘I was sick soon after I had them!’
‘We will have to see what happens this evening when you take the next lot.’ Wendy answered. ‘They are not going to do you much good if they make you sick each time that you take them!’
David arrived at six o'clock in the evening.
‘Is Stevey with you?’ Stuart asked after the long cuddle was over.
‘Yes. He was just going to see someone in the ward before he comes in.’ His father replied.
‘I thought he came to see me!’ Stuart complained, a little put out.
‘He said it was something about furthering public relations.’
Stephen walked down the ward to Jenny's bed, a boy lay there with a drip feed attached to his arm.
‘Where is Jenny?’ Stephen asked but the boy was asleep and did not stir.
Stephen looked at the name plate that was on the wall beside the bed. It read John White. Stephen walked into the dayroom expecting Jenny to be there but it was deserted and the television was off. Stephen checked all the nameplates by the beds but did not find Jenny's name at all. Only one bed remained, it had the curtains drawn round it. Stephen assumed that was where Jenny was. He walked up to the empty desk and waited for the nurse to appear. When the nurse pulled the curtains from round the bed and a boy was in the bed Stephen was surprised. He intercepted the nurse as she walked up to the sluice room, which was in between the desk and Stuart's room. That was the room where all the bottles and bed pans were emptied.
‘Where is Jenny? I can't find her!’
‘Jenny who?’ The nurse asked in her thick Irish accent.
‘Robbins.’
‘She was sent home yesterday, her blood test came back clear.’
Stephen was lost for words.
‘Is it important?’ The nurse asked as she paused, halfway into the sluice room.
‘No. It doesn't matter. Thanks.’ Stephen replied then he turned and headed for Stuart's room.
Soon, the usual card game was under way, which was only interrupted by the arrival of the nurse.
‘Time for your medication Stuart.’ She said with her thick accent and handed him a plastic cup with four pills in it. Stuart had a glass of orange on his tray and used it to wash the pills down.
‘Can you move Stevey in case I have to run again?’ Stuart asked.
‘Why should you have to run?’ The nurse asked.
‘Stuart was sick this morning, soon after he took the pills.’ Wendy replied.
‘Why didn't you tell me or nurse Teller Stuart. You must tell us about such things! It might be a coincidence but we must put them in your notes for the consultant!’
‘Sorry I didn't think it mattered.’ Stuart conceded.
‘How long after you took the pills were you sick?’ Nurse O'Riley asked.
‘About half an hour I think.’ Stuart answered sheepishly.
‘I will be back in twenty minutes to see you.’ The nurse made a note on Stuart's sheet at the bottom of his bed, then left.
True to her word the nurse returned twenty minutes later, she had with her the apparatus for taking Stuart's blood pressure. By now he felt as if he was floating again. She thrust a thermometer in his mouth and took his pulse, noting the results on his board at the bottom of the bed. She took his blood pressure, again noting the results.
‘Well it looks like something is going on.’ She admitted. ‘With new drugs there can be side effects, I will contact Mr Follet.’
The room started to spin and he became dizzy. With the dizziness came the nausea, Stuart staggered into the bathroom, knelt by the toilet and was violently sick
. Both the nurse and Wendy followed him in. Stephen wanted to cover his ears, just in case he was sick too but he resisted the temptation. Stuart was sick again. When the nausea lessened, Stuart was helped to the basin where his face was washed.
‘Do you feel better now Stuart?’ Wendy asked worriedly.
Stuart did not answer he merely buried his face in his mothers chest and started to cry. She steered him back to his bed and made him comfortable. The room stopped spinning as he lay down.
‘I will ring Mr Follet's secretary.’ Nurse O'Riley said but after checking her watch added. ‘I will have to bleep him, she will have gone home.’
‘Does that mean no more of those pills?’ Stuart asked hopefully.
‘I'm afraid I can't stop them myself but I will let Mr Follet know what is happening.’ The nurse replied.
‘How do you feel now Stuart?’ David asked after the nurse had gone.
‘Terrible! It's like I'm floating above the bed.’ Stuart replied.
‘Do you think that you can stay down long enough to finish the game?’ David joked.
