by Jamie Bowers
‘Thank you,’ he said, letting out a gasp of air, ‘that feels so much better.’ Francis put the leftover pieces of bandage in the box and closed the lid, ‘It won’t last you long. If you keep walking around you’ll end up doing more damage. What you need to do is rest it for as long as possible. You can sleep in one of the spare rooms. The door after the bathroom has the bed already made up and I figure it’s not too far for you to go in the night.’ Joe reached his hand across and placed it on top of Francis’.
He gazed into her eyes, ‘I don’t know what I would do without you.’ Francis’ eyes started to fill with tears as she stared back at him, ‘What’s the matter?’ he asked as he lowered his leg gently to get himself to sit closer to her.
‘It’s nothing,’ she replied whilst wiping a single tear from her cheek, ‘I live in this house all by myself and you forget how much you miss just talking to someone, no matter what it is.’ Joe wiped his thumb across her face to catch the tears as they fell.
‘Why are you on your own?’ he asked, ‘This place is far too big and posh for someone like you.’ Francis turned her head away and stared deep into the fireplace as the flames jumped about.
‘When I was seventeen my uncle died,’ she said with a quake in her voice, ‘he left me this house because he didn’t have any family of his own. I would come here when I was a kid, mostly in the summertime and we would have so much fun. He would take me to Central Park, up the Empire State and we would always catch a show on Broadway. This was my home away from home. I grew up on Rhode Island originally where I lived with my mum and dad, and when my uncle died I was devastated. I came here straight away and didn’t want to leave. For several weeks after he had gone I would sit on his bed at night holding his dressing gown tight and imagining he was still here. The plan was that my parents were going to move in here as well and sell their house, but it never happened.’ Joe reached his hand around her chin and turned her head to face him.
‘Why not?’ He asked. Francis wiped the tears from her face before continuing.
‘We couldn’t afford much and a car was never something we would ever buy. My mum and dad caught the bus into the city and I went to meet them. As they stepped off the bus I could see them from across the road, I was so happy that we would be together again. It had been months since I had seen them and with the house and money my uncle left me, my dad could retire and didn’t have to work anymore. As I looked across the road at my mum and dad, another man stepped off the bus behind them. It all happened so fast, he just pulled out a gun and started shooting the people on the kerb, like the games you see at the fairground. But this wasn’t some little duck shapes cut out of metal, it was my only family that he was shooting at. Before anyone knew what was happening the man pressed the end of the gun against the underneath of his chin and pulled the trigger. It all went by at such a blur yet I have relived that moment every day since in slow motion. The screams of people around silenced any other noise that came from the city. I remember shouting for my mum and dad as I ran across the road, dodging the people and cars as they scrambled out of the way. By the time I got to them it was too late, they had already died and I couldn’t help them. I couldn’t even hug them one last time.’ Francis turned her head away from Joe once more, frantically wiping the tears away with her hands.
‘I am so sorry,’ said Joe as he sat closer and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, ‘I had no idea. Do you know who the man was?’ Francis sat silent for a few seconds as she wiped the tears away and gathered her breath once more.
‘He was in the army,’ she said as she looked down at the tears soaking into her blue denim jeans, ‘just like you, Joe. He was sent away because they say there was something wrong with his mind but as soon as he got home he was forgotten about, just like you.’ Joe sat back slowly.
‘I would never hurt you, Francis. You have to believe me.’
‘I do,’ she said patting her hand on his knee, ‘I believe you don’t want to hurt anyone. I forgave that man for what he did because I realise it wasn’t his fault. I do my job because I want to help people that the others forget about. I know that there is something special with you Joe and I want to help.’ Turning to Joe, he held his arms tightly around Francis and embraced her as she wept onto his shoulder.
After several minutes of emotion, Francis stood up and placed the box of medical supplies back under the coffee table.
‘I need to get some sleep,’ she said as she walked towards the stairs, ‘and you do too if you want your leg to get better. I’ll see you in the morning. If you need a drink to ease the pain and help you sleep, you can find one in the cabinet in the other room.’ Joe looked over to Francis as she ascended the staircase.
