"Gab!”
"Oh hi Fran,” I allowed heading to where she was stood with what I'm guessing is her family.
"How’s the shoulder?”
"Closed fracture, no riding or lifting this week,” I advised gingerly moving my be-slung arm.
"Bum and just before the championships too, oh sorry Gab, this is my Mum and Dad and this is Sebastian, my brother.”

There was an exchange of greetings before I could ask my own question.

"Er hi everyone, you seen any of my lot Fran?”

What’s going on, well its like this….

I hopped down from the stage, carefully of course.

"Right kiddo, Mike is taking the camper to this fair thing, we’ll meet there after we’ve got you sorted out.”
"Really?” I whined.
"Really, sooner we’ve got it checked out the sooner we can plan around the treatment.”
"I ‘spose, can I at least lose this soggy BH first?”

"Fran and Barb were on about the National Championships earlier.” I mentioned as we sat waiting in the casualty department of the Petrus Krankenhaus in Barmen fifteen minutes later.
"Uh huh.”
"I didn’t ride last year,” I noted.
"You were in Manchester.”
"Yeah,” I agreed, "I suppose it is quite a trip for one race.”
"It is,” he absently replied without looking up from the form he was filling in.
"So I guess we’re not going to England then?”
"England?”
"For the championships?” I hinted.
He finally looked away from the papers, "Course you’re riding the championships just not the British ones.”
"Eh?
"Caro’s taking the English back for the weekend to do them, they’re in Kent this year so its not too bad.”
"So what am I riding?”
"The German event of course.”
"How come?”
"Well you do race on a German licence and live here, it gets a bit complicated with residency and passports but you qualify to ride the German championships, you could ride for Germany instead of GB.”
"I could?”
"If you wanted to.”
"What about Mum?”
"Probably the same, never asked.”
"So we’re going to Munich?”
"Well its not Munich, its some place called Steingaden almost on the Austrian border.”
"We’ll have to set off Friday,” I suggested.
"We’re flying.”
"Flying?”
"Bondt!” a nurse called out cutting short our discourse.

And so here we are at the actual Lichtenplatz Kirmes only an hour and a half after departing for the hospital, yes its a broken clavicle but its not separated so there’s no surgery needed, just rest for a week or so, I need to get it checked next week. Anyhow, the others have been enjoying the fair while I've been getting treatment but I'm determined to score a würst before we head home.

"Quite a day,” Mand opined as we trundled back down the three after picking Angela up from Mettmann, she’s staying at ours tonight and going down to the house with Dad tomorrow.
"Yeah,” I sighed from my spot on one of the camper’s sofa’s.

We had our post race nosh at a pub restaurant near the Kirmes grounds so the others had gone straight from there back south while we looped around Wuppertal to pick up Angela.

"Nearly had you,” Mand went on.
"In your dreams!”
"Half a wheel,” she retorted.

Indeed she’s right about that, the photo was actually between her and Fran for second and third. It was close but I did have a broken shoulder at the time.

"Wonder how the lads got on?” she went on.

Bitburg, the Three Countries, I wouldn’t have a broken shoulder if I'd ridden that. Well maybe not.

"Suppose we’ll hear soon enough,” I allowed.

"What have you done now?” Mum queried when she saw my sling.
"Broken clav.”
"Go on, how did you manage that? Hi Angela.”
"Hi Jenny, I've brought cake.”
"I'll get the kettle on, you,” she pointed at me, "Go sit.”
"Yes Mum.”

Once I'd had my strawberry torte I headed up to the eyrie to actually get a shower before hitting the sack. Easier said than done of course but eventually I was ready for bed, hmm, best ring Con.

"Thought you’d ring earlier.”
"I er had a lot going on, so how’s business been?”
"Alright, busy today, now what’ve you been up to?”
"Where do I start?”
"Shopping?”

And so it started, a two hour phone call to someone less than four hundred metres away.

"How much?”
"You heard.”
"And she bought them for you?”
"I said.”
"You coulda got about six pairs for that in Deichmann's.”
"But not like these,” I pointed out.
"So how did the race go, I suppose you won?”
"Only just.”
"Wonder Woman nearly got beaten?”
"Well I did have a broken shoulder.”
"Excuses, excuses...hang on did you say broken shoulder?”
"Uh huh,” I agreed.
"I thought you knew how to ride? Go on, this I have to hear.”

So of course so far today I've repeated various versions of my weekend to Herr Thesing, Kris, Max and a number of our regular customers. I suppose there will be more later at cheer and I'm sure Doc. Martin will want the tale in a few minutes. Not having enough time to go home first – and not wanting Mum and Dad to get wind of things, I carefully pulled off my work shirt and replaced it with a vest style dress I stuffed in my bag earlier, before returning my arm to the sling.

"Bond for Doctor Martin,” I told the receptionist.
"Take a seat Gaby.”
"Thanks.”

I hadn’t got to a seat before I was accosted.

"Thought I heard you,” Fritzi stated, “mein Gott, what’ve you been up to now?”
"Came off the bike yesterday,” I told her, "Broken clavicle.”
"You’re like a trouble magnet girl.”
“Don’t I know it,” I agreed.
"Bond, room two,” the receptionist called out.
"See you later,” Fritzi offered.
"Yeah, laters.”

"Ah Gaby,” the Doc greeted as I entered the consulting room.
"Er hi, before you ask I came off my bike yesterday.”
"What’ve you done then?”

So I spent a couple of minutes going over my time at the Petrus Krankenhaus before we got to the actual purpose of my visit.

"So young lady, we know you aren’t pregnant but as I told you last week your white count is a bit low.”
"Uh huh,” I got out, this is gonna be bad news, I just know it is.
"Now there are quite a few possibilities of cause, the most common is some sort of virus, once its cleared up things go back to normal.”
"But you don’t think that's the cause do you?”
"Are you sure you don’t want your parents to be here, I can reschedule?”

Sugar, this really is serious but I'm a big girl aren’t I?

"No, I'll be okay.”

The Doc paused, clearly she wasn’t comfortable either.

"Please?”
"Okay Gab, there’s no easy way to put this, you have some family history of Ovarian cancer, there’s a possibility that this low white cell count is caused by a cancer.”
"Cancer, but I've only just got my ovaries before Weihnachts.”
"You’ve had them since you were born Gaby, its not certain that there’s cancer but we should check it out right?”

Cancer? But kids don’t get it do they? Mum was in her thirties.

The Doctor went on, "If there is cancer there’s a good chance we can treat it, especially if we get it early. I'd like to take more blood and schedule you for a biopsy.”
"When?”
"In the next few days, its your choice but I really think you should tell your parents.”

"You alright Gab’s?” Mand asked.
"Er sure,” I allowed.

Alright, well apart from a broken shoulder and cancer, yeah bright as a daisy.

"I guess you’ll be sitting it out tonight,” Hannah suggested joining us.
"Er yeah.”
"She fell off yesterday and still won,” Mand supplied.
"I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Han chortled, "Come on Gab, you are allowed to smile.”
About what precisely? I forced a smile onto my face, "Satisfied?”
"Well its a start, come on lets get this lot started.”

She opened the door and led the way inside.

"Are you really okay?” Mand pushed.
"I've had better days,” I allowed with a shrug. Question is, how many more days do I have? Oh I know what the Doc said but reading between the lines, well perhaps I should tell the rents so it doesn’t come as a surprise, yeah I'll tell them when I get home tonight.

Maddy Bell © 11.07.17