Heartless Reaction
Page 21
‘There’s a gown on the bed,’ said the nurse. ‘Please get changed and someone will be in to see you soon.’
‘Is there Wi-Fi in here? asked Ron.
‘Er, yes, the information is in the folder there, along with the code.’
The nurse left and Ron proceeded to flick through the information folder. Maureen sighed. Would he ever change, she thought to himself.
‘Ah, that’s it,’ said Ron. ‘That’s a relief, the reception is rubbish out here.’
‘Don’t you think you should get changed?’
‘In a minute, hang on, Sidney was sending some stuff through to me.’ His mobile pinged as messages arrived. ‘Oh, there’s one from Brett as well. Thank you for your interest in the University stake blah blah, we will be operating the usual tender process for the equity. I will inform you about the deadline for applying when we have a final decision...,’ Ron was still reading out the message when a nurse knocked on the door.
‘Oh, Mr Radford, you aren’t changed yet. Never mind, I’ll run through these questions with you and then you can get changed afterwards.’
Maureen sat down whilst Ron began to answer the questions brusquely. At one point he had to ask her to repeat what she was saying as his attention had been drawn to the screen of his mobile as another email flashed up briefly. Not for the first time, Maureen felt embarrassed at the way he dealt with people he regarded as subordinate. Thinking back she realised it was his general disposition as he’d even treated the cardiologist in a similar manner.
‘Thank you, nurse,’ said Maureen as Ron had failed to respond.
‘Someone will be in soon to put a cannula in your hand,’ she said. ‘Perhaps you could put the gown on now. It fastens up the back and on the shoulders.’
‘Hmmm,’ murmured Ron as he typed out a message on his phone.
Maureen looked at Ron and despaired. Right at that moment, she wished she could climb into a separate bed and deny all association with her selfish husband.
Chapter 41
It was now approaching 4 p.m. and Ron was still waiting to be taken to the operating theatre. Despite having access to the Internet he was becoming increasingly impatient.
‘Can you go and see what’s happening?’ he asked. ‘Fuck’s sake, how much longer?’
‘I’m sure they’ve not forgotten you,’ said Maureen. She was beginning to feel very tense as it was impossible to read or concentrate on anything with Ron huffing and puffing.
‘I’ve got a horrible headache with being dehydrated. I’ve not had any fluids for nine hours now. What a shambles! I’m paying for this too.’
‘Look, it can’t be much longer now. There must have been an unavoidable delay. Sometimes things don’t always run to time, there can be problems in the theatre.’
‘God, don’t say that! I’m worried enough as it is. I hope the surgeon knows what he is doing and isn’t going to be practising on me!’
‘I didn’t mean that. I just mean perhaps the patient before you has presented with some unexpected complications. I’ll shut up as I’m getting tense as well.’
Suddenly the door opened and two nurses arrived.
‘Mr Radford, we are ready for you now, sorry about the slight delay.’
Ron didn’t reply.
‘Bye, darling,’ said Maureen. ‘I’ll see you later, back here.’
‘Bye,’ said Ron.
‘Oh, Mr Radford. Please leave your phone here or give it to your wife.’
‘Oh, yes, Maureen, can you take this, please? There’s no need to answer any calls, just let it go to voicemail.’
‘I won’t,’ smiled Maureen. She put the phone in her bag. After he had left the room she breathed a sigh of relief and went to find the cafe and a welcome cup of tea.
**
Ron’s operation was over and he was back in his room. Although he’d not had a general anaesthetic he’d had sedation and consequently was still drowsy. As Maureen went over to him to kiss him he opened his eyes and smiled at her. He still had electrodes on his chest and was hooked up to a heart monitor.
‘Mr Radford,’ said the nurse. ‘Try to drink some water. Would you like a cup of tea and a sandwich?’
‘Er, tea, yes, thank you. Nothing to eat yet.’