‘Thank you.’ He couldn’t say it enough; she could have left him on the street but decided to help.
Joe slowly stood up and extended his legs, he could feel the dressing gave him better support allowing him to put more weight down. Slowly, he walked to the next room and opened the door. He could see that the same décor extended throughout the house, wooden panelling on every wall highlighted by unique artwork, ornate artefacts and furniture. In the centre of the room stood a large, solid wood dining table, smoothed and polished to the high standard as the grand chairs that surrounded it. In the corner was a cabinet with a small row of tumblers and a few bottles of alcohol on top. Joe stepped over to the cabinet, grabbed a glass and poured himself a large amount of whisky. He lifted the glass to his nose, smelling the whisky it gave Joe an instant sense of satisfaction, he had no idea how much he missed it. Knocking back the whisky with one mouthful, he slammed the glass back on the counter, giving out a sigh of pleasure as he swallowed. Without even a thought, he poured even more whisky into the glass and drank it in one mouthful. He continued to pour and drink without letting go of the bottle or glass. Pressing the empty glass against his forehead, Joe struggled to keep himself steady, leaning on the cabinet for support. He placed the glass on the cabinet and pushed himself up with his arms.
Joe looked down at his legs and realised that the drink had gotten the better of him. He was feeling less pain than before, but this wasn’t good for him as he was unsure what more damage he might do. Slowly, he walked back through the house and over to the staircase, holding onto the railing he began to hoist his body up the steps, like a mountain climber pulling on a rope as he rose up the steep surface. Eventually he got to the top of the stairs and rounded the corner to his room. Without even turning on the light, he could see enough being illuminated by the light from the moon and the streetlamps outside his window, he stumbled to the bed; slowly lifting his leg onto the mattress he dropped his body onto the soft, cotton bedding. Instantly the comfort engulfed his senses and he felt as though he had collapsed on a cloud, so much more attractive than anything else he had ever slept on.
Chapter Twenty-Four
‘Joe? Are you awake?’ said Francis as she gently placed her hand on his back to wake him. ‘I got you something to get your energy up.’ Joe slowly opened his eyes and turned himself over onto his back.
‘My stomach, it hurts.’ He said as he rubbed his hands across his abdomen. Francis opened a bottle of tablets and placed two in Joe’s hand.
‘Take these, they should help you.’ she passed him a glass of water and he took a sip, swallowing the tablets. Francis took the glass and placed it on the bedside table next to a bowl a soup. ‘Are you hungry?’ she asked.
‘I don’t have time to eat,’ said Joe sitting up. ‘I need to get out of here and find Gina and Mary. But I need you to find out where Gordy’s keeping them.’ Francis sat on the edge of the bed and held onto Joe’s hand.
‘I’ve already followed him, Joe.’ She said. ‘It’s five in the afternoon; you’ve been asleep for almost nineteen hours.’ Joe raised his eyebrows in shock.
‘Wow! I suppose this bed is more comfortable than I thought. So what happened? Do you know where he’s keeping them?’ Francis took a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts
before speaking.
‘I borrowed a car from a friend and sat outside his shop for several hours this morning, he eventually turned up with your brother and they were in there for some time. When they came out they got in a car and drove around the city, stopping at different shops and picking things up. Your brother did all the driving and just sat in the car whilst Gordy went in each shop. I followed them over the river to a warehouse on the docks. I had to keep my distance but could see the building had several men guarding it, each of them armed and never out of sight of one another.’ Joe leant forward with more intent.
‘I need to get there now.’ He moved forward and tried to shuffle his legs off the bed. Clutching his stomach once more he let out a scream of pain.
‘You are not going anywhere, Joe.’ said Francis, pushing him back onto the bed, ‘You’re in no fit state to leave the house. You need to heal before you even think about doing anything. I have to go to work tomorrow, but I swear that I will help you get better.’ Joe turned onto his side to get more comfortable.
