by Des Hunt
Hello Ben,
I want to thank you for saving my life. I’ve been told that another few hours on that sandbank and I would have died. As you can imagine, I’m very pleased that you found me.
I also want to apologise. We did some terrible things to you without ever thinking of it from your point of view. I’m ashamed of what we did. I would like to meet you so you can look me in the eyes and see how I feel. So, sometime when you are visiting your dad, come over to Room 4 on Ward 35 and we’ll have a chat. I’ll be there. I’m not going anywhere for a long time.
Darryl Whitaker
I folded the letter and put it in my pocket.
Mum asked, ‘Was that an apology?’ I nodded. ‘Then why don’t you go and see him first? Graham and I have plenty of things to talk about. We’ve got some papers to sign. It will help if we do that before you arrive.’
So, without much thought, I headed off in the direction of Ward 35 while Mum went to Ward 21. Then I realised what she had just said: ‘We’ve got some papers to sign.’ What papers were there to sign? I had thought all that business was finished with. Then I grasped the significance of the date. It was December the fifteenth—the last day for us to sell Mansfield Bay. They were still going to do it. After all that had happened, they were still going to sell. No wonder Wiltshire had provided the helicopter and his limo. This was his day of celebration. This was when he took control of Mansfield Bay.
Chapter 23
If my mind hadn’t been such a mess of other things, I would have given more thought to what might happen when I met Darryl. I might have realised that there was a chance that Blue and Red could also be there. Instead, I walked into that hospital thinking it was the safest place on the planet. What a mistake that was.
It’s a big hospital and I soon found that every corridor looks much the same. I didn’t get lost: I knew I was on the right floor, but I just couldn’t find Ward 35. It seemed like I was going around in circles.
I turned one corner, which looked just like all the others, when a toilet door burst open into my face. I walked straight into it. Two guys came out.
‘You ought to look where you’re going, kid,’ said one of them.
‘Yeah, you might get hurt,’ said the other. Then he stopped and stared at me. ‘Hey,’ he sneered. ‘Look who it is—this is our lucky day.’
I decided to run.
‘No you don’t, Bird Boy.’ It was Red Honda: only he could say ‘Bird Boy’ with such menace. A hand grabbed my clothes, pulling me back. I swung around and chopped down with my fist. It was enough. I was free. With more speed than I thought possible, I sped off around the corner. For a while I heard footsteps behind me and then nothing. Still I kept running, down the corridor and around another corner. Only then did I dare take a look back—there was no one. I’d got rid of them. Yet I didn’t feel safe. The corridor was deserted. I had to get to where the people were. Nurses, doctors, visitors, patients—who cared?—so long as there were people.
Unfortunately, I was in a part of the hospital that was between wards. It seemed to be all storage rooms and no humans. I decided to find the lifts and get down to the foyer where there were sure to be people. But where were the lifts? If I wasn’t lost earlier, I was now. I had no idea which way to go.
I wandered aimlessly for a while, before hearing the chime of a lift stopping. It was around the next corner. Cautiously, I took a look, and yes, there it was, with the door still open. Then the chime dinged again and the door began to close. I sprinted forward, sliding the last few metres to jam my foot in the door. It wasn’t needed: an arm stretched out from inside and forced the door open for me.
‘Come in, Bird Boy.’ It was Blue. He reached out and grabbed hold of my arm. His other hand held a cellphone. ‘I’ve got him here in the lift,’ he told the phone. ‘We might as well do him here.’ Then he turned to me. ‘What floor would you like, Bird Boy: broken bones, blood transfusions, or morgue?’
At that moment the door started to close again. There was an instant when the only thing stopping it was my arm. I pulled with all the strength I could find. I felt Blue crunch into the other side of the door and instantly his grip relaxed. I twisted around and wrenched his arm sideways. He screamed. Then the safety switch was triggered and the door began to open. I caught a glimpse of Blue, doubled up and holding his shoulder, before I took off back the way I had come.
I could hear Blue coming after me. ‘He’s got away,’ he was saying. ‘He’s heading in your direction.’ I raced down corridors, slid around corners, bashed against walls. I couldn’t let them catch me again. After what I’d done to Blue, I was in for a beating, for sure.
