Dancing Queen (Zodiac Girls)

by Cathy Hopkins

  Zodiac Girl. Yours is the sign of the warrior. You are ruled by Mars, god of war. My message to you is be brave. Keep fighting. I will be in touch. Your guardian, Mario Ares, aka Mars.

  Wow, I thought. That’s kind of curious. How could he have known what happened to me? Maybe he didn’t. Not really. Maybe it’s a random message that they send out to all Aries girls? Yeah. I guess that’s it. You could tell anyone to keep fighting and it would probably apply to their situation. Whatever. It’s still a cool phone.

  As I played around with the buttons, I noticed that there were already ten numbers in the address book. I scrolled down.

  Mr O: the sun

  Selene: the moon

  Hermie: Mercury

  Nessa: Venus

  PJ: Pluto

  Joe: Jupiter

  Mario: Mars

  John Dory: Neptune

  Dr Cronus: Saturn. That batty old man from the waiting room, I realized.

  Uri: Uranus. Uri Uranus? I asked myself. Wasn’t he the man on the unicycle who waited with me after I’d fallen? His name was Uri, wasn’t it? Hmm. Weird.

  As I was wondering about the names, a dark young man with dreadlocks, wearing a green overall, came through the double doors with what looked like the breakfast trolley. He went from section to section and when he got to ours Amy was still asleep, but Skye sat up and chose Weetabix and toast.

  ‘Only things they can’t ruin,’ she said, and tucked in moments later.

  ‘What are you in for?’ I asked.

  Skye shrugged. ‘They found an alien living in my stomach.’

  I laughed.

  She didn’t. Her expression was deadly serious.

  ‘Oh . . . I. . .’ I had a momentary panic that maybe it was some kind of rare disease, but then she pointed at her right foot under the bedclothes. With effort, she poked it out from under the covers and I could see that it was in plaster.

  ‘Duh. My ankle,’ she said. She turned back to her cereal as if to say that was the end of that conversation.

  After breakfast, the nurses seemed to go into overdrive. I couldn’t see much from where I was, but I could hear the activity. All the time, there hadn’t been a peep out of Amy in the third bed.

  ‘Is that girl all right?’ I asked Cheryl as she approached my bed with a bald male nurse in a green gown.

  Cheryl breathed out heavily. ‘Not sure, not sure. Oh, and here’s Jacob to wheel you down.’

  Jacob gave me a friendly smile and all further questions about Amy went out of the window as I thought, At last. Now, I can get this thing over with and get out of here. I sat up and even though I wasn’t looking forward to what they were going to do I put on my best brave face. ‘I’m ready,’ I said. ‘Do your worst.’

  Jacob smiled again. ‘I am sorry,’ he said. ‘But we have had a number of emergencies. An accident out on the motorway – a pile-up – and there have been several cases brought in that are urgent.’

  ‘Er, well, thanks for the news flash, but what has that got to do with me?’

  ‘We’ll have to delay your op until tomorrow,’ he said.

  ‘Delay? Nooo, but . . . I’ve been waiting all night.’

  ‘I know, and we’re sorry, but in these cases, we have to prioritize,’ he said, and began to back out of the ward. ‘Got to dash.’

  ‘Noooooo. But . . . what about MEEEEEEE?’ I called after him.

  Cheryl smiled. ‘Well, at least you can have a cup of tea. Will I bring you a cup and some toast, then?’

  ‘No. I’ll go home and wait there,’ I said.

  ‘I don’t think the doctors will let that happen,’ said Nurse Cheryl. ‘Oh no, not likely.’ She bustled off down the ward.

  I felt like throwing something at someone. Normally I am not a tantrum sort of person but I felt indignant. Didn’t anyone realize that I had spent the whole night sitting up, starving and uncomfortable? This. Couldn’t. Be. Happening.

  ‘I DON’T WANT ANYTHING!’ I shouted, causing Skye to glance over and raise an eyebrow. ‘And you can stop staring at me.’ She shrugged her shoulders as if to say, whatever.

  It so wasn’t fair. If I’d felt miserable last night when I’d come in, it was nothing to how I felt now. Another day in this brightly lit hell hole? I couldn’t bear it. ‘CHERYL!’

  She turned back. ‘What is it now?’

