Chapter 26 (Revised)   Simon Jones is Eve Jones. But she didn't know.

 
Previously:

Eve met the head but now has more questions about her school.

Now the story continues.
 
 
 
Eve Chapter 26
 
 
 
It was still raining in the morning and the roads were awash, so it was a blessing that mum had the car back on the road. I had an appointment at the hospital, yeah it's Wednesday again, so we parked there just after nine and grabbed our brollies for the dash across the carpark to the out-patients department.

We checked in and were told our appointment had been moved to ten o'clock. Mum looked fit to burst when the usual receptionist added, reluctantly, that the Chief Exec wanted to see us first. I don't think she was impressed, she ended up spitting the words out. I guess she wasn't our favourite member of staff at the hospital, unfortunately her immediate manager was stood behind her.

"Good morning Mrs Jones, Miss Jones. Please come this way." He turned to the receptionist, "arrange someone to cover for you. I want you in my office in ten minutes."

He walked round to where we were stood and headed off with us in tow.

"I'm sorry about that. I'll be having a word with my team member about her attitude problem."

"Thank you." Mum was becoming less impressed with the hospital every time we came here, it may have been evident from her voice.

The Chief Exec was waiting for us and arranged for his personal assistant to get some coffee.

"Good morning, please take a seat. I'm sorry I took the liberty of moving your appointment so I could talk to you. Your solicitor Mr Dixon can't be here but says if you feel uncomfortable then I can call him and put him on the conference phone."

The coffee arrived and the PA sat with a notepad. I looked at the Chief Exec, scanning the security badge around his neck.

"Mr Allen, please excuse me, but why is your PA taking notes?"

"Sorry Miss Jones, I should have explained. Miss Smith will take notes and will send you, and your solicitor, a copy. If you have a problem with the minutes, let me know. That way we have a true record of this meeting, this is our normal practice."

"Right." I wasn't convinced but mum seemed to accept it.

He continued, "given the seriousness of the issue I have taken personal charge. As you will know, we have positively identified one member of staff as having made the phone call cancelling your appointment last Wednesday. We have interviewed other staff who were on duty on the days you said you encountered him and we found he was making enquiries about you, Miss Jones. I understand he also made some disparaging comments about you, we are obtaining written testimony from several staff."

"That confirms my original suspicions." Mum was quite serious, and Mr Allen could see it.

"Having read my deputy's report, I'd have to agree that this is more than circumstantial. As you may be aware, we have had difficulty persuading him to report here for interview. We eventually found Mr Stevens last night in his local pub and served a dismissal notice on him. I can't say that he was impressed, according to our solicitor. Whilst I can't go into any detail, he has had two previous warnings, so our options were limited. He has the right to an employment tribunal but we have sufficient evidence to take him to court for fraud if necessary so we expect him to go quietly."

"I'd like to protect my daughter from further court action if possible. We have already had to deal with his son through legal recourse."

"Believe me, we will use every sensible legal approach to deal with this quietly, I obviously do not want to have the good name of the hospital ruined my one man." Mum coughed as he said 'good name'."Jill?" he looked at the PA, "scratch that last sentence."

"Now, Mrs Jones, Miss Jones, I would like to make amends for the hurt that has happened here. My deputy has made an offer which I believe you have turned down. I'd like to make an alternative offer. We will write a cheque for £7,500 plus I will give you a written guarantee that will mean that any further surgery or hospitalisation in the next ten years will be fully funded if you choose to have it done here privately, instead of on the NHS. That includes any plastic surgery or even surgery to correct your little problem." He looked straight at me, making me blush.

"Could my daughter and I have a few moments alone?"

"Certainly, would you like to use the side room?"

We went into the room, which turned out to be the boardroom, and sat at the large table.

"Eve, do you know what this means?"

"I think I do. I've done some research on the net about people like me, that's if there is anyone else exactly like me."

"So what do you think?"

"I'll have to talk to the shrink on Friday but I don't reckon they'll do anything before my 18th birthday and there's a wait on the NHS."

