by Linda Huber
Her mobile buzzed in the living room, and Alicia hurried to answer it as the clicking of claws on the wooden floorboards upstairs told her that Jen and Conker were up.
It was Frank. ‘Hi Alicia. Just wanted to check you’re okay after our talk yesterday, and that Jenny got home alright?’
‘We’re both fine, thanks. Jen loved her trip but I’m glad to have her back under the same roof. Um, Frank, how about that dinner? My treat. Are you free tomorrow night?’
There was a fraction of a second’s pause, then she heard the nervous pleasure in his voice.
‘Perfect,’ he said. ‘There’s a great Italian’s in Upper Banford.’
‘Sounds good. I’ll drive, shall I? Pick you up at seven?’
Alicia stood grilling bacon, aware that she was looking forward to dinner with Frank almost as eagerly as she’d anticipated dinner with Doug. This time she’d make very sure she got the chance to repay some of his kindness over the past couple of weeks. She would forget all about romance and prospective relationships and just be a friend.
‘Mummy! What’s for breakfast?’
Jenny was skipping up the hallway, her face shining and Moritz under one arm. Alicia laughed aloud. Let the weekend begin.
The Stranger
The sun was shining through the trees and spreading dappled shadows as he drove along the narrow country road to Middle Banford. The letter was waiting in the middle of the clearing, little Helen couldn’t fail to see it. Now for the old man.
St. Joe’s was still getting organised for the new day when he slid in a side door. There were always a couple of white coats on a stand outside the offices on the ground floor, and he shrugged into one. Really, the weekend was by far the best time for his plan. With no secretaries around the ground floor was deserted, and at this time in the morning there wouldn’t be any visitors upstairs either. Sure enough, he arrived at the ward door without seeing another soul.
Getting to the old man unseen was the tricky bit, but luck was on his side. The only nurses in sight were right at the other end of the ward, clearing away breakfasts, going in and out of the rooms. He waited until no-one was in the corridor and then strode along and into Bob Logan’s room. The old man was up, slumped on a chair with his cloth cap clutched to his chest; his roommate snoring away fully dressed on top of his bed. What a hellish place this was, he was doing the poor old chap a favour here. What must it be like, to end up like this? Swiftly, he produced the syringe he had filled with a sleeping drug and squirted it into Bob Logan’s mouth, then held the rubbery lips closed until he swallowed. The old man hardly moved a muscle, he hadn’t even realised that anything had happened.
He paused in the doorway, peering down the ward until the nurses were all in the rooms again before darting back to the stairwell. Down, down, and away. It was time for little Helen.
Alicia
Jenny licked her spoon after the last mouthful of Coco-pops had disappeared and beamed across the table at Alicia and Margaret.
‘That’s better,’ she said deeply. ‘They only had cornflakes and muesli at Daddy’s hotel yesterday morning. And yoghurt and croissants and jam and honey and eggs and stuff. And I had pineapple juice, Mummy, it was lovely. Can we get it here too?’
Alicia’s heart contracted with love. Right now she’d have bought Jenny the entire contents of the village shop, it was just so wonderful to have her back again.
‘We’ll look. We’ll find some in Merton, if Mrs Mullen hasn’t got any.’
‘Yum. Can I go up to the woods with Conker?’
‘Teeth first,’ said Alicia, gathering the breakfast plates together. ‘I’ll make you a little picnic. I’ve got housework and washing to do first this morning, but we could go to Mr Taylor’s for half an hour before lunch, if you like. And how about spag bol for tea tonight?’
‘Woohoo!’ Jenny dashed off upstairs, Conker in tow as usual. He hadn’t let Jen out of his sight since she’d returned, thought Alicia, amused.
‘Pineapple juice is expensive and sweet,’ said Margaret disapprovingly, pouring herself more coffee. ‘Orange juice is better for children.’
Alicia grinned at her aunt. ‘I know, I know, but let me spoil her today, Margaret.’
Whistling, she spread a roll with the crunchy peanut butter Jenny loved and put it in a bag with an apple. Jen knew that Conker looked forward to his apple cores so it was an excellent way to encourage her daughter to eat the rest of the apple. Alicia grinned to herself. Being a Mum was fun, even with all the problems attached.
