Chapter 36
By the end of the week, they had fallen into a routine that made Nancy feel they had always lived this way. It struck her that she had led a very privileged and lucky life until now, not thinking what it was like for families with sick children, living in a sterile environment often far from home, while hanging on to every thread of hope that was offered to them. And now she was one of them.
Their days were all much the same. She would sleep by Danny’s bed at night and Sam, who had been given compassionate leave from work, would arrive in the morning after getting the train in from Corrytown. It would have been much easier if Danny had been at the big local hospital, but the consultant had explained that he was better off here in this specialist London teaching hospital.
Danny would doze on and off during the day, the hours punctuated with breakfast, lunch and supper, most of which he rejected, saying he wasn’t hungry. The consultant would arrive once a day, sometimes with a small gathering of medical students. Nancy didn’t like this, but appreciated that if it helped them enlarge their experience, she could hardly say no.
In the afternoon they were allowed visitors. Patricia came up nearly every day, but it was a different Patricia from the one Nancy had known before. This one was humble, suggesting, instead of insisting, that Nancy might like to have a break in the canteen with Sam while she sat with Danny.
Brigid had come up – so kind – and also Annie, along with their kids. The nurses had given permission, since no one on the ward had anything contagious. She hadn’t even thought of that, Nancy realised. It proved how far she had come in her efforts to be less fussy and panicky. How ironic that she should only calm down now there really was something to worry about.
‘We’ve brought some sparklers,’ hissed Brigid, patting her sequinned cross-shoulder bag in a conspiratorial manner. ‘Do you think the nurses would let us light them on the balcony outside? It might make up for Danny missing the sparkler tea party at Puddleducks. Do you like my teeth, by the way? Look, no braces! I’ve always wanted straight gnashers and now I’ve got them. It’s part of the new me. By the way, Nance, all this is going to make you stronger, even though you might not believe it yet.’
Amazingly, one of the junior nurses had said that they could light the sparklers on the balcony, just for a few minutes. ‘Cool,’ breathed Danny as they wheeled him out in his chair to take part. Some of the other children on the ward whose parents Nancy had bonded with, especially during the night watches, also came out in their pyjamas and dressing gowns.
‘Wow,’ whispered one small girl without any hair, whose father held a sparkler for her as she didn’t have the strength to do it herself.
Everyone, thought Nancy, after her friends had gone, had been very thoughtful, including Mrs Merryfield, who had sent a card. Apparently Puddleducks was arranging a parent-and-child disco to raise money for the aplastic anaemia charity. ‘We all wanted to do something to help,’ Annie had said, giving her a big warm hug that had brought a lump to her throat.
And then, about a week after they’d been here, her mother arrived. Nancy heard her before seeing her.
‘What do you mean, visiting hours are almost over? I’ve flown in all the way from the United States of America and I am not, do you hear, not going to be turned away. My grandson is very seriously ill.’
Sam, who was there at the time, flashed Nancy a wry smile, the first since all this had started. ‘Sounds like she’s going to be more than a match for my mother,’ he whispered.
‘What’s funny, Mummy?’ said Danny, looking slightly brighter. Was it her imagination or did he have more colour in his face today? ‘Why are you laughing, Daddy?’
Sam stopped abruptly. ‘It’s good to laugh, poppet.’
‘Yes, but you don’t usually …’
‘There he is!’
A large shape in a violet velvet cape carrying a huge tapestry knitting bag over her arm, out of which was poking a book called The Meaning of Now , advanced towards them. ‘There’s my Danny. Look what Grandma has brought you!’
Nancy watched speechless as her mother pulled a giant teddy wearing a Stars and Stripes outfit out of the bag. ‘He’s going to make you feel much, much better. Now let me give your poor momma a hug. Goodness dear, you’ve changed your hair. You look quite pretty!’
She glanced at Sam as though he was something that one of her cats had brought in. ‘I see that you’ve managed to get back from wherever you were.’
Another voice, almost as loud as her mother’s but crisper and more formal, cut in. ‘Actually, my son was away working in order to provide for his family. It’s Christabel, isn’t it? My name is Patricia.’ As if on cue, Sam’s mother materialised beside them.
Nancy’s mother took Patricia’s hand and pumped it furiously. ‘Nice to meet you, Patty. I had hoped we would have met up at the wedding but there you are. If these young people hadn’t gone and done it their way on the quiet, we might have had a good family occasion.’
Nancy shot Sam a warning look which she hoped he would interpret correctly as ‘Remember she doesn’t know we’re not actually married.’
‘But they’re not …’ began Patricia until Sam nudged her. ‘I mean, they had hoped to introduce us at some point.’ Her voice quietened as she looked down at Danny, who had snuggled up with American Ted under one arm and British Ted under the other before going back to sleep again. ‘If you don’t mind me saying so, it’s such a shame that we’re meeting in such an unfortunate situation. And by the way, it’s Patricia. Not Patty. And Danny’s already got a new bear. From me.’
‘Is that so?’
Oh dear. It might have been a year since Nancy had last seen her mother, but she could still read the ‘prepare for battle’ signs.
‘I know we don’t know each other very well yet, Patricia, but I wonder if you’d like to borrow this wonderful book I’m reading. It’s all about letting go of anger and the past.’
‘How very kind of you, Christabel. As you say, we don’t know each other yet but since we’re almost related, I’m sure you won’t take offence if I give you the name of my colonic irritation specialist.’
Christabel’s face, which had been crestfallen until the last sentence, suddenly beamed. ‘How lovely of you, Patty, to count me as one of your friends. I know we’ve only just met but already I’m beginning to feel we’ve known each other for ever. Don’t you agree?’