‘Please, just tell me where it is and you won’t see me again.’ He asked
‘That’s what I’m afraid of,’ said Francis, ‘I don’t want you going in there half dead just for them to finish the job. Now you can either get some rest and go back to sleep or you can eat the soup. Either way, you’re staying here.’ Joe gave a smile as she gave her orders.
‘You’ll be a matron one day, Franny. You’re as tough as my old Sergeant Major.’ Francis stood from the bed, took a blanket from the floor and draped it over Joe’s legs.
‘If you insist on lying on the bed in just the robe, I will try and make you feel more comfortable.’ Joe lay as he watched Francis leave the room and close the door behind her, the pain in his stomach was worse than he had ever felt before. He clutched his hands as tight as he could and curled up to try and relieve the pain, all the while trying to think of what his next move will be.
Lying on the bed in agony for several hours, Joe found that sleep wouldn’t come naturally. Maybe it was the amount of sleep he had already had or maybe it was a million thoughts running through his head like a herd of wildebeests running across the African plains. As time passed and the sun set, Joe kept staring at the light shining through the gap under his door, all the time waiting for Francis to come back and tell him more about where Gina and Mary were being held.
After some time Joe heard footsteps downstairs, more than one pair of feet and this concerned him. He gently lifted his feet off the bed and onto the floor; the cold, polished wood on his bare soles reminded him of his first morning in his prison cell. Limping softly to the door he could hear voices in the hallway. He quietly opened the door and peaked through the gap but couldn’t see anything more than the well decorated walls and stairway. The voices were louder with the door open but he still couldn’t make out what was being said. Joe stepped quietly out of his bedroom and onto the landing. Fastening his robe Joe leant slowly over the railing to get a look at who was talking. He couldn’t see anyone and thought they must be in the living room so he walked towards the top of the stairs to try and get a view. Holding onto the top of the railing he arched his body out over the stairs to look. Joe could see a man sitting at the end of the sofa holding a coffee cup, but he couldn’t position himself to see his face.
‘I think I know what’s wrong with him,’ said the man, ‘but I want to get him back in the prison where I can keep him under observation.’ It was Doctor Gable. Joe couldn’t believe this, after he had put his trust into Francis she has told him that Joe is here, that must be the reason why she wouldn’t let him leave. He listened further as best he could. ‘It’s something I have only read about in medical journals and textbooks but I have never witnessed it in person. But it does explain everything.’
Joe could see Doctor Gable place his hand in his bag and pass a piece of paper over the coffee table to Francis. He tried to lean out further but his leg started to give way, causing him to lose his grip. Quickly, he grabbed the rail with his other hand and pulled his body back with all his strength. Stumbling on the top step, he fell onto the landing, hitting the floor with a thud.
‘What was that?’ said Gable as he got up and went into the hallway, ‘Is someone in the house?’ Francis quickly ran in to stop Gable.
‘It’s nothing,’ she said standing in his way at the bottom of the stairs, ‘it will just be my maid. I forgot she was here.’ Gable tried to look up to the top of the stairs but couldn’t see anything,.
It’s a bit late for here to be here, isn’t it?’ he asked. ‘Francis stepped up onto the first step to obscure his view.
‘No. It’s fine. She had a hospital appointment today so I told her she could come in tonight instead.’ Joe had managed to roll himself to the back wall, just out of view of Francis and Doctor Gable. He lay flat on his back, holding his stomach as the dull pain set in.
‘Why don’t we carry on in here?’ asked Francis gesturing to the living room. ‘I’m sure if she’s broken something we can sort this out.’ Gable walked slowly to the living room, all the while still staring at the landing.
‘Okay,’ he said, ‘if you’re sure everything is okay.’ As they walked out of the hallway Joe rolled himself over to his stomach and edged towards the railing, listening as the conversation continued.
