ring the hospital and am transferred a few times before I am informed that as I am not a relative, they can’t tell me anything, except he has been admitted to Eagle ward. Well at least I know he is still alive and not in intensive care. So I can stop worrying about him. Can’t I?
I need comfort so I eat a Kit Kat and wash it down with another coffee. The sun is now streaming through the windows, and I have the urge to escape my flat and get some air. I change into my jeans and trainers and step out into the street, adopting a brisk pace and keeping my head down. Exercise is what I need to clear the fog in my head. Fifteen minutes later, I’m shocked that my feet have automatically trodden a path to the hospital. I furtively stand in the reception searching for clues to the whereabouts of Eagle ward.
I am directed to the third floor and arrive at a new reception area. A nurse pauses over her keyboard and looks over her glasses at me. “Can I help you?”
“I would like to know how DS Salter is. He was admitted last night, with head injuries.”
“It’s not visiting time.” She frowns, and consults her watch.
“No, but if you could just tell me how he is?” She stares at me for a few seconds before her expression softens.
“Are you a relative?”
I shake my head. “Not really.”
“Girlfriend?” She smiles, and I’m about to say no but it comes out as, “Yes.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Just wait here a moment.” She heads off.
Damn it! Now I’m a liar and an impersonator. It just gets worse. Why did I say that? I could have said sister, or colleague. But that probably would be worse. After all, I am a girl and I am a friend. Loosely speaking. The nurse returns with a smile.
“You can go in for a few minutes. He is looking forward to seeing you.”
Oh, great! I want to run back out the door, but she shoos me like a mother hen up the corridor until it opens up into a ward on either side. She is distracted by a bald-headed man in a dressing gown, so I take the opportunity to bolt. Turning quickly, I catch my foot on a metal castor and find myself up against the tea trolley. A Mars bar and two satsumas tumble from it as I cling to the side to steady myself. I hunch down as low as possible, retrieve the items, and unobtrusively try to return them to the trolley.
“Want some tea with that, dear?” asks the trolley lady, who possesses the loudest voice ever.
“No, thank you,” I whisper, hoping to slink away.
“Hello, darling. What a surprise.” I freeze at the familiar voice of DS Salter and then slowly turn. He is propped up in the corner bed waving at me, grinning like a Cheshire cat. His thick gold hair has been cut away on the left side and a dressing applied. The nurse, who has now dispatched the man in the dressing gown, turns back and propels me towards his bed. “Ten minutes. Then he has to go down to x-ray,” she says, throwing us a conspiratorial smile as she leaves.
“So what are you doing here, sweetheart? I didn’t expect my girlfriend today.”
I roll my eyes and resist the urge to slap an injured man. “I came to check you weren’t dead. I had to pretend to be your girlfriend to get some information,” I whisper fiercely, as my face grows warm. “I wanted to reassure myself that I wasn’t responsible for your murder. The nurse jumped to conclusions.”
He raises his eyebrows barely containing his amusement. “So you didn’t say you were my girlfriend.”
“No! I mean yes, but I didn’t mean to. Oh, does it matter?” I look straight at him and take a deep breath. “I wanted you to know that I had no idea what that evil swine Nick was after, and I had no idea about the elephant.”
I tear my gaze away from those warm brown eyes and sensuous mouth. “And now I am going.”
The tea trolley lady has other ideas as she rumbles up with her chariot. “Here you are, my lovelies.” She hands us each a cup of tea and a pack of digestive biscuits wrapped in
I need comfort so I eat a Kit Kat and wash it down with another coffee. The sun is now streaming through the windows, and I have the urge to escape my flat and get some air. I change into my jeans and trainers and step out into the street, adopting a brisk pace and keeping my head down. Exercise is what I need to clear the fog in my head. Fifteen minutes later, I’m shocked that my feet have automatically trodden a path to the hospital. I furtively stand in the reception searching for clues to the whereabouts of Eagle ward.
I am directed to the third floor and arrive at a new reception area. A nurse pauses over her keyboard and looks over her glasses at me. “Can I help you?”
“I would like to know how DS Salter is. He was admitted last night, with head injuries.”
“It’s not visiting time.” She frowns, and consults her watch.
“No, but if you could just tell me how he is?” She stares at me for a few seconds before her expression softens.
“Are you a relative?”
I shake my head. “Not really.”
“Girlfriend?” She smiles, and I’m about to say no but it comes out as, “Yes.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Just wait here a moment.” She heads off.
Damn it! Now I’m a liar and an impersonator. It just gets worse. Why did I say that? I could have said sister, or colleague. But that probably would be worse. After all, I am a girl and I am a friend. Loosely speaking. The nurse returns with a smile.
“You can go in for a few minutes. He is looking forward to seeing you.”
Oh, great! I want to run back out the door, but she shoos me like a mother hen up the corridor until it opens up into a ward on either side. She is distracted by a bald-headed man in a dressing gown, so I take the opportunity to bolt. Turning quickly, I catch my foot on a metal castor and find myself up against the tea trolley. A Mars bar and two satsumas tumble from it as I cling to the side to steady myself. I hunch down as low as possible, retrieve the items, and unobtrusively try to return them to the trolley.
“Want some tea with that, dear?” asks the trolley lady, who possesses the loudest voice ever.
“No, thank you,” I whisper, hoping to slink away.
“Hello, darling. What a surprise.” I freeze at the familiar voice of DS Salter and then slowly turn. He is propped up in the corner bed waving at me, grinning like a Cheshire cat. His thick gold hair has been cut away on the left side and a dressing applied. The nurse, who has now dispatched the man in the dressing gown, turns back and propels me towards his bed. “Ten minutes. Then he has to go down to x-ray,” she says, throwing us a conspiratorial smile as she leaves.
“So what are you doing here, sweetheart? I didn’t expect my girlfriend today.”
I roll my eyes and resist the urge to slap an injured man. “I came to check you weren’t dead. I had to pretend to be your girlfriend to get some information,” I whisper fiercely, as my face grows warm. “I wanted to reassure myself that I wasn’t responsible for your murder. The nurse jumped to conclusions.”
He raises his eyebrows barely containing his amusement. “So you didn’t say you were my girlfriend.”
“No! I mean yes, but I didn’t mean to. Oh, does it matter?” I look straight at him and take a deep breath. “I wanted you to know that I had no idea what that evil swine Nick was after, and I had no idea about the elephant.”
I tear my gaze away from those warm brown eyes and sensuous mouth. “And now I am going.”
The tea trolley lady has other ideas as she rumbles up with her chariot. “Here you are, my lovelies.” She hands us each a cup of tea and a pack of digestive biscuits wrapped in
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