The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1883 by Angharad Copyright © 2012 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

Tom had to drive me home in my own car I felt so ill. I felt exhausted, as if someone had slashed a major blood vessel and all my energy had pumped out, leaving me feeling anaemic and drained.

I was sent to bed after a drink of tea and an aspirin and I crashed out for at least two hours. I awoke with Stella sitting on the bed alongside me and Catherine cuddled into me–fast asleep.

“How d’you feel?”

“Like death warmed up, why?”

“It’s your birthday.”

“Whoopie doo.”

“We’re having a banquet, the Lord Mayor is invited...”

“Bugger off.” I lay back down and cuddled my daughter.

“Spoil sport.”

“I don’t give a toss.” I just wanted to go back to sleep. “How did she get in here?”

“She escaped her keeper and got through the bars.”

“Better shut the door on the way out.” I dismissed a Cameron–whoo the power.

I closed my eyes.

“Simon wants a double celebration.”

“Let him have one then, but I’m staying here.”

“The double being your birthday and your degree.”

“I don’t give a fig about either at this minute, don’t forget to close the door properly.”

“I hope you feel better soon, Dr Cameron.”

“It’s Dr Watts and Lady Cameron,” I corrected.

“Whatever,” she said indifferently and shut the door with a click. I slipped back to sleep very quickly, I think.

The next disturbance was when the girls got home, they all trooped in and woke me for a short time. I had a drink of water and was soon asleep again. Simon apparently called and because I was asleep I was unaware of it, but at four thirty, my GP, Dr Smith arrived.

I was too tired to be bothered really, but politeness meant I tried to stay awake while he examined me. He did a blood pressure, temperature and looked into my eyes, my mouth and almost up my bum as well. He could find nothing wrong. “When did all this start?”

“You mean apart from being born?”

“Yes.”

“This morning, I felt sick and had diarrhoea while waiting for my viva.”

“Viva?”

“Yeah, my PhD interview.”

“Have you eaten?”

“Not really.”

“Drunk any fluids?”

“A couple of cups of tea, why?”

He pulled a swab thing from his case and wiped the end of my finger, then pricked it with a lancet and caught a blob of blood on a tiny plastic slide which he shoved into a little machine. “Thought so, here drink this and if necessary take another one later. Get some food into you and come and see me tomorrow.”

“What’s the matter with me?”

“You’re having a hypo.”

“What as in diabetes?”

“Yes and no, you’ve lost too much fluid and with it your blood glucose, but while most people stabilise after an hour or so, you haven’t because you’ve become dehydrated. Much more and you could have had kidney problems or even a coronary.”

“At twenty nine?”

“Yes, age is almost irrelevant. Now get that down you in a large glass of water and get some food inside you and you’ll probably feel a hundred percent better.”

“I’m not diabetic, am I?”

“No, I don’t think so, we’ll do another check tomorrow and also check kidney function.”

I made to get up and he stopped me telling me to get someone else to make up the drink but to do so soon.

Essentially it was electrolytes and glucose in a powder that you mix with water. Stella came back to see how I was bringing up a glass of water with her. We tipped in the contents of the sachet and I drank it down–it was salty sweet–in other words–horrible. However, within half an hour I was feeling so much better and able to go down and have a cuppa and slice of the cake David had made, once I’d blown out the candles.

Everyone had a bit and a further half an hour later, I felt almost back to my normal self, whatever that means. I went up and showered and was feeling so much better when Simon came home.

He’d obviously spoken to Stella, because we were all going out to dinner at the hotel, including the little ones who would be looked after by the nursery staff there. I tried protesting but he wouldn’t accept no for an answer. He told me to pack a nightdress if I wasn’t sure about how I felt and I could go to bed there. I wasn’t too happy but I agreed under duress, seeing as I was supposed to be the centre of the attention–a position I didn’t like.

He produced a huge bouquet of flowers and the children all gave me presents, smellies or a bracelet or a book token. I assumed the flowers and the party were my present but we all had to change and a minibus came and collected us to take us to Southsea–this was at seven o’clock.

When we got to the hotel, we were led to the green room and the little ones were taken off by the two baby sitters. Moments later Henry and Monica arrived and we were seated around a huge circular table, after Henry and then Monica hugged and kissed me and then everyone else.

We had an a la carte menu and I admit now that I felt better I ate my share and even agreed to a glass of champagne, after which it got embarrassing. Tom, then Henry and finally Simon gave a short speech about what an asset I was to the family and the country and what a worthy recipient of a doctorate I was. I blushed and felt hot all the way through it.

Afterwards I was invited to reply. Oh great, just what I need. I stood up on shaky legs and began.

“Thank you all for organising this party and all of you for coming to celebrate my birthday with me. A few hours ago, I felt really ill. I was rushing to and fro the toilet and trying to defend my research project and dissertation based upon it. I honestly didn’t think I’d done so until Daddy came and told me that I’d passed.

“At that point, I’m not sure if I was hearing him correctly or in some form of delirium and I felt as rough as a pine cone. It hadn’t occurred to me that I was dehydrated and had low blood sugar, which was caused by my nerves before the exam. I feel so much better now and I’ve enjoyed my tuna steak and the sorbet and ice cream.

“I’ve received some lovely presents from all of you and I’m really grateful for them. I’ll shut up now so the children can go and play for a little while and the adults can have a drink and a chat. Thank you all so much.” I sat down.

Henry jumped up and walked round to me, handed me a small package. I took it after kissing him and opened it to see some diamond earrings in a box marked, ‘Cartier’. Goodness knows what they cost.

Simon then came over to me and kissed me to hoots and whistles from the rest of the family. “She’s my wife–all right?” He snapped back at them. Then he handed me a small envelope.

“What’s this?”

“Open it and see.”

I did and inside was an aerial photograph of a sizeable patch of woodland, bordering on forest.

“I don’t understand,” I said showing the picture to everyone.

“It’s three hundred and fifty hectares of pine forest which the bank has purchased on the borders of the Stanebury estate which we are renting to the local naturalist’s trust for a peppercorn rent. The area will be used as a nature reserve primarily for the breeding of red squirrels and other endangered species such as pine marten and wildcat. It is going to be called, ‘The Catherine Cameron Reserve’ and we’re funding a small research building within the forest. You are of course invited to act as director of the research establishment, which will run in conjunction with Perth University.”

“Wow–pity there aren’t any dormice up there,” I said before sitting down. I wasn’t sure what I felt, obviously it was a good thing but why not call it something more general and fund it full stop.

“We haven’t quite finished yet, we’ve also acquired two hundred acres of forest in North Hampshire which we’re also turning into a nature reserve with a proposed research building and visitor centre, with a specific emphasis on the study of broadleaf forest as a habitat and dormice in particular. Portsmouth and Winchester Universities have agreed to help run the project along with the Mammal Society and Hampshire Wildife Trust. The reserve will be known as, ‘Cathy’s Wood’ and the visitor centre will be called the ‘Billie King Centre.’ We’re hoping you’ll become involved as director of research and ecology here.”

At the mention of my deceased daughter I sat down and burst into tears.