by Ken McClure
Turner heard Kate start to sob at the other end of the line. ‘I know,’ he soothed. ‘This kind of worry eats away at you until you are under so much tension that it takes over your entire life and you don’t even realize it until you suddenly burst into tears.’
‘That’s it exactly,’ said Kate, regaining her composure. ‘I can’t thank you enough, Clive. You were the one who thought of this in the first place.’
‘It was just by chance I’d seen the circular from the Scottish Office that morning.’
‘When will she be moved?’
‘Friday, if everyone’s agreeable.’
‘The sooner the better,’ said Kate. ‘I can’t wait to tell Sandy. He’s on duty tonight.’
‘I’ll let you do just that then,’ said Turner. ‘Give me a call tomorrow and we can finalize the arrangements.’
Kate put the phone down and sank into a chair. It was as if all strength had left her. She cradled her head in her hands for a few moments, staring down at the floor. Please God, this would be the turning-point in their nightmare. From now on things would start to get better. They’d get back to being the happy family they’d been before all this happened. Laughter would return to their lives. Feeling suddenly more resolute, she picked up the phone again and called Sandy.
The rain on Friday morning could do nothing to dampen the optimism that filled the Chapman home in the wake of Clive Turner’s phone call. The silent and preoccupied looking out of the window at breakfast time, which had been the norm for the past few weeks, was now a thing of the past. Smiles and animated conversation were the order of the day. This was the lucky break they had both been praying for. They would still have to wait for a suitable organ to become available for Amanda but for some reason they now both felt sure it would. They had come to a turning-point in the nightmare.
‘What time did you say we’re supposed to be there?’ asked Sandy as he got up from the table to fetch the coffee pot from the hob.
‘Clive said if we’re there about two we can take her over ourselves. That would be nicer than travelling in an ambulance, don’t you think?’
‘Absolutely,’ agreed Sandy. ‘The three of us together again.’ He gave Kate’s shoulder a squeeze as he returned to his seat and re-filled their cups.
‘Shall I make more toast?’
Sandy shook his head. ‘Let’s stop off on the way up to Glasgow for a pub lunch somewhere. What d’you say?’
‘Sounds good,’ agreed Kate. ‘It’s ages since we did anything like that.’
The good mood persisted throughout the journey. The lunch they had at a roadhouse just off the main dual carriageway wasn’t wonderful but it was adequate, and the fact that they were doing something socially together seemed more important than the ordinariness of the fare. Apart from that, it gave them the chance to joke about Scottish culinary skills.
They had the usual problem in finding somewhere to park when they reached the hospital, but today it didn’t seem important. Sandy didn’t seize on it, as he usually did, as an excuse to vent pent-up emotion as anger.
Clive Turner saw them as they entered the ward and gestured to them to come into the office first.
‘How is she?’ asked Sandy.
‘She’s fine,’ replied Turner. ‘She came off dialysis an hour ago so she’ll be okay for a wee while yet.’
‘Plenty of time to get over to Medic Ecosse?’ said Kate.
‘Oh, more than that,’ replied Turner. ‘She’ll be stable for several hours. You can take her for a drive around if you like. Spend some time together. Be a family again.’
‘Do you think she’s up to it?’ asked Kate.
‘She’s tired of course, but I think she’d like to see something other than hospital walls for a while. She’s not up to doing anything strenuous but a bit of visual stimulation will do her nothing but good.’
‘Won’t Medic Ecosse be expecting us?’ asked Sandy.
‘I spoke to them earlier. They’re aware of the situation. Any time before six suits them.’
‘That was very kind,’ said Kate. ‘We owe you a lot.’
‘Not at all,’ said Turner. ‘I only hope it works out well for you. You deserve a bit of luck.’
‘Thanks,’ said Sandy, shaking Turner’s hand. They went through to the ward and found Amanda being dressed by one of the nurses.
‘I’ll do that,’ said Kate, taking over with a smile. ‘It’s not often I get the chance these days.’
Sandy went off to get the car while Kate finished dressing Amanda. He was parked in one of the ambulance bays when Kate emerged, holding the door open for Clive Turner, who was carrying Amanda. Kate and Amanda got into the back of Esmeralda and they left the hospital with much hand-waving from the back window.
