by Jo Meadows
‘I know you must feel bad. Sorry, I had to ask, especially about Emily. I couldn’t believe what Mum had done when I found out and when I thought about some of the things she said, it reminded me of the way she was when we were growing up.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You know, the way she was with us and Dad. Nothing was ever good enough and things always had to be her way. God help anyone who disagreed with her. You remember how she was, don’t you?’
‘Yes, I suppose so but I didn’t attach any importance to it, I just thought she was being strict. What’s any of that got to do with now?’
Don’t you see? She’s always brow-beaten Dad, but what we saw when we were here last was very sad to watch. One minute she’s fine and the next she’s upset over something he’s said and, his words, “I can’t do right for doing wrong.” That’s what he told Leo.’
‘Okay, she can be a bit over-bearing but she’s always been like that. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.’
‘What about what she said to Emily? If we hadn’t found out about that we could have been facing all sorts of problems down the line.’
‘Yes, that wasn’t very nice was it?’
‘Will you do me a favour Michael? While you’re here, keep an eye on Mum and then, when you go home have a chat with Susan and the kids. I’d be interested to know if anything happened with Mum in the past with any of them. You know something you didn’t know about.’
‘I think you might be worrying for nothing but, okay, I’ll do that. I’ve always wondered why Susan wasn’t happy around Mum; I just never gave it any thought after a while. It might shed some light on why the kids never want to visit too.’
‘Thanks Michael, I knew you’d understand and not just dismiss me as an idiot.’
‘No, you’re obviously quite worried and that isn’t you. You never go over the top about anything but something’s getting to you now, I can tell. Hey! I’d better get back to Mum. I’ve already been way longer than I said I would. What time are you coming over tomorrow?’
‘About half-past eight probably. We’ll see you then, good night Michael.’
‘Yeah, good night, I’ll see you tomorrow. Perhaps well have time for another chat sometime during the day.’
The next day while they were at the hospital, Lynnette could tell that Michael was itching to talk to her. It seemed an age before they were alone, and they only managed it when Leo took Georgina and Emily for a walk to get some coffee for them all. ‘What is it Michael?’ she asked. ‘You seem agitated.’
‘No, I’m not agitated; I just wanted to make sure we had that chat. It was weird when I went home last night. Mum was sitting waiting for me and she quizzed me as soon as I walked in the door.’
‘What did she quiz you about?’
‘She was a bit angry with me and wanted to know why I was so late. Then she asked what we’d talked about. I didn’t tell her of course, I just said we discussed Dad and how she was coping and if there was anything we could do between us to cheer her up. Sorry, but I did say we’d decided to take her out for a meal tonight after we got back from here. I hope you don’t mind.’
‘No of course not, that’s fine, we need to eat anyway.’
‘Good, that’s alright then. Funny thing was she seemed angry at first but after I’d told her about our chat, she was as nice as pie. When I said we wanted to take her out, she was really pleased. I mean really happy. She said it was so nice that we were thinking of her. She did say something odd that made me think though. She said that she would rather have a shorter visit to see Dad tomorrow and when I asked her why, she said that he didn’t know we were there anyway and we could all spend more time together away from the hospital. I told her that we’d all come to see them both and that you wouldn’t be happy not spending the time with your Dad.’
‘What did she say to that?’
‘Well, she agreed that we should visit Dad for as long as we wanted but she asked me not to tell you what she’d said. I suppose she thought it made her sound selfish.’
‘Damn right it does,’ said Lynnette, just a little annoyed.
‘Anyway, that was it, but I agree with you, there does seem to be something weird about her behaviour. I just can’t put my finger on it.’
That evening they all went to a nearby restaurant for dinner as Michael had promised. Georgina was initially quite upset when they all got together and said she was worried about David and what she would do when they’d all left. Lynnette told her they’d try to work out transport arrangements to make things as easy as possible for her and they’d see if there was anywhere she could stay near the hospital if she needed to.
After a while she really perked up and with all the attention focused on her, was soon in her element, especially with Michael sitting beside her and squeezing her hand every now and then. Everyone made sure she was included in the conversation and they listened to everything she had to say. The evening went really well until near the end when Leo raised a glass and gave a toast to David. After the toast, the conversation turned naturally to David and discussion about his recovery. It was at this point that Georgina started to become withdrawn and went quiet. From being the life and soul of the party with the most to say, she virtually stopped talking.
‘Are you alright Mum?’
‘Yes, I’m fine Lynnette. All this talk of David has made me anxious again, you know, about the future. I don’t know how I’ll cope if he’s incapacitated in some way when he comes home.’
‘I know it’s hard but you shouldn’t worry about all that now. There’s a long way to go before he comes home and, as the doctor said, they won’t let him come home unless he’s well on the mend. If you need me I can always come and stay with you before and after he comes home, if you like. And, I’m sure you’ll be able to get help from outside if you need it too. Don’t worry, we’ll work all that out when the time comes.’
‘Yes Mum, don’t worry,’ said Michael. ‘We’ll all be there for you.’
‘Thanks Michael; and thank you all, you’ve been so kind. Sorry I’ve been so silly. I’m sure everything will work out, just as you say.’
Leo, in his usual way, managed to lighten the mood by raising his glass and saying, ‘Here’s to Georgina, the life-saver and the most glamorous grandmother and mother-in-law I know. Without you I wouldn’t have a Father-in-law and Emily wouldn’t have a Grandpa. You’re the best - Georgina!’ With that they all smiled and raised their glasses in a toast to her. Georgina was over the moon. She smiled and then hugged everyone in turn and gave Leo a long kiss on the cheek.
The next day went by very quickly. They all visited David once more and, although he still appeared to be unaware of them, when they came to leave, they promised to return soon and all hugged and kissed him and wished him well. When they returned home Georgina seemed to be alright but she became upset when it was time for them to go. Michael promised to call her and Lynnette as soon as he got home and left in a rush to get to the airport. Lynnette told her Mum that she would come back to visit as soon as she could and told her Mum to call if she needed her for anything. Georgina tearfully insisted that she would be fine and said that there was no need for her to come all that way just for her. Lynnette told her not to be silly and said that unless she needed her sooner, she’d come back in a couple of weeks.
As they drove home Lynnette and Leo had the usual discussion about their visit. They both agreed that Lynnette’s Dad had seemed to improve over the time they’d been there, with Emily chirping in that her Grandpa had squeezed her hand when no-one was looking. They all laughed at that and were fairly upbeat about David in general.
‘He looked pretty good I thought,’ said Leo.
‘Yes, he looked a lot better than I thought he would. My Mum doesn’t seem to be coping that well though. I’m a bit worried about her.’
‘She’ll be alright, it’s early days yet. I hope she manages to get to the hospital alright though, it’s going to
be quite a daily trek for her.’
‘Well we couldn’t have done any more for her. I never realised there was daily transport there from Calthorpe until you found that out.’
‘Yes and the bonus is it won’t cost her anything with her bus pass.’
‘It’ll make for long days for her; I hope she’ll manage. I’m just happy that she can go and see Dad every day. He’ll be all the better for that.’
Chapter 13
After they’d all left, Georgina sat back and smiled to herself. Apart from having to go through that awful daily journey to the hospital, she’d thoroughly enjoyed the last couple of days. David had been unresponsive to them while they’d been with him and this had meant that everyone had then given her the attention she deserved. After all, she was the one who’d saved his life.
He was now safely tucked up in hospital with the best care possible while she was left to cope on her own. Yes, she’d thoroughly enjoyed the last couple of days; the icing on the cake being Leo’s lovely toast to her. That had been wonderful; everyone raising their glasses and smiling at her. And Leo called her glamorous. Did he really think that? She’d always liked Leo and she’d always wondered how Lynnette had managed to snag him. If she’d had me as competition when I was a little younger, she wouldn’t have stood a chance, she thought.
She fantasized for a while and then, although it was fun, realised she was wasting her time. She had much more important things to think about. She’d already decided that there was no way she’d be visiting David every day. How would she be able to get on with her life if she spent three hours a day traveling and two hours or so sitting by his bedside when he didn’t even know she was there. No, he could have two, possibly three visits a week and be grateful. When he started to improve she may rethink it but for now that was it. I need some me time and I’m going to have it, she thought. When he comes home it will be all about him so for now, it’s about me.
She decided she would have a long hot bath and while it was running, she had a thought. Going to the fridge, she saw a bottle of wine that Michael had left there. Why not? She said to herself, I’ve never said I don’t drink; I just don’t care for people that overdo it and besides who’ll know? She spent the rest of the afternoon in her bath, sipping the wine and thinking about Leo and what might have been.
In the evening she sat deep in thought in front of the television which was playing away to itself. Although she’d actually really enjoyed it, she’d overdone the wine and had what she assumed was a mild hangover. She realised that being on her own was not something she relished the thought of. David could be a pain at times but he was always there for her. In his mind this meant he was there to love her and care for her but, in her mind, he was there for her in so many other ways. Yes, he did the washing-up, cleaning, DIY jobs and many other things that she asked him to do. But for her, more importantly, he was the thing she used to satisfy her needs.
The thing - Yes, he was the thing she used to get the attention and adoration she craved, the thing that allowed her to show her superiority and power. Lately, she’d experienced a pleasure she’d never felt before when she’d actually attacked him. She knew that she couldn’t live without his total adoration and love. But, also, she couldn’t live without something upon which to exert her will, and now that she’d experienced such pleasure, how could she hope to live without it?
At that point, she decided that she must do everything she could to help David get better. She still wouldn’t go to visit him too much until he started to recover but, when he did, she would be there for him. Once she got him home, she would slowly be able to start fulfilling her needs. After all, he may be totally dependent on her initially, and she would have a lot of catching up to do. If she was careful, she could have some great fun.
