Rescued by Dr. Rafe

by Annie Claydon

  ‘Yes. Thanks, mate.’ Rafe watched as Charlie carefully brushed the swab against Mimi’s lips.

  ‘My legs... Can’t move...’ She moaned, shifting restlessly in the bed, and Rafe stroked the side of her face to quiet her, the way he’d done so many times in the last three nights.

  ‘You have a fractured ankle and it’s in plaster. But it’ll mend.’

  ‘Snake...’

  Rafe exchanged a glance with Charlie. He hadn’t realised that Mimi had known about the snake. An image of her, underwater and alone, struggling for air and feeling the snake coil around her leg and bite her...

  ‘I know. That’s all been dealt with. You’re in the hospital and you’re safe, Mimi. No snakes here.’ He wondered whether he should make the point by checking under the bed, but Mimi’s eyes were closed now and she wouldn’t see him. The thought that she’d faced terrors in her sleep made him want to wade into her dreams and protect her from whatever her unconscious mind could throw at her.

  She seemed to calm, drifting somewhere between awake and asleep. Then she moaned again, her eyelids fluttering.

  ‘Got to go to work...’

  Charlie looked helplessly at Rafe. ‘What’s the matter with her?’ He mouthed the words silently.

  ‘She’s okay, just a bit confused. You were just the same when you woke up.’ Rafe smiled reassuringly.

  ‘Was I?’ Charlie shook his head. ‘I don’t remember that...’

  ‘What’s the time? Got to go...’ Mimi’s eyes were still closed but she was trying to raise her head from the pillow.

  ‘It’s your day off. No work today. Just rest.’ Rafe took hold of her reaching hand and she quietened again.

  ‘Good. Tired...’

  Charlie leaned over the bed, his shaking fingers brushing her cheek the way Rafe’s had earlier. He seemed to be getting the idea of what he needed to do now. ‘You can go back to sleep for a while, Mimi. Just rest. We’ll be here when you wake up again.’

  She heaved a sigh and then lay still again, drifting away from them, back to sleep. They watched her for almost an hour as she slept peacefully. Rafe knew she’d be waking again soon, and that this time she’d be more lucid. And he knew what he had to do.

  Slipping his watch off his wrist, he looked at it one last time and smiled. Then he held it out to Charlie. ‘Give her this.’

  Charlie stared at him. ‘You’re going, aren’t you?’

  ‘I’ll be downstairs.’

  ‘But... Don’t you want...?’

  More than anything. He wanted to see Mimi wake up, hold her hand and talk to her. ‘I think...it’s time for me to take a back seat, Charlie. Mimi and I made our decision, and it’s best if I don’t hang around now.’

  Charlie seemed to be turning it over in his mind. Then he took the watch, his thumb grazing the glass over the lucky sixpence. ‘I’ll make sure this gets back to you...’

  ‘No, I...’ Giving something that Mimi knew was precious to him was the only way that Rafe knew of showing that he did care. That he hadn’t just walked away, the way he’d done the last time.

  ‘She should keep it; it’ll bring her luck.’ Rafe forced a grin. ‘And she’ll be able to check the time when she wakes up and thinks she needs to go to work.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll give it to her. You’ll be in the canteen?’

  ‘Yeah. Come down and let me know how she’s doing? I’ll wait.’

  ‘Sure. I’ll be down later.’

  * * *

  Charlie had found him in the canteen and Rafe had listened, greedily absorbing every detail of how Mimi had woken again and what she’d said. Rafe had extracted a promise from him, to call if there was anything he could do, and walked to Charlie’s car with him, dangling his own car keys in a vain attempt to convince himself that he too was going to get into his car and drive away.

  He’d told himself that he would just go up and check with the doctor on her progress. That she’d be sleeping now, and that if he looked in on her one last time she’d never know.

  The doctor had told him that they’d tried to take the watch from her, but that Mimi had protested so fiercely that he had relented. The watch had been carefully folded inside an elastic bandage, and she had been allowed to keep it on her wrist. Drawn in, he sat beside her bed, watching her sleep.

  ‘Rafe...?’ He’d been staring at her wrist, wondering if the watch was too heavy for her to wear it like that, and he hadn’t seen her eyelids open. But in the half-light he could see her gaze now, fixed on him.