Jenny danced into the kitchen for her picnic, and raced up the garden towards the woods, Conker dashing ahead. Alicia looked at Margaret and they both laughed. You’d think the child had been away for a fortnight and was expecting major changes in her palace. What a cutie she was. Right. Now, before she got caught up in the fascinating ritual of changing the beds, she would just text Sonja.
‘All fine here, Frank good too, how’s St A’s?’ she keyed in.
The reply appeared within minutes: ‘V. golfy, freezing, might have found C, will call tonight.’ Alicia grinned. Her friend had never been the sporty kind.
She and Margaret did the beds and then began to sort through her father’s clothes. It wasn’t much of a fun job, thought Alicia dismally. She was emptying the washing machine when the phone rang. Margaret answered it, speaking briefly before appearing in the kitchen doorway.
‘It’s Douglas Patton,’ she said, looking anxiously at Alicia. ‘He wants to talk to you.’
Alicia stared. Was Doug going to ask her out again, so soon? Or no, of course not, how stupid she was – how conceited, too – he would be at work so this was a lot more likely to be about her father. She hurried down the hallway to the phone and grabbed the receiver.
‘Doug? Is everything alright?’ she said, surprised to hear how steady her voice sounded. Inside, she felt more than a little shaky. Had her carelessness last weekend affected her father after all?
‘Alicia, hi. It’s nothing very serious as far as we know at the moment, but Bob is very drowsy and unresponsive today,’ he said.
‘Should we come in?’ she asked, gripping the receiver with a suddenly cold hand.
‘I think that would be best,’ he said, his voice warm in her ear. ‘He’s in no immediate danger, so don’t rush. See you soon.’
Alicia slammed the phone down and turned to Margaret, who was clutching a tea towel to her chest, her face pale.
‘He said it’s probably nothing much, but Bob’s a bit drowsy today,’ said Alicia gently, rubbing Margaret’s thin shoulders. ‘I said we’d go in and see him now, so you get your jacket and we’ll be off. I’ll just give Jen a shout.’
Margaret scuttled off upstairs without a word, and Alicia stood at the back door and yelled for Jenny. Of course there was no answer. She shouted again, then pulled out her phone and rang Jenny’s mobile, gritting her teeth when she heard the answering ring tone waft down from upstairs. Well, of course, the mobile was for emergencies only, she had said so herself.
She jogged down to the summerhouse and yelled again, with the same result. Nothing in this life was ever simple, she thought, turning back to the house. Jenny could be anywhere up there, and she wasn’t expecting Alicia to call yet. It was only half past ten. Margaret was waiting by the door, and Alicia made a snap decision.
‘Jen’s not answering. I’ll leave a note on the table, and I’ll come back for her as soon as we’ve seen how Bob is,’ she said, lifting the pad they used for shopping lists. ‘She can phone my mobile if she comes home before that, but she probably won’t. Try not to worry, Margaret, Doug said it was nothing dangerous.’
As far as we know, he had said. That didn’t mean anything. Had they called Frank in? And why was she feeling so shaky about this? Her father didn’t love her and she didn’t love him. She pressed her lips together as she reversed into the lane.
Maybe her shakiness was because everything was suddenly different, because sitting at the back of her min
d was now the thought that her father might die soon after all? And if his death was connected to his misadventure last weekend, then it would still be her fault. Of course she could be reading way too much into this, it might be something quite minor, a bit of a cold or such like.
Margaret was hunched in the passenger seat clutching her handbag with thin, trembling fingers, suddenly looking much older than her years. Her father looked much older too, but that was down to his illness. Alicia reached across and squeezed her aunt’s hand.
Doug was standing in the doorway when they arrived at the ward, and Alicia hurried towards him, Margaret hanging onto her arm. Hell, this was awkward, she hadn’t spoken to him since their date on Thursday. But he was a professional, he wouldn’t mix his private life with his work.
‘It’s alright, he’s stable,’ he said immediately, and Alicia heard Margaret’s deep sigh of relief.
