Sticks and Stones

by Susie Tate

  ‘Hi babes,’ he said softly, not daring to move towards her, as if she was an easily spooked gazelle in the wild. Lou stared at him for a long moment. Just as the silence was on the verge of becoming uncomfortable she took a deep breath, stepped into his space and gave him a half-hearted, awkward one-armed hug, which Dylan returned as best he could around the baby still squirming in Lou’s arms.

  ‘Missed you babes,’ he muttered and she pulled away, giving him a forced, polite smile.

  ‘Good to see you Dylan. Congratulations by the way.’

  Dylan blinked. He wouldn’t have thought that Lou would have bothered to find out about him at all over the last year. His career had been the only thing stopping him from going insane without her, which ironically, after everything he’d done to ruin her career, did his CV no end of good. He’d finished a different research project that had turned out to be far superior to the original he had to give up to Percy, and had flown to conferences all over the place to present the results. Last month he’d been interviewed for the consultant hip job at Cardiff, and, to his shock, beaten all the competition to the post. So now he was a consultant, at the pinnacle of his career. He should have been over the moon, but he’d never felt more miserable in his life.

  ‘Right, well, let’s get going shall we?’ Frankie said bracingly into the uncomfortable silence. Dylan pushed Lou’s trolley through the terminal whilst the girls walked in front, Lou still holding Lucy and both chattering happily. When they got out to the car park Frankie frowned at her ticket.

  ‘I’ll just nip and pay for this,’ she said. ‘Won’t be a minute.’ She walked off in search of the ticket office and Dylan didn’t waste what he saw as a golden opportunity.

  ‘Are you okay?’ he asked Lou, who was cooing at Lucy and avoiding any eye contact with him.

  ‘I’m fine,’ she said, still not taking her eyes off Lucy, and for the first time since Lucy was born Dylan started to feel annoyed with the cute little bundle of joy. Jealous of a baby. Pathetic.

  ‘Are you better? I mean should you have even been travelling now? You look – ‘

  ‘I’m well aware of how I look thanks Dylan,’ Lou said through her teeth. She might seem hostile but at least she had deigned to grant him direct eye contact.

  ‘Listen Lou I – ‘

  ‘No,’ she cut him off. ‘Now you listen to me. I know we share friends. I know we have to be around each other, so I’m prepared to call a truce. But don’t mistake me Dylan, we might share friends but you and I are not. We’ll be polite and put up with each other for other people’s benefit, but that’s it. I’m done.’

  Chapter 21

  I’m not giving up on you yet

  ‘Welcome back Dr Sands.’ Lou looked up from the ward desk into the sharp eyes of Dr Hudson. The old bag hadn’t changed a bit, her grey helmet of hair still firmly in place along with her severe expression.

  ‘Yes, well for now anyway,’ Lou muttered, gathering all the notes together and dumping her list on top. ‘I’m locuming, filling in for Miles these next two weeks whist he’s on holiday.’

  ‘But you will be coming back onto the rotation?’ Although loosely phrased as a question, Lou got the impression that it was more of an order. She found this confusing, having never thought that Dr Hudson enjoyed working with her in the slightest. In fact, she always made Lou feel that she was bordering on incompetence.

  ‘Let’s get going shall we?’ Lou said, instead of elaborating on her plans. In truth she only really planned to be staying a few weeks. Once she got her strength back she wanted to go back out to Malawi. The project that she’d started with Jimbo was only halfway complete, and there was nothing holding her here, not anymore.

  Dr Hudson looked like she wanted to say something more, but when her eyes met Lou’s determined expression she seemed to bite back her words.

  ‘Right, now you listen yer you old ast*.’ Lou and Dr Hudson jumped as a large, red-faced man came barreling towards them down the corridor.

  ‘Oh dear,’ Lou heard Dr Hudson mutter under her breath, not seeming in the least bit phased. There was something familiar about the angry man, Lou was sure she recognized him, especially whilst he was shouting.

  ‘Got to be honest with you,’ he kept shouting after stopping just in front of Dr Hudson, ‘this is a bloody shambles. I want another assessment. All this money for ffwcin* nursing care is bleeding us dry.’

