Chapter 29
Nina sat on the hotel room balcony in Bangkok, looking out over the beautiful blue-green swimming pool. She was still extremely tired, in a cycle of four hourly pain medications, and feeling a bit sorry for herself, truth be told, but overall, she felt much better. The way her body and head felt, however, it was clear that there was going to be a convalescence stage and a fair whack of time until she was back to her old self. The road to recovery and sitting around doing nothing wasn’t one she was too keen on, but purely by the way she felt, it was obvious that she was going to have to put up and get on with getting well.
She watched a tiny bird fly from a palm tree and land on the balcony next door. She tried to figure out what had happened to her since she’d first started coughing down by the pool. The flu’s grip had been swift and unrelenting, and she didn’t want to see it again anytime soon. She thought about the ambulance, hospital room, and nursing staff, and how good everyone had been, and thanked her lucky stars that she’d been in good hands.
As she sipped a glass of water, Nina reflected on the whirlwind of events. The hospital stay, with its blur of medical checks, IV drips, and constant care from the staff had been amazing. It had been frightening and scary, and she was glad to be out. Her thoughts drifted to Robby and how he’d been by her side even though she hadn’t known it.
Robby pushed open the balcony door and put a cup of tea in front of her. ‘Feeling better?’ he asked with an expectant look on his face. ‘You look it. Thank goodness you’re back in the land of the living. You’ve got your colour back.’
‘Yeah, much better.’
‘The coughing seems to have really eased off now, don’t you think? I noticed it last night.’
Nina nodded. ‘Yes, I do. I haven’t coughed anywhere near as much.’
Robby shook his head. ‘On top of everything else, fancy getting a muscle strain in your ribs from coughing.’
Nina put her hand on her right ribs and winced. ‘I know. Just when I was beginning to feel so much better, too.’
Robby gestured around at the balcony and room. ‘It’s quite unbelievable how quickly you went downhill. One minute, I was on the phone with you, then you were suddenly being carted off to hospital. Talk about putting the wind up me.’
‘Yep, scary. I was sitting right here on this balcony, feeling absolutely terrible. The next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance.’
‘Thank goodness for the hotel staff.’
‘I know. It”s amazing how quickly I bounced back, though. Whatever they did in the hospital worked.’
‘Thank God that housekeeper came in,’ Robby acknowledged.
‘I’m thankful for that.’
‘I was talking to the manager earlier when I came in; she’s so nice. They’ve all been really worried.’
Nina said a silent thank you for their choice of hotel. ‘Yep, she said the same to me. Well, at least I’ve given them some drama,’ Nina chuckled.
‘I know, right? I sort of said the same thing, but I don’t think they got my sense of humour.’
‘Ha.’
‘I suppose they wouldn’t find it funny…’
Nina took a sip of her tea, looked out in the direction of the swimming pool and then into the room. ‘Anyway, looks like I’m on the mend, thank goodness. So, what are we going to do today? I’m not sure I can take another day stuck in this room.’
‘Are you up for sitting by the pool, maybe have something to eat later in the bar?’
Nina nodded. ‘Yeah, I think so. It’s a lovely day. It doesn’t seem as hot today, and by the looks of those trees, there’s a breeze in the air as well.’
Robby made a funny face and gestured towards the palms and pool. ‘It’s still very hot. I’m just a bit concerned that being out in the humidity might not be good for you.’
Nina shook her head. ‘No, no, I think I’ll be fine as long as I don’t do too much.’
‘Right, okay, we’ll head down to the pool, and then we’ll play it by ear for the rest of the day.’
Nina tutted and shook her head. ‘I’m so sorry the holiday has turned out like this. All the plans that we had have all gone awry. What a waste of time and money.’
Robby shook his head. ‘Don’t be ridiculous; it’s fine. I’m just relieved you’re okay. I don’t want to go through that again.’
Nina sighed, gazing out over the lush plants surrounding the pool. ‘It”s strange, isn’t it? Coming all this way and ending up stuck in a hospital.’
Robby settled beside her, sipping his tea and joked. ‘It is, but you survived.’
‘Yeah, that’s true. It was actually quite impressive if you ask me. They didn’t mess about, did they?’
‘Not at all. Makes you appreciate good travel insurance, doesn’t it?’
Nina laughed. ‘Definitely. I’ll never grumble about paying those premiums again.’
‘The main thing is you’re getting better. That’s all that matters. We can come back to Thailand any time.’
‘I just feel bad for ruining our holiday. We’d been looking forward to it for ages and then that happened.’
‘It”s not a problem. We still get to enjoy the hotel. We’ll go down to the pool and relax a bit. We’ll take it slowly. There”s no rush.’
Nina nodded. ‘Next time, we’ll do it properly – sightseeing, the works, and no ending up in hospital.’
‘We’ll have a proper adventure next time. For now, though, just focus on getting back to full strength.’
‘I’ll do my best.’
Nina and Robby had been in and out from the hotel lobby to the pool and back up to the room all day long. She’d thought that she was much better, but once she was properly up and about, the most jarring thing was not the coughing but the near total exhaustion. Most of the aching body pains and sore muscles had gone, but the tiredness and the simple act of walking the few steps to the pool wiped Nina out. As she sat reading her book under the umbrella, she couldn’t quite compute how a short walk from the room to the pool could take it out of her. The influenza strain she’d picked up had obviously been an all-singing, all-dancing one.
She was sitting on the sunbed in the shade in a slight breeze, watching the goings-on in the pool and reading her book. She picked up her phone, had a little scroll through Instagram, looked at the Lovely Bay community page, and then checked her emails. Her phone pinged with a message from Ella.
Ella: Hi, sorry to hear you’ve been sick in Thailand. Birdie told me when I popped in for a coffee earlier! Can’t believe you ended up in hospital!!! How are you feeling?
Nina: OK at the moment, but yeah, unbelievable, really.
Ella: Sounds awful!
Nina: I’ve been better lol.
Ella: I bet you can’t wait to get home???
Nina: Yes, ha. How are you?
Ella: Good. BTW that couple from Pretty Beach, are coming back for a second viewing. So, whatever you said, it worked. I wanted to touch base to say thanks. x
Nina: Oh wow, that’s good news then!
Ella: What kind of feeling did you get from them, just out of interest?
Nina: Quite positive, but they thought the price was too high.
Ella: Yes, they’ve said that.
Nina: You’re going to take them for another viewing are you?
Ella: Yes, one of them is away in Vietnam at the moment, but they want another look.
Nina: Great! I wouldn’t mind coming with you.
Ella: Didn’t know if you would or not once I heard what’s gone on in Thailand. Anyway, let me know when you get back.
Nina: I wouldn’t mind.
Nina remembered the funny pair from Pretty Beach and how nice they’d been.
Ella: OK then, I’ll text you closer to the time. We’ll see how you’re feeling, and if you’re up for it, maybe you can come. See how you go.
Nina: Yeah, great, thx. I’ve cancelled all my work, well, not cancelled, rearranged it, so I’m off for a few weeks when I get back to make sure I fully recuperate.
Ella: Good idea. How is the cough and everything?
Nina: Much better, it’s mainly the tiredness getting to me now.
Ella: Well, at least you can relax there. Anyway, see you when you get home. Rest up.
Nina: Thx for asking. Appreciate it. See you. Can’t wait to get home.