Chapter 13
‘I still don’t understand,’ said Emily as she drove down the high street towards Aldeburgh Hospital. ‘Nate said that although he couldn’t divulge individual patients’ personal information, all the patients who’d had an operation on the day your grandmother went in were discharged with no post-surgery complications.’
Briony sat anxiously beside her. They’d just dropped Joss off so he could return to his office for the afternoon. He’d promised that as soon as he had a spare moment, he’d look into the issue of the deeds and whether the Land Registry held an electronic record. And he’d contact Clarissa to see what she might unearth regarding who was behind the solicitor’s letters, and why they were intent on getting their hands on Blythe’s property.
Briony had thanked Joss, but her mind had been elsewhere – namely on the car in the hospital car park.
Before they’d left, she’d hunted around for the car key, or a spare, but she hadn’t been able to find one.
The one thing she still didn’t understand was why Blythe would just leave her car in the hospital car park. Why hadn’t she had a friend take her to hospital for her op?
Joss’s theory was they’d left it there for her to pick up when she was fit to drive again. But that could take weeks. Would she really have left it there for that length of time?
She voiced her thoughts to Emily as they turned up the side street. The small, single-storey red-brick cottage hospital was up ahead.
‘Hospital car parks aren’t free. It would cost quite a bit to do that.’
Briony nodded, her stomach churning. Something didn’t feel right.
‘Something isn’t right,’ said Emily. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Doesn’t help.’
‘It’s all right, Emily. I feel that way too.’
They pulled into the car park. Briony scanned it, searching for a vintage green Morris Minor. ‘I don’t see it,’ she said, relieved. Perhaps Joss had got the days confused, and it was some weeks ago that he’d spotted it in the car park.
‘No, me neither,’ said Emily. They parked and got out of the car to look around. They were just getting back into the car, believing the Morris Minor wasn’t there, when another car entered the car park and drove towards the last parking space between two SUVs.
‘That’s odd,’ said Briony, noticing the driver not taking the parking space. As the driver backed up, he wound his window down, asking, ‘Are you leaving?’
Emily turned around. ‘Isn’t there a space up there?’
‘No, I thought there was, but there’s some tiny old car parked in there. Couldn’t see it as I drove in. The two SUVs parked either side hide it from view.’
Emily and Briony exchanged a glance. Emily said, ‘No, we’re not leaving.’ Emily shut the driver’s door and they crossed the car park. Sure enough, there between the two massive cars was the green vintage Morris Minor.
Briony walked up to the classic two-door car. The first thing she noticed was how pristine the little car was. The paintwork was like new; there was no rust as she’d imagined there would be. She looked inside at the red seats, which looked equally spotless.
‘Oh, my goodness,’ exclaimed Emily. ‘Look at all these parking tickets!’
Briony walked to the front of the car. There were several parking tickets in little polythene bags, stuck to the front windscreen.
‘I don’t get it,’ said Emily. ‘I would have come and collected the car and parked it at my house, no problem, if only she’d asked. I know she does like to keep herself to herself, but Aldeburgh, and especially Cobblers Yard, are a friendly, supportive bunch.’ She shook her head.
Briony was listening as she looked through the driver’s side window. She tried the car door. ‘It’s open!’ She looked at the ignition. ‘They keys are still in the ignition!’
‘Why would Blythe leave her car all these weeks in a pay and display car park without sending someone to collect her car? Unless—’ Emily turned around and stared at the hospital entrance.
Briony followed her gaze, guessing what she was thinking. ‘But you said she wouldn’t still be in hospital! Otherwise it would have been the first place I looked.’
‘I don’t know what’s going on,’ said Emily, staring at the car. ‘Come on. Let’s go and find Nate. I hope he’s working in AE today. There’s got to be a logical explanation.’
Briony hoped so. She reached inside, took the keys out of the ignition, and then noticed a letter on the floor of the passenger footwell.
‘Come on, Briony.’
She grabbed the letter and stuffed it in her bag before shutting the car door and locking it. Not that she imagined anyone would steal the car. After all, it had been sitting there all that time with the key in the ignition.
As they crossed the car park to the hospital entrance, Emily said, ‘At least the car hasn’t been clamped. I checked.’ She had a thought. ‘You drive, don’t you?’
Briony nodded.
‘Great. At least you can drive it back to The Beach House.’
Briony wasn’t sure that was a good idea. She hadn’t driven for quite some time, and she wondered how she would get on driving a really old car. She shrugged. ‘At least then it wouldn’t get any more parking tickets.’
‘That’s if it starts,’ said Emily. ‘I imagine an old car such as this might need a regular run at least once a week to keep it in working order.’
Briony sighed. Emily had a point.
‘But not to worry. I’ve got some jack leads in the car, and if we can’t figure out how to get it started, I’ll call my dad.’ They walked inside. Emily said to the receptionist, ‘Is Nate working today?’
