Chapter 22 #2
‘We’re quite aware of that,’ Ava snapped icily. ‘How on earth you persuaded my son to go into that… that… unlawful riot… I can’t begin to imagine. Now, I would ask that you allow us, his parents, to do what we have to do and turn yourself right round and go back where you came from.’
‘Theo’s car…’ I started.
‘All sorted.’ Hugh narrowed his eyes at me. ‘The estate staff are on their way to pick it up.’
‘I need to know how he is,’ I repeated. ‘I need to see him. He probably saved my brother’s life…’
‘Aye, he did that an’ all.’ Les was determined to have his say, putting in a good word on Theo’s behalf, but the pair ignored him.
‘We ask that you leave us alone, at this time…’ Ava started.
‘He’s not… he’s not…?’
‘No,’ Hugh snapped. ‘Lucky for you and your family he’s alive. Apparently he’s under sedation and about to have surgery.’
‘Surgery?’ I felt the colour drain from my face. ‘What surgery?’
‘That’s what we’re about to find out. Now if you’ll excuse us.’
They walked off without a backward glance and Dad took my arm. ‘Come on, let them be. They upset. Their only son. They come round.’
‘Can’t see ’em ever coming round to our ’ouse,’ Les said, shaken I think by the Mandevilles, but attempting humour to lighten the situation.
‘I’m going in. I’m going to wait, if I have to wait all night,’ I said. ‘You go back, see to Les – he needs that head looking at.’
‘Aye, in more ways than one,’ Mum put in grimly.
‘I thought you approved of the picketing,’ Les said sulkily.
‘I do. I did. What I don’t approve of is you taking this boyfriend of Anna’s with you. For heaven’s sake, Les.’
‘Go,’ I said, shooing them away. ‘Go home. Thanks, Uncle Maurice.’
I set off towards reception.
The reception staff were unable to fill me in with any more details other than Theo was comfortable and waiting for the consultant and for X-rays.
‘We’ve had a particularly busy day as you can imagine,’ the head honcho – Veronica, according to her badge – said without looking up. ‘You’re not family of Mr Mandeville?’
‘No – a friend.’
‘Well, his family are with him. I suggest you go home – the hospital waiting areas are packed out after the awful riots by those miners today. Go home and ring up tomorrow.’
‘I’ll wait, if that’s all right.’
Veronica deigned to glance my way before looking down her nose at me. ‘I can’t stop you.’
The clock on the waiting room wall informed me it was now after 9 p.m. I’d been up since 5 a.m. but sleep wasn’t an option.
I sat in the one seat not taken, then immediately stood to hunt for water at a fountain, drinking copious amounts from an abandoned paper cup before taking my seat once again.
I was conscious of my grass-stained skirt, my scratched bare legs and scuffed, filthy trainers as well as the headache that was starting a monotonous tantivy on the left side of my head.
Please don’t let this turn into a migraine, I pleaded, sitting back and closing my eyes.
I thought back to the last one, just after I’d met Theo, making me unable to return to Bodington Hall for another round of cleaning with Fliss.
Fliss.
What would Fliss make of all this? What I’d give to be able to ring her now.
To talk to her. To tell her what had happened.
Where would she be? She’d be finishing her final year at Leeds, probably off to do a ski season or heading for London.
Who knew? I thought of ringing Frank. He’d always been there for me and, while he’d have wholeheartedly endorsed the miners’ strike action, he wouldn’t have approved my being with Theo.
I’d not been in touch with him for ages, not since he’d cycled over to see me once again and I’d told him about Theo.
I’d been careless with his friendship and I felt ashamed.
Theo had become so all-consuming, I realised, even before we’d bumped into each other in Rothersley only a couple of months previously.
Would Theo still want to be with me? I couldn’t imagine his parents ever welcoming me at Mandeville Hall after today’s little debacle. I hadn’t accrued too many brownie points when I’d met them at the hunt ball; I reckoned I was well into the red now.
The long night passed with me, every hour, on the hour, going back to reception to ask what was happening.
The waiting room had emptied apart from myself and an old man who looked as if he’d taken root there.
Venomous Veronica had obviously finished her shift, as she was replaced by a much pleasanter bloke called Sam who said once he knew anything he’d come and tell me.
At around 3.30 a.m., when the sky was already heralding another blazing midsummer day, I wandered outside to get fresh air.
There’s something about a hospital miasma that clings, drawing you in to its very centre, until you’re convinced you have every illness going yourself.
I breathed in the sweet new morning air outside and knew I couldn’t leave until I’d seen Theo. Were Theo’s parents still here?
Around 8 a.m., Sam on reception took pity on me, bringing over a coffee and a bacon sandwich, putting them into my hands without a word before retreating back to his desk.
The coffee was a godsend, and I gulped down the acrid liquid, burning my mouth as I did so, but needing some sort of hit to make sense of what to do next.
The pungent-smelling sandwich lay untouched in front of me – the very thought of eating, despite having had nothing since Dad’s picnic, made me queasy.
And all the while, the depleted waiting room began to fill up once more with the usual accident-prone kids and frail old ladies bearing the walking sticks that, this time, hadn’t prevented them falling.
Oh, Theo.
I felt my eyes close and my head jerk back up. How could I have dropped off? I got up, walked, stretched and contemplated the bacon sandwich still in my hand. At least it might keep me awake.
I realised I’d dropped off again, sandwich in hand, when I heard, drifting back down the corridor towards me, the cultured tones of several voices.
‘Typical. She makes poor Theo go to some war zone with her, he ends up here and she thinks it OK to put her feet up and feast on bacon sandwiches… Really, the utter cheek of these people…’
I jumped to my feet, tried to follow Theo’s two eldest sisters, but they’d already disappeared into the now-ascending lift on my right.