I stood transfixed as the frail creature in the bed held up the deformed dormouse to look at it more closely. “Wook Mummy, he’s got a furwy tail.”

“Oh yes, Darling, so he has, I assume it is a boy dormouse.”

“Um, it’s whatever you want it to be a girl or a boy dormouse.”

“Do you have a boy or a girl dormouse, Caffy?”

“At the university, we have both, because we breed them there, but the one you handled, was a girl.”

“Vis is a girl one ven, Mummy–what shall we call her?”

“What would you like to call her, Darling?”

“I don’t know, what does Caffy, fink?

“I think you should call her something nice, so she’ll help you have nice thoughts and dreams.” I was still choked.

“Do you realise her blood pressure and heart rate have gone down since you came in?” whispered a nurse who was making entries in the notes.

“Is that good?” I whispered back to the nurse.

“Good, it’s wonderful,” she hissed back.

Big ears Cameron heard it of course, and poked me in the arm, “Our Cathy is always wonderful, aren’t you?”

Now I was embarrassed as well as unable to move, perhaps it was as well I was in an intensive care unit, if I was going to become paralysed!

“This is the lady who saved Mima’s life, isn’t it, Darling? So we think she’s wonderful.”

“Yes we do,” the little voice that emanated from the broken body in the bed, was only a ghost of it’s usual strength, for which I was concerned but grateful. I suspected if it had been up to it’s usual levels, the mutant muscardinus, which she held lovingly to her chest, would probably have jumped as far as Spike did that day. Even I jumped that day and I’m quite a bit bigger than the noise generator in the bed.

“So you’re the heroine of the day are you?” asked the nurse, she looked at me with the expression which usually precedes mention of a certain Youtube clip; instead she said, “Aren’t you the one who caught the bag snatcher?”

“She’s the one,” piped Stella, “it was my bag.”

“So she’s minor royalty or something isn’t she?” continued the nurse, “Lady Something or other?”

“Cameron, it’s Cameron,” said Stella.

“That’s right, married to Lord Cameron. I remember now. Weren’t you in here yourself for a bit, with a collapsed lung or something?”

“I got stabbed while riding my bike.”

“Oh yes, Lord Cameron apprehended him, didn’t he?”

“So I believe, I was busy bleeding to death at the time.”

“I’m glad to see you recovered.”

“Yes, thank you. Well I suppose we’d best be going.” I looked down at Jemima.”

“Were you in vis bed, Caffy?”

I glanced at Stella and the nurse, they both nodded. “Yes, I think I was.”

“Oh, goody, vat means I’ll get better too.”

“I’m sure you’ll get better soon, Jemima.” I said hoping I was correct.

“Will you come and see me again tomowow?”

“Oh, I don’t know if that’s allowed,” I muttered looking for escape from such a commitment from her mother or the nurse.

“I’m sure it would be allowed, Lady Cameron,” said Jemima’s mum, and Stella snorted.

“It would be fine, I’m sure,” said the nurse.

“Is Caffy, Wady Camawon?” asked a little voice.

“Little piggies have big ears,” I muttered.

“Absolutely,” said Stella, “So, Lady Cameron, you’ll have to honour your promises.” I turned to give her my Paddington hard stare, but she refused to meet my psycho-gaze.

“Yes dear, Cathy is Lady Catherine Cameron. Aren’t we lucky, we know a member of the aristocracy.”

“Oh yes, Mummy. I wike Wady Caffy.”

“We have to go, I’ll pop in tomorrow if that’s okay?” I said hoping they’d all say no, but they didn’t, instead they smiled, looking like contented spiders watching me, the fly, getting ever more ensnared in their web.

“Can I have a kiss, Wady Caffy?” What could I say in response–no? Instead, I bent down and she hugged me, which was when I saw a large dressing on the back of her head.

“What’s this?” I asked indicating the dressing.

“She had cranial surgery a couple of days ago, to drain the haematoma from the fracture,” said the nurse, “Didn’t you know?”

“No, I didn’t, oh you poor lamb, does it hurt?” I said to Jemima.

“Not anymore, fank you Wady Caffy, Mima feels tired now,” she yawned and closed her eyes. I eased her back down to the pillow, she was already asleep, the tube going down her nose was a bit disconcerting as I hadn’t noticed it before.

“She’s a brave wee soul, isn’t she?” I said to her mother.

“She is. Do you know that by coming in today, you’ve made me feel so much more optimistic about her.”

We moved away from the bed and spoke in very quiet tones, “Why?” I asked.

“Oh, you don’t know do you?” said her mother, “She can’t move her legs, or anything from the waist down.”

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed, “Is that temporary or…”

“We don’t know,” said her mother, ”she was too ill to do the scan of her back and neck. It could be the head injury, it could be her back.”

“God, I hope I didn’t make things worse.” I felt quite sick.

“Without your intervention, she’d wouldn’t be here at all, so don’t even think you did her anything but good.” Her mother hugged me, “Thank you so much for coming in.”

“I’ll be here tomorrow, what time do you want me?” I asked holding back the tears.

“Whenever you can make it.”

“Okay, I’ll be here.” I grabbed Stella and we left.As we walked back to the car, I felt extremely worried about the little soul lying asleep in that bed. I was close to tears, and unable to say anything.

“Sometimes we just have to hope, you know, hope that things will improve. You being there seemed to perk her up.”

“I wasn’t even going to come,” I said and felt the tears trickle against my cheeks, “Thanks for making me.”

“I didn’t make you, I just assisted you with a little prod,” Stella replied, then she hugged me. “If she recovers at all, it will be because of you. You’ll have saved her life.”

“Is there a risk she won’t make it, then?” I was aghast at this possibility.

“Sadly yes, she could still get meningitis or another infection, she could have…”

“Oh don’t, I can’t bear to listen. Damn it, she’s going to recover, completely even if I have to go in there every bloody day for the next ten years.” I slammed my fist into my other palm.

“Ooh, that’s fightin’ talk, Lady Cameron,” said Stella.

“Oh bollocks!” I said and we both laughed releasing the pent up tension, “Come on, let’s get Tom some dinner.”