‘Dr Turner says you can have an ice cream this afternoon,’ said Kate to Amanda as she cuddled her. ‘Will that be nice?’
Sandy positioned the rear-view mirror so he could watch Amanda’s response. She gave a slight nod and managed a frail smile. Sandy swallowed. She was very weak. ‘I know where we can get the best ice cream in the city,’ he said.
‘Let me guess,’ said Kate. ‘Danielli’s?’
‘Give that woman a coconut,’ said Sandy. ‘We’re going to get the biggest cones Mr Danielli can manage.’
Amanda made a brave attempt at eating hers but quickly lost interest, preferring instead to cuddle against her mother on the back seat. Sandy’s eyes asked the question, what next? Kate shrugged and stroked Amanda’s hair. ‘We could go and see the ducks in the park?’
This idea appealed to Amanda, who nodded with something approaching enthusiasm.
‘Right,’ said Sandy. ‘First we’ll buy some bread.’
They stopped at a bakery on the way to the park and Sandy bought half a dozen bread rolls. Amanda and Kate were given the task of tearing them up into beak-sized pieces while Sandy drove them round to the park and parked Esmeralda by the edge of the pond.
Kate and Amanda stayed in the car — they didn’t want Amanda to catch a chill — while Sandy got out and drew an audience of ducks with the bread. He started edging backwards, laying a trail that brought the ducks towards the car, Pied Piper-fashion. When they were close enough, Kate opened the window and she and Amanda fed them from the window. Sandy watched from the side. More than anything he wanted to hear Amanda laugh; it had been so long since he’d heard the sound. But it wasn’t to be. Amanda dropped breadcrumbs slowly and deliberately and watched the ducks squabble briefly over each offering, but the look in her eyes suggested she was far away.
By four o’clock Amanda was showing signs of sleepiness and Kate said quietly, ‘Maybe we should think about taking her over?’
Sandy nodded and started the car. They were at Medic Ecosse within fifteen minutes.
‘Did Clive Turner give us any paperwork?’ asked Sandy as he parked in the visitors’ bay at the hospital.
‘I don’t think so,’ replied Kate. ‘I thought all that had been dealt with.’
‘Hope you’re right,’ said Sandy. He was anticipating having to explain to a succession of staff members just who they were and why they were there. He was proved wrong almost as soon as they’d entered.
‘Mr and Mrs Chapman?’ said the receptionist with a smile. ‘And Amanda. We’ve been expecting you. I’ll just call Dr Ross. He’ll be down directly. Why don’t you make yourselves comfortable over there.’
She indicated a comfortably furnished waiting area.
Kate sat down with Amanda on her knee; Sandy sat opposite. Amanda was sucking her thumb as she always did when she was tired. She looked at the box of toys put there to keep waiting children amused, but displayed no real interest. Her eyes still had the distant look that brought a lump to his throat. Amanda turned to look at her father and he smiled quickly to hide his sadness. ‘Dr Ross will be here soon, Princess,’ he said. ‘He’s going to make you all better. I promise.’
Amanda continued sucking her thumb.
James R
oss appeared, accompanied by Thomas Kinscherf and two nurses. He came over to the Chapmans and introduced himself. His outgoing friendliness immediately put Sandy and Kate at their ease.
‘And this is the little lady who’s not been well,’ said Ross, going down on one knee to take Amanda’s hand and give it a little squeeze. ‘Well, we’ll see about that, won’t we? We’ve got a surprise for you. Do you like surprises?’
Amanda, thumb still in mouth, nodded.
‘Good,’ said Ross. He turned to one of the nurses, who handed him a gift-wrapped parcel which he in turn handed to Amanda. ‘This is for you. Shall I help you open it?’
Amanda nodded again and Ross tore away the paper to reveal a fluffy toy rabbit. ‘This is Albert. What d’you think?’ he asked.
Amanda took her thumb from her mouth and smiled broadly as she took the toy. It was infectious. They all smiled.
‘That was very kind,’ said Kate. Sandy nodded his agreement.