Briony noticed Emily didn’t give his surname, and guessed the hospital was so small that everyone knew everyone.
‘Oh, hi Emily. Hold on, I’ll just have a look.’
Briony expected her to look at her computer. Instead she got up and walked through some double doors, under a sign reading Minor Injuries Unit.
‘Oh, good – she’s going to have a look for him.’ Emily turned to Briony. ‘She’s an old friend from school.’
Briony nodded.
A moment later, the receptionist reappeared with a tall young man dressed smartly in a pair of chinos and a shirt. He had a lanyard around his neck with the word doctor on it and a hospital identity badge clipped to it. ‘Hi, Emily. What’s up?’
‘Can you spare a minute?’
‘Just about.’ He smiled. ‘Everything okay?’
‘This is Briony. Remember I asked you if all the patients who had knee surgery around a fortnight ago were discharged with no complications?’
‘Yes, and that was the case.’
‘Well, Briony’s grandmother, Blythe, had a knee op, but we’ve just discovered that her car is still in the hospital car park.’
‘With a load of parking tickets,’ Briony added.
Nate raised an eyebrow. ‘She didn’t let you know what her plans were for after her surgery? She obviously drove here, then, but someone would have had to collect her and take her home. We won’t do the surgery unless that’s arranged.’
‘Do you know who agreed to collect her?’
‘Hold on.’ Nate turned to the receptionist. ‘Can I borrow your computer?’
The young woman smiled at Nate. ‘Of course.’ She got out of her seat.
Nate perched on the office chair, and was about to type something when he looked at Briony. ‘You’re her granddaughter?’
‘Yes, I am.’
‘Okay, that’s fine.’ He proceeded to type something in. He looked up again. ‘And her address?’
Briony gave him the address. She waited with bated breath.
‘Okay, so on her patient notes we have her daughter as next of kin.’
‘That will be my mum, Lorna.’
‘Yes. She was named as the person who would be picking her up and staying with her overnight after her surgery.’
Briony looked at the computer and frowned. ‘Really? Because I know for a fact my mum was doing nothing of the sort.’
‘Ah, I see. So, you’re saying she never came?’
Briony nodded. She was so angry with her mum for ignoring her grandmother when she needed her.
‘So, she was discharged, and she intended to drive herself home, then.’ Nate frowned, shaking his head from side to side.
The last thing Briony wanted to do was get her grandmother in trouble. ‘Look, my mum should have come.’
‘But she didn’t,’ said Nate matter-of-factly.
‘She did not drive herself home,’ said Emily. ‘Her car is right here, and she’s not at home. Briony can vouch for that.’
Briony nodded her head.
‘How strange.’ Nate rubbed his chin. ‘The only other possibility is …’ he trailed off, reading something on the computer screen – her medical notes, Briony presumed. She saw his expression darken.
Briony felt her heart beating in her chest.
He breathed a heavy sigh, and looked up from the computer. He stood up and walked around the desk.
Briony stared at him. The look on his face said it was bad news. ‘Let’s take a seat over here.’
Oh, no. Something definitely happened, thought Briony.
Briony and Emily followed him over to the small reception area, which was empty. Briony took a seat next to Emily. Nate sat opposite them. He put his hands together. ‘So, like I told you, Emily, there were no surgery complications with any of the patients that came in around the time Blythe did. However …’
Briony tried to prepare herself for what was coming next.
‘I wasn’t working here in AE on the day she had her operation. So I didn’t know what happened next. It turns out your grandmother was discharged, and then a member of the public found her collapsed in her car outside in the car park. It was lucky that they pulled up beside her car just as she was getting in. When they were waiting to get out of their car, they noticed something … amiss. I’m afraid she had a stroke, so she was brought straight back in. She’s still on a ward.’
Briony felt Emily take her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze, imagining that she wanted to tell her, Don’t worry, she’s in capable hands. Everything is going to be all right.
‘She’s here – in the hospital? Alive?’
Nate smiled. ‘Yes. She’s right here.’
Briony turned to Emily. ‘Did you hear that? We’ve found her! I can’t wait to see her, speak to her.’
‘Um, you can see her, but speaking with her …’ Nate trailed off.
Briony’s smiled faded. ‘She’s not okay, is she?’
Nate stood up. ‘Let’s go and see her on the ward, and I’ll explain on the way.’
A mobile phone rang.
‘Oh, sorry – it’s my phone,’ said Emily, standing up. She looked at her phone. ‘I’ve got a vet appointment booked in after lunch. I completely forgot the time. I bet they’ve arrived and they’re phoning me, wondering where I am.’
Briony placed a hand on her arm. ‘Go, Emily. You’ve gone out of your way to help me, as always, and I’m keeping you from sick animals in need of your care. I know you’re super busy.’
‘I feel bad just leaving you here on your own.’