But I knew I couldn’t keep running for long—I was already having trouble breathing. I had to find somewhere to hide. I started testing doors—they were all locked. Plus it was slowing me down. Blue was getting closer by the second.
I rounded a corner and there was the toilet. I was back where it had started. And there, also, further along the corridor, was Red, with his back to me, talking on his phone. There was nothing for it but to duck into the toilet.
The first cubicle had no lock, the second had a lock that was broken, and there was no third cubicle. The only other place was the janitor’s cupboard. I pulled on the handle and miraculously it opened. And, yes, there was enough room in it for me. Quickly I slid inside, and closed the door behind me. In the dim light I could see boxes of toilet rolls stacked at the back. With a bit of rearranging I managed to squeeze behind them until I was hidden.
After all the exertion, my breathing sounded like a steam train and my heart thudded like a jackhammer. I might be hidden, but was I safe? Had Blue been close enough to see me turn the corner? If he had, then it wouldn’t take long to work out where I was. I crouched and waited and hoped.
Some minutes passed before I heard the door to the toilets hiss as it opened. There was a pause and then the crash of a cubicle door being slammed back. Then the other. Next the cupboard door opened, and my space was filled with light. I held my breath, yet could not still my heart—they had to be able to hear it. Ages went by before the light dimmed as the door closed. Shortly afterwards the outside door hissed again, and there was silence.
I started breathing normally once more. I was safe—they’d looked and hadn’t found me. All I had to do now was wait until they’d left the building and things would be fine. I’d give them half an hour. Even if they decided to hang around, that was long enough for them to get bored and give up.
My first stop was one of the cubicles to relieve my nervousness. I sat working out my next moves. The thing to do was to contact one of the security guards. Then I would go and see Dad. Darryl could wait for some other time.
With this plan in mind I walked out of the toilet into the corridor. I’d gone only a couple of metres before there was a yell: ‘There he is!’ I looked up to see Red running towards me. I turned and there was Blue. My best bet was past Blue as he was already injured. I ran straight at him and then veered so that I was dodging past his injured arm. He didn’t even attempt to put a hand on me. Instead, he stuck out his foot and I sprawled onto the floor.
Instantly, Red had a hold of me, dragging me to my feet. A hand clamped over my mouth and my arm was forced up my back.
‘Well, well, well,’ gloated Red. ‘It’s Bird Boy again. Just when we were about to give up.’
Blue moved around to face me. ‘And no dogs and no tractor and no daddy to look after him.’ Then he hit me in the stomach. ‘That’s just for starters, Bird Boy. They’ll have to find a bed for you when we’ve—’ He stopped. There was someone coming along the corridor, whistling. A man by the sound of the footsteps. My hopes rose.
Blue nodded towards the toilet door. ‘Get him in there,’ he hissed. Red gave me a shove forward, and for a moment his hold over my mouth loosened. It was enough for me to let out a bit of a yell. Then I struggled—no way was I going to be taken into that toilet. I’d be dead if I went in there with them.
<
br /> I lifted my leg, jammed a foot against the wall and pushed with every muscle I had. Red wasn’t expecting it and he stumbled backwards, letting me go. I lost my balance and crashed towards the floor.
I never made it: two big arms reached out and grabbed me just before I hit.
‘Whoa! Take it easy there.’ The voice sounded vaguely familiar. ‘You’ll hurt yourself doing that sort of thing.’
He lifted me in the air and dropped me onto my feet. Then he smiled at me. ‘Kia ora, Ben. Your mother said I’d find you around here somewhere.’
I stood and gaped. It was Cole Smith. The two bikers were doing the open-mouth act too. It was not just the shock of seeing him, it was also amazement at his size. I was used to seeing him on TV playing rugby. He looked big there, but that was amongst other big players. Next to normal-sized people he was huge.
Red was the first to recover. He backed away, getting ready to take off. Cole stretched out a long arm and placed it on his shoulder.