  ‘Mr Talbot, do please refrain from using foul language on the ward. We have had this discussion before, but as usual it seems to have had very little effect on your behaviour. I’m afraid you are under the mistaken impression that I can influence the allocation of funding for ‘continuing health care’ for your mother. Unfortunately I have no such power. She simply does not meet the criteria. I would also like to point out, as I have many times previously, that it is not yourself she is “bleeding dry”. It’s her money, not yours, not yet.’

  Mr Talbot’s face was becoming steadily redder as Dr Hudson’s speech went on, and Lou was relieved when the hospital security arrived.

  ‘Come on now mate, we’ve been down this road before haven’t we?’ One of the two large middle-aged security guards said to Mr Talbot, putting a hand on his back.

  ‘Fuck off mate. Me and Dr Stick-up-her-arse are having a chat and I’m not leaving till it’s sorted.’ Lou moved from around the ward desk and came to Dr Hudson’s other side.

  ‘Maybe we should just start the round,’ she muttered to Dr Hudson, who looked as though she was gearing up for another lecture.

  ‘You!’ the red-faced man suddenly shouted, staring directly at Lou. ‘I know you. You’re the little ast* that started all this. I thought they’d got rid of you.’

  It was then that it all clicked into place in Lou’s head. This was the Mrs Talbot’s angry son, the one Dylan had practically ejected from the ward the last time he had shouted at Lou. The man who’d made the board so nervous at her RITA by kicking up such a stink.

  ‘Pleasure to see you again also Mr Talbot,’ Lou said breezily, actually taking hold of Dr Hudson’s arm now to lead her away. ‘If you’ll excuse us we do need to see to the other patients now.’

  ‘You’ll pay for this! You just wait!’ He yelled after them as they both moved down the corridor. Lou glanced back to see that the two security guards were restraining him, and despite their size they looked to be having some difficulty holding him back.

  ‘Well as you can see, it turns out that Mr Talbot is not altogether mentally stable,’ Dr Hudson said as they turned into the first patient bay. ‘A fact that I could have told the hospital administration over eighteen months ago had they bothered to listen to me.’

  Dr Hudson stopped in her tracks and turned to face Lou. ‘You do realize that none of those complaints hold any water any more don’t you? I believe there were also some other assessments of yours that had been shall we say…withdrawn.’ She searched Lou’s face for any sign of reaction, but Lou made sure to keep her expression carefully blank. ‘You know if you wanted to – ‘

  ‘Mrs Talbot!’ Lou cried, happy to see the familiar face of one of her favourite patients, and relieved to be able to escape the discussion Dr Hudson was clearly intent on having with her. ‘What are you doing back in here?’

  ‘Ah Myfanwy, at last,’ Mrs Talbot blustered. ‘Where on earth have you been? You better not have been out with that Davey character, mother will roast us both alive if she finds out.’

  Lou sighed and sat on the edge of Mrs Talbot’s bed, laying her hand over the papery wrinkled one. ‘Don’t worry Olwen,’ she said softly. ‘I think the chances of your mum finding anything out now are pretty slim.’

  Mrs Talbot’s face clouded with confusion for a moment, before she shook her head slightly as if to clear it. ‘Right, well make yourself useful cariad, and get me a cup of…’ she trailed off as her eyes moved to the still steaming cup right in front of her on the tray table over her bed. ‘Oh…I…’ Confusion washed over her features, and her eyes ca
me back to Lou then swept across the patient bay, her shocked expression at her surroundings difficult to witness. Suddenly she gripped Lou’s hand so tightly Lou almost winced; she was stronger than she looked.

  ‘What is this place?’ Mrs Talbot asked, fear now threading through the voice that only a moment ago had been full of attitude.

  Lou glanced up at Dr Hudson who had opened the obs chart up and then squeezed Mrs Talbot’s hand gently. ‘You’re in hospital Olwen. You’re safe. You’re staying here whilst the doctors make you better, remember?’

  The fear and confusion in Mrs Talbot’s eyes dimmed but did not fade completely as she nodded and realeased her tight grip on Lou’s hand. Lou opened up the notes and started reading. Mrs Talbot had been readmitted two weeks ago with a suspected urinary tract infection and horrific bedsores. Apparently the carers that social services had arranged for her had not been allowed to access the property for two weeks prior to that. Finally, knowing that she could do little for herself and not trusting the odious son, a particularly brave carer had demanded to be allowed inside or she would call the police. The state Olwen had been in when they finally got to her broke Lou’s heart to read; covered in urine and faeces, dehydrated and delirious. Lou felt her blood boil as she took in all the unbearably sad details of willful neglect.