  ‘I am so uncomfortable. Can’t you unhook me for a while, please? I can’t bear sitting here like this.’

  ‘I can put you in a high arm sling for a while if you like but only for a while because the Bradford sling helps to reduce the swelling. And don’t shout like that. You’ll scare the other patients.’

  I don’t care, I thought, but when I glanced over at Amy’s bed I saw that she had woken up and was looking around like a startled mouse and then I did feel a bit mean. At least I’ll be getting out of here soon; she looks like she’s in for a long while. She looked over at me and I gave her a little wave with my good hand, and smiled. She looked like she could do with a friend.

  After a short while, Cheryl brought me some breakfast, white toast and jam.

  ‘I don’t eat white bread,’ I said. ‘Haven’t you got wholegrain?’

  Cheryl laughed. ‘Ah, you’re a one, so you are,’ she said, and she left the plate of toast on the table that could be moved across the bed.

  I manoeuvred myself the best I could in order to eat it and, actually, it wasn’t too bad. Skye was right. It would be hard to ruin toast and the cup of tea was wonderful after not being able to drink for so long.

  After breakfast, I watched people come and go. Dad rang at around ten and I filled him in on what had happened.

  ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘Your mother rang the hospital first thing and they said you were first on the list to go down to the theatre.’

  ‘Change of plan. There was an accident and now I’m last on the list. Dad, can’t I go private? Can’t you do something about this? Surely you know someone who knows someone. I’m in agony. Or at least get me out of here for today. There’s no point in staying here like this.’

  ‘I’ll come in later with your mother,’ said Dad. ‘Sit tight and I’ll see what I can do.’

  ‘Don’t be long. It’s like time has slowed down in here.’

  After Dad’s call, I had another look at the zodiac phone. As I was playing with it, it bleeped that I had another text message.

  Give me a call when you need some entertaining. Uri

  That would be nice, I thought, he seemed like a kind man, if a little eccentric. Some entertainment would be great.

  I decided to leave a message and send it to all of the names in the address book and see what happened. There was nothing else to do, it would pass the time and I had nothing to lose.

  I wrote my message.

  Zodiac Girl in need of help. In hospital. Needs supplies, entertainment, pampering. Urgent. SOS

  Then I pressed SEND TO ALL. OK, I said to myself, let’s see if this zodiac thing really is a prize worth having!

  As I put the phone back in the drawer next to the bed, I noticed Skye watching me. ‘What’ve you got there?’ she asked.

  ‘Just a mobile phone,’ I said. ‘I won it on the Internet. It’s supposed to be a zodiac phone, but I’m not really sure what it does yet.’

  She got out of her bed, hobbled over and sat on the edge of mine. I gave her the phone to look at.

  ‘It’s a cool phone,’ she said as she turned it over. ‘Stylish.’

  ‘Thanks,’ I said. I was about to ask her more about her leg when the staff nurse came over and asked Skye to go back to her bed so that her doctor could see her. Minutes later, the double doors at the end of the ward opened and the doctor appeared. He went to Skye’s bed and swished the curtains closed. I did my best to hear what he was saying, but couldn’t catch many words.

  After he’d gone Skye seemed subdued. When I glanced over, she was lying with her eyes open, looking up at the ceiling. I glanced further along the ward. Amy was also awake. She too
was lying on her back staring at the ceiling. If I’d been able to move, I might have got out of my bed and gone to talk to her, but I was still fastened to the wall with my spongy blue handcuff and I didn’t want to do any more damage to my arm by unhooking it myself. Ah, happy days, NOT, I thought as I glanced at my watch. It was only eight o’clock. I looked up at the ceiling to see what it was that was so fascinating up there to the others.

  Big white ceiling tiles.

  A long fluorescent light tube.

  A bit of pink balloon material in the far right of the ceiling. I wonder how that got up there.

  I looked around the ward.

  And back up at the ceiling.

  And back around the ward.

  I looked at my watch. It was ten past eight.