She brought the tea and Ron sat up to drink it. He took a few sips then retched. Maureen could see what was happening and held a cardboard dish under his mouth. Ron lay back against the pillows looking pale.
‘Can you take this cannula out, please. When can I go home?’
‘All in good time,’ said the nurse. ‘We need to make sure you are monitored for a while before you leave. You are still sedated after the procedure. Try some water again when you feel able and I’ll be back in a while.’
Ron sighed and looked annoyed.
‘What time is it Maureen?’
‘Just coming up to six.’
‘Well, hopefully, I’ll be out soon.’ He winced and put his hand to his chest.
‘Are you OK? Shall I get the nurse?’
‘I’m OK, I’ll just lie back for a minute.’
Maureen sat down next to the bed and held his hand. She hoped Ron would keep calm but she didn’t think it looked very likely he would be home that evening.
**
Savannah’s hopes for a pleasant afternoon hadn’t materialised. Tyler had driven her to Breckton and she was now alone, waiting on a street corner. She was beginning to feel self-conscious and had received some catcalls from passing vehicles. She texted Ty to tell him that she was still waiting and was getting impatient. Whilst awaiting his reply, a car drew up a few yards along the road from her. She could see there were two male occupants. The passenger door opened and a young man wearing low-slung jeans, trainers and a hoodie sauntered along to her.
‘You Savannah?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I’ve got your gear. Here it is,’ she said as she reached in her bag.
‘Fuck! Not here!’ he hissed.
‘Get in the car.’
‘No way, I don’t know you. Give me the money.’
‘OK, OK, we don’t have to get in the car but we need to do business away from here. I’ll walk along and you follow at a distance. There’s a park along the road, we can go in there, OK?’
‘I’m not sure. I need to make a call.’
She speed-dialled Tyler.
‘They want me to go to a park with them. You never said anything about that! I don’t feel safe.’
‘Babe, I know the guys. They won’t hurt you. If it makes you feel better, phone me and stay on the line whilst you do the deal, OK? I’ll be able to hear what’s going on.’
‘OK, Ty. Come and pick me up soon, please?’
‘I will, babe, as soon as the deal is done. I’ll tell you where to meet me, OK?’
‘OK.’ She disconnected. ‘I’ll come to the park but I’m going to stay on the phone when we get there.’
‘Sensible. You’re a bright kid,’ said the young man. ‘See you soon.’
Savannah watched where he went then followed him. She was going to have to have a serious chat with Ty when he picked her up. This wasn’t at all what she’d imagined from the relationship.
**
After an hour or so, Ron agreed to try to eat a piece of toast but had been unable to manage much of it. He lay back against the pillows and Maureen felt his forehead which was slightly clammy.
‘Just try to drink water, don’t bother about eating for the moment.’
‘It was all cold and chewy, disgusting,’ said Ron. ‘God, the amount I’m paying you’d think they could work a toaster.’
At that moment the door opened and the surgeon came into the room.
‘Mr Radford, how are you feeling?’
‘Fine, thanks. Everything went OK I take it?’
‘The procedure went as well as expected. However, I need to speak to you about your heart.’
‘Yes? What about it?’
‘We are worried that it is starting to strug
gle. We’ve inserted a stent at the position with the most damage and cleared out some of the furring of the arteries. However, those things may not be enough. The blood tests have shown that your heart function is quite poor. There are elevated markers indicating that it isn’t working efficiently. That’s why your kidneys need help with diuretics.’
‘Just get to the point,’ said Ron, rudely.
Maureen tried to catch the doctor’s gaze to give him a sympathetic glance but he carried on regardless. He was obviously used to patients being grumpy and probably put it down to the effects of the sedation. Little did he know that Ron often adopted that tone.
‘I strongly advise you to take things very easy when you go home from here. No stressful events. Take plenty of gentle exercise. Cut down on the booze.’
‘That’s it, then?’
‘Not exactly. We think it highly likely that you will need a heart bypass operation in the near future.’
