As they walked into the house, it occurred to Andrew that Mary hadn’t entered his mind for a couple of hours. And he didn’t feel guilty. Yet.
Richard took absolutely no notice of anyone. He marched through A and E with certainty in his stride, because as a lawyer he had to appear confident. But in aged jeans, a creased shirt and trainers, he didn’t look exactly ready for court. He found the coloured line on the floor that led to resus and walked straight into a small anteroom.
A policeman at the other side of the door stopped him. ‘And who might you be, sir? You can’t go through the inner doors, sorry.’
‘Richard Rutherford, barrister. Next of kin to Daniel Pope. Is that him in there?’ He peered through scarred plastic in the upper half of the second pair of doors.
‘Come outside, please,’ the constable said.
Back in the main thoroughfare, the officer spoke in low tones. ‘The lad who caused this was as drunk as a lord and in a stolen car. According to witnesses, the collision was virtually head-on. He paid for it with his life, and his two friends are suffering from all kinds of injuries and alcohol poisoning. If Mr Pope dies, it will be manslaughter, but there’s no one we can charge.’
Richard’s legs suddenly weakened.
‘Whoa.’ The uniformed man held him and called for a chair. ‘And some sweet tea,’ he ordered.
‘Is he in a bad way?’ Richard managed.
‘Well, his heart stopped twice for lack of blood, but they managed to jump-start him. Broken legs, broken arm and ribs, suspected damage to his spine. I’m told they had to drain his chest. But he’s strong. His pupils are the same size as each other, so his head seems OK. We can only leave them to it. They’re pumping all kinds of fluid into him.’
Alone on the hard chair, Richard drank his tea and waited for Helen to arrive. He hated sugar, but this was medicine, and he needed to be in one piece for Kate’s sister’s sake. Behind him in resus, they were clearly still working on Daniel to hold him together until he became stable enough for surgery.
The constable returned. ‘You all right, sir?’
‘How’s he doing?’ Richard asked.
‘Well, I’m no expert, but the monitor sounds steady enough. They’ve not needed to put the jump leads on him a third time. Is he a jewellery Pope?’
Richard nodded.
‘Isn’t it a family business? What about his mam and dad?’
‘No idea. There’s a rift, a big one. I understand that Daniel’s left the firm and is starting his own business over the water.’
‘Wirral?’
‘Yes. I suppose they should be told, but when this fellow regains consciousness, he won’t want them here. And if they come, they might set him back. Daniel’s wife’s on her way now, and he’ll definitely want to see her. They’ve been separated for months, but I haven’t told you that. He’s made me next of kin, though I’m not a blood relative. He and I married sisters, you see.’
The policeman tutted. ‘Bit of a bloody mess in more ways than one, then.’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, they’re doing their best; four are with him now, and others keep coming and going. I heard them say his heartbeat was picking up and his blood pressure’s crawling towards normal, so fingers crossed.’
Richard was left alone once more to wait.
There was advice tacked on the walls: how to deal with strokes, the dates and locations of baby clinics, pleas for organ donors and a staff noticeboard advertising accommodation to let and cars for sale. But there was nothing up there about making Daniel live.
And in a few hours, Richard had to be wigged, gowned, briefed and in court. Oh, it was a grand life, especially for poor Daniel Pope.
Helen surprised both Andrew and Anya. Clearly shocked, she braced herself against the wall and nodded. ‘Right. We must go to him. Anya, will you stay with Sofia and the children? And ask Sofia to phone Professor Brooks before ten in the morning. My lectures must be cancelled.’ She walked upstairs.
‘She not running,’ Anya said. ‘Very quiet.’ Andrew kissed his companion on the top of her head. ‘Stay here till we get back, please. It will probably be tomorrow. Look after Sofia and my granddaughters, and I’ll let you know as soon as I find out what’s happening. And . . . thank you for this evening.’
‘You welcome. You easy man to love.’
His heart lurched, but he had no time to examine personal feelings. Helen was descending the staircase. ‘Come along, Dad. Let’s see what he’s been up to this time.’
They left the house and sat in the car. ‘My problem will be solved if he dies,’ Helen said, almost in a whisper.
