get the complete book here! {Or here (US)}
 
 
*Chapter 33*

Invalid

 
 
“Oooo!” I allowed on opening the box, “Excellent!”

“She knows you like it,” Ron filled in.

“Not many,” I agreed surveying the homemade Pflaumkuchen nestling in the box with some delight.
 
 

We had some catching up to do, we’ve not seen each other for weeks what with Japan and other er, stuff.

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope, straight up,” I confirmed.

“Geez, Bond, you are like some soap opera.”

“Tell me about it,” I sighed.

“Okay, girls?” Mum enquired.

That still grates – maybe not so much but still and yes I know the evidence is pretty strong against me.

“Yes, Frau Bond, Gaby was just telling me about the wedding.”

“The wedding,” Mum noted, “just glad I’m not paying for it. Anyhow, anyone for coffee?”

“Please,” Ron replied.

“We’ve got cake,” I volunteered pointing to the box.

Mother like daughter, “Excellent! Angela’s?”

“You Bond’s are all the same,” Ron stated.

“No we’re not!” we both chorused before falling about in laughter.

“I’ll get the coffee,” Mum volunteered.
 
 

I might be in a private room but they are still quite rigid with visiting times, Mum and Roni left at five. Seeing Ron had cheered me up no end, I might’ve spent most of the time rabbiting but time spent drinking coffee, eating cake is always good. It certainly left me feeling a bit less depressed.

 
 
I woke with a start; my dinner tray was gone so I must’ve been dozing for a while after eating.

“She’s in here,” Steffi’s voice announced to persons unseen.

“Steff? That you?”

“Gabs!” she greeted leading the Angels into my room behind a huge spray of flowers.

“Guys!”

 
 
“Flippin’ heck, Gab,” Pia mentioned after we’d exchanged greetings all round, “you look like shit!”

“P!” Con admonished.

“She’s looked better,” Nena observed.

“Guys? I am here,” I pointed out.

“Makeover!” Brid stated.

Sugar, I’ve no chance of escape.

 
 
“So you are here until Freitag?” Nena queried as she painted my toenails.

“Worst luck, that tickles.”

“Soz. That sucks.”

“Yeah but she gets out of school,” Bridget pointed out.

“That reminds me,” Con mentioned digging into her bag and retrieving a folder, “you owe Herr Ansbacher an essay, there’s a sheet of stuff from Viessner and Frau Dürst has set some algebra for you.”

“Great,” I groaned.

She plonked it on my lap, I was defenceless, Nena was working her magic on my fingernails, Steff was tugging at my hair and Brid was plastering stuff on my face.

 
 
The girls left to catch the ten to eight Express, after all the activity it was strange to return to just the beeping of the monitors. The girls had done a number on me; defenceless I just had to accept my fate from the intricate braids on my head to the French manicure and slightly over the top makeup.

“Interesting look, Sis,” the Goth One observed arriving in the vanguard of the Bond household visitation, “nice eyebrows.”

“What happened, Gab?” Mand asked.

“The girls,” I allowed, “er hi, Dad.”

He moved in for a hug that I was only too willing to return.

“Did Connie bring your school work?” Mum asked.

“Yeah but I’ve not got any pens or stuff.”

“Wrong!” Mum dropped my school bag onto the side table.

“Urgh!”

“We can clean you up before we leave, I’ve got some remover pads in my bag,” Mum supplied.

“Not before I get a picture, the guys at school will love this,” Jules chuckled.

“Be nice to your sister, Jules,” Dad instructed.

“I always am,” she returned as she fished for her phone.

“Don’t I get a say?”

“Nope!” the dark one told me.

Great, so now I’m the entertainment at the British School as well as captive Barbie for the Angels – joy!

 
 
It’s a very artificial atmosphere in the clinic, well in any hospital and visiting the incumbents can be quite awkward on both sides. There’s only so much small talk you make, so much catching up, stuff outside often has little relevance to those inside. Although kicking out is nine thirty my visitors left just after nine, all conversation having ground to a halt.

“Oh I’ll leave you the remover pads, don’t forget to take that paint off,” Mum instructed.

“I won’t.”

“Sleep well, kiddo, see you tomorrow.”

“And don’t forget your schoolwork,” Dad added.

