(aka Bike) Part 1182 by Angharad Copyright © 2010 Angharad
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“Is she some sort of witch?” Hendry asked Nicholls.
“Nah, an angel of mercy.”
“I was sure that kid had croaked,” Hendry continued.
“Anyone can make a mistake,” reassured Nicholls, “And Cathy is rather special.”
“Which one is Cathy?”
“The mother, why?”
“I just wondered–I’m sure I’ve seen her somewhere before.”
I sat and listened as the two consultants chatted whilst watching Julie, whose respiration was now regular and her heart and blood pressure stable.
“She seems to spend an inordinate amount of time here, she has a big family and they seem to have more than their share of trouble.”
“Why’s this one in here anyway, I mean before the cardiac?”
“She was shot.”
“Shot? People don’t get shot in Portsmouth, it’s not Manchester or London or the bloody wild west.”
“Alas, this poor kid is the exception which proves the rule or something like that.”
“Why has she been shot?”
“Presumably to kill her, that’s the usual reason I believe.”
“Ken, that isn’t funny–now why was she shot, gang stuff?”
“Gang stuff? Doesn’t that usually apply to deprived areas with loads of unemployment?”
“Yeah, I suppose so–so these don’t come from that sort of background?”
“Did you see the mother in designer jeans and sweater? Those trainers cost an arm and a leg.”
“That means little, Ken, these days people go without food to buy designer wear. Are you trying to tell me they’re well off?”
“Cathy, the mother works for the university as a lecturer, she also makes films. Simon, her husband works for a bank.”
“Yeah, good white collar stuff–so?”
“Simon’s father owns said bank.”
“They’re millionaires?”
“Something like that, say, million spelt with a ’B’,” replied Ken Nicholls.
“She seems down to earth for a billionaire.”
“I don’t think she is, but pa-in- law is.”
“What sort of bank, a private merchant bank?”
“No, more mainstream than that.”
“Like Coutts?”
“No, like High Street.”
“But that’s one of the fastest growing banks in the country?”
“Spot on, Dr Hendry, can we discuss your family now? Or better still, how is my daughter doing?” I decided to interrupt their discussion as it was probably erroneous and besides, they were there to make Julie well again.
He coloured up like a tomato, “Um, Mrs Kemp,” he said looking at Julie’s name card over her bed.
“She’s not Mrs Kemp, she’s Lady Cameron,” corrected Nicholls.
“Sorry, should I curtsey or something?” asked Hendry joking about his mistake.
“No we stopped insisting on that weeks ago,” I replied. “Now how is she doing?”
“She’s doing fine, your majesty.” Hendry obviously didn’t like playing second fiddle to an aristocrat by marriage.
“That form of address only applies in Scotland,” I threw back at him–“direct descendant of Robert Bruce.” Which I believed was true on both sides of the family, I suppose I should have been grateful I wasn’t called Robert or Bruce–the latter name I couldn’t take seriously after Monty Python’s Australian sketch.
“Well, maybe I should bow then as my granddad was from Scotland.”
“So is McVities shortbread and Irn Bru,” I rebuffed him.
“Okay, Lady whatever, what did you do to your daughter?”
“Told her to get well.”
“Yeah, sure ya did.”
“Is it my fault that I seem to get more respect than you?” I felt irritated by this man.
“Because you’re wealthy?”
“No, because I’m who I am.”
“And who is that, exactly?”
“An agent of illumination.” I was staying deliberately obtuse.
“What, you sell light bulbs?” he quipped back.
“No I’m a priestess of Darwinism.”
“Excuse me? Didn’t Darwin sort of recant on his death bed?”
“He’s still one of the greatest minds of all time.”
“What making notes on earthworms?”
“He actually collated a study with dozens of volunteers doing his field work for him and was one of the first to appreciate the importance of Lumbricus to the health of the planet. It happens to be far more important than doctors.”
“Sure it goes to university for seven years...”
“Without humble earthworms very little would grow as the soil would be impoverished and un-aerated, millions of us would starve to death.”
“I suppose you’re going to tell me, honey bees are more important than doctors, too.”
“Is that a question or a statement of logic?” I threw back.
“So if doctors are so irrelevant to your world, how come you brought your daughter here when she was shot?”
