The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1250 by Angharad Copyright © 2011 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

Back at home, we unpacked and it was good to be there, although the noticeable absence of the house’s owner weighed heavily on all of us. Even Mima wondered where ‘Gwamps’ was.

Inevitably, we needed food, so I volunteered to do a quick shop if the others looked after the kids. Danny offered to come with me to help carry bags of shopping. I wondered if there was an ulterior motive but it seemed he was genuine.

We dashed to the nearest supermarket and quickly filled a trolley with all sorts of foodstuffs, including flour and yeast for making our own bread. Then I filled up the Cayenne with diesel and we dashed home again–a lesson in how to blow a hundred quid in less than half an hour, more if one counts the diesel.

I let Simon know we were home and I expected his personal protection at night, he quipped back he could only guarantee it if he was lying over my body at all times. I accused him of lying, full stop. He pleaded guilty but being a banker that meant getting a pay rise. I replied that I thought it only applied to politicians. The upshot of our convoluted conversation was that he would be home once he’d collected his stuff from the hotel.

There was no news from Jim as I began making bread and doing a stew for dinner, it was a relatively quick meal and I made it with diced turkey, which cooks reasonably quickly compared to cheaper cuts of beef. In half an hour I had a pan of simmering turkey and vegetables and a pan of rice also warming up. I do it for a change from potatoes. Normally for Daddy, I’d do some chillies or curry to add to his stew, it made me miss him even more.

I’d tried sending the blue light to search for him but had received no success with it except I was convinced he was still alive whereas I was pretty sure Godrick Dawes was deceased.

I was busy on my own in the kitchen when I was called to the lounge urgently. Expecting to see one of the children minus a head or limb, I was relieved to discover the call was for a news item.

‘ The body of a European has been discovered on the outskirts of Mumbai. It is widely thought that it is of the missing university Vice Chancellor and industrialist, Sir Godrick Dawes; who was kidnapped several days ago. No group has claimed responsibility and it is speculated that he was abducted by bandits for the purposes of ransom. It is understood no ransom has been paid. Confirmation of the identity and cause of death will be announced later after a post mortem examination.

The whereabouts of his wife, Lady Diana Dawes, is not known.'

“No nor of the poor sap she inveigled into her stupid schemes, either.” I spat this at the television and went back to the kitchen. So I was right in my hunch about Godrick; Tom will be sad when he learns about it. I hoped whatever Diana had, if it was the jewel, was worth his life. I somehow doubted it, but then our value systems seemed based upon different criteria.

Simon turned up just after six and I was readying myself to serve dinner. Trish was doing her bit laying the table and the others were lining up to wash hands. The back door opened and a flying spaniel crash landed amidst the children waiting at the sink.

Spaniels are excitable at the best of times, when they return after an absence they are in hyperdrive and she bounced and danced all over the laughing children, yapping in a silly high pitched way which annoyed my ears.

I gave my man a hug and a kiss, unnoticed by the children who usually make silly noises, however they were still occupied by the returning canine. Eventually, things calmed down and I served the meal which went down quite well.

I had missed Simon despite my irritations with him earlier and spent much of the meal sneaking little looks at him when he was talking to the others. Julie noticed and gave me a very knowing smile which made me blush.

Of course after dinner, the girls spent ages swarming all over their daddy, while mummy cleared up the mess–nothing new there then. Once the dishwasher was loaded I made some tea and sat quietly drinking it until Stella came in and asked if it was alright to ask Julie to babysit for her, she was going out with Gareth. I told her it was fine.

When Julie came to ask me herself, I told her to make sure she did the babysitting this time or I would take the fee myself. I knew she’d spent her pocket money in Bristol on new shoes when she was out with Stella, so she needed the cash which watching Puddin’ would create. I also told her she had to go back to work the next day, which miffed her but she managed to control her annoyance and agreed she would.

I told the other children it was back to school in the morning, which being a Friday meant they only had one day to do before the weekend.

Jenny helped me with getting the kids ready for bed and they seemed relieved to be back in their own beds. I fed baby Catherine and was surprised to see I was still full of milk, so I expressed a whole bottle of it–twice what I’ve been getting recently, and I still felt there was a little for Simon to have if he behaved himself.

We finally got to bed after eleven and after a quick bathroom stop caused by our mutual amorousness, we jumped into bed together and kissed passionately. I eventually allowed Simon to suckle from me and felt an orgasm wash over me as he did. Sadly, that meant I was done for the night, but my lord and master had other ideas and I prepared for a boarding party, lying back and thinking of England or Scotland?

As he began to work towards penetration my mobile rang. He urged me to ignore it but as it might be about Tom, I reached over and picked it up. It was Jim.

“They’ve found Tom.”

“Is he okay?” I asked feeling very anxious.

“No.”

“But he’s alive?”

“Just, I think is about all I can say.”

“Where is he?”

“Being rushed to St Barts hospital.”

“I’m on my way.” I leapt out of bed leaving a frustrated Simon who was effectively gnawing the pillow. I ran into the bathroom, weed and washed then began throwing on clothes.

“Wonderful, just bloody wonderful.”

“C’mon, darling, get dressed Tom’s been found.”

“Couldn’t he have waited five minutes?”

“That long huh? It doesn’t usually take you...” he threw a pillow at me, but went to the bathroom and then dressed.

“Why have I got to come?”

“Because you know your way around London better than I.”

“Where are we going?”

“St Bartholemew’s.”

