Lucy was the first thing Gordon thought about when he awoke at eight, suddenly aware of the hustle and bustle of morning in the wards of a large hospital.
‘We knew you’d ask,’ said the nurse, ‘So I phoned the ward less than fifteen minutes ago. She’s had a comfortable night and Mr Paxton will be coming in to see her later this morning: he’s the consultant plastic surgeon.’
‘Can I see her?’ Gordon started to ask but didn’t finish. ‘Can I see anything?’ he corrected himself, touching his bandages and the nurse smiled. ‘Dr Hallam will be in to see you around ten. She’ll be able to tell you more. In the meantime, how about some breakfast?’
Gordon accepted the offer of tea and toast and fidgeted away the time until Mary Hallam arrived to examine him. The nurse accompanying her removed the bandages from his eyes gently; he could smell antiseptic soap on her skin as her hands moved skilfully and intermittently across his face as she unwound the long ribbon. He felt strangely naked and vulnerable when they’d all gone.
‘Just keep you lids closed for a moment,’ said Mary before the last of the dressings — two gauze pads — were about to be taken away. ‘Now open your left eye slowly.’
Gordon did as he was told and was unprepared for the immediate flood of brightness and colour. He had to blink several times until he could see clearly and then he was looking at Mary Hallam. ‘You’re absolutely beautiful,’ he said. It had come out spontaneously.
‘All my blind patients say that,’ said Hallam. ‘Now, your right.’
Gordon opened his right eye and found he could see out of that one too although there was a fair amount of pain associated with it and he closed it again to get relief.
‘Just take your time.’
Gordon let his fingers rest lightly on the right lid for a moment before trying again with more success. ‘It’s okay,’ he said.
‘Want to give the card a go?’ asked Mary.
Gordon agreed with a grunt and Mary propped up a vision test card on the other side of the room. ‘Now then, when you’re ready.’
Gordon found he was a lot more interested in looking at Mary than the test card; she was extremely attractive. He knew within himself that his sight was basically okay so reading the card was really just a case of going through the motions.
‘When you’re ready, Doctor,’ repeated Mary, acutely aware that Gordon was looking at her rather than the card. ‘I’ll give you a clue, the big one at the top is “Z”.’
Gordon started reading.
‘Second line,’ commanded Mary.
Gordon passed the test. His sight was passed as being perfectly all right. ‘Any chance of seeing Lucy this morning?’ he asked.
‘Don’t see why not; I’ll check with the ward if you like. Her husband confessed to killing their daughter, didn’t he?’
‘He didn’t, do it,’ said Gordon.
Mary saw that she had touched on a raw nerve and was slightly taken aback at the strength of his reaction. ‘Give me a minute,’ she said. ‘I’ll go ring the ward.’ She left the room but returned shortly to say, ‘It’s all right with them. She’s upstairs in the side room attached to Princess Anne Ward. Turn left at the top of the stairs and go straight along. You can’t miss it.’
‘Thanks,’ said Gordon. ‘Sorry I snapped your head off.’
Lucy was lying on her back staring up at the ceiling when Gordon entered the room. At first he wasn’t sure whether or not she was awake because the room was shaded but she moved her head slightly when she heard the door click shut behind him. ‘Can I come in?’ he whispered.
‘Tom, you’re all right,’ said Lucy, turning her head. She sounded weak. ‘I’m so glad.’
‘I’m fine,’ said Gordon quietly. ‘You’ve been through a bit of a rough time though.’
‘Fate seems to have it in for John and me,’ Lucy said, ‘I’m beginning to think that the odds are just too heavily stacked against us.’
‘You mustn’t give up,’ urged Gordon. ‘It’s got to bottom out somewhere; I’ve a feeling this is it.’
Lucy smiled weakly and put her hand on his.
‘Are you in much pain?’
‘The doctors gave me something; my head’s full of cotton wool.’
‘People pay good money for that,’ said Gordon. It brought the suggestion of a smile to Lucy’s lips.
‘Was there much damage to the house?’
‘Don’t worry about that just now: I’ll check it out later, make it secure and do what needs doing. It’ll be okay by the time you get home.’
Lucy suddenly gripped Gordon’s hand tightly, her fingers like talons. ‘And I am coming back,’ she said firmly. ‘Make no mistake about it. They are not going to take my home away from me.’
‘That’s it,’ said Gordon. ‘Hang in there.’
‘What’s going to happen to me?’ asked Lucy. It wasn’t a casual inquiry. She looked Gordon directly in the eye and he knew that she expected the whole truth.
‘You’ll be transferred to another hospital for skin grafts. I think probably Manchester.’
‘Will I be scarred?’
‘Your face wasn’t injured,’ said Gordon.
‘But the rest of me?’
‘There will be some marking.’
‘Thanks Tom.’
Gordon left Lucy and came back downstairs to get his own things together. He was on the point of leaving, having thanked and said good-bye to the nurses, when Julie Rees arrived. She seemed surprised to see him up and about.
‘I thought things were more serious,’ she said.
‘They are for Lucy Palmer,’ said Gordon. ‘She’s going to need plastic surgery.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that. What’s your damage?’
Gordon held out his arms and said, ‘Some minor burns to the forearms and a sore eye; that’s about the strength of it. I was lucky — as people in my position feel compelled to say whatever’s happened to them short of death.’
‘Stops someone else saying it,’ smiled Julie.
Gordon sensed her unease. ‘It was nice of you to come,’ he said. It sounded awkward and made him realise that he and Julie had never had anything more than a strictly working relationship. They had never become close friends. They were colleagues who never invaded each other’s personal space without feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t know why and it had never mattered until now when he suddenly felt as if he were talking to a stranger.
‘I thought maybe we could have a word and then I’ll give you a lift home if you like.’
Gordon thought Julie’s tone sounded ominous, a view reinforced when she made a point of closing the room door. As they sat down and faced each other, Julie said, ‘Tom, I know how strongly you feel about the Palmers and the raw deal you think they’ve been getting...’
‘But?’
‘But frankly it’s beginning to damage the practice. People are starting to transfer to GPs in Bangor and Caernarfon as a mark of protest.’
‘I saw one of their protests come in through the window last night,’ said Gordon bitterly.
‘People do stupid things when they get emotionally upset,’ said Julie and the death of a child is something that does cause a great deal of strong feeling around the village.’
‘It’s second hand emotion, Julie,’ said Gordon. ‘They’re using Anne-Marie’s death to parade their self-righteousness before each other. The truth is they didn’t give a damn about Anne-Marie when she was alive and they don’t really give a damn about her now that she’d dead. She’s just a convenient vehicle for self- promotion.’
‘That may well be true,’ conceded Julie. ‘But these are the people in our practice you are talking about. We have to get along with them.’