by S G Read
‘You're looking better than Jenny!’ Stephen noted.
‘Are you telling me you went to see her, before you came to see me?’ Stuart complained.
‘Just to say hello, while you get the mushy stuff over!’ Stephen explained.
‘That's a point where's my cuddle?’ David asked.
‘You're too late I had yours!’ Wendy replied.
‘No she didn't dad.’ Stuart cried. ‘I have a special, thanks for the advice, cuddle for you!’
‘What advice?’ Stephen asked.
‘You'll find out soon enough!’ Stuart replied.
‘If I'm going to find out anyway, there's no point in you not telling me is there?’ Stephen pointed out.
‘There's every point.’ Stuart answered, then after a pause asked. ‘You didn't bring Jenny anything did you?’
‘Like what?’
Stuart thought before he answered. There was no way Stephen could afford to buy Jenny any flowers, so why was he worried.
‘Oh nothing. You brought my book in for her, I thought you might have brought your trophy in.’ It was a glib lie and it rolled of his tongue too easily.
‘You'll get an ulcer young Stuart!’ Wendy said with a slight reprimand in her tone.
‘More like a tongueful!’ David added.
‘Fancy a game of cards anyone?’ Stuart asked, changing the subject very quickly.
Wendy was pleased to see Stuart happy. His cupboard was nearly empty and she assumed he had been eating the chocolates and biscuits she had left in his cupboard.
‘I will have to bring you in some more tomorrow.’ She noted then added wickedly. ‘Is there anything else you want me to bring?’
‘No thank you mum!’ Stuart answered, and a tinge of colour glowed in his cheeks.
Before Wendy could say anymore, David stepped forward and held out his hand. Stuart cupped his hand under his fathers and his father dropped two tightly folded notes into Stuart's hand.
‘This is the pocket money you are owed, well some of it anyway.’ He declared. ‘Just in case you need it.’
Stuart smiled.
‘Thanks dad!’ He said gratefully.
CHAPTER 17
Stuart awoke the next morning to see Billy standing in front of him.
‘Still alive then?’ Billy asked. ‘Let's hope you don't stay that way for too long!’
‘I'll be alive longer than you will!’
‘Threats is it? I've seen your grotty little friends watching me.’ Billy sneered. ‘I'm ready for anything they try!’
‘We'll see.’
‘Have a wash, you smell!’
‘You can talk! Do you know what a bath is for?’
‘Very funny, I don't think!’
Billy walked off, still limping slightly from his fall. He left the door wide open but now that Stuart was feeling a lot more energetic, it was no problem for him to close it. Stuart knew all the schedules by now and wanted to use it to his advantage today, he had plans. A quick wash was followed by a good breakfast brought in to him by Brenda. Now that he was not on medication, he was not usually bothered in his room and only saw someone when he walked down the ward. He made a lump in the bed with his pillows and the pillows from the next bed. Then, with his school clothes on, he made sure no one was looking his way before he crept out into the corridor. He hurried to the lift, making sure to avoid anyone who knew him.
When he reached the ground floor he walked to the automatic doors and stepped out into the sunshine. He remembered seeing a flower shop near the hospital and headed for it. Five minutes later he walked back through the automatic doors, a bunch of flowers in his hand. He had let the woman in the shop advise him what would be good and what he could afford. Being a little boy and that the flowers were going to a girl in hospital had helped; he had been given a little extra of everything. The lift took him back up to the first floor and he started to walk up the corridor. He saw an arm swing into sight and dodged back, it was Billy, he recognised the bandage! What to do? Where to go? He darted up the stairs and hid round the start of the next flight his heart pounding. In the back of his mind he could see Billy crushing the flowers or see himself blacking out and falling on them. Stuart waited, the lift door opened, then closed. He risked a look. There was no sign of Billy. Stuart crept down the stairs in case Billy was laying in wait but he was gone. Stuart hurried to his room, hid the flowers in the bathroom and changed back into his pyjamas. He put the pillows back on the other bed and made his own bed, the first time ever, then walked down to Jenny's bed.
