Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 463.

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Bike 463.
by Angharad

“So what do you want to do? I have all day to spend doing it, whatever it is.”

“You have to cook Tom a nice dinner.”

“Not just yet, it’s not even ten, yet.”

“You have a dormouse to finish making.”

“I don’t have to do it now, it’s not as if we were going to be taking it into her today, is it?”

“That was the third thing.”

“You are joking, Stella.” If she had been, why was she shaking her head at me now? “You’re not joking, are you?”

“No.”

“We can’t, they only allow family to visit when you’re in intensive care.”

“You only have to take it to the hospital, you don’t have to hand it to her personally.”

“Why the rush?”

“If she knows it’s from you, she’ll feel heaps better and recover sooner.”

“Oh come off it, that makes it sound like some fetish object–and I mean that in it’s original sense, before all these perverts misappropriated the word.”

“I think it will be like a fetish object.”

“I don’t feel like sewing.” I suppose I could have stamped my foot as well for effect.

“Tough, it goes with the territory of being female.”

“What? That is the most sexist remark I’ve ever heard, and if that’s the case, why don’t you do it?”

“I have a chronic health issue.”

“No you don’t, you’re pregnant.”

“Absolutely, and you get to make cuddly toys, now get sewing before I put in an order for one for Puddin’.”

“You are a slave driver,” I protested.

“Yep, me slave driver, you soft toy maker–get making.”

“You…you…big bully.”

“If that’s the toughest you can fight, you’d better wear a big hat.”

“What?” I gasped, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“God knows, Daddy used to say it, something to do with cowboy films, which he used to love.”

“Henry likes cowboy films?”

“Yes, specific ones, like, True Grit, and High Noon.”

“That does surprise me.”

“Even I cried watching True Grit.”

“Why?”

“When the horse dies.”

“I did when we read Black Beauty in school, when Ginger dies.” I had flashbacks to the whole class sniggering at me as I wept.

“Oh, I cried then too, and when Hazel dies in Watership Down.”

“Crikey, I’d forgotten about that. Yeah, the cosmic rabbit comes to get him or something, doesn’t it?”

“Dormouse,” said Stella, loudly.

“Nah, it wasn’t a dormouse, I’d have remembered.”

“No you idiot, get sewing the dormouse or we’ll be here all day.” So that’s what I did, sewed the dormouse and stuffed it, then finished it off. When I looked at it, it didn’t really look much like a dormouse, but it’s the thought that counts–isn’t it?”

“If you’d given it a bushy tale, it could be a pale squirrel.”

“Gee thanks, Stella, you really know how to make me feel good.”

“If the pip-squeak complains, tell her it was normal before it met her.”

“That’s a really useful thing to say to a child who’s fighting for her life.”

“Go on, kids are tough, it’s adults who die in ICUs.”

“I dunno, I think this nightmare in fake fur fabric, may just push her over the edge.”

“Rubbish,” declared Stella.

“My words exactly, this is total rubbish.” I threw her the atypical dormouse.

“Right, get the car out, we’re going visiting.”

“Do we have to?”