‘Not at all,’ said Ross. ‘We do this for all our young patients.’
Sandy started to remind him that they were not paying customers but Kinscherf stopped him almost immediately. He held up his hand and said, ‘As far as we are concerned, Amanda is our patient and will be treated exactly as any other of our patients. All our people deserve and get the best.’
‘Thank you,’ said Sandy.
‘I think we should see about getting this young lady admitted, don’t you, Nurse?’ said Ross.
One of the nurses stepped forward and took Amanda gently from her mother. There was a moment when it looked as if Amanda was going to protest loudly but Ross said quickly, ‘Don’t worry. Mummy is coming along too. Shall we move?’
Everyone walked over to the lift, which took them up to the transplant unit. There, Kate and Sandy were ushered out last by the nurse who had been detailed to look after them while her colleague took care of Amanda. She made small-talk about the weather as they followed Ross and Kinscherf along the corridor.
‘Here we are,’ said Ross. ‘This is Amanda’s room.’
Kate and Sandy broke into smiles as they entered. The room looked as if it had been specially designed for a little girl of Amanda’s age. Characters from Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh lined the walls in friendly profusion. A number of dolls and cuddly toys were arranged around the room, making a link between reality and the characters on the walls. A giant doll’s house stood in the corner beside the bed.
Ross turned to Amanda and said, ‘Mummy and Daddy and I are going to have a little chat next door while Nurse gets you ready for bed. We’ll come back in a few minutes, I promise. Will that be all right?’
Amanda nodded and Kate and Sandy smiled at how quickly she had succumbed to Ross’s obvious way with children. They followed Ross along to his office and sat on two leather chairs in front of his desk while he opened Amanda’s case notes.
‘We’ll get her on to dialysis this evening and then see how she does before we go any further,’ said Ross. ‘The important thing will be to try to get her into a stable condition so we can establish a routine for her instead of constantly altering dialysis times and schedules. If we can do that, she’ll settle down and her general level of fitness will improve. There’s also the problem of tissue degradation to deal with, but first things first, eh?’
‘Absolutely,’ said Kate.
‘But a word of caution. Our colleagues at the Children’s Hospital didn’t manage to succeed and I can’t promise anything either,’ said Ross. ‘We’ll do our best, but a transplant is still Amanda’s best option. It may be her only one but that, as you know, is outside our control.’
‘We understand,’ said Sandy.
‘Good.’
‘About visiting, Doctor,’ began Kate.
‘Any time you like,’ said Ross. ‘And any time you feel like staying over, that’s quite all right too. You may stay as our guests.’
‘That’s good to know,’ said Kate.
‘I suggest that you don’t stay tonight, however. We’d like Amanda to get used to us. It’s important that we gain her trust. Don’t worry, we’ll look after her.’
‘I’m sure you will,’ said Kate. ‘Thank you, Doctor. We’re most grateful.’
Kate and Sandy returned to Amanda’s room to find her in her pyjamas, listening to the nurse, who was explaining the ins and outs of the doll’s house to her.
‘There’s a little switch at the back here that makes the lights go on. See?’
The windows of the doll’s house lit up and Amanda grinned. She looked up at her mother and father and then back at the doll’s house, as if a little embarrassed at being so outwardly pleased.
Sandy and Kate exchanged glances and smiled.
‘Would you like Daddy to build you one of these for when you come home?’ asked Sandy, although there was little doubt about the answer. Amanda nodded and cuddled down into her pillow. Sandy knelt down beside her. ‘It’s a deal then,’ he said. ‘You be a good girl and do what the doctors and nurses tell you and I’ll build you the best doll’s house you ever saw.’
‘Will it have lights?’ asked Amanda.
‘In every room,’ said Sandy and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Amanda put her thumb in her mouth.
‘She’s tired,’ said Kate, taking Sandy’s place beside her and stroking her hair back from her forehead. ‘Mummy and Daddy are going to go now, but we’ll see you tomorrow. Be good.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said the nurse, seeing the vulnerable look that appeared in Kate’s eyes as she got up, ‘we’ll look after her.’