  ‘Everything’s okay, Mimi. Go back to sleep.’

  Her lips twitched into a smile. ‘Again? That’s all you ever say to me...’

  She’d heard him. Those long nights when he’d wondered if she knew he was there. Rafe blinked back the tears.

  ‘I’m thirsty...’

  ‘Okay.’ He operated the controls to raise the head of the bed. Then he poured some water into a glass, letting her take some water through a straw. ‘Better?’

  ‘Thanks. That’s good.’ Her fingers found the elastic bandage around her wrist, plucking at it. ‘I’ll take good care of this.’

  He’d wondered whether she would try to give it back to him. The fact that she didn’t, that she wanted to keep it, made his heart swell with happiness.

  ‘It’s supposed to be taking care of you. When it comes to good luck, you can’t beat a sixpence.’

  ‘No. You can’t.’ Her eyelids fluttered and Rafe thought they were closing, but then she shifted in the bed, turning her head to look at him. ‘You should go home. Get some sleep.’

  ‘I will. In a minute.’ When she was asleep. It hurt to even think about getting up and walking away and although there were many things he wished he could share with Mimi, the pain of parting wasn’t one of them.

  ‘Thank you for staying, Rafe. I would have been...so lonely...’

  He brushed the tear from her cheek, forcing a smile. ‘I was at a loose end...’

  ‘Yeah. Me too.’ She became suddenly agitated. ‘You should go now. I want you to go home...’

  This was the one thing that Rafe had hoped to avoid. He took her hand, soothing her. ‘It’s okay, I know. We made a decision and I’m honouring that.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She yawned, clapping her hand over her mouth. ‘Didn’t mean to do that...’

  Rafe chuckled despite himself. ‘I know you didn’t. One thing before you go back to sleep. I want you to call me if you need me. Any time. Will you promise?’

  ‘I can’t...’ She furrowed her brow, as if she was trying to remember why. ‘My phone...’

  Rafe turned, sliding open the drawer which held her personal bits and pieces. Her phone was inside, but smashed so badly that it was practically broken in half.

  ‘Your phone’s broken. So you’ll have to get Charlie to call if you need me. Will you do that?’

  She nodded. ‘Promise.’

  ‘Good. Go to sleep now, Mimi.’

  ‘Yes. I’m...tired.’

  She yawned again, and then seemed to settle. Rafe waited. He’d seen enough people pretending to be asleep or unconscious in A and E to know the difference, and Mimi wasn’t making a very good job of it. Soon enough, though, the tension seemed to leave her body and she was really asleep.

  Time to go. Rafe tried to come up with some parting words that he might whisper, something to sum up how he felt, but he couldn’t. Leaning over, his lips formed the shape of a kiss, which didn’t even touch her forehead for fear of waking her. Then, swiftly, he turned away.

  * * *

  Mimi heard the door close. Despite her jumbled thoughts and the almost irresistible desire to sleep, she knew that Rafe had left now.

  He’d looked so tired. Despite that, she knew he would have stayed if she’d asked him, watching over her.
But it was time now, and she’d wanted him to get some rest.

  Her fingers felt for the watch on her wrist. Still there. The most precious thing he owned...

  A great tide of fatigue overwhelmed her. She’d feel better in the morning. The lucky sixpence would see to that.

  * * *

  The watch had stayed on her wrist for the last eight days. It had gone with her from the ICU down to a general ward, and now it was going home with her. Mimi was dressed and sitting by her bed, waiting for Charlie to come and fetch her.

  ‘All set?’ He was all smiles when he appeared at the door of the ward.

  ‘Definitely.’ She’d been looking at Rafe’s watch every five minutes. In addition to the clear message that it carried, it was also useful for telling the time.

  ‘Let’s get out of here, then.’ Charlie picked up her bag and laid it across his knees. ‘Matthew’s outside with the car, and Jan’s just rustling up a wheelchair for you.’

  Mimi winced with embarrassment. ‘Sorry. It’s all such a business...’ Jan and Matthew’s house was still drying out and they had given up Charlie’s spare bedroom for Mimi. They’d be sleeping at her cottage now, and coming back to Charlie’s during the day.

