The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1544 by Angharad Copyright © 2011 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

Caroline and I had just about managed to meet everyone’s needs when Simon drew up, I told him we had a measles epidemic and if he hadn’t had it to go to the hotel.

He couldn’t remember. I’d spoken to Tom and he had had it as a child, so he would be of use when he arrived. Simon, brave to the point of stupidity, declared he’d cope with a few spots if he got it. I wasn’t so sure, but my heroic husband insisted he’d come and help, especially when he heard Stella and Julie were casualties.

We were having a short tea break, with the radio on just to brighten us up a little when the news came on.

‘We have a correction to make, the Dept of Health has not issued a notice that alternative therapies are banned from NHS hospitals and the report that a patient had died after receiving healing from a young woman was incorrect.

The ban wasn’t lifted because it had never been made and the department recognises that all sorts of things prove helpful to individuals although they had not been proven. NICE–the National Institute for Clinical Excellence–offered no opinion on the matter.’

“That should make Julie feel a bit better.” I said smiling to Caroline.

“I should think so too,” she replied.

“I have no idea what you pair are wittering on about,” said my irritable hubby.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” I asked him.

“Yes, why?”

“You sound more irritable than usual.”

“Yeah, maybe it’s because I didn’t sleep too well.”

“I think it’s probably something we have in common.”

“You were in your own bed.” He wasn’t going to concur on this one so I tried to change the subject.

“What happened at the tribunal?” I asked trying to sound interested.

“You want the full unexpurgated version or the edited highlights?”

“I think the highlights will do for now, darling, you can give me chapter and verse later if you want to.” After I’ve gone to sleep, I nearly appended but kept quiet instead.

“In short, it went as well as could be expected, Jason was brilliant and took them to task several times on points of law. He knows his stuff, that man.”

“So it sounds positive, when will you know?”

“When they make their stupid minds up. To my mind I did nothing wrong, so I should be exonerated.”

“Of course, darling, I’m sure they’ll see sense eventually. How did Jason feel it went?”

“He wouldn’t say.”

“Oh, is that ominous?”

“No that’s one of those big red things you see in London.” Si being nothing more than an overgrown schoolboy cannot resist punning at every opportunity; however, I chose to ignore it.

“Fine–I’ll wait to hear the official outcome then.” I bustled towards the sink and continued peeling the vegetables I was going to use to make the chicken soup I was going to give the sick members of the family.

“How come, it’s always you and me who never get anything?” he asked.

“Hi, Daddy,” said Trish hugging him round his burgeoning waist. “If you get measles, me and Livvie will look after you. Won’t we, Liv?”

“Won’t we what?” called back her sister.

“Look after Daddy if he gets sick,” she called back.

“Course we will. Hi, Daddy.” She lifted up her arms to hug him and he bent down and kissed both of them.

“So you’re not casualties?”

“No,” they replied in unison.

“So why aren’t you in school?”

“’Cos the others have measles–they sent us home.”

“Yes, they have a policy on attending school while possibly incubating bugs–you don’t. I set them some homework–have you finished it?”

“Um–not quite.” Trish looked slightly embarrassed.

“Well go and do so.” I sent them off to complete what they had been doing until Simon came in.

“What are they doing?” he asked.

“Translating the Bible into Sanskrit, why?”

“You’re joking?”

“Of course I’m joking, they’re doing maths, to start with.”

“Oh–okay, perhaps I’ll go and help them while you finish stirring your cauldron.”

“Tea, Simon?” Caroline offered him a mug.

“Now that’s more the welcome I should receive when I get home,” he smiled at Caroline, “Not being told I’m Mister Irritable?”

“I could have asked you if you were on?” I replied, “Because you sounded premenstrual to me.”

He said nothing simply rolled his eyes and went off in search of the girls.

“You two don’t half tease each other, don’t you?” Caroline said to me, handing me a fresh cuppa.

“We have a rapport which at times is designed to improve self defence techniques, yes.”

“I still feel envious of you.”

“That I can’t help, but I’m not divorcing him just so you can grab him.”

She blushed, “I didn’t mean it like that and you know it.”

“C’mon, or this ’ere soup isn’t going to be ready in time.” That took me the rest of the morning to finish. I zapped it with my hand blender and stirred in fresh cream. It certainly made the tinned stuff look pretty sick.

Lunch became a battle of wits and wills as Caroline and I tried to get our patients to eat some of the soup. None were really very interested, and irritatingly, those who weren’t sick couldn’t wait to get their grubby little paws on it. However, they had to eat shop bread, because I’d forgotten to make any fresh stuff.

Trish and Livvie each tucked away a big bowl of soup and several slices of bread and Simon offered to finish the rest of the pot until I told him to go and collect Danny from school. He wasn’t impressed.

“Mummy, that was the best soup, ever,” declared Trish.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“May we have it again tomorrow?”

“I’m not sure, it doesn’t keep like ordinary soup because of the cream in it.”

“I don’t think there’s much to keep,” suggested Caroline looking in the depleted pan.

“Enough for Danny to have a taste?”

“Er–just about.”

“Okay, I’d better do a loaf,” I walked towards the bread making machine.

“May I do it, Mummy?” Trish raced up to me.

“You can put the stuff in,” I told her.

“Can I help too?” Livvie suddenly became domesticated.

“You can weigh the ingredients for Trish to put in the machine.” Honour was satisfied and I supervised while it all took about four times as long as if I’d done myself.

I was going to send Caroline off to the supermarket and instead did an online order to Waitrose, which included some more fresh cream and chicken portions.

I got Catherine to suckle me for a short time. She was quite warm and I was worried about dehydration. I shoved another dose of Calpol down her and did the same for Puddin’ and Fiona, who both were as spotty as they come. Stella had zonked herself out of it, so I fed both babies with some milk she’d expressed the day before. Puddin’ will help herself, and hold the bottle while she drinks, Fiona is a little too small to hold a beer mug just yet.

It was after six when Si and Danny came home whispering and sniggering like two conspiratorial schoolboys. I wasn’t going to play and ignored them, they could either tell me what they were up to or I’d wait to see. If it was as stupid as they usually were, I might well donate Simon to Caroline and see if I can find a grown up man–they seem quite rare hereabouts.