“Car,” she barked and I picked up the keys.

~~~~~

“Do you have Jemima on intensive care?” I asked the nurse.

“I can’t answer that, I’m afraid.”

“It’s just that I have a small present for her.” I held up the gift bag, I’d managed to shove the dormouse parody into.

Just as I held up the bag, Jemima’s mother happened to walk out through the door. She looked at us then straight on, then she looked again. “Cathy Watts, it is you?”

I felt like saying, ‘No it’s full size hologram’ but the nerve deserted me. “Oh hello, I brought in a small present for Jemima.”

“How sweet of you, I’m sure she’d be delighted to receive it, come on in.”

“But..um, we’re intruding,” I stuttered and spluttered, while Stella smirked.

“She is still very weak and ill, but she’d never forgive me if I hadn’t invited you in to see her. How we’ll ever thank you for saving her, I don’t know.”

“I didn’t, it was the paramedics.”

“They said it was you and the young policeman.”

“Probably him then, I didn’t do very much.”

“Is she always like this?” Jemima’s mother asked Stella.

“Yes, she is a pathological compliment evader. I keep telling her, avoidance is immoral but allowed, evasion is illegal.” They both chuckled as I blushed. “She’s saved several lives including mine, and she is so modest about it.”

“Goodness, I am in honoured company,” said Jemima’s mum. She led us into the cubicle where a tiny figure in the bed was surrounded by a technology explosion. I suspect there were fewer monitors of various description in Currys electrical appliance store.

“Jem, look who’s come to see you.” Her mother sat by her side and gently stroked her hand.

I stood at the foot of the bed feeling very intrusive and out of place. The pale faced doll on the bed, with dark rings under her eyes and bruises on her face, looked so frail and vulnerable. I felt so anxious for her. The eyelids fluttered open.

“It’s Cathy, do you remember? The dormouse lady.”

“Caffy,” she said in a tiny voice that was barely audible. Her eyes looked around and she fixed her gaze on me. “Caffy,” she said a little louder and her face seemed to brighten up.

“Are they allowed soft toys?” I asked quietly of her mother.

“Yes, look,” she pointed at a teddy bear lying on the bed with Jemima.

“This won’t be as good as that, I’m afraid.” I apologised in advance of presenting my mutant dormouse.

“She’s made Jemima a dormouse,” said Stella betraying me. I was going to suggest we bought it in Oxfam.

“You made it? Cathy, you are so clever. Did you hear that, Darling? Cathy has made you a toy dormouse.”

The little face lit up again as I passed the bag to her mother, who unwrapped it and gave it to her. “Isn’t she clever?” said mother to daughter.

“Oh, I wuv it, fank you, Caffy.”

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Comments

Sniff, sniff!

Awh, dang it, now I'm gonna cry!

KJT

"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

Bugger it.

Me too

Geoff

Meece Three

Same here!

Arwen

Going to cry?

I am already there. Something about Jemima just touches me.

aww!! adorable

That was so nice of Caffy!!!

Hugs,
Jenna From FL

Hugs,
Jenna From FL
Moderator/Editor
TopShelf BigCloset
It is a long road ahead but I will finally become who I should be.

Snifle, snifle, Waaaah! Now

Snifle, snifle, Waaaah! Now you have us all doing it. Regardless of how Cathy's dormouse came out, Gem is going to love it because it is from her. I can see an "Auntie" title in Cathy's life and that is before Stella's delivery of her child.

Awww, sweet chapter

I wuv it, fank you, Anghawad

Aaaaah, sweeeeet.

A wuvverwy chapter Anghawad. I am sure Jem will treasure Caffy's dormouse, which is sure to help her get well soon.

"Lettuce" be thankful that “Little Gem” is getting better.

Hugs,
Gabi

Gabi.


“It is hard for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” Thomas Hardy—Far from the Madding Crowd.

Yes Jemima,

There Is An Aunt Caffy. She has two friens for life now nd more when word spreads.
May Your Light Forever Shine

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

nope... not gonna

kristina l s's picture

Oh bugger. It's dust, aw-right... I was cutting an onion for lunch... hayfever... oh....

Kristina

Sometimes the ugliest, most ineptly made toys are the best

I had a very plain stuffed sock toy make for me by an older cousin when I was a toddler.

It was an earthworm with crude arms, button eyes and stitching whiskers or maybe a tail and legless monkey, I'm not sure what it was. It was very simple but I loved it as a kid. Thanks again, Mary Jane.

John in Wauwatosa

P.S. Now in a chapter or two the little girl dies from a sudden aneurism, right? I have you pegged, evil Ang. You’re setting us up for a fall.

WHAAAAAAAA!

John in Wauwatosa

Now you've done it.

Don't you know by now that your can't make those kinds of comments. They are way too likely to come true and I don't care if she's annoying, a little kid needs to live. I wonder if Cathy has gone beyond an admirer and found a future student. "I wana be just like Caffy when I grow up!"

a stroke maybe

and her vocal chords could fall out and she'd be unable to scream.
Buh-luddy Hell the whole lot of you have gone soft!

How sweet

and smart of Stella to insist Cathy finish the Dormouse.Good to see your keeping Jemima alive and that Cathy has her humble way still.Amy

Oh Caffy!

Well, we already knew how much Jemima loved her Caffy... And, she's being so polite, thanking her so clearly. That's a good sign, when she's in as much care as she is, to still remember to thank Cathy.

This time, I'm GLAD Cathy was bullied into finishing the project, and taking it in to Jemima...

I hope Cathy learns to take SOME complements faster than I have (I've yet to be good about accepting the most obviously false ones - or obvious to me, and the ones that MIGHT have some basis... Those are not easy... But, at least I've come, through great pain and agony to accept occasional professional compliments.)...

Thanks for the episode,
Annette

Jemima

Shes not out of the woods yet. When she is the nurse will know, and trying to keep her voice down so she doesn't scare the other patients. We wouldn't want them running down anyone's blouse, now would we?

Me too

O.K that got to Me. No fair making Me cry again.

Kleenex, please.

Kleenex, please.
Glad Stella is stubborn

Cefin