Oh David, she thought, I do love you and I can’t live without you. Laughing to herself, she decided that tomorrow, she might buy a couple more bottles of wine. Having a glass or two had helped her focus her mind and she thought, why shouldn’t I indulge myself, especially as I’m all alone?
***
Over the next two weeks, David slowly started to recover. Georgina had done what she’d set out to do and in the two weeks, she’d only visited him three times. It was only when a nurse and David’s doctor had politely reminded her that he would benefit from more visits that she had begun to visit him more. She’d gone through the motions and, although it had been difficult and very tiring for her, she went to the hospital daily. Initially, David had been awake but unable to talk very well and Georgina had spent her time reading. He was almost totally blind and could barely hear what she said to him so she’d felt she was wasting her time if she bothered to talk to him. However, the doctors had arranged for him to have physical therapy and in the third week, he’d been able to get out of bed and, using a stick, had managed to walk to the toilet unaided. His eyesight, although still very impaired, had improved considerably and his hearing was also starting to get better.
The doctors told Georgina privately that they would consider sending him home within another two weeks following a successful suitability assessment of their house. She’d been horrified at first. She’d been enjoying her “me time” and although she wanted David to come home, she was reluctant to give it up. She realised that her life was about to undergo an enormous change but she told the doctor that it was wonderful news and she would do everything she could to make sure he continued to recover. The doctor said that prior to him going home she would need to accept responsibility for his substantial medication and of course, his personal care. Georgina had said that all of that was no problem and she couldn’t wait to have him home.
***
Although it had taken a week longer than she would have liked, Lynnette had been able to get away at last and she arrived at her Mum and Dad’s house while her Mum was at the hospital visiting her Dad. She knew her Mum would be back from the hospital soon so she made herself a coffee and waited. While waiting she noticed that the living room needed a good vacuum and, going into the bathroom and then the kitchen, she found that unusually, the place looked as though no housework had been done for some time. Her first reaction was that her Mum wasn’t coping without her Dad, but then she put it down to the daily hospital visits which were taking a huge amount of time. Oh well, she thought, this is something I can definitely give her a hand with. After all, the suitability assessment is coming up and the house would look a lot better if it was cleaned up a bit.
‘Hello Lynnette, what time did you arrive?’ asked her Mum as she walked in.
‘Hi Mum, not long ago, I’ve only been here about five minutes if that. How’s Dad today? Georgina gave Lynnette an update on her Dad and told her that the assessment on the house was the next day and if everything was alright, they would allow him home at the beginning of the following week. Lynnette asked if her Dad would be able to manage with his eyesight and her Mum said it would probably be alright because it was improving all the time. The only problem was going to be keeping him active. The physiotherapist would be visiting about twice a week for the first three weeks or so, and then it would be up to the two of them to make sure he did his exercises to help get his mobility back.
‘Do you think you’ll be able to manage?’
‘Of course I will; your Dad won’t be a problem. His medication is the thing that’s the most difficult. He’s got so many pills that he takes at different times of the day, I’ll have to have my wits about me when I start dealing with all that.’
‘I’m sure you’ll get a thorough briefing from the hospital before he leaves and they’ll sort out all his prescriptions as well. You just need to keep them organised and perhaps write up a little schedule or something.’
‘Yes, I know,’ said her Mum irritably. ‘I’m not some old fool, I’m sure it will all be straightforward.’
‘Okay Mum, sorry, I was just trying to help.’
‘No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped. It’s just that these la
st few weeks have been very difficult for me. The daily trips to the hospital really take it out of you after a while.’
‘I know; have you been going every day? It must have been very hard for you, especially with all the worry you must have about Dad. Anyway, I’m here now, I can take you tomorrow and I can help you get the house ready for the assessment tomorrow. You sit down and I’ll get you a nice cup of tea.’
‘What do you mean, get the house ready? What needs doing?’
‘Oh, you know, just a bit of vacuuming and cleaning. You want it looking nice and presentable don’t you?’
‘What’s wrong with it?’ said Georgina as she looked around the living room. ‘Oh alright, I haven’t given a thought to housework; your Dad does most of that normally. Is it really bad? It is isn’t it? God, I’m so tired, I haven’t had a minute to myself these past weeks.’
‘It’s okay. I’ll get it all done, it won’t take long. You’ve had a hard time of it lately, just relax and let me do it for you. Now first things first, would you like tea or coffee?’
‘Actually, there’s a bottle of wine in the fridge. I wouldn’t mind a small glass if you think it isn’t too early.’
‘Wine? You don’t normally drink wine Mum, are you sure that’s what you want?’
‘Yes why not? I’m entitled to a little pleasure aren’t I? Pretty soon your Dad will be home and I won’t have time to think. A glass of wine will be very nice thank you.’