‘But you don’t want that.’
‘No.’ She fastened her seatbelt. ‘No matter what, I still love the fool. It’s not unconditional love, but it’s still a big part of who I am. Will he die?’
Andrew offered no answer.
‘Dad, will Daniel die?’
‘I don’t know. He had to be cut out of his car, but that’s just about the extent of my knowledge. There are broken bones, and he will have lost blood. Beyond that, I’m in the dark.’
She clutched her handbag tightly. He glanced down and saw white knuckles pressing hard against skin. His poor daughter was holding herself together by sheer willpower. ‘We’ll soon be there,’ he said.
‘Through the old tunnel?’
‘Yes, that’s right. Try to relax, Helen. I know it’s not easy, but by fair means or foul, I’ll get into that theatre and make sure they do their best. Trust me; I’m your father.’
When they reached the Countess of Chester, Helen escaped while her dad was looking for a parking space. Like Richard, she ignored everybody and found the right department. A physically powerful woman, she passed her brother-in-law, fought off the constable and opened the inner doors. ‘Daniel!’ she screamed. ‘Don’t you dare die on me, you damned lunatic. I love you, Pope. I love you.’
The policeman dragged her out. She should have been one of those female wrestlers, because she was as strong as a horse. He handed her over to Richard, who was now upright and full of sugar. ‘Sit on this woman, sir. If she does that again, some very ugly security men will deal with her. Most of them are ex-coppers, so they’re bad buggers.’
A nurse emerged. ‘Mrs Pope?’
‘What do you want?’ Helen was in no mood for politeness.
‘He heard you and opened his eyes, managed to say he loves you too.’
Helen slid down the wall and sat on the floor. Richard brought a chair and helped her into it. This was the stronger of the two sisters, and he had wondered about that for long enough. Madam Helen was a powerhouse. Kate was quick-tempered, quick to love, quick to anger. This tall little sister of his wife’s had a core of steel covered by a thick coating of gentleness.
She looked at the nurse. ‘Will he live?’
‘Er . . .’
‘WILL HE LIVE?’ Helen screamed. A sudden, short-lived stillness hit the whole area.
‘He has a good chance, Mrs Pope. We’re going to put him in the lift from resus straight up to theatres. Would you like to come in again? You can lean on me. Ah.’ The nurse looked at a newer incomer. ‘Mr Sanderson? I remember you from the Royal. Orthopaedics?’
‘Yes. Helen’s my daughter.’
‘Then you help her. Follow me.’
Father and daughter stood one each side of the trolley. She held Daniel’s undamaged hand as he was pushed towards the lift. His eyes were on her and only her. Then, just as he went into the lift, he begged his father-in-law to stay with him. So Andrew Sanderson, retired orthopaedic surgeon, ascended with his least favourite son-in-law up to theatres. ‘Go back to Richard,’ he urged Helen before the automatic doors closed.
The nurse remained with Helen.
‘That’s my husband’s blood on the floor, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, but spilt blood always looks more than it is – you lose a pint and it lands like a gallon. Come on. Sit with Mr Rutherford.’
Helen
allowed herself to be led and deposited next to her sister’s husband.
‘I’ve signed some papers,’ he told her. ‘For the surgical procedures. I’m down as next of kin since he divorced his mother. His legs are broken, and he’ll need metal plates and what have you.’ He didn’t need to give her the full picture; splinters of Daniel’s bones together with some flesh were probably still attached to his car. ‘It wasn’t his fault, Helen. A drunken kid pinched a car and died in the almost head-on collision. Daniel’s alive due to the fact that he drives an Audi – good protection. Even so, he’s taken some punishment, because the lad was doing about seventy miles an hour and most damage was done to the driver’s side of Daniel’s car.’
Helen stared at the floor. ‘Is his spine affected?’ she asked in a whisper.
‘Not sure. Look, I’m going outside to phone Kate. Can I get you anything? Tea, glass of water?’
She shook her head.
‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’
He phoned Kate. ‘Sweetie, find somebody – anybody – from Chambers. Let them know what’s happened and tell them someone will have to take over, or the case must be postponed. It should be a short session tomorrow, I imagine, just details and come back Monday. Daniel’s bad, baby. As far as I can work out, there are bits of him in the car, and his right foot’s almost severed. But your dad’s in theatre supervising.’
‘Oh, my God. And Helen? How is she?’
‘Strangely quiet after her outburst.’ He told her about Helen’s little adventure. ‘She woke him. They’d failed to do that. In fact, they had to electrocute him twice before we got here. But he’s in the best hands with your hawk-eyed father watching over him. I can’t leave her, darling.’
‘I know that. Get back to her. I’ll phone Sofia and try to reassure her.’
‘And Anya, too, Kate. She isn’t here.’ He paused. ‘Look, if she’s with Sofia and if she agrees, send a taxi to bring her, then she can stay with Helen, and I can do my job in the morning. I want to face that creepy lawyer from day one, if possible. Try to get Anya, and I’ll pay the fare, and you won’t need to contact anyone from the office. OK? Text me. I’ll keep the phone on silent in my hand, so I’ll feel the vibration if you send a message.’
He returned to Helen, who remained in a world of her own. She didn’t want coffee, tea, water or words of comfort. When he asked if there was anything at all he might do, her answer surprised him.
She turned and looked directly at him for the first time. ‘All I want is my mother,’ she said, ‘and even a clever lawyer like you can’t bring her back. But at times like this, only my mother could help. She was . . . she was so knowing, you see.’ And Helen withdrew once more into her trance-like state.
His phone buzzed. Anya was on her way. A huge clock advised him that if the little Polish lady arrived soon, he could get six or seven hours of sleep before the alarm sounded. It had been a long day. He’d wrapped up a case in the morning before immersing himself in the huge brief for tomorrow, which would soon be today.
One of the items he hated most in the world was a bent lawyer, especially a crook who thought himself clever enough to turn the tables on an innocent client. Richard would bury the solicitor and pour concrete on the grave. Be all right, Pope. Andrew, show them how best to pin him back together.
Upstairs, Andrew wondered how much more Daniel’s poor body could take. A collapsed lung and a ruined spleen had been dealt with, and the time had arrived when the putting together of smashed limbs was being undertaken. It was like doing a jigsaw with some bits missing, so the gel-like, hard-setting substance for which Andrew had received his OBE was very much in demand.
Together with the main surgeon and his team, he could only advise, as this patient was related to him. Using magnification, pieces of a shattered and useless rib together with bone stolen from a femur, Tom Howard, a very good bone man, began the process of reconstruction. Andrew acted as a second pair of eyes and, over a period of more than five hours, he watched and guided his fellows through several intricate and delicate processes.
‘Thanks,’ Tom Howard said more than once.
‘There’ll be scarring, but his spine’s looking good,’ was Andrew’s opinion.
The foot was repositioned in its proper place of residence. This was the most threatened part of the body, since blood supply to the extremity had been compromised for several hours despite early reinstatement of some flow. ‘He’ll limp,’ Andrew said.
‘He’ll live,’ was Tom’s answer. ‘Problem was, according to police, that the dead boy came head-on, but slightly over to the driver’s side, and this poor bugger was the driver. But he’s fit, I’ll give him that. His legs took some knocks.’
They stood back and surveyed their handiwork. Daniel’s arm and legs looked like patchwork quilts, stitches everywhere and their surfaces displaying many shades from black through purple and red with the odd patch of Caucasian skin colour doing its best to shine among all the devastation.
A nurse wiped Howard’s damp forehead.
‘Take him down to ICU,’ Tom Howard said. ‘Keep him wired, of course, and get one nurse to sit full-time with him. And well done, you lot. Andrew, I can’t thank you enough.’
‘Yes, you can. You used what I call my double-glazing putty, and that’s thanks enough.’
When his scrubs were discarded and after a shower, Andrew felt his age for the first time ever. Anya was right; he was old. He saw more grey in his hair and two dark patches under his eyes. That was when he looked away from the mirror and at his watch. He’d counted five hours, but another three had passed during the patching up of bone and blood vessels. ‘You were right to quit, me owld fruit. You’ve had enough of that flaming malarkey.’