‘Come in and sit with him,’ said Doug, moving two chairs to the bedside. Alicia bent over her father. He was breathing loudly but regularly, and he looked as if he was merely sleeping.
‘What happened?’ she asked, letting Margaret sit on the chair nearest the head of the bed.
Doug shook his head. ‘For some reason he became very drowsy after breakfast. The nurses thought he just hadn’t slept well, but they found him unresponsive in his chair a little while ago. I think it might be a reaction to his sleeping meds. Try not to worry, Alicia. His vital signs are okay, but Frank Carter’s on his way in to see him anyway. Your father’s a strong person, he’ll get through this, I’m sure.’
His voice jarred inside Alicia’s head and her gut twisted. She had been right on Thursday evening. Doug’s words were superficial, impersonal nothing-phrases, things he could say to anyone at all. He would use them in his work, those phrases, they would comfort a lot of people, but now, with her, it was like a slap in the face... And she had kissed this man... How stupid she had been to think there had been any chance of building a relationship with him.
Alicia watched as Margaret stroked the old man’s face, and realised that in less than a week his face had become fuller, healthier looking. They couldn’t have been feeding him enough at home. It didn’t look as if there was much wrong. But if not today, he was going to die one day soon. Margaret would be so sad, and Jenny would be too, the carefully-nurtured picture of Grandpa in an ideal world would be gone. And shit, she should get back to Lower Banford right now and organise something for Jen. Maybe Eva Campbell could take her for a few hours.
Doug’s phone rang, and he left the room to answer it, passing Derek and Frank in the doorway. Alicia closed her eyes in relief. Frank would know what to do, and he would tell her exactly what was going on.
Frank smiled briefly as he strode into the room. ‘Alicia, Margaret,’ he said, taking out his stethoscope. ‘We’ll have a look at Bob now. Do you want to take Margaret to the relatives’ room, Alicia? I’ll come and get you in a few minutes.’
Alicia led Margaret along the corridor to the relatives’ room, which was furnished with uncomfortable wooden chairs and a vending machine. Glumly, she searched through her purse for change and supplied them both with thin plastic cups of coffee. Margaret sipped hers and made a face at Alicia.
‘Institutional dishwater,’ she said, and Alicia smiled faintly. Her aunt had got over the shock, thank goodness.
‘Not the best cup I’ve ever had, that’s for sure,’ she said, checking that her mobile was on. It was, but it might be another half hour before Jenny went back home, longer if the little monkey decided to stay in the woods until Alicia shouted for her, which was what usually happened. As soon as Frank told them what was going on she would get back and ask a neighbour to look after Jen for a bit.
She sat there, sipping her coffee and staring vacantly out of the window. This room faced the same way as Doug’s office downstairs. Two swans were swimming across the pond, accompanied by the little troupe of ducks. Weren’t swans supposed to bring bad luck? Or was that magpies? She couldn’t remember.
It was horrible, being away from her daughter like this. Again. Alicia took a deep breath and consciously tried to relax. Jen’ll be fine, she won’t even have noticed that she’d been deserted, she told herself. What the hell was Frank doing all this time?
This was the room where they broke the news that someone has died. Maybe she would sit here with Margaret one day quite soon, and Frank or another doctor would come in and say, ‘I’m very sorry, but...’
Or maybe she would sit by her father’s bed with Margaret and watch him die, listen to him breathing, waiting and wondering which breath would be the last. Life was hard, sometimes. Dear God. Surely Frank wouldn’t be much longer?
It was several minutes before he came in though, and the quick smile he gave her told her almost all she needed to know. He looked a bit hot under the collar and his shirt had a distinctly slept-in appearance about it. Had he been up half the night?
‘I still can’t tell you exactly what’s going on,’ he said, sitting down beside Margaret. ‘But it’s nothing neurological, it’s not his heart, and his breathing is perfectly adequate at the moment. I’ve sent blood to get tested but we won’t have the results for a bit. If I didn’t know better I’d say he’s been hoarding his sleeping pills and then took about three after breakfast, but that’s not possible. The nurses always watch until the patients swallow their medication, and Derek gave him the pill himself last night. We’ll know more when the blood tests come back. You can go and sit with him again, they’re just moving him into a single room because his roommate always has masses of visitors at the weekend.’
