Chapter 15 #2
The ringing of the telephone woke them all a couple of hours later. Ciaran picked up immediately. It was the hospital. He listened as they told him that Amy was awake, but drowsy and a bit confused, possibly due to the medication.
Roxie hurried through to the kitchen and shoved the kettle on to the Aga, as usual.
She knew Ciaran would want to get to the hospital without delay, but he ought to have a hot drink and something to eat before he went.
She could hear Peter crying for his early morning feed and she knew Jenny would attend to him as a priority.
She put some rashers of bacon in the pan and whisked some eggs for a large omelette, hoping Ciaran would take time to eat something.
By the time he appeared, the food was ready and the table set.
Roxie poured him a cup of tea. He’d had a quick shower and his hair was still damp.
‘Mum was asking for you, Roxie. You can freshen up in the downstairs shower if you like, then we can go together.’
‘My clothes are still in my suitcase in the lorry.’
‘I’ll bring it in. A shower helped wake me up.
I expect you feel just as groggy as I did.
The hospital said that Mr Whittaker has arrived from Glasgow.
He spoke to Mum, but needs to speak with me before making a decision.
Meanwhile they’re taking her for an X-ray to give the surgeons a clearer idea of the effects of the fall. ’
‘Okay. I’ll get myself sorted straight away. Some fresh clothes would be welcome, though, if you wouldn’t mind.’
A short time later Ciaran tapped on the door.
‘I have your big suitcase here, Roxy.’
‘Just a second.’ She hastily wrapped herself in a large bath towel and opened the door.
‘Ah, what a golden opportunity.’ Ciaran’s eyes gleamed with mischief, and something like desire. ‘Pity this isn’t the right time.’
‘Good job we have no time to spare,’ she replied. ‘Can you put my suitcase inside so I can close the door?’ she added in a hasty whisper. ‘Donald is coming down the stairs.’
Ciaran grinned ruefully as he pushed her suitcase inside the small washroom.
* * *
‘Are you sure we shall be allowed in this early in the morning?’ Roxie asked as they arrived at the hospital a short time later. ‘I can wait in the car until you’ve seen your mother if you like?’
‘I don’t like. I need you beside me, my darling girl. Anyway, the nurse who phoned said Mum has asked for you by name.’
When they were shown into the small side room where Amy was, it was obvious from her pale face that she was in severe pain.
The Baxters were sincere in their loving warmth, but they were not normally a demonstrative, kissing family in public.
This morning, Ciaran bent and kissed his mother’s cheek and his voice was gruff with emotion.
‘No use asking how you feel, Mum, I can see you are suffering a lot of pain.’
‘Yes, but Mr Whittaker has come all the way from Glasgow to see what can be done. And Roxie, lassie—’ she lifted a hand feebly in greeting — ‘I knew you would come back to me. I am so very pleased to see you.’
‘Of course I’ve come back. I promised,’ Roxie murmured softly, her voice quavering a little. She had never seen Amy looking so small and vulnerable as she did in the white hospital bed.
‘You will know what I need and where to find everything. Depending what the X-ray shows, Mr Whittaker is going to try to make arrangements to operate here, along with the chief surgeon, if they can arrange to get a theatre.’
‘Is it the same surgeon who did your operation before?’ Ciaran asked anxiously.
‘Oh, no. I think he retired. He is not here now anyway.’
Minutes later two men entered the room together. Ciaran and Roxie quickly stood up, prepared to leave, but Amy made a protesting gasp and beckoned them closer.
‘This is my son, Ciaran, and—’
‘And my fiancée,’ Ciaran said swiftly. Amy’s eyes flew to Roxie’s face, her eyes wide and suddenly bright. Roxy smiled and gave an imperceptible nod.
‘Roxie is the best friend an old woman like me could have,’ Amy told Mr Whittaker.
‘If you can only set me on the right path, Roxie will give me all the care I need.’ Her voice was warm and sincere, if rather weak.
Roxie breathed a sigh of relief, but Ciaran doubted if his mother had fully taken in their own news.
The surgeon looked directly at Roxie, his eyebrows raised questioningly.
‘I am not a nurse, but I live with Amy and she knows I shall do my very best to look after her, and get her well again and on her feet.’
‘Now that will be a great help. It deals in part with what Mr Morgan and I were going to ask,’ Mr Whittaker said with satisfaction. ‘Mr Baxter, you are next of kin, I presume?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’ Ciaran nodded.