‘Hi.’ He said trying to sound innocent.
‘Hi.’ Jenny replied.
Stuart started to walk back up to his room.
‘Aren't you going to stay?’ Jenny asked.
‘I forgot something. I'll be back in a minute!’ He replied and his speed increased, not fast by his standards but compared with two days ago it was warp speed. Wendy was waiting in his room. When he saw her his face fell.
‘That was nice!’ She commented when she saw his face. ‘Am I interrupting something?’
‘Yes mum you are.’ Stuart replied honestly. ‘I would be very grateful if you would go and have a cup of coffee in the cafeteria.’
‘Are you trying to poison me?’
‘Tea then!’
‘Yuck and don't even think about saying hot chocolate!’ Wendy cried.
‘Oh mum!’
‘Don't worry, I can take a hint. I'll go for a walk.’ At the door she said. ‘After all we wouldn't want those lovely flowers to wilt, would we?’
Stuart waited until his mother had passed the side window, then collected the flowers from the bathroom. As he walked up to Jenny's bed her face lit up.
‘Are those for me?’ She asked.
‘Yes and I went out of the hospital to get them this morning but don't tell anyone that will you?’ Stuart answered furtively.
‘Where did you go?’
‘There's a shop just down the road, it's called Johnson’s. I hid them in the bathroom but when I went back my mum was there!’
‘What did she say?’
‘She's gone for a walk!’ Stuart replied still holding the flowers.
‘Are you actually going to give them to me or are you going to keep hold of them?’ Jenny asked.
Stuart blushed again and he gave her the flowers.
‘Don't forget to read the card!’ He ordered.
‘To Jenny from Stuart.’ She read it aloud. ‘This is the first time anyone has given me any flowers!’ A tear ran down her cheek.
‘If I thought they would make you cry, I wouldn't have given them to you!’ Stuart complained.
‘Don't be silly. I'm crying because I like them!’ She beckoned him closer and closer, then kissed him. ‘Thank you for the nice flowers.’
Stuart decided he liked being kissed and made a mental note to buy her more flowers. They did not start a game of anything, as Wendy was coming back; they just sat and talked until Jenny said.
‘Isn't that your mum waving?’
‘Yes, I'll have to go.’ Stuart said waving back to his mother. ‘I'll see you later.’
‘Okay and thank you again.’
Stuart walked up the ward a happy boy.
‘You look like the cat that got the cream; I take it she liked the flowers, where are mine?’
‘I'm only a poor little twelve year old, with inconsistent pocket money.’ Stuart replied. ‘I haven't been paid back pocket money for the time I wasn't here to collect it!’
‘You will have to talk to your father about that, he's the one who pays you remember?’
Carol opened the door.
‘Mr Follet will be here to see you soon.’ She announced in her thick Irish accent.
‘I wonder if they have your results.’ Wendy said, picturing herself packing Stuart's bag and taking him home.
When Mr Follet finally arrived, a boring two hours later, he opened Stuart's file.
‘Well it seems that we had it right all along! I will write out
a prescription for the coated pills and as we now have a new technician you can start on them tomorrow morning!’ He announced.
Stuart's face fell; he had hoped not to have to take them anymore.
‘But I haven't blacked out for a while; doesn't that mean I'm getting better?’
‘I am sure your fissures are healing nicely now but last time you fell you did yourself no good at all and next time might be far worse!’ Mr Follet warned. ‘But I will have another blood test taken to back up Guy’s test now that we have a new man on the scene.’
‘Look on the bright side Stuart, two weeks and you should be on your way home!’ Wendy added.
‘Now I must run I have to be in surgery, doctor Guran is looking after the ward until I am free.’ Mr Follet said apologetically. ‘Good day.’
Doctor Guran walked into the ward and approached Carol, who was at the desk.
‘Good morning doctor Guran.’ Carol greeted after reading the name on his badge.
