Easy As Flying On A Bike.
by: Super Bonz & Angharad (on a broomstick!).
part: 274 I think.

Author's note: This episode contains scenes of mental illness.

Stella and I came downstairs just as the doorbell rang, Tom went to answer it and I took Stella into the kitchen.

"Who was that at the door?" asked Stella.

"Dunno, probably someone for Tom. Do you want some tea first or do you want to eat," the veg were done except the greens, which I dropped in the pan.

"It smells delicious, shall we eat?"

"Sure, can you watch the pan a moment, while I find out if we have another mouth to feed."

She agreed, and I went and invited the doctor to dinner. He reluctantly agreed to my scheme that he came by to see her after she'd been discharged from hospital. He would also stay for dinner after Tom bragged about my cooking. I blushed and wished he'd kept his mouth shut.

"Who was it?" asked Stella as I came in to make the gravy.

"Some doctor bloke Tom knows. I don't, didn't quite catch his name, you may know him as you're in that line." I tried to sound casual and relaxed. If she thought I was trying to trick her she'd kill me, resuscitate me and kill me again.

I quickly made up a sponge mixture and poured it on top of some chopped apple, then popped it in the oven, from which I took the leg of lamb. It looked and smelled delicious.

I made some gravy while Stella whipped some cream for the dessert. When the veg was cooked I placed stuff in the dishes and put them on the heated trays on the dining table. I quickly laid the table while Stella opened a bottle of wine and poured some mint sauce into a dish. Then I took the meat through and called in the two men, asking Tom to carve.

"Ben!" exclaimed Stella, "What are you doing here?" to her GP.

"See I thought you might know each other," I said innocently.

"I'd heard you were in hospital and we got the discharge letter today, so I thought I call by and see how you were."

"A likely tale, did Cathy or Tom call you?"

"I had never met him until this evening," I blagged.

"No we have never met before," confirmed Ben.

Stella looked at is both very suspiciously. Then at Tom, who shrugged his shoulders, in a nothing to do with me gesture.

"Why the suspicion?" asked Ben.

"Oh nothing," said Stella, "I just don't believe in coincidences."

"Oh, they do happen you know...." he went on to tell her about some event he attended, I steered everyone to the table and Tom began carving the meat.

To cut a long story short, we all ate and drank far too much. Poor Simon, when he came home the cupboard was bare. I had to make him scrambled eggs on toast.

Tom and I were chatting about the survey and and Ben and Stella decamped to the lounge. She had relaxed after a couple of glasses of wine and seemed to be telling Ben about her anxieties.

Simon arrived about an hour later and thankfully he didn't want much to eat, so I made him the scrambled eggs I mentioned before. We chatted in the kitchen, him eating and me loading the dishwasher. I kept looking out in case Stella arrived as I hinted at what had happened.

Later he talked with Tom and they agreed between them to have a barbed wire attachment above the fence, right around the property, Simon was going to pay for half of it. Tom thought he knew someone who could do it quickly.

Finally Ben and Stella emerged from the lounge. "I'm going with Ben," said Stella.

"What, you eloping?" said Simon.

"No, I'm going into a clinic for a few days for some psychotherapy."

"Oh, have you packed anything?"

"I'm going to do it now," she answered.

"I'll come and help."

"I can manage Cathy."

"I know, I just want to make sure you don't pinch anything of mine." I joked and wanted to go with her in case she decided to lock herself in her room again, which of course she knew. However, she let me go with her.

"Isn't Dr Redhead going to be disappointed losing his favourite patient?" I asked.

"No, he suggested it, Ben rang him."

"Oh, as always I'm the last to hear anything."

"You've been a real sister for me," she hugged me, "I don't know what I'd have done without you."

"You'd have found a way, I'm sure. You're one of life's copers."

"Am I?"

"Yes you are Stella."

"I'm glad you called Ben."

The alarm bells rang. "Who said I called him?" I felt myself get hot.

"He did, why?"

"He's mistaken." I was lying but I felt she was probing me.

"But you did, didn't you?"

"Why would I do that?" I pretended to look in the wardrobe, "What are you taking then?"

"I know you did, and I'm going to kill you." I looked into the mirror and she was advancing on me with a kitchen knife. Her eyes looked very strange, almost as if she was possessed.

I twisted and grabbed her wrist and she wriggled and spat and swore and screamed. I wrestled her to the floor, holding on to the wrist with the knife, while she screamed at me like a banshee, writhing and kicking and scratching at me.

I kept shouting at her to stop, she was calling me all sorts of name and accusing me of, 'wanting her out the way'. Quite why, I didn't stop to ask. Finally, someone downstairs heard the noise we were making, like two cats fighting and helped me subdue her.

My wrists were scratched and I had some scratches just below my left eye. I also had a cut on my left hand, from the knife. Ben gave her a shot of something and we waited for an ambulance, Simon helping me put together a bag for her. My face and hand were stinging and I suspected my groin might need a check-up, from her kneeing me. I hoped she hadn't split any of the stitches. She sat quietly weeping in a chair.

"Are you sectioning her?" Simon asked Ben.

"Not yet, I want her evaluated, and I've arranged for Dr Redhead to come and see her this evening. I'm doing this privately, is that okay?"

"Yeah, no problem. Can she discharge herself?"

"Theoretically yes, but in practice no. It's fairly secure, but I don't want her sectioned in case it gets on her employment record, so we're keeping this informal. I suspect this is the stress of her ordeal coming out."

"Stella, I didn't want this to happen, please believe me. I love you as my sister and I want you to get well." I stood in front of her feeling so guilty.

She stared at me with a coldness in her eyes. "I hope you die."

"I'm sorry you feel like that Stella, but I still love you."

She looked away from me and I felt tears roll down my face. I knew it was her illness but I felt as if I had betrayed her, maybe I had.

The ambulance, a big estate car arrived and Stella was led out by a nurse who had come in it. She was emotionless as she left, refusing to speak or hug any of us. I felt Simon's arm around me, he squeezed my waist and I leant against his shoulder.

"I want my Stella back, Simon," I said as I burst into tears on his shoulder.

"Yeah, babes, so do I, but you did the right thing."

"She was going to stab me," I began to shake and he escorted me back into the house. "She wanted to kill me." The shock was coming out and I was shaking like an aspen leaf. Tom handed me a glass of brandy and I sipped it. It didn't really help, but I took it, until it fell out of my shaking hand and smashed on the floor.

Simon embraced me in a monster hug and carried me off to bed.