‘I didn’t know who else I could talk to about this,’ said Gable as he took his seat once more on the sofa, ‘I want to find him before it is too late.’ Joe was intrigued, wondering what they were talking about. It wasn’t easy for Joe to hear everything that was being said, he could only really make out the Doctor’s side of the conversation
‘If you hear anything at all,’ he said as he stood from the sofa, ‘you have to let me know. But don’t tell anyone else.’ Doctor Gable walked towards the front door; Joe ducked out of view as he left. Francis escorted him out.
‘Thank you for letting me know.’ She said as she closed the door.
‘Is he gone?’ said Joe from the floor of the landing.
‘Yes,’ replied Francis walking up the stairs, ‘you need to be more careful.’ She sat on the floor next to Joe and helped him to sit up with his back against the bannister.
‘Was that about me?’ he asked
‘Yes, Joe.’ She said as she nervously picked her fingernails. ‘Doctor Gable doesn’t know that you’re here but we can only talk to one another about what happened or else we will both lose our jobs. He says that you have something wrong with your stomach.’
‘I could have told you that.’ Joe interrupted as he tried to get comfortable. ‘So, what is it?’ he asked, ‘An ulcer?’ Francis picked at her nails, all the while refraining from any eye contact with Joe.
‘You have cancer, Joe.’ She said as a tear rolled down her cheek. ‘He thinks that it started in your liver and has progressed through your body and maybe to the brain, this could be why you have been imagining things that aren’t really there.’ Joe sat silent, not sure of what to think. ‘This is dangerous stuff, Joe.’ Francis said as she reached her hand out to his, ‘I am here for you but I need you to promise that you will stay here, at least until you’re better.’ Joe raised his hands to his face and let out a cry, sobbing as tears dripped through his fingers and down his wrists onto the white robe he was still wearing. ‘I am sorry to be the one to tell you this, Joe. But I thought it was best I told you.’ Joe lowered his hands and sucked back the tears enough to speak.
‘Thank you.’ he said with his eyes red from emotion. Francis stood up and grabbed Joe gently by his arm.
‘You need to go to bed and rest.’ She said lifting him to his feet. ‘I will get you some more clothes when I finish work and we will talk some more.’ Joe limped to his feet and walked slowly towards his bedroom door. Turning the handle he looked back at Francis standing at the top of the stairs. Without either of them saying a word Joe went into his room and closed the door behind him. Still in darkness, the room made Joe feel alone in once again. He limped to the b
ed and sat on the edge of the mattress, unsure of what to think. Looking out the window at the moon shining down, Joe lay on the bed and pulled the blanket over. He was shaking with emotion as he closed his eyes and tried to forget everything.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Joe wasn’t able to sleep much throughout the night, all the while his head awash with emotion. The morning sun began to shine a beam of light across the bedroom and onto the bed, his legs getting warm under the rays. He sat up in the bed and could see that the bowl of soup was still sat on the table. It had gone cold and a thin film had formed on the surface. Joe slowly slid his legs off the bed and onto the floor, easing every movement as his entire body felt numb with pain. He stood upright and fastened the robe around his waist. Limping to the door he turned he handle and looked out on the landing. He hobbled down the stairs, holding onto the rail as he went down each step. Walking through to the living room he called.
‘Hello?’ there was no answer so he went into the dining room, ‘Francis, are you here?’ still no answer. Joe assumed she had gone to work and he was left alone for the day. He opened the sliding door at the back of the dining room to reveal the kitchen. A grand room with polished worktops and gleaming handles, cleaned spotlessly from edge to edge. Joe stepped over to the worktop in the middle of the kitchen where he saw a piece of paper. It had been folded in half with his name handwritten on the outside. Picking it up, he opened it and read it to himself:
Joe,
I have gone to work and will be back later tonight. I’ve given the cleaner the week off so you don’t have to worry about anyone finding you. Please don’t answer the phone or the door and make sure you stay in the house. There is food and drink in the cupboards if you fancy something. Don’t worry about making a mess, I will sort it out when I get home.
