The Bubble Boy
Page 4
I shake my head. ‘But it just crashed.’
‘Not crashed. It disappeared. Dark, mysterious, sinister. That could be aliens.’
He stares out of the window like any moment now a plane is going to fly over. ‘And another thing,’ he says turning back to me, ‘this thing in Russia, the Crimea. If this was sixty years ago, it would be war now, already. You know why it’s not?’
I open my mouth to say something but even if I did know what to say no words would have come out. Amir nods his head slowly. ‘Because of aliens,’ he says. ‘We should never have meddled with Mars.’
I feel my heart beating hard in my chest. I back away from the window.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Umm . . . Toilet!’
‘Toilet? But you can’t,’ he says.
‘Why not?’
‘Because you’ll miss them landing.’ He points out of the window.
I pick my laptop off of my bed and hide it behind my back. Amir turns around. ‘You hurry,’ he says. ‘They travel faster than light.’
‘Okay,’ I say. I don’t mention that if they travel faster than light I probably won’t be able to see them anyway. I back into the bathroom. ‘I . . . I won’t be long.’ I close the door. Amir is mad. He’s crazy. But the hospital wouldn’t let a crazy person in. They must have interviewed him and checked his qualifications. But maybe he didn’t even meet them? Maybe he hasn’t even come from India. He might have arrived on an alien spaceship and snuck in here in the middle of the night. I put my hands on my head. I don’t know what to do, but I can’t go back out there. I need to talk to someone. Beth will be working and I can’t contact Greg. I sit down on the toilet seat and open my laptop.
Henry!
19:00
Hi Joe. What are you doing?
19:00
Something’s happened.
19:00
Low whites? Don’t worry, they’ll transfuse.
19:01
No, results not back yet.
19:01
What then?
19:02
My nurse is weird
19:02
How so?
19:02
He believes in aliens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
19:03
Oh, cool!
19:04
But
19:04
Can he teleport?
19:04
What?
19:05
Can he teleport? Maybe he could get you over here
19:05
I’m serious!
19:06
So am I
19:06
Henry, I mean it
19:06
Sorry. What sort of things does he say?
19:07
He doesn’t talk much.
He just stands at the window all day watching planes
19:07
That’s weird
19:07
That’s what I said. I’m scared.
19:08
Tell Beth
19:08
She’s working.
19:09
Tell Greg
19:09
I don’t know where he is. He’s late
19:09
Maybe the aliens got him!
19:09
That’s not funny. He’s outside
19:10
Outside? Where are you?
19:11
Hiding in the toilet.
19:12
Oh crap! Ha.
19:12
‘Joe?’ Amir knocks on the door and makes me jump. ‘You okay?’
‘I’m . . . I’m just washing.’
‘Okay, I wait here.’
Do they have toilets on spaceships?
19:13
It’s not funny
19:14
Maybe a black hole!
19:14
I hear a click and look up. People are talking in the transition zone. I listen, try to work out what they are saying; one of the voices sounds like it’s Greg, the other is so quiet I can barely hear but it must be Amir. I wish they would stop and Greg would just hurry up and come in so I can tell him what is happening.
I go back out into my room and sit on my bed.
Joe, you still there?
19:16
The door clicks open. I wait for Greg’s smiling face to peer round it but all I can see is a white trainer and a brown hand on the frame of the door.
Got to go!
19:17
Why?
19:17
He’s just come back!
19:18
From another Galaxy?
19:18
I put my hand on the lid of my laptop and close it. I can’t believe Henry thinks it’s a joke, but maybe I didn’t explain it right. Sometimes we don’t always quite understand each other. Sometimes I think it’s because it’s hard to tell from what we write; sometimes I think it’s because we’re from different countries.
Amir walks in and closes the door slowly behind him. I check the clock and wonder why Greg didn’t come in – the shift changes at seven so he should have started half an hour ago. Amir stands at the end of my bed.
‘Where’s Greg?’ I ask.
Amir shakes his head.
‘He’s busy. He’ll be back later.’
‘But, he always checks on me before the others!’
Amir isn’t telling me the truth. Greg always comes in.
I hear a sigh. Amir is by the window with his hands on the sill. He leans forward and put his head against the glass. Everything is quiet and still, just the rush of the air-con and the beep of the machines. I hear a low hum, so I glance at the monitors. They’ve never made a noise like this before. The hum gets louder. I look over at the window. Amir is leant forward. The noise is coming from him! What is he doing? I lean over the side of my bed to try to see his face.
He stops when he sees me looking.
‘Headache,’ he says. ‘I’m so tired. You should try this.’
‘Urmm . . . I’m all right.’
‘No, you should. It’s better than pills. You take too many pills.’
‘They stop me from dying.’