 
 
I might be having enforced bed rest but that doesn’t mean I’m bed bound, as long as a nurse, at this time of night it’s usually Hilde, helps me I can use the en suite – not to shower yet but I can have a sit down bath and empty my bag myself. Oh yeah, I’ve got the catheter again. I propped myself against the sink and took a look at Bridget’s handiwork – I looked ready to work the streets!

Dramatic doesn’t come into it, bright red lippy, more massy than is possible to use on two eyes and the thinnest, extremist eyebrows I’ve ever seen – glad they’re only drawn on!

“You okay there, Gaby?” Hilde enquired.

“Er, could you give me a hand cleaning this gunk off my face.”

“Sure, sit yourself down, soon have you cleaned up. You want the braids out?”

I know I complain about them but they do keep my hair under control even if I look a bit like a parody of High German womanhood.

“They can stay for now.”

“Right then, let’s get you cleaned up.”

The remover pads made short work of Brid’s ministrations, I can’t remember them stinging before though.

“Phoo! That stings.”

Hilde removed the pad looking a bit confused. She looked at my face, the pad, my face. “Hang on I’ll just fetch some antiseptic cream.”

“What for?”

“I think perhaps your friends got a bit carried away with your brows, won’t be a minute.”
She trotted off on her errand leaving me still confused, eyebrows? I had my back to the mirror so I carefully stood and turned to take a look.

“AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!”

Hilde and another nurse arrived at a trot.

“My brows! They’re gone!” I exclaimed, my eyes still glued to the mirror and the spots on my reflection where eyebrows should be.

“It’s alright Susan, I’ll look after this,” Hilde told her colleague.

“Okay,” Susan allowed before departing.

“They’ve gone!” I confirmed running fingers over the now hairless areas, “Gone!”

“Calm down, Gaby, they’ll grow back.”

“I look like a freak!”

“No you don’t, a little different maybe.”

“Just wait till I get hold of her,” I fumed.

“Let me have a look,” Hilde examined my face, “hmm, they’re not plucked, you’ll be okay, you can draw some on for a few weeks.”

“They’ll never grow back!” I insisted.

“Yes they will, listen to me, Gaby, it’s neither the end of the world or permanent.”

“How do you know, you’ve got eyebrows!” I shot back.

“But I didn’t always,” she started, “sit down and we’ll get some cream on there, you have a bit of razor rash, that’s what’s stinging.”

I returned to the stool and sagged back down.

“When I was I think thirteen I had just discovered the fashion magazines, all the models looked so beautiful, perfect makeup, fantastic hair and thin brows. I was fascinated by those brows, how elegant and thin.” She carefully smoothed cream onto my forehead. “I didn’t realise they just covered up with makeup before drawing them so having been introduced to hair remover for my legs I used it on my brows. My mother went ballistic; she had to draw them in for me for months! At least with shaving they come back faster.”

I giggled a little at the picture she painted.

“I got my wish for drawn brows but as you can see they are back in force now.”

“Sugar! I’m in a wedding next week, I’m in so much shtick, Bridget, you are so toast!”

“You can practice drawing them before then.”

“I can’t even remember what they looked like.”

“You’ll be fine, let the cream work tonight, you can have a play in the morning.”

 
 
I couldn’t get to sleep of course, all I could think about was my freakish appearance. I plotted revenge on Brid, revenge on the others for not stopping her, scenarios of my lack of brow hair being discovered. Fingers were pointed, abuse shouted, it ruined the wedding, they never grew back, I’d forever look like some sort of alien. I needed a disguise, I’ll have to always wear a long fringe, what a pain, maybe I can…

 
 
Rather than eyebrows it was food on my mind when I woke, I could murder a full English! Of course that wasn’t on the menu, no it was the usual ham, cheese, broetchen and coffee supplemented by a boiled egg and some toast. The food’s not bad here but I’m looking forward to real food on Friday.

“We alright this morning, Gaby?” Dr Schindler enquired joining me as I finished up.

“Okay I guess, bit sore.”

“No bleeding?”

“Don’t think so, it’s a bit difficult to see,” I observed.

“Best have a look then,” she stated.

 
 
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to someone else prodding me down there, particularly sticking things inside, the nerve feedback is very confusing, discomfort and a strange feeling of something like pleasure that caused me to squirm a bit.

“Hmm, everything seems to be coming along nicely, you can start with the stents again today.”

Oh joy.

“And we can lose the catheter again, don’t want you getting to rely on it do we?”

No we don’t!

Maddy Bell 09.01.16