‘You would be aware that your mother had agreed to have the operation done privately in Glasgow in about a fortnight’s time?’
‘Yes, she was looking forward to you being able to take away the pain, and hopefully make her walk more easily.’
‘And you were agreeable to paying?’
‘Of course. In any case, my mother was intending to pay herself. She is a very independent person,’ he said with an affectionate smile.
‘Unfortunately, the pain is too severe to move her to Glasgow now. The fall has complicated things. She was admitted here as an emergency. While they cannot take private patients, Mr Morgan, the orthopaedic surgeon in charge here, is willing to let me perform the operation as an emergency, with him acting as my assistant, if Mrs Baxter will agree to have it done immediately? And if you also agree?’ He smiled down at his patient and his expression was gentle and understanding, Roxie thought.
‘By immediately we mean right now, so that we may use the theatre before the usual rota for the day begins. I am afraid we shall almost certainly need to insert a metal plate. This second break is not as clean and simple as I would have liked. It has made things slightly worse than they were on the X-ray a month ago.’
‘Does that mean the pain will be just as bad?’ Amy asked wearily.
‘No, it does not. We can almost — almost I say — guarantee you will have no pain so long as you are patient and do exactly as we tell you. It means you will be in plaster for several weeks and you must not try to walk or put any weight on it. You cannot live alone.’
‘I shall be there every minute of the day and night,’ Roxie said quickly, giving Amy’s hand an affectionate squeeze.
‘That is reassuring.’ Mr Whittaker nodded.
‘I am pleased to hear that. You will need to be in a wheelchair to begin with, Mrs Baxter, and you will need visits to the physiotherapist once the plaster comes off. You must follow his, or her, advice and do the exercises recommended.’ He turned to Roxie.
‘Do you think you’ll be able to supervise this? ’ he asked with a smile.
‘I shall certainly do my best, and both Amy and I shall be encouraged if we know there will be no pain at the end of it all.’
‘You’re right there, lassie,’ Amy said, reaching for her hand again. ‘So stupid of me to land myself in here before you got back.’
‘The main priority for all of us right now is to get you fit and well again,’ Roxie said.
‘You’re a good lass, Roxie.’ She looked up at Mr Whittaker. ‘I suppose I shall still have a limp?’ she asked.
‘Not if we can help it, but we can’t guarantee that at this stage. I think you should know that Mr Morgan and I have worked together before. We make a good team, isn’t that right, Jonathan?’ he asked with a smile.
‘If you say so, it is,’ Mr Morgan said with a grin, which made him look almost boyish in spite of being a senior consultant here at the local hospital.
He looked at Amy and her visitors. ‘It is some time ago now, but I was fortunate to complete the last nine months of my training under Mr Whittaker. He is a fine surgeon and a good teacher. We shall certainly do our best for you, Mrs Baxter.’
‘How long do you think I shall need to stay in here,’ Amy asked anxiously.
‘We must take one step at a time. I know you had intended to pay for the operation yourself so I have no hesitation in suggesting that if you make a good recovery during the early days, you could probably go home if you would agree to pay for the care of a private nurse to stay with you at your home, as well as your young companion.’ He glanced at Roxanne.
‘I can thoroughly recommend a nurse who concentrates on the care of her patient, but she does not undertake cooking or household tasks.’
‘We could agree to that,’ Amy said. ‘Is she willing to travel each day? Roxanne lives with me. I can recommend her cooking and her company so there is no need to worry about daily chores.’
‘In that case I shall introduce you to my friend, Mrs Anne Munro, when you have had a day or two to recover from the operation. You will probably have more attention at home than we can manage here, at the hospital, and Anne is a very experienced nurse if you should need to return.’
‘I would be happy with that arrangement,’ Amy told them.
‘I shall be staying down here overnight,’ Mr Whittaker told her.
‘So that I can check on you this evening and again tomorrow morning, before I return to Glasgow. I have every confidence in Mr Morgan’s judgement, but I shall come down again to see you before you are discharged into the care of the nurse and your friend here. ’
‘That all sounds good to me, Mum,’ Ciaran said. ‘Don’t you agree?’
‘I will agree to almost anything so long as you can ease this awful pain,’ Amy said.
‘In that case we must ask you two to leave now. We shall prepare you for the operation without further delay.’ Mr Whittaker spoke briskly, noting the lines of pain Amy was struggling to hide.