With nothing else to occupy me I started on my homework, a task that kept me occupied not just for the rest of the morning but through my visitor free afternoon too. Well it’s not like Mum or Dad being here makes any difference; they have stuff to do besides baby me. It was only when I hit the bathroom to bath before dinner that the subject of my missing eyebrows came up again.

“You want me to draw your brows before your visitors?” Hilde queried.

“Could you? I mean I’d forgotten about it.”

“So it wasn’t the end of the world then?”

“I’m still going to get my revenge on Brid,” I stated.

“I’m sure she didn’t do it to upset you,” Hilde placated.

“It’d better be something good.”

“Get yourself dressed and I’ll fetch a pencil.”

 
 
“There we go.”

I looked in my hand mirror, “it doesn’t look drawn on at all.”

“I told you I had some experience.”

“So how do you do it?”

“The trick is to use short and light strokes, as if you were adding individual hairs. That way you don’t get any harsh lines.”

“I’ll need to practice that.” I observed.

“The good news is that I can already see a few bits of stubble.”

It wasn’t my ‘normal’ brows but her work had given me something acceptable at least, maybe Mum won’t notice – and maybe the moon is green cheese.

 
 
That confrontation was however delayed as just Dad and Mand arrived to visit.

“How you feeling kiddo?”

“Better, where’s Mum?”

“George has all the seniors doing circuit training for some core fitness off the bikes.”

“Sounds like torture, surprised he didn’t want me and Mand doing it too.”

“He did suggest it but I convinced him your dance stuff filled the same criteria.”

“And that’s bad enough,” Mand mentioned.

“It’s not that bad,” I defended.

“Maybe not for you, you’d best have these, Con dropped them off earlier.”

‘These’ were more work from my teacher’s; I’m working harder when I’m ill than I do at school!

“Best swap then, can you drop yesterday’s off for me?”

“I’ll get them to Connie,” Dad stated.

 
 
“We’re going up to the Radstadion at Solingen tomorrow so it’ll just be your mother coming.”

“‘Kay, Ron going?”

“She is, you’ll be doing cross – when you’re fit again,” Dad mentioned, “ Mand and Roni get to do the Thursday track league in Solingen.”

I thought back to the summer in Manchester, a smile crossed my lips as I remembered my duel with Vicky Pendleton and Chris Hoy.

“What you smiling at?” Mand asked.

“Just remembering Manchester.”

“And that’s exactly why you won’t be riding Solingen,” Dad stated.

“Spoilsport!”

“The others are coming for a training camp between Christmas and the New Year, you can show off your track skills then.”

This ‘camp’ was news to me.

“It’ll be good to see everyone, it seems like forever since Denmark.”

“Six weeks?” Mand suggested.

“Seems longer,” I noted.

 
 
Thursday went much the same way as Wednesday except the Doc excused me from being wired up to the monitors so of course I couldn’t concentrate on my school stuff because it was quiet, grrr! My pencilled brows survived the night just needing a bit of a touch up but of course Mum honed in immediately.

“Do I want to know about your eyebrows or lack thereof?”

“It’s a long story,” I volunteered.

“I’ve got time,” she supplied.

 
 
“Kids,” she sighed as I finished the tale.

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“I guess not, hopefully we’ll have a bit more to work with by next weekend, which reminds me, the Strechau’s send their love as does everyone at Apollinaris.”

“Well I’ll be home tomorrow anyhow.”

“Which does not give you the green light to start chasing about.”

“I know,” I allowed.

“I’ve been talking to Frau Boxberg earlier.”

“Oh?”

That can’t be good news.

“You’ll be staying home next week, your teachers will set you work to do, Connie will act as gopher again.”

Well it’s not all bad news at least.

“I won’t have to stay in bed when I get home will I?”

“I’m sure Dr Schindler will tell you what you can and can’t do before you leave here.”

“Yeah,” I agreed with a sigh, did I mention that I’m a terrible patient?

