Wuthering Dormice (aka Bike) Part 710 by Angharad

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The rest of the day following the interview with Dr Henshelwood, went as normal. Trish had to cope with the teasing about being shrunk by her shrink. She took it in good part and it stopped without my intervention. Dinner was a quiet affair, with Simon still muttering about ‘bloody Australians’. I would have it out with him later.

I had just cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher when the phone rang. I wasn’t expecting any calls so when I heard Stella say–“No, but I’ll get her for you”–I was a little anxious answering the phone.

“Hello, Cathy Watts.”

“Hello, Cathy, it’s Sam Rose.”

“Oh hi, Sam,” I wondered what he wanted but I decided to wait until he told me. I hoped it wasn’t to try some further healing on another hopeless case.

“I had lunch with Dorian, he’s most impressed with Trish, he said she’s five going on fifteen but without the nasty aspects of teenagers.”

“Yes, if I believed in reincarnation, she’d be worthy of further investigation, because sometimes it seems she’s been here before.”

“I know what you mean.”

“Mind you, my newest acquisition, Olivia, is quite as bright.”

“Maybe you attract these bright young things.”

“If you believe that Sam, then I’ll have you drummed out of the Humanist Society.”

“Already, vot a kvetch, you are,” he said in an accent straight out of ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’

“That is so corny, Sam, I’m surprised you aren’t off to ’pick a pocket or two,’.

“Hush, don’t want to threaten the day job,” he laughed again. This man had one of the kindest but dirtiest laughs I’d ever heard. I’m sure it wouldn’t be out of place in a rugby club after a match, or on the ward joking with some patient or their family.

“Okay, I won’t say anything if you don’t.”

“Nah, keep it shtum.”

“Trish was quite taken with your lunch partner.”

“He was most amused when she told him to get up to speed.”

“Oh goodness, yes, I was terrified that he’d say something to her.”

“No, he thoroughly enjoyed it.“

“I thought she was verging on cheekiness.”

“No, he saw it as her impatience to make him understand, so when he played a bit slow, she chided him.”

“But isn’t that disrespect?”

“No, he was testing her.”

“She passed, I hope.”

“Undoubtedly, he was most impressed with her mother as well.”

“But her mother wasn’t there, and Trish was quite scathing about her.”

“I think he meant her current mother,” Sam said.

“Oh, me?”

“For an intelligent woman, you can be so thick, Cathy.”

“How dare you? I’m a recognised genius.”

“Genius or genus?”

“It might be the latter, Homo nutscutoffus." There were choking sounds from the other end of the line.

“Cathy, that was rotten of you, I’d just taken a mouthful of red wine, and we have light coloured carpets.”

“Sorry,” I felt myself blushing.

“Don’t apologise, it was very funny. I haven’t told Dorian anything of your history.”

“Is it relevant?”

“Only indirectly, it could influence Trish in wanting to emulate you.”

“I’ve told her that she needs to make up her mind slowly, and that there are no right or wrong answers. Whatever she does is right for her, providing it’s her decision.”

“Absolutely. I wish I could nurture that attitude in all my mothers and some fathers. It would make life so much easier.”

“I don’t see how one can consider anything else.”

“Ah but that’s because your IQ is up in the genus levels.”

“Ha ha.”

“Oh, I might have meant genius.”

“Nah, you were right the first time; besides, I’d rather be loved than brilliant.”

“I think you have at least two if not three young ladies who think you are the best thing since sliced bread.”

“Do you mind? We have home baked bread here.”

“Oh God, a gluten snob.”

“Ha, it’s not just bread we eat well on, I could say apart from the processed food, everything is natural, home cooked comestibles.

“Apart from the processed food?”

“Yeah, you know baked beans, spaghetti hoops, chicken nuggets, fish fingers, burgers and pizza.”

“I know what processed food is, I treat complications from it regularly, especially in our obesity clinic.”

“The way mine have been running around the last few days, obesity is not something I’m expecting just now.”

“You sounded Scottish, then.”

“Me, nah, I’m from Brissle.”

“Well that’s what it sounded like.”

“Mind you, I do share a house with three haggis bashers.”

“Are you always so racist?”

“No, only with Scottish relatives and Jewish paediatricians.”

“That’s alright then.”

“I’m going to have to go, Sam, sorry but I have to turn out a loaf from the machine.”

“Oh, quickly before you dash off, you couldn’t come and see a little boy with cancer, could you?”

“Sam, I thought we’d agreed about all this.”

“Yes of course, I’m sorry, it’s just nothing else is working and he’s going to die.”

“Die–how quickly?”

“In a couple of days, the chemo didn’t work. His parents are with him day and night.”

“Is the ward open now?”

“Officially no…”

“But you could get me in?”

“It’s nine o’clock, Cathy.”

“Yeah, give me half an hour.”

“You are wonderful.”

“He’s still probably going to die, but at least it won’t be on my conscience.”

“You are still wonderful.”

“Yeah, whatever, but this is the last one.”

“Of course, it will be.”

“I mean it, Sam. Next time the answer is no.”

“I know, thanks.”

“He’s still likely to die.”

“Anything you can do will be appreciated.”

I put down the phone and after telling Simon and Tom where I was going, and dealing with their protests, I grabbed my jacket and bag and set off for the hospital.

It was just getting dark when I got to the ward where the young lad was. Sam was waiting for me. “I’ll introduce you to his parents.” He took my hand and kissed it, “I really do appreciate this, Cathy. You really are his last hope.”

“So much for modern medicine and science.”

“I’ve never worried how we do it, as long as we get the results, so if chanting Hebrew words to the moon, did the trick, I’d do it.”

“It would have to be God names, wouldn’t it?”

“How do you know that?”

“Let’s say I know, and leave it at that.”

“Mr and Mrs Martin, this is the lady I mentioned to you. A real lady, Lady Catherine.”

“I’m just plain Cathy, and I’m not promising anything, except to bring some love and hope.”

“Maureen and Ted; anything you can do for Charlie, we appreciate. Thanks for coming.” He hugged me and then his wife did. I felt my eyes moisten and I was shown into a little side room where an emaciated little form lay sleeping, the breathing shallow and troubled.

“The disease has affected…”

“Hush, Sam, I don’t need to know.” I walked up to the child, and stroked his head, he was very warm and his forehead was slightly moist. He was connected to a dextrose drip. His cheeks were sunken and I felt a sense of despair and that of false hope to his parents.

“Do you mind if I just sit with him alone for a few minutes?” I asked as gently as I could.

The Martins looked at each other and shrugged. “How about you come into the sister’s office and we find you a cuppa?” suggested Sam and they half consented.

“I’ll call if anything happens,” I said and they nodded and went with Sam while I seated myself alongside the child and taking his hand in both of mine, spoke quietly to him.

“Hello, Charlie, I’m Cathy. I used to be a Charlie once upon a time, so I feel we have a bit of a bond. I’m going to use that bond to help you. I want you to concentrate on a bright blue light which is forming in front of you. I want you to give yourself to this light and let it enter your body. You’ll feel no pain, just perhaps a slight coldness. As it enters your body, the parts of you which have been sick will start to heal. It will take several days I expect to work completely, but in a short time you will feel stronger and more relaxed. Then you will grow stronger and better with every passing moment. In a short time you will sleep normally and feel better for it. The light will watch over you and protect you, relax into it and let it do its work. Tomorrow, after a night’s sleep, you will feel much better and be able to talk with your mum and dad, and that will make them feel better too. Now, just sleep and let the blue light do its work. Relax into it and sleep.”

I held his hand while imagining a huge ball of light in the room, its intensity was almost blinding but I kept at it. The child’s hand went from hot, to cold and for a moment I wondered if the worst had happened. However, I kept faith in the process and was rewarded by his breathing begin to sound deeper and slower–he was asleep. I sighed, and went back to calling up the light.

I don’t know how long I was at it, when Sam spoke quietly. “Cathy, the Martins are coming back, you’ve been here an hour.”

“Uh, oh, sorry, I was miles away. He’ll be alright till the morning.”

“How do you know?” asked Sam.

“Trust me. I’ll come back after I’ve taken my two to school. I can save this one, Sam, I feel it in my bones.”

“You might be the only one who can, but don’t make yourself ill. What shall I tell his parents?”

“I’ll speak to them, but no promises–okay?”

“Okay, I’ll get them.” He came back a few seconds later.

They went straight to their son, “He looks so peaceful,” said Maureen.

“His temperature is down and his pulse is slower.” Sam examined the child and shook his head, “he was burning up earlier, we thought he had an infection but it wasn’t showing up in the tests.”

“It was the chemo, he’ll sleep tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow, if I may?”

“Cathy, how can we thank you?” Maureen hugged me and Ted was standing behind her his hand on her shoulder as she did so.

“Get some rest yourselves, Charlie will still be here in the morning. He needs sleep as much as anything and so do you. I’ll come back tomorrow morning. I can’t promise anything, except to try for you.”

“He looks better than he has for the past two days,” said Ted, “please come and see him tomorrow, and thank you so much.”

“Whatever happens tomorrow, or in the subsequent days, please tell no one of my part in it. I have to ask this or I can’t help you.”

“Whatever you say, Cathy, isn’t that right Ted?”

“Anything if you can save our son.”

“I make no promises, but I shall do what I can. Sam, can we avoid any more drugs except painkillers, and he won’t really need those?”

“Sure, the drip is okay, isn’t it? It’s more to hydrate than anything.”

“The drip is fine. I’m going home now to check on my three. I’ll be back tomorrow. Good night, please rest, all of you, tomorrow could be a very long day and you’ll need all the energy you’ve got.”

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