Part 17 (1/2)

Five hungry teenagers were filling the kitchen when Andy Wood came down to breakfast: Matt, Ayesha ('so they're back on again') and three that Andy didn't know two strikingly handsome youths with black curls (one of whom was rather strangely dressed) and a girl with tiger-striped hair. They all jumped guiltily when he came in.

'Don't mind me,' he said. 'Just let me at the coffee.'

Matt introduced Georgia and Nick but the other young man seemed to have gone. Ayesha made his coffee for him. Andy noted that they had left him some bacon and tomato and set to with the frying pan. He wondered if he had hallucinated the second black-haired boy.

But Matt was acting very strangely, taking an unopened bottle of olive oil from the cupboard and a carton of sea salt and a shallow mixing-bowl.

'What is this?' asked Andy. 'Are you and Yesh setting up a cookery school?'

Matt was saved from answering by the return of Jan and Harry. But he was disconcerted to see that they were accompanied by his great-aunt Eva. He had completely forgotten she was coming to stay for a few days and knew it would make it difficult to get away.

The kitchen was ridiculously full now. Georgia was asking if she could wash up the breakfast things, and Jan, a bit disconcerted by the impromptu morning party, was politely saying she needn't worry and everything could go in the dishwasher.

Matt allowed himself to be embraced by Eva and then said, 'Sorry, but I promised we'd go to the hospital to see Jago.'

'That's good of you,' said Jan. 'I'm sure Celia would appreciate a break. And I can't go myself. But I doubt they'll let all of you in. Are you two close friends of Jago?' she asked Georgia and Nick.

'No,' said Nick. 'Georgia and I won't go in. We'll just wait outside.'

Both the Wood parents were relieved when Matt and his friends left and they were back down to a manageable four. But they didn't see the young people being joined by the second black-haired boy in the front garden and Andy had already forgotten he had ever been there.

'That was a close thing,' said Matt to Luciano, giving him a slice of toast. 'My mum would have recognised you.'

'I recognised her,' said Luciano. 'She used to teach me English.' His expression was unreadable. 'We'd better get along to the hospital.'

He attracted some odd glances on the bus but people soon looked away.

'It's like Star Wars,' whispered Ayesha. 'It's as if he had some sort of Jedi powers.'

'Well, I hope the Force is with us this morning,' said Luciano.

Ayesha was embarra.s.sed; she hadn't meant him to hear.

'How is this going to work?' asked Nick. 'I mean, Matt knows the spell and he's got his ingredients but I don't see them just letting even him and Ayesha walk into ICU and start messing around with salad dressing or whatever it is.'

'I think that's where I come in,' said Luciano. 'We'll have to play it by ear but I think it will be up to me to create a diversion.'

Staff Nurse Stella Watkins had worked on ICU a long time but the case of Jago Jones was not like any she had seen before. He wasn't any worse but he wasn't getting any better either. She was always worried about unexplained illness on the ward. There had been talk of tropical disease but so far no doctor had recommended an isolation cubicle. Yet Staff Nurse Watkins couldn't help visualising some unknown sickness infecting the unit and endangering all her other patients.

It distressed her to see Jago's mother in such a state of despair too. Stella Watkins had seen many grieving parents over her years in ICU that Mrs Mulholland was one she remembered well but there had been some ecstatically happy and relieved ones too. She prayed that Jago's mother would be one of these.

But there was no sign of it yet. Nurse Watkins bustled round Jago's bed, taking his temperature, pulse and blood pressure. 'No change,' she mouthed at Mrs Mulholland, who was a bit more awake than Mrs Jones. Then, softly, 'Isn't it about time his mum got off home and let someone else sit with him for a while?'

And then the Asian girl came in. She was stunningly good-looking and Nurse Watkins had seen her before; she thought she was probably young Jago's girl. She was just what was needed at the moment, anyway: a fresh young person, looking well-rested and positive. She could sit with Jago or at least keep Mrs Jones company if she refused to leave.

'There now, Mrs Mulholland,' she said brightly. 'You take a break and let the young one take over.'

'Thank you,' said Vicky. She was deathly tired and very stiff from dozing all night in a hospital chair. 'I will pop home for a bit if that's all right, Celia?'

Celia Jones nodded, still groggy from her own uncomfortable night.

'You go, Vicky. I'll be all right. Ayesha will sit with me.'

Ayesha was wondering how on earth to get Jago's mother to leave so that she could let Matt in to do what he had to, when she heard a scream from the hall.

'That's Vicky,' said Celia and both she and Nurse Watkins left Jago's cubicle.

Ayesha ran into the corridor and, deliberately ignoring what was happening at the other end, dragged Matt into the cubicle.

'Quick,' she said. 'We probably don't have much time. I don't know how long your Luciano can distract them.'

Matt rummaged in his plastic bag. Now that it had come to it, he felt foolish balancing the mixing bowl on Jago's forehead; it didn't help that Ayesha was looking sceptical. He poured some water into the bowl from the carafe on Jago's bedside table then added a little olive oil from the bottle.

Outside there was still some commotion going on.

'What now?' asked Ayesha. 'Don't you have to chant or something?'

'Now we wait,' said Matt. 'It shouldn't take more than a few moments.'

And it didn't. Forming in the water was the unmistakable greeny-yellow outline of an open eye.

'Like Big Brother,' said Ayesha, fascinated.

'More like Sauron in Mordor,' said Matt, excited in spite of the danger. 'It's the evil eye, all right.'

He struggled with the canister of salt, trying to get it to the setting where only a sprinkling would come out, then cast it at the oily 'eye'. Immediately the pattern on the surface broke up.

'Is that it?' said Ayesha, in an agony of antic.i.p.ation. 'We've got to get rid of this stuff. Mrs Jones and the nurse will be back any minute.'

'Wait,' said Matt.

There was a change in Jago's shallow breathing. He started to move his head.

'Quick take it off!' said Ayesha, rus.h.i.+ng to catch the bowl before it spilled water, oil and salt all over the bed.

Jago's eyes opened. 'Ayesha?' he said croakily. Then he saw Matt and suddenly looked scared.

They just had time to push the bowl and carrier bag under the bed before Nurse Watkins came in.

'Who's this?' she asked sharply then, sniffing, 'What's that funny smell?'

'Oh nurse,' said Ayesha. 'Jago's just woken up. Isn't it wonderful?'

Staff Nurse Watkins was as white as her own plastic ap.r.o.n. What she had seen in the corridor was something her mind could not encompa.s.s. So she dealt with something she could understand and bleeped the duty doctor.

'Go and tell his mother. You, young man,' she said to Matt. 'You shouldn't be here anyway. Go and tell Mrs Jones that her son is awake.'