Eve   Chapter 44   by Topsy   © 2010 Topsy   Revelations & Blue Lights

 
Previously:
 
Eve has a room makeover and her driving licence application is in the post.
 
Now the story continues.
 
Eve Chapter 44
 

I started Monday with good intentions, really. I finished the second impossible item of coursework by eleven and, after a coffee, started the final one. I actually got as far as opening a blank file and saving it with a relevant name.

I walked back downstairs, my eyes just couldn't take it any more, perhaps I needed them checked? Mum wasn't indoors, or in the garden, so I parked myself in the lounge and put the telly on. Although I'd seen daytime TV before I was still amazed that firstly they could actually make this tripe and, secondly, that anyone would watch it.

I pressed the most useful button on the TV remote and wandered back into the kitchen. I'd finished that coffee and now I was truly bored.

There was still no sign of mum so I bagged up the two LBDs from Friday night, picked up my purse and locked up the house. I thought about cycling but it wasn't practical with two frocks so I walked to the bus stop. I had a ping of inspiration when the bus arrived and bought a weekly ticket.

In town I found the dry cleaners and swapped the dresses for a ticket. I went next door to the bakery and picked up some bread rolls. That done, I'm now stuck for ideas. I caught another bus and got off near the canal. I walked through the picnic area and down to the water, stopping where Claire and I had first explored ourselves, several weeks earlier.

Half an hour later I was back indoors, it would have been quicker by bike. I almost regretted going home.

"Where have you been!" It wasn't a whisper.

"I went to the dry cleaners."

"You didn't tell me."

"You weren't here."

"I told you where I was."

"No you didn't."

"Don't contradict me, Eve."

"Mum, you never told me. I was upstairs behind a closed door with music on. You never told me."

I could see her face going red so I tried something different.

"Mum, let's be sensible. I'll make a coffee and some lunch. I bought some fresh rolls."

I wasn't certain what would happen next so I took a step backwards, knocking over a chair. That caused mum to laugh, I never knew she was a fan of slapstick. She picked up the chair then hugged me.

"At least you're back."

"Mum I'm sorry, I should have left a note."

"Yes, but I think I tried to tell you where I was going by talking up the stairs to a closed door. We're both at fault."

We were both in tears, then I had a light-bulb moment.

"Mum, why don't we put a small whiteboard by the back door? Then we can write a note to each other."

"Good idea. Now, get that lunch done so we can go shopping."

Two hours later we'd bought that whiteboard plus a ton of other stuff. I somewhow forced myself back upstairs to that coursework but my heart wasn't in it.

Claire dropped by when she came home from school, we had a cuddle as we sat on my bed but that was all. I was getting a headache and wasn't with it. Claire thought I was ignoring her then she saw something was wrong. She put her hand on my forehead.

"You're burning!"

Mum was the next one up, then Sharon. The verdict was that I had a virus, that earned me a smack from Claire.

"If you've got it then I'll get it!"

Claire threw everyone else out of the room then got me undressed and into a nightie, finally making sure I was comfortable in the bed. I got a kiss this time.

I must have fallen asleep as it was dark when I next looked. There was a glass of water next to the bed, plus a strip of paracetamol. I took one and a swig of water, then forced myself to the bathroom.

"Eve, is that you?"

"(croak) Yes mum."

"what are you doing out of bed?"

"Weeeeeee."

"I'll be up in a minute."

I never saw her again before there was light shining through the window. My entire body ached, there was no way I was going anywhere today, except the toilet. How I reached that small room and safely made it back to my room I'll never know. I swallowed another pill and some water and must have fallen asleep again.

"Eve, Eve, wake up."

"Errr"

"Eve, wake up."

"What?"

"I've got to go to see Dr Masters, will you be okay?"

Daft question, if you ask me, I just nodded and rolled over. The next thing I remember is mum stood next to me, crying.

"Mum, what's the matter?"

She just kept crying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

I got out of bed and hugged her, it probably wasn't the best of ideas given my infection, but this was more important.

"Mum, whatever it is, we'll work it out."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

I put on my gown and led mum to the kitchen, I sat her on a seat and put the kettle on.

"Mum, tell me, what's wrong?"

"I told him."

"Told him what."

"I told him everything, everything, everything."

"What did you tell him?"

"Everything."

Mum was sobbing loudly and her head was on the table, I didn't know what to do so I called Sharon but she was out. I tried Doctor Masters but he was unavailable, his secretary wouldn't put me through. I finally rang Dr Fox on her mobile.

"Yes Eve."

"It's mum, she's just got back from Dr Masters but she's distressed and I can't get anything from her."

"You should call Dr Masters."

"I tried, his secretary is a brick wall."

"Leave it with me, don't go anywhere." As if.

She rang off, a minute later my mobile rang, number withheld.

"Hello, Miss Jones? This is Dr Masters."

"Doctor, it's mum. She's distressed, I can't get anything from her, what did she say to you?"

"I'm sorry that's Doctor Patient confidentiality."

"Rubbish, I need to know or are you going to get here? If I call an ambulance then I'll make sure they know it's a result of your session with her."

"Give me ten minutes, I'll be with you."

"You'd better."

I did my best to comfort mum but she was still blubbing, saying "sorry" every now and again. I still didn't know what was going on, why was she like this? What did she have to be sorry about? Sure, there had been issues but we'd talked about them already.

I made a pot of tea and tried to get her to drink, but she was in danger of sending it flying so that didn't work. I tried talking softly, I hugged her but was pushed away.