Outside the door Sandy put his arm round Kate’s shoulders. ‘Hey, come on,’ he said. ‘This is the start of better things, remember?’
Kate squeezed his hand. ‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘It’s just that sometimes she looks so small. She’s really just a baby and she’s had such a lot to put up with.’
‘She’ll come through,’ said Sandy. ‘You’ll see.’
‘God, I hope so,’ said Kate dabbing at her eyes with a crumpled tissue she’d extracted from her handbag. She sniffed deeply, then straightened her shoulders and said, ‘Come on, let’s go.’
Outside in the car park Sandy stopped abruptly as they neared Esmeralda.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Kate.
‘Do you get the impression that we may be ever so slightly… out of place?’
Kate looked puzzled; then she saw what he meant. Esmeralda was flanked by a Mercedes saloon on one side and a BMW coupe on the other. ‘Oh dear,’ she said. ‘I fear you may be right.’ A quick glance around showed few of the cars were over two years old and most were top marques.
Sandy held the door open for her and put on his butler’s voice. ‘If Modom would care to enter?’
‘Idiot,’ smiled Kate and got in.
Sandy turned the ignition key, but nothing happened save for a clicking sound. ‘Shit,’ he said.
‘You’re kidding,’ said Kate.
‘’Fraid not,’ said Sandy with a grimace. ‘Esy’s doing the dirty on us.’
‘She knows how to pick her moments,’ said Kate glancing over her shoulder. ‘Any idea what the problem is?’
‘The solenoid’s engaging but the starter motor isn’t turning. Maybe it’s jammed.’
‘Can you fix it?’
‘Can a bird fly?’ Sandy opened his door and got out. Kate waited patiently while he disappeared under the open bonnet. Various swear words told her that work was in progress. The car rocked a little.
‘Give it a try, Kate.’
She moved into the driving seat and turned the key. There was a solitary click, followed by a curse from under the bonnet.
‘No luck?’ asked Kate with slight trepidation.
‘The battery’s flat. We’ll have to bump-start her.’
Kate let off the handbrake and took hold of the steering wheel, while Sandy pushed the car backwards out of its slot. ‘Ready?’ he asked, going round to the back of the car to begin pushing.
&nb
sp; ‘Ready.’
The car park was flat, so there was no convenient gradient to make use of. Sandy found it hard work getting some momentum into Esmeralda. ‘Right!’ he said lifting his hands off the boot and straightening up. Kate let up the clutch and the car jerked to a halt, showing no interest in starting.
‘Right, we’ll try again,’ said Sandy.
‘Can I help?’ said a male voice at Sandy’s shoulder.
Sandy turned to find a tall, dark-haired man standing there.
‘She seems a bit reluctant,’ the stranger went on.
‘I don’t understand it,’ said Sandy. ‘She can’t be that cold. She’s only been parked for half an hour and the battery goes flat.’
The two men gave Esmeralda a good shove and built up more momentum than the time before. ‘Right!’ yelled Sandy.
Once again Esmeralda jerked, then lurched to a halt in mechanical silence.
‘Third time lucky,’ said the stranger, resting his hands on the boot again.
Sandy nodded, then suddenly looked up as if he’d had an idea and said, ‘Kate?’
‘Yes?’ came the reply.
‘You have got the ignition on, haven’t you?’
There was a long pause before a small voice said, ‘Sorry.’
Sandy and the stranger smiled at each other and gave Esmeralda another shove. This time her engine came to life when Kate let up the clutch, and Kate drove her round the square while Sandy thanked the stranger for his help.
‘Not at all. Been visiting one of the patients?’
‘Our daughter’s just been admitted to the transplant unit.’
‘That’ll be Dr Ross’s unit.’
‘Then you work here?’ said Sandy. ‘A doctor?’
‘Sort of.’ The man held out his hand and said, ‘Steven Dunbar.’
‘Sandy Chapman. That’s my wife, Kate, just starting lap two in the green Williams Renault, known to us as Esmeralda.’
Dunbar at once recognized the name ‘Chapman’ from his conversation with Clive Turner, and smiled.
Esmeralda came slowly past with Kate looking anxiously out of the window. ‘When can I stop?’ she asked.