  ‘Oh, be quiet. It’s a well-oiled machine, Mimi, so just sit back and watch the cogs go round.’

  ‘I’m beginning to regret giving you such a hard time when you got out of hospital. I can’t wait to be able to get around by myself.’ Mimi screwed her face up and Charlie laughed.

  ‘You were right.’ He leaned forward, doing the mad scientist impression which had always made her laugh when they were kids. ‘Now, my pretty, I get my revenge.’

  * * *

  The cool breeze on her face was wonderful. It was as if the world had been waiting for her for the past two weeks and had spruced itself up for her return. The sun shone and the late summer sky was cloudless.

  Mimi was installed on the sofa in Charlie’s sitting room and Jan bustled off into the kitchen, reappearing with a bouquet in one hand and a parcel in the other. ‘These came for you this morning.’

  Pink and white roses, with purple freesias for scent. Rafe. He knew she loved freesias.

  ‘I’ll get a vase and some water so you can arrange them.’ Jan put the flowers down on Mimi’s lap and handed her a small white envelope.

  She opened it with trembling fingers.

  With love from everyone...

  No. That wasn’t right. Mimi realised her mistake with a stab of regret.

  ‘Who are they from?’ Jan was watching her.

  ‘Oh... Everyone I used to work with.’ A salt tear reached the stitches on her face and she snatched a tissue from the box on the table and dabbed it gingerly. ‘That’s so nice of them.’

  ‘They’re lovely.’ Jan put the package down on the other end of the sofa and turned towards the kitchen.

  Mimi reached for the parcel, trying to work up a bit of enthusiasm for it. Everyone had been so nice over the last couple of weeks, visiting her and sending cards. She’d known that Rafe wouldn’t come. It would have only drawn out the sadness of knowing they were inevitably going to part.

  But every step she’d made, coming out of the ICU, coming home, had been bittersweet because it was another step towards regaining a life that didn’t include Rafe. Mimi shook her head and grabbed the package, taking her frustration out on the tape that secured it.

  She almost gave up and left it for Charlie to undo when he came back with the tea. Everything seemed like an effort at the moment. But someone had taken the trouble to wrap it up and send it for her, and the least she could do was to show some interest.

  Inside was a pretty patterned box bearing the name of an exclusive skincare company. When she lifted the lid, the fresh scent was gorgeous after the dry, utilitarian smell of the hospital.

  Someone had been very thoughtful. Mimi knew she looked a mess; her hair was flat and her nails needed filing and that was just the tip of the iceberg. One leg was in a cast and the other was still swollen, blistered and discoloured from the snake bites. When she’d first been allowed to go to the bathroom at the hospital, the large mirror above the basin had revealed what she’d only glimpsed in the pocket mirror the nurse had given her. Livid bruises on her face, a line of stitches and her own eyes staring back at her in shock and dismay.

  She picked up a bar of soap, closed her eyes and smelled it. Her skin itched from antiseptic soap and wipes and this was just what she’d been craving. There were bottles of lotions and shampoo. Mimi picked up a tube of hand cream, squeezing a small dab on to her finger and rubbing it on to the back of her hand, still bruised from where a cannula had been inserted. It was luxurious and smelled just gorgeous.

  ‘Who’s that from?’ Charlie appeared with a plate of cakes.

  ‘I don’t know.’ Mimi looked around for a card but couldn’t see one. ‘But look, Charlie. So thoughtful...’

  ‘Hmm.’ Charlie leaned over to inspect her gift. ‘Suppose you’ll be wanting to stink my bathroom out with this lot.’

  ‘Oh, stop. You should be so lucky. And if you lay one finger on any of these, you’re dead.’

  ‘Hardly likely.’ Charlie rummaged around amongst the torn packaging. ‘Must be a card somewhere... What’s that?’ He pointed at a slim package, slipped into the side of the box.

  ‘Don’t know.’ Mimi tore the tissue paper and caught her breath.

  ‘Very smart.’ Charlie peered at the phone in her hand. ‘Top of the range. Who’s it from, though?’

  Suddenly she knew. Mimi pressed the power button on the phone and the screen lit up immediately. There was an unread text.

