Part 13 (2/2)

”I did. She's in work this affie, she's going to try and find out what she can. It might not be much but, well, we'll have to wait and see. She's great she'll do her best.

”Here ya go, sarnie's ready, do you want tea or coffee?”

”Coffee'd be great thanks.”

And so they sat, like any two friends meeting for lunch. Two friends with so much drama between them that it made cheese sandwiches and coffee ludicrous but what choice did they have. At the end of the day the minutia of life soothes the spiky edges and calms the tormented waters.

Chapter 49.

Lennie stood looking down at the slight form of her visitor. Curled under the duvet with her bruised face barely visible and her hair spread over the pillow she looked like a child. A child who had been to h.e.l.l in the last days. She leaned forward and gently shook Sylvie awake.

”Hi, have you had a nice nap. How're you feeling?”

”Yeah, shattered to be honest, G.o.d I'm sore all over again, I'm stiff and my face hurts.” Suddenly, out of the blue Sylvie began to shake; she buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

”Hey, hey what's matter? Come on, come on you're okay, I'm here.”

Lennie wrapped her skinny arms around the trembling form rocking and crooning, it was all she could do. Eventually, the crying abated and Sylvie looked up, her face was drawn with despair.

”I'm sorry, sorry. It's just that every now and again it all comes back, whap and I'm back there. A great sweep of blackness, it's so scary. I can't believe it, why, why did this happen to me?”

There was no answer and Lennie made none, she simply sat cradling her new friend and fought internally with the guilt she knew she would carry for the rest of her life.

”I'll make a drink. Are you okay now? How's the pain in your stomach?”

”It's horrible but I think it's better than it was.

”Oh did you hear from your Aunty?”

”Hmm.”

Sylvie could see from the clouding of Lennie's eyes that there was something wrong. Her stomach flipped, she couldn't get the words out and so in the end simply stared at the other woman willing her to know there are some questions just too difficult to verbalise.”

”She rang me while you were asleep. She went up to the intensive care place. The police are still there 'course. Anyway, she has a coupla mates working up there.”

Playing for time so obviously, but Sylvie went along with it steeling herself, wanting to know but fearing the worst.

”It's not good. I'm sorry.”

As the tears began to fall Lennie came back to the bed and perched beside the hunched figure.

”He's not dead though is he? Tell me now. He's not dead?”

Lennie shook her head. ”No he's not dead. He's not good though. He's had two more cardiac arrests, he's had to go back to the operating theatre and they don't know what's going to happen. They don't know if he'll waken up again.”

”What do you mean they don't know?”

”Well, at first he was in a coma because they wanted him to be. Now though, he's just in a coma and they don't know if he'll ever come round or...”

”Or what?” Her fingers were coiled now around Lennie's skinny arm, the knuckles white. ”Or what?”

”Well, he might just stay like that for a long, long time. Or.” She shrugged, trying to convey the rest of the information without having to speak.

”Or he might die?”

”Yes, they think he might die.

” 'Course this is only one of the nurses, the doctors wouldn't tell a cleaner anything but this girl is a mate of my cousin”

Irrelevant information filling the great sad void and she knew it wasn't working. Inside the flat now there were many moments of silence. The noise from the road, the shouts of children and revving of cars were a part of another world, where people weren't fighting for their lives or struggling to come to terms with a hideous a.s.sault on their bodies and their souls. The other world, sanity and normality. How very far away it was from this scruffy little room and these two grieving women.

After a while Sylvie stirred, she stood up and slowly straightened, pain and resolve visible in her movements.

”Can she get me in?”

”In?”

”Yes, your aunty, can she get me in to the hospital?”

”I don't know. I suppose. Well maybe. I could ask. But the police are still there, they have a bloke on a chair outside his room and the others keep coming to see how he's doin'. You can't go back, they'll 'ave you.”

”It doesn't matter. I don't care. I want to see him and that's all. If he's going to die I don't care what happens to me and if he is going to, die you know, then I want to see him first. Ask her, will you ask her if she can get me in?”

”Yes, she isn't back until tomorrow morning, it'd look funny if she went in now but I'll ask her, if you're sure. They might grab you though, and even if she gets you in to the department I don't know how you'd get into his room. No, it's daft, a daft idea.”

”Please, ask her. I won't get her into trouble or anything I promise. As soon as she gets me into the hospital I'll leave her, ask her.” Sylvie held out the mobile phone...

”Right that's it. She'll come in the morning, she'll bring a spare uniform and get you in by the back door. She doesn't know how you'll get in though; she said the bizzies are all over the place.”

”It's okay. I just want to try and if I don't then so be it but if I don't give it a go and he dies I'll never forgive myself and anyway what the h.e.l.l else is there for me to do?”

Lennie, heaved a great sigh. ”Listen, I asked a mate if you could go there for tonight, 'cos you were scared here. Actually though I think it's okay, they'll 'ave gone now you know. They never hang around for long, they 'ave a bloke at the hospital but he's a muppet, I think he must be somebody's brother and you shouldn't have a problem with him, if you wear the uniform. Si and Mo though they'll be gone for now 'till they think Samuel is coming round or whatever.”

”Is that their names then, Si and Mo? I didn't know.

”I'd rather stay with you to be honest. If you think I'm safe here. Actually I don't much care anymore. All I want now is to see Samuel and then I just don't give a s.h.i.+t.”

Chapter 50.

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