  Bug bottoms. I AM SO BORED, I thought. It’s like time has stopped. In all my life, I don’t think I have sat still for so long. Aaargh. No. No. OK. I can do this. I’m an Aries and, as Mario said, we are fighters. I’m not a giver in. I’ve never admitted defeat about anything in my life. I just have to get the right attitude. Yogis and guru-type people do it when they meditate in remote caves in India. I’ve seen them on the telly. They don’t have anything to distract them. No radio, no movies, no nothing. And they find peace. Maybe I’ll come out of here totally enlightened. Maybe I’ll just float out of here. Saint Marsha. Swami Marsha. That will be me. Oh . . . I wish that there was something to do. I don’t think Skye looks like she wants to chat just now. And Amy, she looks really ill. I wonder if it’s catching. Oh God, I hope not. Poor thing. When I can move, I’ll try to cheer her up. I wonder if she feels lonely in here too. It’s weird being away from home and not knowing what’s going to happen. Oh, it’s SO boring here. I’ll see if I catch the nurse’s attention. She keeps walking past, always in a hurry, never makes eye contact. Oh Gee-od, I wish something would happen. So much for being a Zodiac Girl. Since I got that news, everything has gone wrong. And nothing’s happened since I sent out my cry for help to zodiac people.

  An hour later and still no one had come.

  Another hour and still no one.

  Just nurses, cleaners, the occasional doctor, a lady with a tea trolley. No exciting zodiac people, that was for sure.

  At last it was visiting hour and I waited in anticipation for the nurses to open the doors. Mum was first through and came bustling in, laden down with promising-looking bags. I had never been so glad to see her in all of my life, not even after the summer camp when I was nine when it had rained nonstop and everyone had got a stomach bug and been utterly miserable. Mum had brought lots of goodies and a card that Lois had dropped around that morning. In the bags were magazines, fruit, chocolate, a toilet bag, my sky-blue pyjamas and a few books.

  ‘I’ve had an awful night,’ she said (like I hadn’t), ‘but I’ve come through it and decided that I have to be brave. Be positive.’

  ‘Good for you,’ I said sarcastically, but she didn’t seem to get it.

  ‘Yes, isn’t it?’ she replied. ‘I have to be strong. For you, love.’

  ‘Where’s Dad?’

  ‘Parking the car,’ she replied, and, indeed, he did appear about five minutes later. I felt a lump in my throat seeing his familiar round face and when he gave me a hug I breathed in his safe ‘Dad’ smell of lemon aftershave mixed with pencil shavings. He was dressed in his weekend casuals of jeans and a fleece, and his dark hair, which was usually neatly combed back for the office on weekdays, flopped over his forehead.

  ‘You have to get me out of here,’ I said. ‘Can I go private?’

  Dad chuckled. ‘I’ve had a word with the doctor and you’re in the best possible hands here. Chin up. Be my brave girl.’

  Chin up? Brave girl? He clearly had no idea. I decided not to speak to him for the rest of the visit. Not that he noticed. He ate my grapes and read my magazine like it was enough that he’d simply shown up. I could not believe it. And Mum was jabbering about what was on telly, what was in the paper, what and who she’d seen on the way up to the ward. What had happened to the tearful Mum of last night? She seemed to have had a personality change and was being brusque and breezy. It was very annoying.

  Luckily, the things she left were enough to pass the time until the second visiting hour in the early evening and this time Lois came back with her. She too had brought me presents. A magazine, a loan of her fluffy pink pig toy (which was sweet because I knew that she had slept with him since she was three years old, so it was a big thing for her to let him go for a night). I was touched by that, I really was, but I also felt annoyed with her. And Mum. They both put on drippy faces, like they were so sorry for me, and talked to me like I had lost my brain.

  ‘There will be other shows,’ said Lois, and she patted my good hand.

  I pulled my hand back. ‘No, there won’t,’ I replied. ‘Not other shows with Ollie—’

  ‘Swoon, swoon,’ said Lois.

  I rolled my eyes. I didn’t feel like saying the ‘swoon, swoon’ like we always did. ‘As I was saying, not with Ollie or his dad. It was my one big chance.’

  ‘There will be other opportunities,’ said Mum in a sugary voice. ‘You’re still young.’

  Lois nodded. ‘You’re still young. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you.’