‘Hold it! I think you and I have some talking to do.’ He turned to Blue: ‘You, too.’ They both froze—Cole was not the sort of person you argued with. ‘So where’s the room your mate’s in? Would somebody like to show me?’
Red and Blue looked at each other before hanging their heads and moving off down the corridor.
Cole caused quite a stir as we walked through the ward and into the room that Yamaha shared with five others. Nurses nudged each other, patients choked on their pills, and visitors strained to get a look at the famous giant.
Darryl Whitaker would have fallen out of his bed if he hadn’t been tied in place. His leg was raised and connected to a frame with ropes. I smiled to myself: there was no way he was going to cause any trouble now.
‘Right,’ said Cole. ‘We’ve got a few things to sort out here. First of all, let’s have some introductions. I gather you all know Ben’s name and mine, but we only know Darryl’s. So who are you two?’
He had to repeat the question before Blue grudgingly answered. ‘Aaron Blakeson.’
‘Josh Hutley,’ added Red.
It was then that I knew the whole business with them was over. No longer could they hide behind their helmets or their emails and get away with things. We knew their names, and if they did anything from now on they would get caught.
‘And you’re both in the same rugby team as Darryl?’ They nodded. ‘Then I would have seen you play in the curtain-raiser to the Fiji versus Maori test?’ Again they nodded. ‘So why are a couple of rugby players beating up my friend Ben?’
They were silent; neither of them would look at me or Cole.
‘Well, I’ll tell you why. It’s because you haven’t got the guts to take the blame for what happened to Darryl. Look at him. He’ll probably never play rugby again. And where were you when he needed help? Sitting inside drinking yourselves stupid, I bet. If it hadn’t been for Ben, Darryl would now be dead. You both know that, don’t you?’ They each gave a slight nod. ‘So instead of beating Ben up, you should be thanking him and apologising.’
‘Sorry,’ mumbled Josh.
‘Yeah, same here,’ added Aaron.
‘Oh no!’ said Cole. ‘You’re not getting off like that.’ He turned to me. ‘Your mum said you got a letter from Darryl. Was that an apology?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then you can expect one from each of these other two. Do you understand that, Josh? Aaron?’
Josh raised his head and looked at me. ‘Yes, I’ll do that.’
Aaron wouldn’t look at me, but said, ‘Same here.’ Then after a pause, ‘I just want the whole thing finished with. We never intended it to get like that. It just happened.’ Then he looked at me and I saw that his eyes were moist. At that moment I saw an ordinary guy who had made stupid mistakes. He was not the monster I’d imagined. I doubted that he was a lot different to me. I stretched out my hand and we shook. Then Josh and I did the same, and finally Darryl.
‘That’s good, so far,’ said Cole. ‘Tell me, Darryl, have the police been to see you?’
‘Yeah.’
‘So what happened?’
‘They knew about the emails and stuff. They told my parents and said the information would be entered against my name. They haven’t yet decided whether to lay charges.’
‘OK,’ said Cole. ‘Then I’ll make sure they get Josh’s and Aaron’s names as well.’ He turned to Red and Blue. ‘You can expect a visit over the next few days, so you’d better get your parents prepared for it. And you better start hoping that the police decide not to lay charges. If you end up with a criminal conviction, you can kiss your rugby careers goodbye. No professional wants to play alongside a criminal.’
Red and Blue stood there looking dejected. I got the feeling they were just starting to realise how bad their offending had been.
‘Now, let’s talk about some victim reparation. What does Ben get out of all of this?’ Cole turned to me. ‘Do you have any jobs in the bay that these guys could do for you?’
I thought for a while and then an idea popped into my head. ‘Yeah! They could clean out the pigsty,’ I said. ‘And the hen house.’
Cole grinned. ‘Perfect! And how often does this need to be done?’
‘About every three months.’
‘Even better. Then you can expect the school holiday visits to continue. But this time they’ll be there to clean out the animal houses and not to bully you. If they do any more of that, just let me know, and the police will get to hear of it. You happy with that?’
‘Yep,’ I replied. ‘I’m happy with that.’