‘I’ll go back in, then. Thank you, Frank,’ said Margaret, going to the door. Alicia hesitated, waiting until her aunt was well out of the room.
‘Do you think he’ll recover from this?’ she said bluntly, and he made a helpless gesture with his hands.
‘I’ll be honest with you, Alicia, I don’t know. I wish we knew the reason for this change in his conscious level. And no matter what the reason is, it’s not good for old people to lie around semi-conscious. But at the moment we can still hope it’s temporary. Where’s Jenny this morning?’
‘In the woods,’ said Alicia, anxiety twisting her gut into a tight ball again. ‘She went off before Doug phoned, and I couldn’t get her back. I left a note on the table, but she hasn’t phoned yet.’ She fished in her bag for her mobile. Still nothing. It was after eleven, Jen should have been back by this time. They were supposed to have been visiting Kenneth and his kittens, that was important, Jen wouldn’t have forgotten that. Where was she?
Frank looked at her, and she could feel his concern. There was nothing superficial about Frank.
He took her arm and led her back to her father’s new room. ‘Say goodbye to Margaret, then go home and get Jenny organised,’ he said. ‘She’ll be busy playing with Conker, don’t worry. Kids have no sense of time. When you’ve sorted her out you’ll feel better able to cope with things here. Call me if there’s any problem.’
Alicia nodded. She gave Margaret a quick hug, barely registering the guttural breathing from the bed, and left, waving to Frank and Laura, the staff nurse, as she passed. Where was Jenny? Still in the woods, like Frank said, having lost all sense of time? It was quite possible. Or maybe she had tried to phone and hadn’t managed for some reason. What would she do then? Jen was a sensible little soul, she would go to a neighbour and get help. No, the most likely thing was that her daughter had forgotten the time, in spite of her new watch, and was still playing in the woods.
The Stranger
It had worked like a dream. He simply couldn’t have planned it better. The timing had been perfect, and right this minute little Helen was out for the count on his sofa, waiting for him to return home to play with her. It was almost too good to be true. He’d been so clever.
He’d arrived at the clearing after dealing with the old man and there she was, sitting on the fallen tree trunk, throwing sticks for that wretched dog. He’
d decided what to do about that, though, so it wasn’t a problem.
‘Good morning to you, Queen Titania!’ he said, putting on his friendliest face and bowing as low as he could.
She smiled up at him, a great big beaming happy-to-see-him smile, and he’d known then that his plan would succeed. This was more like the kind of behaviour he expected from his fairy Queen.
‘King Oberon! You’re here!’
‘At your service, ma’am,’ he said. ‘And am I right that your Majesty would like to see my new little kittens?’
‘Oh yes!’ she said with that wonderful, innocent smile again. ‘Where are they? What colours are they?’
A picture of Snugglepuss sprang into his mind.
‘All pure white, ma’am. They’re at my house. Would you like to come and see them now? We’d be back in less than half an hour.’
She looked at the watch on her wrist, where Minnie Mouse was pointing out that it was twenty past nine.
‘Oh yes,’ she said readily. ‘I can stay out for another hour, I should think. Mummy’ll call me when I have to go home.’
He led her round to the other side of the wood where he’d left his car and ushered her and the dog into the back seat. Now came another tricky part, he had to drive across the main road without being seen. Good job his car windows were tinted, it gave him just that bit more protection. Fortunately too Lower Banford wasn’t big on CCTV, with all the driving back and forth he was doing today it was indeed lucky that there wasn’t a camera attached to every second building like they had in Merton. The village street was deserted, and he drove over the dangerous crossing unseen. In his driveway he relaxed. He had made it.
‘I think we’ll leave our trusty servant Puck in the car,’ he said, turning and smiling his most regal smile at her. ‘My poor baby kittens might not like him very much.’
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Aunt Margaret always says he wouldn’t hurt a fly. But we won’t be here very long so he’ll be fine on the back seat. I’ll see you in five minutes, Conker. I mean Puck.’