"That's ok dear. You don't need to worry yet, but your 18th is only just over a year, remember? Now, let's think. What he's offered is a reasonable sum plus ten years of free medical insurance, queue jumping it used to be called. It won't affect the normal stuff of course, the NHS covers that."

"So do we take it?"

"I'll give a tentative yes, then we have a few days to think it over. Wait until after your appointment on Friday."

"That's reasonable."

We walked back in, Mr Allen was just coming off the phone.

"Ladies, have you come to a decision?"

"Mr Allen, my daughter and I feel that the private surgery guarantee is very generous. But I'm afraid that if your former employee, Mr Stevens, continues harassing my daughter as a result of his dismissal, my legal bills will be high. Our distress could continue for some time."

"Mrs Jones, I fully understand, I sometimes balk at what the Trust's solicitor charges." He laughed, "how about I give you £10,000 and cover all your current or related legal costs in the immediate future?"

"That is reasonable."

Mr Allen stood and mum shook hands with him, then it was my turn.

"I'll write to you and I'll send the cheque to Mr Dixon."

"Thank you."

Mum and I walked down to the cafe, I was now half an hour late for my delayed appointment but needed to talk to mum, urgently. We didn't even bother going to the counter to get a drink.

I asked an open question, guessing that mum would work out what I meant, "why?"

"Sorry dear, as we walked back into his office I just had an idea and I didn't have time to discuss it."

"That's not good enough."

"Not even for two and a half thousand reasons?"

That stumped me, temporarily. "That's irrelevant. This is my character that was being assassinated. You could have taken me back into that boardroom."

"Eve, I'm your mum and you're under eighteen. That means I get to make all the decisions for you, regardless."

Mum has never spoken to me like that before.

"That's not true and you know it! I'm not a little girl any more!" I got up and stormed out.

I was stood outside, staring into space, when Mum found me a while later.

"Eve, let's have this discussion later. I've been to see Doctor Roberts and he is now waiting for us. Did you know he's a genitourinary specialist? He's barely tolerated the Chief Exec's disruption to your appointment and wants to get moving, he says it's important."

Mum led me back inside and to an examination room marked obstetrics. I recognised the word, but couldn't remember its meaning.

"Good morning Eve. I'm glad you made it. Please sit down. I'd like to have a word before I examine you."

He was smiling through white teeth that slightly unsettled me. Mum however was smiling back. Did she fancy him? Oh, he wasn't wearing a wedding ring.

"Eve, I've read your file and understand that your body is awash with female hormones. We have suspected until now that it was down to the pituitary gland but I can't believe that's the whole story here."

He waited a few seconds before continuing, "now, was it ever your intention to have children?"

What a question.

"I hadn't considered it. I'm only sixteen, nearly seventeen, and haven't discussed that with my girlfriend."

"That's alright, I didn't need a full answer now in any case. What I do have to say however is that you may not be able to have children after all. It is entirely possible that your sperm have died, or are dying, because your testes may be permanently damaged. That is one of the things I hope to establish today."

Despite his ominous words, somehow I was reassured, perhaps it was his bedside manner?

Dr Roberts asked me to move across to the table and had me lay down, because of the weather I'd worn a pair of jeans today. He then asked me to drop my jeans and remove my knickers, all whilst laying on my back.

He put on a pair of gloves and picked up a pot, spreading a cold gel across my abdomen. I jumped, he could have warned me. Mum obviously knew what was going on and a smile was starting. Next he picked up something I didn't recognise.

"Eve, this is an ultrasound scanner. It will let me see under your skin. Normally we'd use this on pregnant ladies, promise me you're not pregnant."

Mum laughed at the poor joke, she really was smitten.

He moved the scanner's head around my abdomen, stopping at various times and pressed a button, he was obviously looking at a screen but it was turned away from me. He started going back over areas he'd already covered, then asked me to roll onto my front so he could scan from my rear.

His humour had gone and a very business-like approach took over. He obviously decided that he'd finished so gave me some paper towels to wipe myself. I was now desperate for a wee and took myself into a small loo just off the examination room. I tidied myself up as best I could and fixed my make-up, I'd probably need a shower when we got home.