  ‘No! You don’t understand,’ I said. I couldn’t believe that Lois was coming out with the same rubbish as Mum. If anyone ought to have understood, it was her, but she clearly didn’t. I saw Skye glance over. She had an amused look in her eye. I stuck my tongue out at her. I felt cross. Cross with everyone. I couldn’t help it and even though there was a part of me that was telling myself not to be a strop queen, I couldn’t pull myself out of it. It felt like I had sinking sand around me and I was being sucked down into it.

  I glanced over at Skye again. She had a lot of visitors around her bed. I did a quick count. Six. Two big ladies, two middle-aged men who were probably their husbands and a boy and girl who looked in their twenties. Relatives, by the looks of them, and they were having a merry old time, gossiping and eating the food that they’d brought in. It must be something all visitors do, I thought as I watched Lois pop another of my grapes into her mouth. Amy only had one visitor, a tall pale lady who looked like her mum. They were very quiet and sat in silence, holding hands and watching the rest of us for most of the hour. There was something about Amy that looked so sad; my heart went out to her.

  When the evening visiting time was over and all the visitors had gone apart from mine, I felt so envious of Mum and Lois being able to get up and walk out.

  ‘Please don’t leave me here,’ I begged, and I put on my best I am in agony face. ‘Please. I hate it in here. You don’t know how awful it is and how much pain I’m in.’ I let out a groan and a sob. If that doesn’t get me out of here, I don’t know what will, I thought as Lois looked at me anxiously. ‘Ooo, oooo, ahhhh, ooch, ooch.’

  Sadly, Mum really did seem to have had a personality change since last night, like someone had flipped a switch in her and she had gone into her ‘we must be strong’ persona. ‘Darling, it’s only for one more night,’ she said, and then she went into a lispie little-girlie voice. ‘Be my big gwown up girl and show us all how bwave you can be.’

  Bog right off, I thought.

  ‘It’s all right for you,’ I said. ‘And you, Lois. You can go back to your homes, with fridges full of food and beds with comfy pillows, while I have to stay here and suffer.’

  This time, Skye did laugh, and out loud too.

  ‘And you can shut up,’ I called across to her.

  Mum looked shocked. ‘Marsha. That’s not like you. You must be nice to the other girls in here.’ She turned to Skye. ‘I must apologize for my daughter. She’s not herself.’

  Skye gave Mum a winning smile. ‘No probs. It can be hard for the younger ones being away from their mums and dads.’

  ‘Thank you, dear,’ said Mum, and turned back to me. ‘What a charming girl.’

  Behind Mum, Skye stuck her
tongue out at me.

  I hate you, I thought as Mum and Lois walked towards the double doors and the exit and freedom. I hate everyone.

  To my left, Skye chuckled softly.

  I wanted to kill her.

  Chapter Eight

  Op Day Two

  Oh, noooooo, I thought when I awoke the following day to find that I was still in the ward. I had been dreaming that I was at home in my own bed. Nurse Cheryl took my blood pressure and my temperature and the bright ceiling lights came on, flooding the ward with unnatural light. This is like that film Groundhog Day, where the main character keeps reliving the same day, I thought as I watched the ward staff go into the same routines as yesterday and patients begin to stir in their beds.

  Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long this time before Jacob arrived in his green gown. ‘First on the list today, Marsha,’ he said. ‘It will all be over before you know it. Ready for a little ride?’

  I gave him a weak smile back and tried not to let the feeling of fear overtake me as the nurses got me ready. It will be OK, I told myself. I’m glad it’s happening at last because the sooner we do it the sooner I’ll be out of here and back where I belong.

  Fifteen minutes later, I was on a trolley being wheeled through brightly lit corridors. Part of me felt like sitting up, leaping off the trolley and doing a runner but another more sensible part knew there was no getting out of it. Once in the anaesthetist’s room, a big smiley man, also in a green hospital gown, fussed around. Dr Sam made a brief appearance and touched my foot as if to say, don’t worry, I’m here, but I wasn’t reassured. The urge to get up and run for it was still there. Too late, I realized as the big smiley man came at me with a needle.

  ‘This won’t hurt,’ he said as he put it in my arm. ‘You’ll have a sensation of cold and then you’ll go to sleep and it will all be over.’

  I felt the prick of the needle and waited for the sensation. I can’t feel the cold, I thought. It’s not working. It’s NOT WORKING! I’m going to be awake all the way through the operation. Oh, no . . . oooo. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .