Easy As Falling Off A Bike
by Angharad, illustrations by Bonzi.
part 309.

After dinner, I shut the last item in the dishwasher and sunk into the chair. Ever since the incident in the supermarket, Stella had hovered around me, like a giant mosquito. It was getting on my nerves and I was desperately trying not to say anything I'd regret.

"Are you tired, Cathy?"

"Just a bit," I said smiling weakly at her.

"Am I a total pain?"

"No, not at all."

"I think I am. I caused all that trouble in the supermarket, I hope that man is alright."

"He did hit you."

"I know, I probably asked for it."

"No, there's no excuse for violence," I sighed, knowing I'd just condemned myself.

"There was, you hit him to rescue me."

"Okay, there's no excuse for anyone but me to use violence, how's that."

"Yeah, I like that better."

"Why don't you go and have a little bath and then we'll have a drink and go to bed?"

"Okay, don't go away will you?"

"Stella, I promise I won't leave the house tonight, okay?"

"Sorry to be a pain."

"Go and bath," I pointed up the stairs, and she took the hint. I uttered a silent prayer of thanks and put the kettle on.

Tom was watching something on the telly when I asked him if he wanted a hot drink. "No thanks, I've just poured myself a Scotch, so I'm fine. Where's Stella?"

"I told her to go and have a warm bath, I'll go and check on her." I trotted up the stairs and banged on the door of the bathroom, "Do you want tea or cocoa?" I called.

There was no reply. I peeped through the crack in one of the panels, she seemed to be lying in the bath. I hammered on the door and shouted, there was no answer.

Tom shouted from downstairs, "What's wrong?"

"Stella, she's not answering."

I kicked hard at the panel and managed to move it enough to get my hand in and undo the latch. Then throwing open the door was met with a room filled with steam and bath which was turning red.

"Tom come quick, get an ambulance," I screamed.

I switched off the taps and pulled the plug out. I grabbed a clean towel and tore off a strip wrapping it tightly around her wrist, then went to the other wrist.

"Let me die," she said so weakly I could hardly hear it.

"No Stella, no you mustn't die, please don't, I need you."

"I'm just a nuisance, let me go."

I covered her with bathsheet to keep her warm. I had no idea how much blood she'd lost.

Tom came puffing into the bathroom. "It's on it's way." He saw the blood stains in the bath and on the floor. "Oh, Stella why? We love you, please don't do this."

"I'm just a liability," she gasped and went unconscious.

"Lay another towel on the floor, Tom," I shouted at him, he seemed to be in a trance, but he did as I told him. "Good, now help me lift her out."

Again he was in a sort of trance, but he helped me manhandle her out of the bath and on to the floor. I felt for a pulse, there was one but it was weak and her breathing was shallow.

"Can you watch for the ambulance, I'll keep her alive until they get here."

He trundled off down the stairs, completely blown away by the tragedy that was unfolding.

I kept watching her chest rise and fall, it was so slight it was almost imperceptible. "Come on you bitch, don't you dare die on me, do you hear me! You are gonna fucking live, because we need you! Don't you dare die!" I saw my tears dripping on her face, and I kissed her. "Don't you dare die."

I was stroking her face and talking to her when the paramedics arrived. They ran up the stairs and I explained what had happened.

"Much blood?" I nodded.

"Oxygen and a saline drip," he wired her up for heart and blood pressure. He shook his head. I helped them lift her on the stretcher and followed them down to the ambulance. "You coming?"

I jumped in the back with them, calling for Tom to follow and to bring me a jacket and my handbag.

We sped away in a whirl of blue lights and sirens. I watched as the feeble bleep that indicated one of my most loved friends, registered she was still just alive. It felt as if everything was in slow motion presumably because the adrenalin was running or I was in mild shock myself.

I looked down at the trousers and top I was wearing, there were wet patches and splashes of blood all over me. I looked like some mad axe murderer. The paramedic handed me a wet wipe, "You have blood on your face." I looked up at the reflective window and wiped my face clean. It was Stella's precious red stuff and she'd tried to empty it from her body.

We arrived at the hospital and they rushed her into A&E, I was sent to the waiting area. I slumped into a chair and silently wept. Tom found me some time later and hugged me.

"Oh Tom, It's all my fault," I sobbed, "I sent her to the bath to get a few moment's peace. I should have known what she'd do. It's all my fault."

"No it isn't Cathy, she made that decision herself. It isn't your fault, if she survives, that will be because you acted so quickly.

I wrapped the jacket he'd brought for me around me and he allowed me to snuggle into him. I didn't really sleep, I just needed the comfort of knowing someone cared for me.

I came out of my stupour, "I'd better call Simon or Henry."

"I did that before I left, Simon is on his way."

"I just seem to bring this family bad luck, maybe it's me who needs to go." I said thinking out loud.

"I don't think so, in fact you've kept most of us alive at various times and if you do go, they will fall apart. If Stella survives this, she won't last long without you."

"They'll hospitalise her won't they?"

"For now yes, she'll be quite ill I imagine, she looked as if she lost a fair amount of blood. If that compromises her kidneys, she's in real trouble."

"Don't tell me things like that, Tom, I'll have nightmares about it."

"You'll be okay, remember you're special, the universe has a purpose for you."

"Doesn't it for everyone?"

"Yes, but for some of us it's to prepare for the big hitters, like you."

"You sound like John the Baptist."

"Yeah, some days I feel like him too."

"That would make me...aw come on, you're joking?"

"Yeah, the Virgin Mary, I am joking."

"You silly old bugger," I said and hugged him.

"I may be a silly old bugger, but that's probably what they said about the wise men."

"Hey, cut out the religious references. I'm a paid up agnostic, remember?"

At that moment Simon came rushing in. "Jeez, Cathy. What happened to you, you look like you've been slaughtering something large."

"Stella slashed her wrists in the bath, I caught her just in time, I hope. I came in with her in the ambulance."

"Oh shit, what is she trying to do to us?" he said, sitting with his head in his hands.

"It's not us she's trying to hurt, is it?"

"No, I suppose not."

"It's ever since the kidnapping. I wonder what those fiends did to her."

"They're all dead now."

"How do you know?"

"It cost me a thousand pounds a hit."

"What? You had them killed?"

"Let's just say I speeded up the inevitable."