‘Very funny but I don't think I can play cards at the moment dad, sorry.’
‘Not to worry, it can wait.’ David replied.
‘Stevey when you come in tomorrow, you are coming in tomorrow?’ Stuart asked.
‘Yes.’ Stevey answered.
‘Good you know my survival book, the one with the hole in it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Can you bring it in for me? It's on the shelf at the bottom of my bed.’
Stephen reached into his bag, which was lying by his feet and lifted out Stuart's survival book. Or at least what was left of it.
‘Wow! You're a mind reader!’ Stuart cried.
‘Not really, I brought it in to show Jenny.’ Stephen admitted.
‘And I thought that you came in to see me!’ Stuart complained.
‘I do. It's just that I thought that if she knew the jungle story was true, she'd want to talk to you about it.’
‘What did she say?’ Stuart asked, with more than a little interest.
‘She's not here. She's been sent home.’
‘Why?’
‘She's obviously got over what was wrong with her!’ Stephen retorted. ‘I'm not a doctor you know!’
Stuart paused to think about that for a moment.
‘I wonder what was wrong with her.’ He said, deep in thought.
‘Probably one of those weird girl things.’ Stephen replied.
‘I think that's our cue to go for a cup of tea!’ David exclaimed, noticing the quizzical look which had appeared on Wendy's face and steered her out of the room.
‘I'm going to show Big Brenda the book tomorrow; she says that I ought to write a book about our time in the jungle!’ Stuart said after his parents had gone.
‘What a whole book?’ Stephen asked in amazement.
‘Well a story then.’ Stuart answered, realizing how much work writing a book would take. ‘If we all wrote a bit, it wouldn't be so bad.’
‘I could bring in a writing pad tomorrow.’
‘Where from?’ Stuart asked.
‘Your house of course! We haven't got a spare one at my house! In fact we haven't got a spare anything.’
‘I don't think we have either, I'll have to ask my mum when she gets back from the canteen. Where is the canteen anyway?’
‘It's called a cafeteria actually.’ Stephen replied trying to sound like Toby. ‘And it's on the ground floor.’
‘I'll have to go in there before I go home!’ Stuart mused.
‘You should have gone in there before you started being sick, you wouldn't have needed the pills then the food would have done it!’
‘That bad is it?’
Stephen nodded. ‘That bad.’
Stuart was gradually feeling better. He relaxed on to the pillows and closed his eyes. Moments later he was fast asleep. Stephen shuffled the cards and started to play patience, he was still playing patience when Stuart's parents returned from the cafeteria. Stephen held a finger to his lips and pointed to the sleeping Stuart. The three played cards for sometime but Stuart did not stir. When it was time to go home, Wendy kissed the sleeping boy on both cheeks then the three let him sleep on alone. Later Stuart opened his eyes to find himself all alone; the room was dark, well as dark as it gets in hospital. He used the light on his watch to see what the time was, it was midnight.
‘Oops, sorry mum, sorry dad and sorry Stevey.’ He said as though they could hear.
The book Stephen had brought in was lying on the bed. Its back cover was uppermost with the hole, where the bullet had exploded through it, clearly visible. The pieces round the outer edge of the hole were pointing in the direction the bullet had gone. Stuart reached down to the book, pulled it up to him and cuddled it, as he would have done with a teddy bear.
‘Thanks.’ He murmured and drifted back to sleep.
Brenda woke him in the morning.
‘Time to wash Stuart!’ She said as a greeting.
Stuart held out the book with the hole clearly visible.
‘Is that the book?’ Brenda asked.
‘Yes, Stevey brought it in last night. He was going to show it to that girl, the one named Jenny but she'd gone home!’
‘Yes I know. I don't know what things are coming to, a girl faints on her way to school but she doesn't receive any treatment and is sent home again. I think she was a poorly little girl and more than likely we'll see her again and fairly soon!’ Big Brenda spun on her heel and left.
Stuart heard her walking up the corridor.
‘Nice book Stuart! A big hole in it isn't there and can you see what fungi you ate?’ Stuart said in frustration. ‘That Jenny's not in here anymore but she's still causing me grief!’
