Easy As Staying On A Bike & Winning The Gold Medal!
by Angharad
part: 374.

The afternoon wore on, tediously at times, as I tried not to move my painful ribs. Even going to the loo was a pain, the sitting and standing and bending to wipe the nether region; not a bit funny. I dozed now and again, but would wake myself up either by moving or coughing which produced sharp pain in my chest.

I went and lay on my bed at one point, but couldn't move for ages afterwards, getting all hot and bothered as I tried to work through the pain.

Stella popped up with my pain killer and a cuppa, and she had to help prop me up to drink it. Goodness, my ribs were sore - remind me not to do that again. I dozed off again and it was dark when I awoke. I struggled to reach the light switch, but finally managed it, temporarily blinding myself in the process.

It was nine o'clock, Simon was late, unless he'd been home and was downstairs keeping quiet 'cos I was asleep. That didn't sound like Simon. I painfully wriggled my way off the bed and scuffed on my slippers. Then, I limped my way down the stairs.

Stella was asleep in the chair in front of the telly, if Simon, was here, he was both quiet and invisible. Tom was at a meeting, there was a note on the fridge door.

I decided I'd make a cuppa and try and do some supper, something on toast - a quick and easy snack. I scrambled some eggs - not a good idea, lots of movement involved. While the toast was doing under the grill, I nuked the eggs in the microwave.

I roused Stella, who was cross with herself for falling asleep, though she forgave herself enough to come and eat her supper.

"Has Simon called?" I asked her.

"Not as far as I know, do a 1471* and see."

"Could you, mobility is not my strongpoint at the moment?"

"Yeah, sure." She went off to the phone and came back with a face like a fiddle.

"Who's stolen your lollipop?" I asked her.

"Nothing from Simon, but Paddy called and I missed it, fell asleep didn't I?"

"Yes, I had noticed."

"No, Cathy, had you been wandering around, I'd have woken up." She insisted that I was pulling her leg. I decided it wasn't important enough to challenge.

"Where is Simon, he isn't usually this late?"

Stella looked at her watch, "Yeah, he is a bit late, call his mobile."

I tried it and it got the unobtainable noise. "Either his battery is down, he's in a dead spot, or he's switched it off. It's not taking messages either."

"What, not doing voicemeail?"

"That's what I said."

"That's a bit unusual, where is he?" She began to see why I was worried.

"So what do you suggest we do next?" I asked.

"Dunno, call Daddy, see if anything has happened at work?"

"Would you like to do that?" I suggested, I didn't really want to talk to Henry.

"Yeah, sure." Off she went.

I loaded the dishes in the dishwasher, each bend making new pains shoot through my ribs. Once or twice I had to stand and hold onto something to control the pain. Usually, I do it with breathing exercises, that wasn't entirely suitable for this.

"Are you all right?" Stella came bounding across the kitchen, come on, come and sit down; I'll finish that." She helped me struggle to a chair, "You did hurt yourself didn't you?"

"Yes, my own stupid fault - I mean, how can you just fall off a bed?"

"Most people would find it difficult, but you do the difficult all the time."

"Thank you, I think." I wasn't entirely sure she was complimenting me, if she was, it was a bit of a back handed one.

She disappeared and came back with my pills, "Come on, take them and it will help the pain."

" I hate pills, Stella."

"So do I, but I hate the pain more."

"Okay, you've convinced me." I swallowed them with the water she brought me.

We heard the door open and Stella dashed off to see who it was. It was Tom. He came into the kitchen and wanted to hug me, seeming confused by my refusal, until I explained things.

"Where's Simon, I'd have thought he'd be here by now?" Asked Tom.

"According to Daddy, he left at the normal time as far as he knows. Mind you he did say, he hadn't actually seen him today."

"Maybe he's broken down somewhere en route?" suggested Tom.

"Yeah, or maybe he's been kidnapped or had an accident. He could be lying in a ditch somewhere." I did my impression of a drama queen.

"If he is, he's going to get wet, it was raining as I came in." Tom, switched on the kettle. "So how are you, surrogate offspring?"

"In pain, my ribs hurt."

"So Stella said, how did you do that, in the attack?"

"No, I fell off my bed, just leant back and rolled off, cracked my ribs."

"That's a pretty dumb thing to do, even by your standards."

"Oh thanks, your sympathy is underwhelming."

"Go on tell him the truth," urged Stella, "She fell down ten flights of stairs and hit every step."

"That sounds more reasonable than falling off the bed, not even out of it."

"The bannisters were made of kryptonite," said Stella, laughing as she spoke.

"Stopped her flying, did it?" asked Tom.

"Yeah."

"I've noticed she wears her knickers over her tights."

"Yeah, a dead give away, don't you think?"

"Absolutement," said Tom in a worse French accent than I can do.

We drank another round of tea, and were still discussing what could have happened to Simon, when the phone rang. I jumped and the pain that shot through the rear part of my chest was like a knife. Actually, it wasn't, the knife I did feel was nothing like that at all.

Tom looked at his watch, "I'll answer that if you like," but he was too late, Stella was up and at it as quick as a flash. I felt quite sick.