“Oh well, we’ll take the Porsche.”

“Okay, you can drive.”

“I was going to–are you telling Jenny?”

“I’ll leave her a note.” I scribbled a note and stuck it on the fridge. As we were leaving Stella and Gareth drove in.

“Ooh, where are you two off to?” she said winking.

“St Bartholemew’s Hospital–they’ve found Tom.”

“Oh, I hope he’s alright–good hospital, did some of my training there.”

“Can you help Jenny with the kids tomorrow?”

“’Course we will, drive safely.”

We got into the Cayenne and Simon hammered towards the motorway, I nearly said something but bit my tongue, almost literally at one point when he went over a huge pothole.

“I do hope he’s okay,” I said almost offering my thoughts as a prayer.

“He is an old man, but he’s a tough old bird. Did Jim mention finding his girlfriend?”

“No, so perhaps she isn’t there,” part of me hoped she was far away in a place where they stoke the fires and were watched over by demons with horns and forked tails.

“Funny that.”

“What is?” I asked still imagining Diana on a spit and I was chief devil administering the basting.

“They went off together, so why aren’t they together now?”

“How would I know?” I replied aggressively.

“Look just because you don’t like her–she is a widow now, so show a bit of compassion.”

“Compassion, if she’s hurt Daddy, I’ll personally send her to join her husband–yeah, suttee–that would be good.”

“Is that with or without Sweep?” replied Simon, “I thought you were going to let the full force of the law deal with her?”

“Sweep? What are you on about?”

“Sooty and Sweep–you know with Harry Corbett.”

“Matthew.”

“Matthew who?”

“Harry’s son, Matthew, he did Sooty and Sweep when I was a kid–but then you’re older than I.”

“Not that much, you cheeky mare. Anyway, what about this reneging on being a little less hotheaded in future?”

“It’s not my fault, it’s because I was born like it, it’s in my genes.”

“Well stop wearin’ ‘em then.” He slapped me on the leg.

“You keep your hands on the steerin’ wheel and your eyes on the road.”

“There’s hardly anything about anyway.”

“Except the police car following us–with blue lights on–oh bugger. Don’t you dare tell them you stole it–okay?”

“Me? Would I do a thing like that?” he shrugged his shoulders and got out of the car. I watched in the mirror as he had an animated conversation with the two police officers, who then nodded and got back into their car.

“Is everything okay?”

“’Course, I know one of them, used to play rugby with his brother...”

“Most people use a ball, but carry on.”

“Oh very funny, I told him what we were doing and he’s gonna give us a blue light escort up the M25.”

“What?”

“Hold tight, here we go,” Simon watched the police car scream off the hard shoulder and whizz up the road. “Right you bastards, let’s see what this little beauty will do.” He shoved the accelerator to the floor and I was sucked back in my seat as we flew off after the police BMW.

I thought I’d driven quickly a few times but Simon kept his foot down hard all the way up to the M25, where the police car pulled over and waved us on. Another was waiting on the M25 and we were escorted all the way to London and to the hospital. I was astonished but obviously it also made me feel anxious, was Tom that ill, we needed a police escort to get there.

Jim met us at the hospital in the A&E waiting area sharing the room with assorted drunks and misfits and the occasional genuine patient who hadn’t got pissed and walked into a doorpost or some other drunk’s fist. “You made good time,” he said looking at his watch.

“How is he?”

“Very poorly.”

“What happened?” I demanded.

“As far as I can gather, she left him drugged and tied up in a rented flat. He was there for two days without food or drink.”

I felt my eyes beginning to fill with tears.

“She was arrested getting off a plane at Mumbai, and she asked the Indian police to tell the Met where he was.”

“Why couldn’t she have done that on her way to the airport?” I was aware of big blobs of water dripping off my face. Jim shrugged. “She’s a selfish cow.” I wanted to hit her and hard.

“I think they found a large unexplained jewel amongst her luggage, so she could be doing time in an Indian prison for the foreseeable future. I’m led to believe they’re pretty awful and she is an old lady.”

I nodded and wiped my face, Simon had his arm round my shoulders. “When can we see him?” I asked referring to Tom.

“I’ll go and see the head honcho, hang on a minute.” Jim walked off and spoke to the receptionist who disappeared then returned a few minutes later, spoke with him and he came back to us. “He’s in intensive care, his kidneys are in trouble.”

Hoping I could help with that, “I asked if we could go and sit with him.”

“She was phoning up to ask,” Jim said looking back at reception. The receptionist waved him off. “Yeah, we can go.” He led the way and I followed trying to power myself up to do as best as I could for the man who’d been more of a father to me than my own father.

“Are you,Cathy?” asked an Australian sounding nurse.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“He was asking for you earlier.”

“Is he going to be alright?” I asked tears running like rivulets down my face.

“He’s getting on a bit and his kidneys are in some difficulty, he got very dehydrated and we think he has a UTI as well, so he’s on intravenous antibiotics.”

“UTI?” I asked.

“Sorry, water infection.”

“Can I see him?”

“Yes, we’ve done a basic dialysis on him to help his kidneys but we may need to connect him up again a little later.

I walked into the cubicle and Tom looked so old and frail, and his face looked grey against the white of the bed linen. I took his hand and sat down by the side of him. “Hello, Daddy, it’s Cathy, I’m here now–so you’re going to be alright.”

His eyes flickered open and he whispered, “Cathy,” before his eyes closed again and he drifted off to sleep.