  ‘You look much, much better today Mrs Talbot,’ Dr Hudson said bracingly from the end of the bed. ‘And the lab have grown that bug in your urine and shown that you’re on the right antibiotics so…’

  ‘Am I to stay yer?’ Mrs Talbot asked, her eyes darting nervously around. ‘I’m not sure I want to – ‘ The pitch of her voice was rising in distress and Lou tore her eyes away from the horror story of her notes, breathing a sigh of relief when she spied the ancient telly with in built VCR player. Reaching up she took the only tape that was balanced on the top and slotted it into the machine. As soon as the ‘Neighbours’ theme tune started Mrs Talbot visibly relaxed, her eyes glued to the screen. Her time spent watching this particular episode with Mrs Jones whilst they were next to each other in the patient bay had made Mrs Talbot another Kylie and Jason superfan. And Lou remembered that Mrs Jones’ niece had left the old VCR tape and player with Mrs Talbot before Mrs Jones was discharged, saying that they had made a DVD copy for Mrs Jones to use in the home.

  ‘I think it may be prudent to get back to my patients now Dr Sands,’ Dr Hudson said, resting hand on Lou’s shoulder and using an unusually gentle tone of voice.

  ‘Oh, isn’t she…?’

  ‘Transferred to Dr Morris’ care,’ Dr Hudson replied. ‘Lots of complaints from her adoring son but it was more the harassment of myself and my team that led to the switch.’ Lou opened her mouth to speak but was cut off. ‘Right, well it’s not all doom and gloom around here; I know for a fact that there’s a patient coming to clinic this afternoon who’ll cheer you up no end.

  *****

  ‘Mr Davies.’ Lou bit back a smile as she took in Alun’s grumpy face, and then started beaming when she saw him get up from the chair unaided, and walk across the room with only a stick to steady him. She couldn’t help herself, even though the waiting room was full, and even though she knew he wouldn’t welcome it, she flung her arms around him when he drew near.

  ‘You did it!’ she semi-shouted, pulling back a little but keeping her hands on his upper arms to keep him steady. ‘I knew you could. I knew it. You’re a miracle.’

  ‘Bugger off,’ Alun mumbled, and Lou gave another delighted little squeal.

  ‘And your speech! It’s amazing. It must be so nice to be fully understood when you’re swearing at people.’ She just caught a brief twitch of his lips before he masked it with his standard thunderous expression.

  ‘Crikey, I hope we all get that treatment,’ Lou heard another patient say to the woman next to him. ‘Reckon a hug from that blonde would fix me right up.’

  ‘Barry!’ the woman exclaimed in disgust, hitting him with her handbag for good measure. As they made their way into her room, Lou was shocked to see Alun turn to the man briefly and wink before going in.

  Lou was riding high for the rest of the afternoon but she should have known that, with her luck lately, it wouldn’t last. Towards the end of the clinic she went to retrieve more notes, unsurprised that the set left were the most colossal. As she hefted them up into her arms she heard footsteps behind her, and turned to be confronted by Richard Morris. Lou was exhausted. She wasn’t yet at full strength after the malaria and it had been a long day. A confrontation with this particular slimeball wasn’t exactly on her to do list.

  ‘Dr Sands,’ Rich said, the formality surprising Lou. ‘It’s good to see you back,’ he continued with this outright lie. His expression seemed to communicate that it was anything but. Lou sighed.

  ‘Yeah, right,’ she deadpanned then stepped to the side to get past him. He seemed to anticipate this and moved with her, blocking her only exit.

  ‘I want us to clear up any misunderstandings Dr Sands,’ he continued, then his voice dropped down a level as he stepped into her personal space. ‘I hope you know that I can make things very difficult for you here.’ Lou, who had been avoiding his gaze, jerked her eyes to his, her blood boiling with fury.

  ‘Oh, you mean like getting me chucked off the rotation? Well I’m not on it and have no wish to be. You mean stopping the hospital offering me locums? Even your pathetic little efforts couldn’t stop that; they’re so desperate for locums that they’d probably even give Shipman’s CV a once over.