‘Oh, God, not more time in this place. Is it really necessary? Can’t I just see how I get on?’
‘You can but you might not be running that particular experiment for too long. Your heart could easily start to fail and drugs can only do so much. In my opinion, it could be a foolish decision.’
‘Because I’ll get worse?’
‘That is a certainty but from my experience, it won’t take much for a heart in the same condition as yours to have a serious heart attack. By serious I mean fatal.’
Maureen gasped.
‘Sorry, Mrs Radford, I don’t mean to shock you but I have to make the facts clear. There is no point in trying to cover this up or sugar the pill, so to speak. Please make sure your husband appreciates my concern and contacts Dr Young’s secretary as soon as possible.’
‘I’m still here,’ said Ron. ‘No need to talk as if I’ve died already.’
‘I’m not, sir, I just want your wife to be fully aware of my recommendations.’
‘Right, well, if I’m going to be back here soon then I best get off home and get things sorted out. Perhaps you can get a nurse to take this blasted cannula out?’
‘I would like you to stay in overnight. We need to monitor you and make sure everything is OK. You wouldn’t want your wife to be worried in the night and have to call for an ambulance, would you?’
‘Doesn’t it just get better and better,’ sighed Ron, shaking his head. ‘I hope at least there’s something decent to watch on TV tonight.’
Chapter 42
As soon as Maureen arrived home, she poured herself a large gin and tonic. It had been a stressful day and had ended on a worrying note. Ron’s irascible nature had finally proved too much and she’d ended up shouting at him. She immediately apologised and explained that she was just worried about him. They’d parted on good terms with him promising to phone her later to let her know how he was feeling.
She felt exhausted and didn’t feel like food but she did feel like another gin and tonic. The first one had disappeared without her really noticing. She put on the BBC news channel to try to distract herself from Ron and his heart problem when the landline rang.
‘Oh, sorry to disturb you, Mrs Radford, Corey here. There’s a gentleman to see Mr Radford. Says it’s urgent.’
‘Well, have you told him he’s in hospital?’
‘Yes, but he’s insisting on speaking to someone.’
‘Who is it?’
‘Tomek Sobol, at least that’s what I think he said.’
‘Never heard of him. What’s it about?’
‘Something to do with ClinTry.’
‘Can’t you tell him to speak to Dr Dalton?’
‘Wait a minute, Mrs Radford.’
Maureen could hear some muffled conversation.
‘No, he won’t leave. He must speak to you.’
‘Oh, well, OK. Bring him up to the house but I want you to come with him. I don’t want to be alone with him. Not unless we know he’s not going to harm me.’
‘Right-ho. See you in a few minutes.’
Maureen checked her appearance in the downstairs cloakroom. She looked tired and drawn but otherwise presentable. She hoped it would be a quick conversation and nothing contentious. The doorbell rang and she went to see if she could help the visitor whose name she had already forgotten.
**
‘Here’s the money.’ The dealer offered it to Savannah then snatched it away.
‘Give it to me!’ she shouted.
‘Give me a kiss first!’ he laughed.
‘Fuck you! Give it to me!’
‘You want to fuck me? That what you just said?’
‘Ty, he’s pissing me around!’ she cried into her phone.
‘It’s OK, babe, he’s just messing. Do you want me to speak to him?’
‘Yes, please. Come and get me will you?’
‘Pass him to me. I’ll have a word.’
Savannah reluctantly handed over her phone. She felt even more vulnerable now. The dealer wandered away and she could hear him laughing away into her phone. He looked over towards her and laughed even more. It was clear they were having a joke at her expense and she was close to tears. He ended the call and wandered over.
‘Here’s your money. Lighten up, it was just a bit of fun, eh?’
‘Ha, fucking, ha,’ she said, stuffing the money into the pocket of her jeans.
‘I’ve put my number into your contacts if you change your mind. It’s under Sexy Beast, by the way!’ he threw his head back laughing.