“It was closer than home, and getting blood out of sheets is a huge chore.”
“Oh very funny,” he replied meaning the exact opposite.
Simon arrived–“Where’s the guy from the door?”
“Oh he went ages ago,” I told him.
“He was supposed to stay here no matter what happened.”
“He didn’t, he disappeared about the time Julie arrested.”
“Arrested? Arrested who?”
“Cardiac arrested–her heart stopped,” you have to keep it simple for bankers.
“At her age?” Simon was very surprised.
“We suspect someone slipped her something, or put it in the drip.” I looked at the doctors, Ken nodded and Hendry shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m paying these guys a fortune, so it shouldn’t have happened–you wait till I see Morris.”
“Who’s Morris?” I asked.
“The CEO of Morris Security Services.”
“He doesn’t own a garage, does he?” I asked and it washed straight over Simon’s head–he’s obviously never heard of the MG marque.
“Not as far as I know. Are you coming home or what?”
“In the absence of our own garde loo, I suppose I’d better stay and watch out for her.”
“What about feeding the baby?” He turned to the two doctors and said, “She’s breast feeding the baby.”
“Send me in my breast pump and some bottles and I’ll do some here while I sit with Julie.”
At this Hendry’s eyes went very wide–I can only suppose he’s never seen anyone breast feed or express milk before.
“I’ll get some sent over from the maternity unit, if you’d care to wait Lord Cameron, you can take some home with you.” Ken Nicholls went off to use the phone and Hendry made another check of Julie.
“I think she’ll be alright now, unless she’s suffered some brain damage from the delay in restarting her heart.”
When he heard this, Simon’s face fell. I reassured him that she was okay. Hendry threw some black looks at me as if to say, ‘Stick to your earthworms.’ I looked back at him. “How is your back nowadays?” I asked him.
“It’s fine now thanks–hey, what d’you know about my back?”
“You have a chipped vertebra, you got it playing rugby at university–fullback I think, you were scared of him when you went into the tackle and consequently you got hurt. Here,” I touched him on the back. He jumped back and screamed with pain.
“What have you done?” he bent over then stood up straight, “Jeez, it feels better–what did you do?”
“Oh it’s an old trick we Darwinists do from time to time–but it should be better now.”
“What has she done?” asked Ken returning, “Bottles and pump on their way over. Now what did you do to him?”
“She hit me on the back, it hurt like hell then it felt great.”
Ken narrowed his eyes at me, “I thought you said you’d retired from that stuff?”
“Well, you know how I like a challenge...”
Comments
Academic Conceit
I never fail to be disgusted by the Academic conceit that seems to accompany an inordinate amount of the dummies in the medical profession. A few extra years at Uni coupled with a couple of B's and a C at A level (As was in my day when A level's were worth something.) and they think they're God's gift to the universe.
Worse still is that so many of them think they're infallible when they're just so damned dumb and stupid.
That twat Hendry needs a good kicking, preferably in his lumber vertebra.
Doctors! I hate them! 'specially pscho-iatrists. They're the worst!
Still it's good story Angie and I'm still enjoying it.
Love and hugs.
Beverly.
Growing old disgracefully.
Ah Bike
It's why I come home at night ;-)
Bike pt 1182
Glad the kid is safe and sound for now, but still wonder about that goon.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
My respect for you is trebled.
You are one of the very few Darwinists that I know who will admit that he recanted some of his theories.
Cathy seems a bit tired. I wonder if it would be a good time for her and her brood to run off to Scotland or go on a cruise to Morocco? Maybe she could be asked to speak in Riyad? It seems their King is having some difficulty just now.
Much peace
Khadijah
We both suffered for years
after 'Wayne Kerr', the trick cyclist got at me. It took more than 30 years for me to do the decent thing and be a little selfish.
Cathy has to do the healing, even though Hendry is a total plonker.
Now are they going to take Julie home, or does she stay in the hospital and at risk?
Nice one, Ang.
S.
Look out below!
I was intrigued by Cathy's comment, “In the absence of our own garde loo, I suppose I’d better stay and watch out for her.â€
Unfortunately, my Oxford English dictionary doesn't have garde loo. However searching the web I found,
Thanks A+B, I do appreciate that besides being thoroughly entertaining, my daily Bikesode gives me the opportunity to learn.