  ‘Even if you could stop me getting work do you think I care? Have you any idea how rich I am you sniveling little scumbag. I could buy and sell you. Christ, I could buy and sell this whole hospital if I wanted.’

  She shook her head in disgust at his shocked expression. ‘Do your homework dickwad, you can’t touch me.’ Just then she saw movement over Rich’s shoulder, and was surprised to see both Miles and Dr Hudson standing behind him. Miles’ mouth was hanging open, his eyes wide and Dr Hudson had her arms crossed across her chest, a small smile playing on her lips.

  ‘Why you smug little bi – ‘ Whatever Rich was about to say was cut off as Miles’ heavy hand landed on his shoulder and spun him round. He’d obviously overcome his shock at Lou’s outburst, and was done listening to any more venom from Rich.

  ‘I think the lady asked you to move out the way mate,’ Miles said in a low, dangerous voice.

  ‘I’m not your mate, I’m your consultant and you can’t – ‘

  ‘Not for much longer mate,’ Miles said, and Rich’s face seemed to lose some of its colour. ‘Yeah, that’s right. I got the job yesterday. Say hi to your new colleague come September.’

  ‘Not exactly writing the book on how to make friends and influence people are you Dr Morris?’ Dr Hudson put in and Rich, who was now looking decidedly sick, spared Lou one last furious glance before charging out of the alcove, avoiding both Miles’ and Dr Hudson’s stares.

  With Rich gone Miles started to look uncomfortable, and Lou realized that this was the first time she’d seen him since she came back. In fact, now she thought about it, it was weird that he hadn’t come over with Rosie earlier in the week. They were still together; he’d even proposed a couple of months ago. Rosie had seemed to be glowing with happiness, but when Lou asked where Miles was she had been dismissive and mumbled something about a golf tournament. Lou knew for a fact that Miles didn’t play sport of any kind.

  ‘Hey,’ Lou said, trying to catch his eye. ‘Congratulations by the way.’ Miles looked up at that and she smiled tentatively. She was then flabbergasted as he rushed forward and engulfed her in a heartfelt hug, notes and all.

  ‘Missed you,’ he mumbled into her hair. Lou wasn’t quite sure how to react to this affectionate, caring version of Miles and was relieved when he went on to mutter, ‘Glad you’ve finished scrambling about in the colonies, loser,’ before releasing her, but not without grabbing the heavy set of notes out of her hands and sweeping off to the waiting room to call
in the next patient.

  ‘He’s grown up a fair bit,’ Dr Hudson put in to the stunned silence that followed. ‘You swanning off for over a year did that for him I think. He had to shoulder more of the workload, decided to man-up finally. By the time of the interview he was far and away the best candidate.’

  ‘That’s…that’s great,’ Lou said, forcing a smile. She was surprised by the surge of disappointment she was feeling at the fact that she herself would never now become a consultant. She’d thought that she’d put all that behind her.

  ‘You know that Prof will be retiring next year I suppose?’ Dr Hudson said, watching Lou carefully for her reaction. Prof’s stroke consultant job met the exact criteria of what Lou wanted, and after seeing the improvement in Alun today she found that she was no longer that keen to give up on her dream. She shook her head.

  ‘I – ‘

  ‘Just listen to me a minute Louise.’ Lou stopped abruptly with whatever she was going to say. Dr Hudson had never used her first name before. ‘I know what you’re doing in Africa is important and I know you don’t need the money, but you’re so close to getting your CCT.’

  ‘I’m not even in the rotation anymore,’ Lou protested.

  ‘Fiddlesticks,’ Dr Hudson scoffed. ‘One word from me, another review of the evidence and you’d be back in like a shot and you know it.’ When Lou shook her head again Dr Hudson moved forward and placed both her hands over her upper arms. ‘Don’t underestimate the importance of being an NHS consultant,’ she said fervently. ‘I know it’s not only Africa you want to change. I know your plans for the improvement of stroke care in this country. To effect change you’ve got to have the power and clout behind you. Don’t just do the easy thing, the shortsighted thing. Your country needs you too.’ With that she released Lou’s arms and stepped back but still held eye contact, Dr Hudson’s lit with determination. ‘I’m not giving up on you yet Louise Sands.’