He opened the book and looked for the section on fungi- edible but it was not there.
‘Typical.’ He complained, although he had half suspected that it had fallen out on their way through the jungle. He tried to read the page the book was open at but the hole through the page made it more difficult than he could be bothered with, he closed the book and walked unsteadily into the bathroom. His legs buckled, he fell sideways and forward. The front right hand side of his neck hit the top of the bath, causing his head to jerk round and hit the inside of the cast iron bath. Stuart bounced off the bath, landed on the floor and lay still.
When Big Brenda brought Stuart his breakfast, Stuart was still on the floor in the bathroom, although he was awake now, sitting up and trying to stand.
‘What in heaven's name!’ Brenda cried and dumped the tray on the unused bed. ‘What happened here then?’
‘I think I fell off my legs.’ Stuart replied still dazed. His chin hurt and he felt dizzy.
Brenda saw the blood on his chin and found a corresponding splash of blood on the inside of the bath.
‘I think you tried to break our bath with your chin!’ Brenda said and investigated the wound to see if there were any obvious broken bones.
She helped Stuart to his feet then half carried him back to his bed.
‘I don't think I want to do that again, it hurts too much.’ Stuart said when he was safely on his bed.
‘Wait here! I will be right back!’ Brenda ordered.
‘I'm not likely to run off!’ Stuart replied.
‘No, I don't suppose you are.’ Brenda said with a smile and hurried away leaving the door open. When she returned she was carrying various thing to treat the wound. ‘Do you need any of this?’ She held up a bottle of smelling salts.
‘I wonder if it's as bad as the bog that we found in the jungle!’
Stuart took the bottle and tried to remove the lid but was too weak. Brenda retrieved the bottle from his hand and removed the lid, making sure she retained the bottle in her hand. Stuart sniffed at the contents and rolled his head back to get away from the smell.
‘Yuck, that's worse than the bog any day!’
Brenda put the lid back on the bottle before she
opened a packet which contained a cotton wool swab. She dipped the swab into a small bowl which had disinfectant in it and carefully wiped his chin.
‘Ow that hurts!’
‘Sorry but it has to be done.’ She cleaned the gash and used sterry strips to close it up. As she worked Stuart winced, squirmed and made general ‘in pain’ noises, as though a dentist had a drill in his mouth.
‘All done.’ Brenda said quietly, not before time and much to Stuart's relief.
‘Try to eat your breakfast.’ She rescued the food from the other bed but it was cold. ‘I'll go and get some more you lay back and rest.’
Stuart tried to rest but it was difficult as his jaw was throbbing.
Brenda walked down the ward and met Billy the porter; he was on his way back to the kitchen with the trolley. Brenda inspected the food and served up a plateful of food and a bowlful of porridge.
‘Take that to Stuart Sellars in the little ward on your way out.’ She ordered.
‘Yes nurse Teller.’ Billy replied politely, Brenda had had words with him about his first meeting with Stuart.
Brenda returned to the desk and picked up the phone. Carol the day nurse had left her a note regarding Stuart, the reaction he was having to the medication and the fact that Mr Follet had not answered his pager.
She phoned Mr Follet's secretary. There was no reply, not even an answer phone. Brenda looked at her watch, it was now eight o'clock.
‘Clare should be in by now!’ She grumbled. By now Brenda was well behind with her work! She resumed her duties, making a mental note to phone later. It was nine o'clock when she started round with the pill trolley, as she called it. She decided to start with Stuart. The breakfast was untouched when she pushed the trolley into the room.
‘I couldn't eat it my jaw hurt too much.’ Stuart said apologetically.
Brenda read his notes.
‘Well it doesn't mention taking them after food.’ She said and handed him a plastic cup with four pills in it.
Stuart looked in at the pills.
‘Can I go and sit on the loo?’ He asked.
‘Why? Do you need to go?’
‘No, it's these pills they make me sick!’
Brenda watched him take the pills and left him sitting on the edge of the bath, well within reach of the toilet bowl. She had remembered Carol's note and it was the best she could do at the moment.