Amir smiles. ‘I know, I’m just saying maybe you try new things.’
‘Like humming.’
‘Yes, like humming.’
I wait for him to talk more but all he does is screw his face like he’s in pain then turns away and starts to hum again. I lie back on my bed. Amir is right, the drugs don’t always work, but there’s nothing else I can do. I have to trust the doctors because they’ve kept me alive for eleven years. The humming gets louder as Amir rolls his head against the glass again. I rest my head against the pillow. I’ll try anything to get better. I’ll take any new drug, even if they make me sick sometimes. But humming? I don’t think that will work. And what does a nurse who believes in aliens know anyway?
I turn my head towards the window and watch the pigeons circle outside.
I’m lying on my bed when Greg comes in. I’ve got a headache and even though I’ve drunk loads of water my throat is sore. Greg walks around checking my monitors and writing the figures down. He says he’s sorry, things have gone a bit manic. A new kid with leukaemia came into one of the wards today and he’s had to help him settle in. I ask him if he can stay for just one minute; I’ve got something important to tell him and it won’t take long.
‘You should speak to one of the doctors,’ Greg says.
‘No, I can’t. I can’t talk to them about things like this.’
Greg looks at his watch.
‘Maybe in a couple of hours, mate. Can you wait? Things might have slowed down by then.’
I open my mouth, I want to tell him now, but he really is too busy because he’s already halfway out the door before I can say his name.
I’ll text Beth. She’ll know what to do. I start typing my message then put my phone down again. She worries about me too much already. And I’m not sure she’d bel
ieve me anyway. She’d probably say it was my imagination playing tricks on me.
I open my laptop – four messages from Henry.
Where are you?
19:51
Joe?
19:53
Have you been abducted by aliens?
20:01
Joke!
20:23
It’s nearly midnight when Greg comes back. He stands at the end of my bed and whispers to see if I’m awake. I tell him that I am, that even if I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t. He says he’s got a few minutes now but I think that it’ll take longer than that to tell him everything.
Greg sits down in the chair by the side of my bed. I roll over and look at him. He yawns then pushes his hair out of his eyes.
‘I’m sorry, mate,’ he says. ‘I’m knackered, things went a bit mad.’
‘Is he okay?’
‘Who, mate?’
‘The new kid.’
‘Yeah, he’s good now. His mum and dad are with him. They’re going to stay the night.’
‘What about the snooker-ball kid?’
‘Yeah, mate, he’s fine, too. He’s just had a bit of a reaction to a drug like you do sometimes.’
‘But he’s all right?’
‘Yeah, it just made him run round twice as fast for a while. Hey, you’re nosey!’
I laugh but I’m not sure I should. I know what it feels like when the drugs go wrong. I’ve had it loads of times when the world moves in slow motion but inside my heart is beating double fast.
I look down at my bed.
‘Hey, mate.’ Greg taps my arm. ‘I said he was okay . . . And you had something to tell me. What is it?’
‘It’s okay.’
‘No, come on, tell me.’
I smile. It doesn’t feel right to talk about it now. Not when I hear about all the other kids and their problems. Maybe I’ve been worried about nothing, and Greg seems really tired. But then I look at the window and imagine Amir standing there waiting for the aliens. I’ve got to tell Greg now or I’ll never get to sleep.
‘It’s the new nurse,’ I say.
‘Amir?’
I nod.
‘What’s up? Don’t you like him?’
‘He’s okay.’
‘So what is it then?’
‘. . . I think he might be mad.’
Greg leans forward and ruffles my hair. ‘We all are, mate. We’ve got to be to work here.’
‘No, this is different, he believes in aliens . . .’
‘But that’s okay, isn’t it? Lots of people do.’
‘Maybe, but they don’t spend all day looking out of the window, waiting for them to land!’
Greg laughs. ‘Hey Joe . . . think you’ve been watching too many films.’
I sit up on my bed. ‘No, I think he’s really crazy-mad. He gets really bad headaches, too.’
‘Hey, relax.’ Greg puts his hand on my shoulder.
I take a deep breath.
‘It’ll be okay, mate. Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to him. Maybe he’s messing around. Or it could be he doesn’t know how to talk to kids your age.’
I nod and take another deep breath. Thinking about Amir being a secret mad person is making my heart rate go up.
Greg glances at the clock.
‘Do you have to go?’
He shakes his head.
‘No, we’ve got another five minutes. Have you told anyone else?’
‘Only Henry. He thinks I’ve been abducted.’
Greg laughs and rubs my head.
‘Everything’s going to be fine, mate, I promise. He seems like a good guy. If there really are aliens then they wouldn’t need an airport to land and I doubt they’d be coming to see Amir.’
I laugh.
