Before I Saw You(22)
Her defiant independence had taken over again. Put up those walls and don’t let anyone in.
Get over yourself, Alice, it was just a laugh. The voice of her best friend drifted into her mind.
This would have been exactly the type of thing Sarah would have done to get Alice out of one of her bad moods. It was so ridiculous and infuriatingly childish, but it always seemed to work.
Alice’s chest started to throb with a longing for her friend.
Talking to him once doesn’t mean you’re committed to him for ever … there’s no harm in conversation …
The absurd thoughts were cut short by the appearance of one of the nurses.
‘Hello Alice, how are we today?’ The nurse didn’t even bother to look at Alice as she started her checks. She was on autopilot, anticipating more of the same silence that had been present since day one.
‘OK. How are you?’
The nurse did a double take.
‘Oh, wow! Erm … yes, I’m fine.’ She shook herself out of her stupor and carried on with her checks. ‘I’m doing well, thank you. Very well, in fact.’
The nurse’s face flushed with pride. Here was one of her children finding their words for the very first time.
‘Can you tell her to stop talking so much, please, she’s been non-stop!’ came Alfie’s voice from next door. ‘Some of us are trying to rest.’
The nurse rolled her eyes.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to change his dressing very vigorously today.’ She winked at Alice as she turned to leave. ‘Right, Alfred Mack, I hope you’re ready for a cold firm hand.’
‘Oh, well your husband is a very lucky man. I’m surprised he lets you out of the house in the morning with that bedside manner.’
‘If Nurse Angles heard you, she’d have you off this ward in a second with that cheek!’
Alice smiled affectionately.
Suddenly the nurse leant in close to her, whispering for Alice’s ears only. ‘What have you gone and let yourself in for, young lady!’
Alice couldn’t help but laugh. She’d been asking herself the very same thing.
The nurse had barely left before the entertainment started up again.
‘Hey, Mr P, do you think we should put our new friend to the test with some of your crossword clues?’
‘I think you should learn when to stop and keep quiet.’
‘Don’t spoil the fun, old man! Right … I’m looking for a nine-letter word meaning “lively or enthusiastic”, starts with a C.’
‘Couldn’t-care-less.’
‘No, Sharon, that’s why we don’t ask you to play. Sarcasm isn’t welcome in this high-stakes game of intellect.’
‘Alice? Any thoughts?’
Oh, trust me, there are many, but none that would be pleasant for you to hear …
She had to lay down some boundaries early. Draw a line in the sand and manage expectations.
‘Look, just because I can talk, doesn’t mean I’m going to, OK?’
20
Alfie
‘That taught you, didn’t it, kid.’
Alfie shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he made his way over to Mr Peterson’s bed.
‘One step is a step and all that. Rome wasn’t built in a day, my friend.’ He hoped the disappointment at her rebuff wasn’t leaking out into his voice. ‘Anyway, I’ve got the joys of physio now, so you get a break from me for at least an hour.’
‘Praise the Lord. He’s going!’
Alfie mustered his best glare, but no matter how rude or sarcastic his friend was, he couldn’t help but admire him. He really was one of the best gifts being in the hospital had given him.
‘You and Alice can both celebrate my absence together.’ He made sure his voice carried all the way to her bay.
He couldn’t give up on her now.
She’d only just started to let him in.
If any of his fellow teachers had been here, they would have scoffed and rolled their eyes, dismissing Alice as ‘another one of Mr Mack’s projects’. So what if he tried harder than most people would with the children written off as ‘difficult’ and ‘resistant’. He’d tried many times to keep his distance but his heart simply refused to let him. His desire to help took over, and pushed rules and procedure to the side.
He needed to remember that this was going to be a marathon and not a sprint.
Not that you could do either now with your one pathetic leg.
*
He’d left Alice well alone for the rest of the day, partly because he was exhausted from another intense physio session, but also because he was trying to employ his ‘easy does it’ strategy. Therefore, when he woke the next morning, he was very surprised to see Nurse Angles standing over his bed, arms folded and giving him a look he knew all too well. He’d been on the receiving end of that same look for the majority of his life. Most of the time, including this occasion, it was given with a healthy dose of affection.
‘What the hell have you been up to, Alfie? What did I tell you?’
Alfie shrugged, feigning bewilderment. Nurse Angles leant forward on the bed, one hand resting on his remaining leg and the other reaching towards his face. He was sure he was about to receive a little warning, maybe a gentle finger-wag to go with it. The other nurses on shift had probably told her of his continued efforts to get Alice to talk, despite being asked to leave her alone.