He took the lift down to A and E, where Anya squealed when she saw him. ‘You did it,’ she cried. ‘Elena gone to look at him through window of ICU, I think she say. Now, no worry about colly-sterole, because—’
‘Cholesterol.’
‘Yes. One time, you need protein and fat. This is the one time.’
She supervised him while he ate his way through a full English breakfast. ‘I had mine before,’ she told him. ‘But your Helen – my Elena – she eat nothing. One cup of tea, one bite of toast, and her face grey. We take her home, Andrew.’
‘Will she come?’
Anya shrugged. ‘No idea in my head. But she talk to me about needing her mother, so I said I pretend be her mother, and she pour her feelings. She has been mixed up, poor girl, loving him, needing him, hating him, divorcing him.’
‘She stayed away because of the children,’ he said. ‘If the marriage folded again in a few years, they would be old enough to suffer. Always, she puts Sarah and Cassie first.’
‘She does right thing, Andrew. But I think all children should know their father even if marriage ends.’
‘Absolutely.’
This was not the time. And Anya had decided that she would not, could not do alone what needed to be done. She would be there with Eva, but neither woman should take the full weight of what must happen. Andrew looked so tired, too exhausted to face further shocks. ‘Now, go and get Elena. We take her home, she has bath, changes clothes, comes back with Sofia if she wishes. You, Eva and I will care for the children. My daughter is very close with your daughter. But Elena must come home and eat. Helen, I mean. I say Elena because I have friend in Warsaw with that name.’
Helen put up no resistance. She wanted to see her children, to hold their warm, whole bodies next to her, because she could not yet comfort Daniel, who remained sedated, post-operative and full of painkillers. Just now, she could do little for him, but she needed Sarah and Cassie; she also needed sleep.
The drive homeward was silent until they reached Rosewood, when Helen spoke. ‘Dad, when he’s well enough, I want him to recuperate here in the function suite. We’ll need a hospital bed, equipment to help him move, physiotherapy and round-the-clock nursing. I can pay for all that. When he’s mended, I’ll t
ake him home.’
Andrew simply nodded. If Daniel’s career as a womanizer ended due to disability, it would have no real meaning. When he’d promised to quit travelling for the family business, that idea had not been acceptable. But he had made some giant strides, Andrew reminded himself. And this final stride had almost killed him through no fault of his own.
Helen went upstairs to see her girls and Sofia. Andrew fell asleep on the sofa with his head on Anya’s lap. For some unfathomable reason, he felt at ease with her, as if he’d known her all his life. She leaned back and dozed, because she, too, had suffered a long and wakeful night.
And this was just the beginning. For weeks, every member of the family, including Ian and Eliza, visited the stricken Daniel. At first, his recovery was painfully slow, but he eventually regained some use of his arm, though his lower limbs remained plastered. Two further minor surgeries were required, but after six weeks he was discharged into the care of his wife and father-in-law. Two nurses and a physiotherapist were employed, and all necessary equipment was hired. It was time for Daniel to get better.
Andrew’s house was fuller than ever. The only respite he enjoyed was on the beach with Storm or on the steps with Anya. Things had to improve soon, surely?
‘All will be good,’ Anya reassured him.
But first, something else had to be faced . . .
Helen nursed her husband from six every morning until two o’clock in the afternoon, so just two nurses were needed to fill in the remaining sixteen hours. She kept him fed, watered, clean and medicated.
For both of them, this was a strangely romantic time. A new intimacy developed, since Daniel was forced to allow Helen access to a body over which, at the beginning, he had little control. As his reconstructed arm healed, the exercises began. He learned to squeeze a soft ball of sponge, to hold a spoon, to feed himself.
More importantly, he learned how to talk to his wife, who had given up her career in order to care for him and their children. ‘Any regrets?’ he asked.
She served up a delicious smile. ‘This is my number one job, just as it always was. I regret what I did to your clothes and your wine, and I regret baulking at mediation. It took a dreadful accident for me to bury my pride. I never stopped missing you.’
A Liverpool Song Page 43