‘Feel better?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good man.’ Greg stands up. ‘Hey, listen, I won’t see you tomorrow. It’s my turn for a three-day shift this week, but I’ll see you when you I get back.’
I nod. I already knew his shift was ending; I’d counted the days just like I always do.
I ask him what he’s going to do on his days off and he tells me he’s going to go with his girlfriend to see her parents. They live in a small house in Margate with old windows that rattle at night and keep him awake. I ask him if he likes going there and he tells me it’s okay, that him and Katie sleep in the attic room where if he stands on tip-toe he can look out of the window and catch a glimpse of the sea.
‘Can Katie see it too?’
‘Yes, but only if I pick her up.’
He smiles and I smile too.
‘Is she little?’
‘Yeah, mate. She’s not much taller than you.’
‘Is she nice?’
‘Of course.’
‘Do you love her?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you going to marry her?’
‘Might do.’
‘Even if she doesn’t like football?’
Greg laughs. ‘Hey, mate. I’m telling you too much.’
I smile. ‘It’s okay; I’m not going to tell anyone.’
I think he’s going to say something else, but he just looks at me for a long time then he looks down at his wrist and slowly pulls back his sleeve.
‘I know,’ I say. ‘You’ve really got to go.’
‘Afraid so, mate. But it’s only for three days.’ He puts his hand on my head. ‘And hey, make sure you’re looking good for the TV documentary.’
‘Am I allowed to do it?!’ I forget about the aliens for a second and am just filled with excitement instead.
‘If you’re feeling okay. Dr Moore’s going to check again on you tomorrow.’ He notices the giant smile on my face. ‘Ha, that cheered you up! So you’re good now?’
I nod, then slide down into my bed. I listen to Greg’s footsteps as he walks to the door; it clicks open and closes after he has gone. I lie in the dark and think of him talking to Amir in the morning. Everything will be fine after he does, especially now the TV people are coming. Then I think of Greg leaving the hospital – maybe if I’m awake I’ll get up and watch him cycle out onto the road. I wish I’d told him I’d do that so that he would stop at the bus stop and wave up at me. I wish I could text him, but it’s too late. I pick up my laptop. Henry might have been annoying earlier but I want to wish him luck for his walk tomorrow.
Hi Henry
00:06
Hi Joe.
00:06
What are you doing?
00:07
Stuck in a bubble. You?
00:07
Stuck in a bubble.
00:07
Not for much longer.
00:07
You looking forward to going out?
00:08
Yeah . . . bit nervous.
00:08
You’ll be all right.
00:08
You think?
00:08
Yeah. Today the parking lot, tomorrow the world!!!
00:08
Ha. Are you OK?
00:08
Yeah, bit tired. Going to sleep now.
00:09
We’ll chat after I’ve been out. I’ll be too busy getting in the spacesuit to message in the morning.
00:09
OK.
00:09
Hey Joe!
00:09
What?
00:10
How’s the alien?
00:10
I spoke to Greg.
00:10
So you’re cool
00:10
Yep! Really tired now.
00:11
OK..
00:11
Goodnight
00:11
Goodnight
00:11
11 years, 2 months and 24 days
Amir comes into my room at seven. I watch him through half-closed eyes as he walks over to the window and raises the blinds. I wait for him to look to the right, over towards to where the
planes fly, but he just stands there looking at his shoes. Something is itching my foot, I want to scratch it but I don’t want to move or he’ll know I’m awake. I hope Greg spoke to Amir to tell him to be less crazy around me.
The air-con clicks. Amir looks up at the unit as the blades swivel, blowing clean air around the room. I scratch the bottom of my foot with my heel. Amir turns his head and looks at me. He knows I’m awake now. I don’t know if I should speak or stay still. He walks past the end of my bed, opens my wardrobe, takes out a clean set of clothes and puts them on the chair beside me. I close my eyes tight, lie still and wait for him to leave, but his shadow is hanging over me.
‘You tell him.’
I look up. Amir’s eyes are circles of water.
‘You tell Greg about the aliens.’
I push myself up onto my elbows.
‘I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘I was scared.’
‘You shouldn’t be scared of aliens.’
‘I’m not.’
‘Then you afraid of me?’
‘. . . A little.’
Amir holds his hand against his chest and suddenly looks really sad and worried.
‘I’m sorry,’ he says. ‘I not mean to make you afraid. I just thought maybe we could be friends. Anyway, superheroes shouldn’t be afraid of aliens!’ He looks at me then at all the posters on the wall.
I smile. Maybe he’s only a little bit crazy.
‘So we can be friends?’
‘Of course.’
He holds out his hand. ‘It’s okay,’ he says. ‘They clean.’
I shake his hand. He looks around the room like he’s lost something.
‘What’s wrong?’