‘She’s not on her own,’ said Nate. ‘I’m here. I’ll look after your friend. Don’t worry.’
‘All right.’ Emily turned to Briony. ‘You must let me know how she is.’
‘I will. Now go!’
Emily smiled at Briony and answered her phone as she rushed out of the hospital. Briony heard her say, ‘Yes, sorry – I’m on my way. I’ll be right there.’
Briony turned at the bleeping sound of a pager. She saw Nate take the pager from his trouser waistband. ‘Oh, I’ve got to run.’ He looked at Briony apologetically before saying to the receptionist, ‘Can you show Briony to the ward to see her grandmother – Blythe?’
‘That’s not a problem, Nate.’
He turned to Briony. ‘I’ll come and see you on the ward when I get a spare moment – I promise.’ He turned and rushed through the doors to the Minor Injuries Unit.
‘I’ll show you to the ward.’ She looked at the computer. ‘Ah, here she is. Your grandmother is in a little side room.’
Briony managed a smile. At least her grandmother had her own room. ‘Okay.’
As they walked together down the corridor, the receptionist said, ‘Would you like a tea or coffee, or a hot chocolate? I’m afraid we’ve only got vending machines, but the drinks are quite nice.’
‘Yes, I’d like a drink, thank you.’ Briony started to look in her bag for her purse.
The receptionist caught her arm. ‘Oh, don’t worry about that.’
Briony stopped fishing for her purse. Why was it never on hand when she needed it? ‘Are you sure? I’ve got some change, if I could just find my—’
‘It’s fine. So, what would you like?’
‘I’d love a hot chocolate, thank you.’
‘Okay, I’ll fetch you one in a moment.’
Briony followed the receptionist to a nurses’ station outside the ward. The young receptionist told them that Briony was visiting her grandmother.
‘Oh, it’s so lovely for Blythe to have a visitor,’ said one of the nurses. ‘It will do her the world of good.’
‘She hasn’t had any visitors?’ Briony asked. ‘Not one?’
The nurse slowly shook her head. ‘I’m afraid not. We tried to get hold of her next of kin – her daughter. Is that your mum? The mobile phone number we have must be out of date.’
Briony wasn’t surprised. Her grandmother must have her mum’s old mobile phone number. She recalled that her mum had recently got a new mobile phone. But they were estranged; her mum wouldn’t have passed on her new mobile number. And did she even know that she was listed as Blythe’s next of kin at the hospital? Somehow, Briony doubted it.
The nurse said, ‘When we have time, we do sit with her and chat.’
‘That’s so kind of you,’ said Briony, feeling a little overwhelmed at how kind and caring everyone she’d met at the hospital so far had been.
The receptionist added, ‘It’s such a shame I wasn’t aware that the lady in the side room was known to Emily, otherwise I would have contacted her. I know Emily and Joss would have visited.’
They stepped on to the ward. ‘Wait!’ Briony stopped. ‘I should get some flowers first. I wonder what she likes …’ Briony caught the nurse and receptionist exchange a glance. The nurse said, ‘Why don’t you see her now, and go and buy some flowers later. I’m sure whatever you get will be just perfect, and brighten up her room.’
‘All right.’
The receptionist said, ‘I’ll go and get your hot chocolate. Nurse will show you to the room.’
‘Okay.’ Briony turned to the nurse who smiled at her reassuringly. ‘It’s lovely to meet Blythe’s grandchild. I can see the family resemblance!’
Briony smiled. So could she when she looked through the family photos. Her mum looked just like her grandmother when she was younger. In fact, if you put photos of her mum and grandmother as teenagers side-by-side, you’d think they were the same person.
Briony knew that if she’d added a photo of herself to the family photo album, nobody would have failed to notice the striking similarities between the three generations of women. Briony knew that she looked just like her mum. She wondered whether, if she had a daughter, she’d take after the maternal side of the family like she had.
Her dad had once told her that when they’d had her, he’d wanted Briony to take after her mother. He’d said that Lorna had the looks.
As she followed the nurse through the ward to the far end, almost tiptoeing because the patients on the ward were elderly, and mostly sleeping, Briony thought of her lovely dad. He might be right that he’d never have made it as a model or member of a boy band – she was thinking of the bare-chested Troy at this point, and wishing he hadn’t come to mind – but her dad was a very good musician, and a first-rate dad. Her dad. She was lucky.
She was beginning to wish that she’d told her parents where she was. But I’m not ready to tell them, or Freddie, why I’m really here. She had been surprised that Freddie had just accepted her decision not to go, without questioning it further. But later, she had guessed why. He had just been relieved that they wouldn’t be apart for two months, envisaging that as she was just going to Suffolk, she’d be back soon.
And he was probably right. She couldn’t stay away forever – that had never been the plan. At least, it hadn’t been the plan until she’d arrived there, met some lovely people, stayed in her grandmother’s gorgeous house, and sat with Troy, watching the stunning sunrise.