 
 
I was like a five year old at Christmas, awake and bouncing at silly o’clock.

“Someone’s keen this morning,” Dana, the morning duty nurse opined.

“Going home today,”

“Well in that case I probably won’t see you again, I hope not to see you here again soon.”

“Me too, I hate hospitals, well being in one.”

“Well we aren’t exactly a holiday destination,” she agreed plumping my pillow.

“You can say that again.”

“Well good luck and take care of yourself, eh?”

“I will, I promise.” I so do not want any repeat of this.
 
 

Dr Schindler arrived on her round mid morning as usual.

“So, we are ready to go home?”

“Itching!”

“Best have a look to make sure we can then.”

I assumed the undignified position to give the Doc access to my er bits, laid back and turned my thoughts to England – well figuratively at least. She prodded and poked.

“Still sore?”

“Well not so much,” I volunteered.

“Any sensation?”

I jumped a little as she touched something, not sure what it was.

“Some, it does that when I dilate sometimes too,” I admitted.

“Hmm, that’s excellent, you might get full sensation in time.”

“That’s good is it?”

“It’s what most women have but don’t always appreciate, I wasn’t sure how much feeling you’d end up with.”

“I thought there was something wrong with it being sensitive,” I told her.

“The opposite young lady, you’ll appreciate it when you become sexually active.”

“Like that’s gonna happen,” I snorted.

“Not that I suggest you start having relations but I reckon you’ll get everything out of intercourse that any other women does.”

“Including kids.”

“Including kids,” she confirmed, “at least in theory, you do have full fertility.”

“Joy.”

Kids are not something on my life plan, me giving birth to them is so far off the scale it’s unbelievable.

“Well I need to talk to your mother when she comes but I think we can send you home.”

She said the last that suggested there had been some doubt on the issue.

 
 
Mum arrived sharp on two and after making here presence known was whisked off to meet with the doctor. I hope she’s brought me some clothes to wear.
 
 

“Right young lady,” Mum stated on returning to my room, “dressed and we can get you home.”

“Clothes?”

She pulled a distinctly small carrier bag from her shoulder holdall, “Dress, knickers, bra.”

“Thanks,” I offered sliding off of the bed.

“And don’t take all day,” she admonished as I headed to the bathroom.

“I won’t.”

Least of all because I want to get home. The dress was what Anna dubbed my ‘Wednesday’ dress, not as in the day but as in the Wednesday Addams. It doesn’t get worn much so why Mum picked it I don’t know but being Mum I’m sure she has her reasons.

I dressed quickly; she had included a pair of black tights as well as the lingerie giving me the full Addams look.

“Shoes?” I enquired returning to the main room.

“On the bed.”

If I didn’t know better I’d think she planned it, on the bed were my black Mary Jane’s. Oh well, it’s not like I have a choice in the matter.

“Let’s sort out your hair, those braids are looking a bit sorry for themselves.”

“We’re only going home,” I complained.

“And?”

“Whatever,” I sighed as she started to unpin and release my locks.

Of course after a couple of days of being plaited the released hair almost had the full volume of an Afro; the only sensible recourse was a return to fresh braids. Mum damped my locks and deftly put my hair into two plaits, apart from being blonde I made quite a good Wednesday!

“Hmm, cute,” Mum stated as she stepped back to look at her handiwork.

“Can we go?”

“As soon as you’ve got everything.”

“It’s all in my schoolbag.”

“Nightdress?”

“Oops!”

I dived back to the bathroom, well not exactly dived but you know what I mean, retrieved my nightdress and soiled bra – I’ve been going commando for the duration of my stay at the Frauenklinik so no knickers, and stuffed them in my bag.

“Let’s hit the trail then, Wednesday.”

I knew it, she did pick this stuff on purpose, well two can play at that.

“Alright then, Morticia, lead on!”
 
 

Maddy Bell 10.01.16