  ‘How do I...?’ She jabbed her finger on the screen and the text appeared.

  If there’s anything you need, call. Hope you enjoy washing off the smell of the hospital. Love Rafe.

  Dumbly, she clasped the phone in both hands, holding it to her heart.

  ‘When did this come, Charlie?’

  ‘Came by courier this morning.’

  ‘It’s from Rafe. How did he know I was coming out of hospital today?’

  ‘I’ve been...’ Charlie shrugged. ‘I’ve been keeping him up to date, and asking a few questions about things. You know...texts. Couple of calls.’

  From the guilty look on Charlie’s face, it had been more than a couple of calls.

  Suddenly it was all too much. Mimi felt tears welling in her eyes and she started to cry.

  ‘Hey...sis...’ Charlie seemed to manoeuvre almost sideways to get next to the sofa, and slid across to hug her. ‘I’m sorry... He said I should call...’

  ‘It’s okay. I’m glad you did.’ Mimi snuffled into his sweater. ‘Is he... Is he all right?’

  ‘He’s fine. He was just worried about you and I thought...’

  ‘You thought right. Thank you.’ Mimi dabbed at her face with a tissue, wishing that she could at least cry without something hurting. ‘Will you call him? Tell him I’m happy to be home, and that I said thank you.’

  ‘Of course.’ Charlie hesitated. ‘Don’t you want to tell him? If he sent you this, then doesn’t that mean he wants you to call?’

  It was tempting, but... ‘No. We broke up, and that was the right thing for us both.’

  ‘Yeah. That’s what he says. But you know he’ll come, don’t you? If you want him to.’

  ‘I know. I don’t want him to. We don’t work that well together, me and Rafe. Never really have done.’

  Charlie hugged her tight, rocking her gently in his arms, the way he had the night their parents had died. ‘You...loved him, didn’t you?’

  ‘Of course I did. Love isn’t everything, though. You’ve got to be able to live with someone.’

  ‘Well, come and live with me. I’ll buy your chocolate.’

 
‘You might have to until I get another job.’

  Charlie squeezed her hand. ‘Don’t worry about that, sis. One thing at a time, eh?’

  ‘Yes. One thing at a time.’

  She heard the doorbell ring, and Jan’s quick footsteps. Then she appeared in the doorway holding another bunch of flowers.

  ‘They’re nice.’ Charlie turned to look. ‘Who are they from?’

  ‘From...’ Jan looked at the card which was taped on to the wrappings. ‘Joe Harding and everyone at the Old Brewery. Aren’t they just lovely?’

  ‘They’re beautiful.’ Mimi poked Charlie in the ribs. ‘Is there anyone you haven’t told about my coming out of hospital today?’

  ‘Must be someone.’ Charlie grinned, sliding back into his wheelchair. ‘Right, we’ll have tea and then you can get down to some flower arranging. Then a nap...’

  ‘A nap? What? Am I ninety?’

  ‘Then you can have a shower.’ Charlie nodded towards the box that Rafe had sent and he grinned. ‘Then we’ll hang out a bit, have some dinner, and tomorrow you can start on the getting well thing. Okay?’

  ‘Okay. Thanks.’ Charlie made it sound so easy. They both knew it wasn’t, but it paled into insignificance alongside the journey she was going to have to take before she stopped missing Rafe.

  It had to be done, though. All of it. Starting tomorrow.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  MIMI HAD BOUGHT a new dress. She had been exhausted by the shopping trip with Jan, but had refused point-blank to go home until she’d found what she was looking for. A pretty, dusky pink summer dress that she’d got in the sales because everyone was looking forward to the winter fashions now, but which had the advantage of covering her knees.

  Tights would have gone some way towards making her leg look a little better, but she still couldn’t bear to have anything touch the swollen, discoloured skin around the snake bites. The supportive brace on her other foot didn’t do much for the outfit either, but at least it allowed her to walk and she opted for a pink canvas sneaker on the other foot.

  She’d applied a deep conditioner to her hair, drying it carefully, and was pleased with the shine it gave. There was nothing she could do to make the scar on her face go away, but a little foundation made it less obvious.