Now, just who's got it in for Julie, and why?
Potty Stuff
Bike Resources
Bike Resources
There is another theory…
…for the origin of the word "loo"; in some cafés, restaurants and Relais Routiers, the door of the wee room is labelled with 100—a hundred—which is cent in French, pronounced "son", sounding virtually the same as "scent" (meaning smell) when pronounced with a French accent and so is a sort of French pun warning that it might be just a bit pongy. 100 could easily be mistaken for loo by the uninitiated, n’est-ce pas? I encountered a number of loos labelled thus in France when I was working there in the late 1960s-early 70s. The French can be a very imaginative race at times.
Could it be described as a
Peculiar Smell?
Gabi.
Gabi.
Dr. Hendry is an excellent
Dr. Hendry is an excellent example of why it is called "practicing medicine". Even if they wish it to be, Doctors are not "the end all, be all" that many believe they are. I am truly thankful for one young doctor who saved my youngest daughter's life by admiting he did not know how to treat her and called ahead to a hospital 28 miles down the road from our town that had the specialist we needed, so he and his team would be expecting us. Many kudos to that young doctor for being not only a doctor, but a real wise man. Once in a great while you do meet such a person. Jan
Conversation between the docs
sounds more like they're sitting at a table in a pub than in an patient's room. I'm not completely satisfied with this cure. Feel like Cathy needs more contact with Julie but if Cathy is satisfied I guess we should be too.
As a guard, Cathy is probably the best. Fierce and determined along with insights no one else is likely to have. She'd probably smell evil a mile away.
Found it interesting that Doc Nichols so easily orders a pump for her. Guess being a senior doctor gives him special privilages. Wonder if it will go on the bill. (I don't know how NHS works)
All I'll say...
...is that Ken Nicholls and Cathy have a long history, all the way back to Part 821.
Cathy's done numerous favours for Ken, so I didn't find this unusual, and I'd expect the NHS would be picking up any tab. Countries (including mine) that have national health systems don't seem to be quite so fiscally motivated—for better or worse.
Personal Service
Bike Resources
Bike Resources
There will be no bill…
…from the NHS, unless one is a private patient. As an example, yesterday I had an appointment with a specialist at Oxford's largest hospital which is 15 miles from where I live. I am severely disabled with arthritis and have great difficulty getting around, but the hospital arranged for an ambulance to come to my house, sit me in a wheelchair and drive me to the hospital where I was wheeled into see the doctor. Afterwards I was then wheeled back to another ambulance which took me back home, the paramedics helping me up a difficult step into my house. All for free—except all through my working life I had to pay "National Insurance contributions" which were deducted from my salary every time I was paid.
The system may not be perfect, but at least one isn't presented with a bill to pay upon arrival at hospital demanding payment before anybody will lift a finger to help one. The NHS mantra is to provide treatment FREE AT THE POINT OF DELIVERY.
Gabi.
Gabi.
Thanks,
Thanks for ending that on such a nice, light, tone...
This new doc isn't all bad... He can keep up the banter with Cathy... Okay, perhaps with her worry she's not up to par.
Cathy'd best watch out... she might start a cult, I mean a religion (the church of Darwin of atheist saints or some such)... She might end up making more money out of it than Simon. After all, L. Ron Hubbard managed to make quite a lot of money off of his invented religion... All the result of a bet at a Science Fiction convention (which he won, btw...).
Thanks,
Anne
So much for
hired muscle, Simon should just have saved his money and left Cathy there all the time,After all who will protect their daughter better than their mother ?
Kirri
Degrees
I submit this for thought. just because one earned a degree, doesnt make one compentent.
I might have ace'd every test,and,been voted class valedictorian.
you may have decided to party a bit too much and graduated by skin of your teeth.
here's the rub - we both have the exact same certificate
Which DR will patient choose if known background is considered ??
you or me ???
just remember, for every 100 degrees, most of those folks may have passed & graduated, all got the same piece of paper, but that doesnt mean they WILL will be successful
Medical School
What do you call the person who finishes last in their class at medical school?
Doctor.
Michelle B
She really got up that doctors
backside.