The doorbell rang, I rushed to the door and let Dr Masters in. He tried talking to her but she became hysterical. He asked me to hold her while her prepared a hypodermic and injected her with a sedative. It took ten or twenty seconds but she finally relaxed. We helped her to the couch and laid her out, moving the coffee table as a precaution.

We sat in the lounge to keep an eye on her while I talked to Dr Masters.

"Doctor, what happened? Don't give me that confidentiality rubbish, this is my mother we're talking about. I have a right!"

"Miss Jones, Eve, no you don't have a right but now is not the time to worry about it. I can see why you were concerned about your mother. I forced her to face her demons, the session went well and I thought I didn't need to see her again more than once."

"Plainly that wasn't correct."

"No, but hindsight is not a good diagnostic tool."

"So, what did she say?"

"We covered everything that you're familiar with then we concentrated on her post natal depression. She eventually told me that you had a twin, a girl, who was stillborn."

"She's never told me that."

"No, it was a suppressed memory, she told me that she wanted a girl and, when she lost her, she hated herself. Your father knew she was expecting twins and they had chosen names, Eve and Simon, but as you know your father died before your birth."

"What else?"

"She discharged herself against medical advice and took you home. You were supposed to have been brought back to hospital for checks because the paediatrician later found that your twin had ambiguous genitalia, but your mother refused a PM and there was no follow up. There's no record of your twin having been collected for burial."

"Another hospital foul-up."

"Yes."

"So what now?"

"I want to take her in, I have to now I've given her a sedative, but it would be useful if you came with me."

"I can't, I have a viral infection."

"Damn."

"Is there an alternative?"

"I don't think so."

"Then I'll have to call my aunt, mum's sister."

"You do that and I'll arrange an ambulance."

We both made calls, I asked my aunt to come here so she could ride in the ambulance. I went back to sit with Dr Masters, who moved the subject to me.

"Have you been checked?"

"Yes, multiple scans, I've got a procedure booked for next Monday. I hope to find out for myself then."

"Who's doing it?"

"Doctor Roberts."

"Right, I'll pass this information onto him as it is relevant."

"Very relevant."

The ambulance arrived on blue lights a few minutes later, thankfully there was no siren. Sharon came running, Aunt Sue was not far behind. I gave them both a summary, apparently she didn't know either that I was a twin.

Sharon sat with me after the ambulance left, mum had been taken out of the door strapped to a stretcher, something for the other neighbours to talk about. Doctor Fox then rang, Dr Masters had given her a potted summary, she said she was on her way over to me. You wait all year for one psychiatrist and two come along on the same day.

"Eve, have you had any lunch?"

"No, but I haven't had much of an appetite."

"How about some soup?"

"I'll try it."

"Annie's due home any minute, I'll ask her to warm some up, I just bought it. There's some fresh rolls as well."

"Thanks."

Sharon made herself a coffee, I got a hot blackcurrant and two paracetamol, apparently my temperature was coming down but I still needed to take them. Annie, finding no-one in her house, popped her head into mine and received the lunch order.

I was sipping the hot soup when Dr Fox arrived. Sharon excused herself and left me with my shrink.

"How do you feel, Eve?" Start with a meaningless question?

"My body feels lousy and I've just discovered I was a twin, how would you feel?"

"Point taken. What's your take on this news?"

"That's an interesting way to put it. It reeks of hospital foul-up again, except we're talking nearly seventeen years ago."

"Even if that's true, what about your mum?"

"She's already admitted to post natal depression but she explained it was due to my father dying, if she also lost a daughter that would explain a lot of her actions since."

"It would, Eve, but is it the whole story?"

"What else could there be? Am I the result of alien insemination? Call Mulder and Scully!"

She tried to keep a straight face. "No, I'm talking about her behaviour. Hopefully that will become apparent now she's admitted to herself that you were her surrogate daughter."

"But that doesn't explain these?" I cupped my unsupported breasts. I was, after all, still in my nightwear.

"No, but it could go some way towards that."

Doctor Fox left shortly afterwards and I went back to bed, sleeping until late afternoon. Sharon came up to see me. "Eve, you have to come across, I can't leave you here on your own."

"But I'm might be infectious."

"That isn't something to worry about, Claire's been sent home with the same bug."

"Oh."

"Put on a clean pair of knickers and PJ's then come across. Bring fresh clothes in case you need them."

I locked the house up a few minutes later and dragged myself across the short distance between our houses. I sat in the kitchen and tried some food but my appetite wasn't back. I took myself upstairs to Claire's bed, she was already there, asleep. Cuddling was off the menu.

The following day, Wednesday, was almost a repeat of Tuesday but without the hysterics and ambulance. Of course there was the added extra of a poorly Claire.

I was finally up on Thursday morning feeling capable of getting some work done, Claire was still moaning to everyone. I showered and put on the clothes that I'd taken over a few days earlier. Aunt Sue had been going to see mum, who was in a private room. I'm not sure who arranged that but I was grateful. She wasn't violent but had been kept on a mild sedative while she talked through her issues with Dr Preston. As it affected me as well, Dr Fox was present for many of the sessions and kept me informed by phone.

After breakfast I rang the hospital and spoke to the ward sister.

"Can you give me an update?"

"She's being discharged later this morning."

"Right." I hadn't been informed, but then my aunt had been the main contact at the hospital. "Is my aunt aware?"

"Yes, she's coming to collect your mum at eleven. Dr Preston is seeing your mum at ten."

I went across to our house to tidy up the lounge. I stripped my bed and got that in the washing machine before remaking it. A quick vacuum around the ground floor made it a bit more presentable. Finally I wiped down all the worktops in the kitchen.

I was now ready for her return.