‘Briony?’
The nurse had stopped in a doorway at the far end of the room, and Briony had nearly walked into her. ‘Sorry. I was lost in thought.’
The nurse regarded her for a long moment. ‘You look a little peaky. Are you getting enough sleep?’
Briony sighed. At first, she’d slept well at The Beach House, but it hadn’t been long before she was waking far too early and having trouble getting back to sleep. ‘I’ve got a lot on my mind. But at least I’ve found my grandmother. I am so looking forward to talking to her.’
‘That’s wonderful,’ said the nurse. ‘I think it may help hugely if she hears a familiar voice.’
‘A familiar voice?’ Briony’s face fell. ‘Help – how?’
‘Patients who’ve had strokes, and are in a coma, have been known to wake up when they hear their friends and relations. That’s why it’s wonderful you’re here.’
Briony looked at her, shocked. ‘Wait, did you just say she’s in a coma—?’
The nurse gaped at her. ‘Oh, I am so sorry. I thought you knew.’
Briony shook her head vehemently. It wasn’t Nate’s fault. He had said he’d come and speak to her as soon as he had a chance, but Briony wished he’d told her so that she’d been prepared. He’d probably assumed the nurse would tell her.
Briony looked at her miserably. Well, she’s told me now, she thought.
The nurse stepped to one side and motioned for Briony to enter the room ahead of her. They stood either side of the bed.
Briony looked down at her grandmother, wishing her first sight of her could be in different circumstances.
‘Here, take a seat.’ The nurse pulled over a comfortable, cushioned, high-backed chair close to the bed.
Briony sat down. Her first impression was that Blythe didn’t look her age. She had a smooth, supple complexion with high cheekbones, just like her daughter and granddaughter. There were some crow’s feet around her eyes, and a little dimpling around her chin, but she’d obviously taken care of herself over the years.
Her silvery-grey hair, about shoulder length, was surprisingly glossy, as though it hadn’t lost its lustre even when her natural hair colour had faded.
Briony looked up at the nurse. ‘She looks as though she’s sleeping.’
The nurse nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘May I take her hand?’
‘Of course.’
Briony gently took her hand. ‘Hi … Grandma.’ Briony had to pause to think what she’d call her – the grandmother she’d only just met. She felt a little self-conscious with the nurse in the room.
‘How long has she been like this?’ Briony asked.
‘Two weeks now.’
‘When will she wake up?’
‘We would hope she’d be in a comatose state for no more than four weeks. Then there’s still a chance of a good recovery, all going well.’
‘So, I’ve got, like, a week to get her to wake up.’
The nurse breathed a heavy sigh.
Briony guessed she was being na?ve. ‘That was a dumb thing to say, wasn’t it?’
‘With stroke-induced comas, I’m afraid it’s anyone’s guess when – or whether – they’ll wake up.’
Briony got the picture. It could be today, or next week, next month – or never. And she expected that the longer Blythe was like this, the less chance she had of making a good recovery.
‘What caused it, do you think?’
The nurse said, ‘There are so many factors that could be involved, I’m afraid, that we can’t pinpoint the exact cause.’
Briony had her own theory about the cause.
The nurse checked Blythe’s monitors. ‘I have to go and check on the other patients. If there’s anything you need, just let me know.’
Briony nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking of the opened letter in her handbag that she’d picked up out of the footwell in the car. She didn’t want to get it out of her handbag just then and read it. She had guessed what was inside; she recognised the envelope. It was another one of those letters from the solicitor – someone still after Blythe’s beloved house.
Briony looked at her grandmother and imagined her getting in her car after her knee op, ready to drive home, and opening the letter that she’d probably picked up from the doormat and put in her bag before leaving for the hospital.
Briony thought of her earlier conversation with Joss. She gently squeezed her grandmother’s hand and whispered, ‘I’m going to find the person who is sending those letters, I swear. And when I do …’ Briony trailed off. She didn’t know what she was going to do, but she felt she knew one thing; they’d caused this – her grandmother’s stroke.
The nurse popped her head round the door. ‘I forgot to ask. Can you give me your mum’s new phone number? I must update Blythe’s next of kin contact number.’
Even as she reeled off her mum’s mobile phone number, watching the nurse jotting it down, Briony thought, Don’t bother. Would her mum come and visit even if she knew Blythe was at death’s door?There was one way to find out – she could phone her mum and let her know what was going on. She’s not at death’s door. Briony silently berated herself for the thought. She’s just sleeping, and all I need to do is find a way to get her to wake up. But she knew that really, she had no idea whether her grandmother would recover.
She decided to be positive, and smiled to herself. She already had an idea. She looked at her grandmother, gently squeezed her hand again, and said, ‘I’ve got something amazing to tell you.’