Savannah didn’t bother to answer but stomped off back towards the entrance of the park and speed-dialled Ty.
‘I’ve got the money, please come and pick me up, I’m frightened,’ she said, her voice trembling.
‘Be with you in five,’ he replied. ‘See you where I dropped you, OK?’
‘OK, please hurry,’ she said, starting to jog back to the street corner. This afternoon had been a lesson to her. Somehow she needed to explain to Ty that she wasn’t cut out for this life. She just hoped he wouldn’t be too angry with her.
**
‘Mr Sobol, to see you,’ said Corey.
‘Come in,’ said Maureen and offered her hand.
‘Tomek Sobol,’ he repeated.
‘How may I help you?’
‘I need you to give a message to Mr Radford.’
‘Well, yes but why is it so urgent?’
‘I want to be taken seriously. It’s important. My girlfriend had a problem after taking part in a clinical trial. I want compensation.’
‘Now, I think we better sit down,’ said Maureen. ‘Corey, could you leave us for a minute?’
‘Yes, but I need to check Mr Sobol. You can’t be too careful.’
Corey asked Tomek to remove his jacket. He searched the pockets, then did a body search as conducted by airport security. He felt his ankles in case he had a knife strapped there. Finally, he gave Maureen a panic alarm. Maureen herself felt alarmed by his precautions. She wasn’t used to this level of security, unlike Corey and that indicated the circles Ron moved in and the visitors they were used to at Brensford Manor.
‘Can you start at the beginning please, Mr Sobol.’
Tomek relayed his story and Maureen listened carefully. As the story unfolded it took her back to the evening when she and Ron had frankly admitted their dubious behaviours. Once again it appeared that a line had been crossed and it made for uncomfortable listening.
**
Savannah was willing Ty’s car to arrive as she paced back and forth on the pavement. The light was failing so approaching cars had their headlights on making it hard for her to see. Her eyes felt dazzled but finally, a car slowed and she recognised his outline through the windscreen.
‘I thought you’d forgotten about me!’ she screamed as she got into the car.
‘Sorry, babe, had a few calls and I had to stop driving. I don’t want to be caught breaking the law.’
‘Very funny. I was so frightened. I’m still shaking,’ she said, her voice breaking.
Savannah was still a turmoil of emotions. Although she regarded herself as streetwise this was a step towards a different world and she was beginning to have regrets.
‘Sav, aren’t you speaking to me?’
She nodded, avoiding his eyes.
‘I’ve got a nice present back at the house for you. Shall we go there?’
‘OK,’ she said. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
‘That’s better,’ he said and he pulled away, wheels spinning. ‘Open the glove-box, there’s some booze in there. Have a swig and it’ll make you feel a bit better.’
Savannah uncapped the part full bottle of vodka and took a large swig. The spirit burned her dry throat as it went down. She took another generous gulp and put her head back against the headrest listening to the loud beat of the car stereo. The alcohol soon started to perfuse into her veins and by the time they reached Persford she felt much more relaxed.
**
‘Well, I must say I am shocked by your story,’ said Maureen. ‘I regard your allegations as very serious.’
‘What will you do?’
‘I will speak to my husband, please be assured.’
‘I am not going to leave this alone!’ shouted Tomek.
‘I understand. Now, I want you to give me your full name and address and contact details, please write them down,’ she passed him a pad and pen. ‘I’m going to give you my mobile number. You can also contact me at Welch Properties. We have an office in town. Do you know it?’
‘No, but I can find out.’
‘Excellent. Now my husband is not well at the moment, he is in hospital. I am handling his business matters.’
‘I see.’
‘So, I’ll be in touch and you can contact me on this number or Welch Properties. Also, I would like to meet you again at the office in town. Would that be suitable for you?’
‘Yes, I suppose. You mean not here?’
‘No, please do not come here again. Only the office in town.’
‘You will compensate me?’