Alice looked at her friend with all the ‘don’t start this now’ energy she could muster.
Sarah raised her hands. ‘OK, we’ll leave it for now,’ she whispered, and then kissed her on the forehead. ‘Alfie, I really don’t give a shit about your crossword, but if you must knowthe answer is “lifer”, and I suspect you’ve already guessed that because it’s bloody obvious, BUT what Iaminterested in is how you’re going to keep Alice in the manner she’s now accustomed to after I leave?’
God, Sarah was relentless. And quick. Without breathing, she’d changed tactics and was charging full speed ahead, not giving Alice any time to rein her in.
‘You’ve only just got here!’ Alice exclaimed.
‘I know, but I want to give Alfie here adequate time to make arrangements.’ There was a devilish glint in her eye that made Alice’s heart sink.
‘And what manner is that?’ There was a playful note in his voice that Alice was not a fan of.
‘Well-fed, entertained and adored.’
‘Right. Duly noted. And yes, lifer is correct, well done.’ Both girls rolled their eyes at each other. ‘I’ll have to come back to you on the answer to your question. Even if I had two legs, I wouldn’t be able to go and get takeout for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. But leave it with me. I have other skills that can be of use, don’t you worry.’
‘I’m actually kind of worried now,’ Alice cut in, punching her friend on the arm. ‘What the hell are you doing? He’s going to go to town now!’ she whispered.
‘Of course he is. That’s the whole idea, my love.’
‘Alice?’ The nurse’s voice from outside her curtains sounded cautious. Although she was now speaking and, God forbid, laughing, the team on the ward still seemed wary of her. How difficult had she really been to look after? she wondered.
‘Yes?’
‘The doctor is here. Can we come in?’
‘Of course.’ Alice felt her body stiffen as she sat up a little straighter. She never liked it when he visited.
‘Hi Alice, how are you doing today?’ Mr Warring had his gaze fixed firmly on the notes in front of him, and didn’t quite clock the new visitor sitting on Alice’s bed.
‘I’m OK, thank you. Is it all right if my friend Sarah stays for this?’
His head jerked upwards. His face twisted with shock, confusion and delight all at once.
‘Yes, certainly.’ He shook Sarah’s hand earnestly and Alice couldn’t help but register a genuine sense of relief in his demeanour.
Sarah didn’t even pause for breath before the interrogation began. ‘So, what’s the latest? How is she healing? There was mention of another surgery, I believe?’
‘Oh, right. Yes … well …’ His eyes darted back and forth between the pair of them, clearly unsure to whom he should be directing his answers – the patient or the protector. ‘In terms of your healing, the physio reports are showing good improvement in your physical strength, which is encouraging. Although we really need you to start moving more frequently to keep the momentum up – even just walking to the toilet will help.’
‘I can’t.’ Her voice was thick with panic. She needed to find a way to stay in her protected bubble for as long as possible.
‘OK, well, until you feel confident enough for that, walking around your cubicle bay will do. We need anything to get you up and about. It’s important, Alice.’
She nodded reluctantly.
‘Anyway, I’ll check the wounds myself now, and if all is OK then we can discuss … other options.’
Sarah was practically pulling off the dressing herself when Mr Warring started to shuffle uncomfortably.
Something’s not right.
‘What is it? Is something wrong?’ Alice’s voice was firm. This wasn’t one of Alfie’s stupid puzzles; she didn’t have time for guessing games any more.
‘Nothing is wrong per se …’ He lowered his voice and moved closer to the bed. ‘I’m just a little concerned about the emotional aspect of your recovery. The nurses tell me that you still haven’t seen yourself properly and that your interactions with other people continue to be limited.’
‘So making friends with other patients is now a measure of my emotional stability?’
The anger rose surprisingly quickly; she could feel her palms sweating and her teeth clenching together. How dare he? How dare he decide what she was fit enough to do? It was her body, after all.