‘It will be when I go home!’ He replied his accent was from his own country, India. ‘I have been working for forty eight hours now! It is far too long to work well!’
He collected the pile of notes and started his rounds, sorting through the pile to match the names as he went.
‘Good morning Jennifer.’ He greeted when he reached her bed.
‘Good morning doctor.’ She waited patiently while he sifted through the files until he came to hers. Then he read the notes from the last blood test.
‘That seems odd the test results from Guy’s say you are clear of infection but the later one taken to try to hurry things along say you have typhoid fever, an unusual fever for this country nowadays but easily curable. The new technician seems on top of his job so I will go with that one and treat you accordingly. Why it was missed the first time I do not know, with this fever the sooner it is treated the better. I will write up a prescription for you and with luck you will soon start feeling better!’ He moved on to the next occupied bed. ‘They are very nice flowers.’ He said as he walked away.
‘Thank you a friend bought them for me.’ Jenny lay back inhaling the scent of the flowers, a bit like smoking without the costly after effects.
Doctor Guran was still on the ward when Wendy kissed Stuart goodbye and hurried off to do the weekly shop. He was looking more like his old self every day and she knew that he would have Jenny's company. Another blood sample was on its way to the laboratory just to make sure and Stuart was ready to go and see Jenny. Stuart hovered by the doorway waiting impatiently for the doctor to go. The more impatient he grew, the longer the wait seemed, until at last the doctor walked past, first his door then the side window. Stuart hurried down to where Jenny lay.
‘What did you say you had?’ She asked.
‘Typhoid why?’
‘Is that the same as typhoid fever?’
‘I don't know, I suppose it could be! Why?’
‘That's what I've got!’ Jenny replied.
‘Well you couldn't have got it from me, you were in here first!’
‘They sent me home as healthy the first time but I'm not saying I got it from you.’ Jenny replied defensively. ‘I'm just saying that it's odd two cases of a disease that neither of us should have!’
‘My blood was done at Guys.’ Stuart added, just as something to say.
‘Mine was done by the new man here, so there can't be any mistake, not this time anyway.’
Stuart thought for a moment.
‘That means you'll be getting the same pills that I had. The ones that made me sick all the time!’ He declared.
‘That cheers me up no end!’ Jenny complained.
There was a short pause as neither knew what to say next, then Stuart asked. ‘Do you want to play something?’
‘Yes, okay. What about hangman I'm good at that!’
‘I'll get some paper from my room.’ Stuart hurried up to his room.
Terry Fielding stepped into the lift; this was to be his first full day at Minton General. He was actually well qualified for his work, as he had trained to be a doctor. His unfortunate problem of passing out whenever he saw blood leaking out of someone else, had changed his direction to the laboratory, where the only blood you saw, was in bottles. Geraldine was already in the lab when he walked in, not working but drinking a mug of coffee.
‘I always start with a wake me up.’ She said as he walked in. ‘Want one?’
‘I'd love one what's the load like today?’
‘Well we've had all Guys results back, so there are those prescriptions to fill and we have a few samples ourselves. Where do you want to start?’
‘Prescriptions first, then I'll start on the samples.’
When Terry started working, Geraldine noticed the difference in his speed and in his competence. It was only then that she realised just how slow and sloppy John Sykes had become in his last few days.
‘Oh John.’ She sighed.
‘Sorry?’ Terry asked looking up from his work.
‘Oh it's nothing; I was just comparing you with John. You make him look like a carthorse!’
Terry looked down and continued with his work. An hour later he said. ‘Right that's that lot! Now let's get on to the testing at least that's interesting!’
He opened a draw looking for equipment. There stood two half empty bottles of whisky. He held one up.
‘Would you say that this was half empty or half full?’ He asked.
Geraldine smiled.
‘Where did you find that?’ She asked.
‘Next to this one.’ He said cleverly and held the other bottle up. ‘This one is definitely half empty!’
Geraldine tried a draw and held up the bottle she found in there.
‘Flu my foot! I must have been blind!’ She complained, the truth dawning on her.
