Gideon's Chair

Chapter 2 Near Nottingham Present Day

 Chapter Two

Either the postman rattling gates , which he seemed to do always rather than just open and close them . Or maybe it was the late summer sun coming in through the bedroom window which woke me , either way I was awake . The sunshine was no comfort . I'd prefer to hear the rain drumming against my window .

No point in hanging around in bed I thought , I'd hardly want to eat breakfast in bed ...folding the duvet back and then plumping the cushions I tried to make the bed exactly as Carol did . Is this how my life was going to be ?

Grabbing a slice of toast and Chatsworth house marmalade , I walked into the garden. Looking over the hills of Nottingham and the fields closer it was easy to understand why I thought life was going to be idyllic.

Saturday , eight days on offered early visiting from ten am at the hospital .So grabbing my keys I decided to make an early start . If I had to wait ...so be it . It's not like I had anything else planned.

Hopefully today would bring good news.

Driving through the gates , I parked on the grass verge jumped out and shut the gates behind me .Once again the postman had left the box open on the wall.I don't know why he has to rattle the gates , when all he has to do is put the mail in here .....However he does and I suppose he will continue to do so.

Collecting the mail bundle , I threw it on the passenger seat of the Jaguar and and headed onto the Old Coach Road , out of the village and towards the hospital.

The hospital was built around 1970 and was now a series of ugly extensions , of miss managed car parks and terrapin type buildings pretending to be clinics or wards with official signs which had been blown over in the breeze saying Out Patients or Park Here . After an eternity of driving round I parked as near as I could to the Hasson Ward ...named with ridiculous irony , he was famed as an industrialist known for his attention to detail and the welfare of his employees.I was in zone yellow .

 It seemed the whole of Nottingham was here today as people milled around like busy ants in and out of corridors and wards.

Kissing Carol on the cheek I just sat down and waited. I'm sure I would be told there was no change , as certainly from her appearance there didn't appear to be ...she looked the same . Motionless and beautiful surrounded by her favourite white and orange lillies , lots of monitors which I looked at like everyone does , without having any idea what they said and dozens of get well cards .

" Any news nurse" I asked without expecting a positive response.

The tall nurse walked across the room towards us glancing back as a phone rang at her station.

" No change at all " she said without breaking her stride " but we are waiting for the next test results , they should be back tomorrow I think"

She checked Carol's notes and then snapped them shut , again without looking up " Tuesday I expect , the consultant is back then , hopefully a lot more news then"

Stroking Carol's hair I placed it in a fringe as she liked it , hardly Vidal Sassoon but she liked it that way.

"Damn" I muttered to myself , I forgot to collect the paper on the way up here .

Reaching into my jacket pocket , I pulled out the mail bundle and put it on the bed .Something to read I thought smiling to myself .Pulling off the red elastic band I fingered through them , hoping one didn't say Inland Revenue on it. Accountants bill, bank statement, Antiques magazine , better not read that placing it on the bed , Carol hates me reading it before her and at the bottom of the pile a flyer . Opening the flyer it was from the church 'News From St Cecilias Catholic Church'