‘Great,’ said Cole. ‘Then so am I. Now if you go off and see your dad, the rest of us can talk a bit of rugby. I know you find it boring, but I bet these guys don’t.’
I turned to leave.
‘Ka kite,’ called Cole. ‘Keep in touch, won’t you? And keep looking after those birds.’ I nodded and gave a little wave. ‘Hey, and one more thing,’ he called just as I got to the door. ‘Why did the cuckoo go to hospital?’
I smiled: I knew the answer to that one. ‘Because it had the flew.’
‘Nah. You don’t know anything. It was because it needed tweetment.’
Chapter 24
I took the long route from Ward 35 to Ward 21. I needed food and time to think. I called into the shop in the foyer and bought a chocolate bar. I then wandered around the gardens trying to get my thoughts in order.
For days, my life had been a roller coaster of highs and lows. One minute I’d be miserable, the next I’d be ecstatic. I couldn’t take much more of it. Within the next half-hour I would hear whether Mansfield Bay had been sold. If it had been sold, then there would be years of legal battles. If it hadn’t been, then sooner or later someone like Wiltshire would make a bigger offer and the whole thing would start again. I just wanted it all to end.
Mum was still there when I opened the door to Dad’s room. I hardly noticed her. My eyes locked onto the bed where Dad was, surrounded by machines with tubes connected to several parts of his body. There were flashing lights, TV monitors, and the dull hum of cooling fans.
‘Hi, Ben,’ he said. ‘Come on in.’
‘I’ll go now,’ said Mum, quickly. She leaned over Dad, giving him a peck on the cheek. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ She turned to me, ‘And I’ll see you back at the hotel, Ben.’
I might have nodded—I don’t really know. I was still trying to cope with the scene in front of me. The bed was much higher than normal and it was tilted so that Dad was half-sitting, facing me. He was wearing a pyjama top open at the front. Pads with wires were stuck to his chest, and a clear plastic tube was poked up his nose. Another tube was stuck into his neck, with purple liquid flowing out of a plastic bag. It was all scary, but the worst was a bundle of legal-looking papers lying on the bed beside him. They could only be the things he and Mum had just signed.
‘Ignore the tubes, Ben,’ he said. ‘It’s nowhere near as bad as it looks.’
I didn’t know what to say.
>
‘Pull that chair in here, and I’ll show you something.’ The chair was one of those long-legged ones that people use to sit at a bar. I placed it where he pointed and climbed aboard. Dad picked up a remote control that was lying on the bed.
‘Are we going to watch some movies?’ I asked, laughing nervously.
‘Yeah, sort of,’ he chuckled. He pressed a button and an image appeared on the TV screen.
The picture was a shock. It was like somebody had cut the top off a head and photographed it. You could see all the insides of the eyes and behind the nose and the bones of the skull. Plus, of course, the brain. It was brightly coloured, looking like something from the coral reefs I’d seen in Vanuatu.
‘Is that you?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, fascinating, isn’t it? It gave me a bit of a jolt when I first saw it too. But I’m told it’s a perfectly normal brain with a couple of exceptions.’ He fiddled with a track ball on the remote and a green arrow started moving around the screen. ‘That scan was taken the day I came in. See that bit there?’ The arrow pointed to a bright red bit. ‘That’s bleeding from a burst blood vessel. That’s what caused my problems during the storm.’
He then moved the pointer to a yellow part in the middle of the brain. ‘That’s the leptospirosis. It’s been living there all this time and the antibiotics haven’t been able to get to it. If the bacteria got out of that patch they were dead, but inside they were safe.’
I stared at the screen. That patch of yellow had created Bacteria Dad. I had imagined his whole brain filled with them. But this was so small; it was hard to see how it could have such a big effect.
He pressed a button and the image changed. Now, there was no red bit and the yellow patch was hardly visible. ‘This one was taken this morning. See, the bacteria have almost gone.’ He stretched up and touched the tube going into his neck. ‘That’s because of this. They’re feeding me a special antibiotic that is used only in hospitals. It goes straight to my brain. The doctor reckons in another week the leptospirosis will be dead. And not before time, I have to say.’