‘No just loyal. There is no point in mentioning this, now that he is dead but I think I will check his last work to make sure we're not letting anyone suffer for his problem, when I get the time that is!
They collected all the bottles of whisky from the room. Geraldine put them in a box and wheeled them away to put them in a bin outside. Terry started on the samples.
The game of hangman lasted until Wendy returned, half way through the afternoon.
‘Can anyone play?’ She asked.
‘Hi mum. Okay, it can be girls against the boys.’
‘Girls against the boy.’ Jenny pointed out.
‘You're not Toby's long lost sister are you?’ Stuart asked but the joke was lost on her.
‘I haven't any brothers lost or otherwise!’
‘They're nice flowers, have you a secret admirer?’ Wendy asked, inspecting the display which Carol had put in a vase for her.
‘Yes aren't they lovely?’ Jenny answered.
‘They smell very nice.’ Wendy exclaimed.
‘Are the others coming in tonight?’ Stuart asked.
‘They said they were but had something to do first.’ Wendy replied.
Stuart looked at his watch; it soon would be time for Billy to go home. He settled back into the armchair he was sitting in, a smile of satisfaction on his face.
- Look out Billy Roberts- He thought.
‘Why are you smiling?’ Jenny asked suspiciously.
‘Oh, no reason. I'm off to the loo.’ Stuart made half the distance to the toilet, then in front of everybody, he flopped onto the floor unconscious.
Carol ran over to him, followed by Wendy, soon after that, Mr Follet arrived.
By the time Stuart woke he was in his bed and he could hear a rhythmic bleeping noise.
‘What's making that noise?’ He asked when he remembered where he was.
‘You are Stuart!’ Mr Follet explained. ‘That is your heartbeat as it happens. If you cannot hear it, you are either in serious trouble or you have gone deaf!’
‘Carol I need a bottle!’
‘I'll be quicker than a leprechaun!’ Carol answered in her thick Irish accent and literally ran off to
fetch Stuart a bottle.
‘How long am I going to be stuck with this thing, Mr Follet?’ Stuart asked. ‘It means I can't even walk to the loo!’
‘Overnight, just as a safety precaution when I come in tomorrow I will be able to see what has been going on and I expect to take you off it. By then you will have taken your first dose of the new coated tablets!’
‘I have felt a lot better since I haven't had to take them!’ Stuart pointed out, hoping to get out of taking any more.
‘But you also would have trashed another coffee table!’ Wendy added.
‘Can I go home soon?’ Stuart asked.
‘That depends on your reaction to the coated tablets. If you react well, then, yes you can go home! I will be able to tell you more after a week, if the prognosis is good there is a chance that you could finish the course at home but now is the time to rest!’
Stuart rested, not wanting to add to his troubles and waited for Carol to return. When Carol retuned, she drew the curtains round his bed and left him to it. Stuart was still hidden behind the curtain when the rest of the team arrived.
‘Where's Stu?’ Simon asked.
‘That doesn't take much working out!’ Ben replied. ‘He's behind the curtain.
‘Why?’ Simon asked.
‘He's on the bottle!’ Wendy answered cleverly.
‘Did Stevey bring in hi-’ Simon was silenced by a swift kick from J.C.
‘Did Stephen bring in his what?’ Wendy asked, wondering what the boys were up to now.
‘His pogo stick.’ C.J said quickly but without confidence.
‘I think not! You have been up to something and I will find out what it is when I have had a chat with Patricia.’
‘You Wally!’ Ben hissed in Simon's ear. ‘She didn't mean a bottle you drink out of but one you p-’ He stopped when he realised that he was whispering at the same volume Simon usually did.
‘So it's something you drink is it?’ Wendy concluded.
‘Well done Ben!’ Simon scolded.
‘You started it!’ Ben replied.
‘I've finished!’ Stuart called from behind the curtain.
As Wendy pulled the curtain back Antony said. ‘Come on let's tell him about Billy.’
‘That's it tell the world!’ Sherman rebuked.