Page 50 of The Society of Unknowable Objects
“Could Maddox have gone for him?” Henry wondered. “Is he safe?”
Magda thought about the question but quickly shook off the worry it prompted. “I don’t see how. That man—Owen, if that is who he really is—he only knew me from Hong Kong. I can’t see how he could know Will. And besides, he got the chess piece and the Impossible Box. Why would he go looking for Will?”
“Okay,” Henry said, after a moment. “You’re probably right.”
“Is there anything I can do?” James asked. “I feel a bit like a spare tyre just sitting here.”
“You’ve done plenty already,” Magda said, patting him lightly on the leg. But she was touched by the offer, and she gave him a smile. It was nice feeling like she had someone on her side. “You probably saved my life.”
Saying the words out loud made it real for the first time.
You almost died. He was strangling you.
“Oh god, I could have died,” she said, echoing the thought. Suddenly she felt sick, and she cupped a hand over her mouth. She scrunched up her eyes and shook her head, trying to think of something,anything, else.
Her mind turned back to the sight of Frank in the taxi earlier, on the drive to the hospital. He had been slumped sideways in the seat, blood congealing on the side of his head. There had been a moment of panic when Frank had stopped responding to Magda’s entreaties, and she had thought for certain that he had died. If not for James and Henry calming her down and coaxing Frank back to consciousness, she would have become hysterical, she knew, and collapsed under the weight of all that had happened.
So much adversity in a few short days. So many horrible things happening.
“Look,” James said, pointing past Magda. One of the doctors, a young woman in green scrubs, approached. She looked exhausted, Magda thought, as tired as she felt herself. Beneath the doctor’s eyes were dark circles, and her brown hair was pulled tight into a ponytail. Her badge told Magda her name was Dr. Sarah Penhaligon and when she neared, she smiled at them, kindness lighting up her face and chasing away the shadows of fatigue. Magda’s mind briefly spun off into creative fiction, imagining what Sarah Penhaligon’s life was like beyondthe hospital. She thought of Sarah living in a small flat nearby, perhaps with a boyfriend or girlfriend whom she never saw enough of. Sarah probably liked art galleries and flower shops. And she liked to upcycle old furniture, Magda decided, for absolutely no justifiable reason other than it suited the character she had knitted from nothing in her mind.
“Mr.Simpson is going to be admitted overnight,” she said to Magda. “Just for observation. Head wounds bleed a lot but they’re usually nothing to worry about.”
Magda exhaled a breath and touched eyes with Henry, sharing a glance that spoke of their relief. Dr.Penhaligon let them enjoy the moment as the worry of the unknown dissipated in the air, then continued, “You can speak to him if you want. He’s been stitched up, and he’s had some pain relief to help him sleep, so he’s a bit woozy.”
“I could do with some of that,” Henry joked. “Something to help me sleep.”
Magda saw the doctor grunt a laugh. “You and me both. Come on, this way.”
She led them out of the waiting area, her shoes squeaking on the floor as she walked. They followed her around the corner and down the hall to a cubicle behind a curtain. Frank was on a bed, dressings around his scalp. His eyes were closed and under the harsh hospital lights he could have been a wax dummy.
“Just a few minutes, okay?” Dr.Penhaligon said, smiling again as she disappeared back through the curtain.
Magda sat on the chair next to the bed and reached for Frank’s hand. James and Henrietta hovered at the foot of the bed in awkward silence. “I can leave—” Henrietta started, but Magda quietened her with a frown and a shake of her head.
Frank opened his eyes and turned to look at Magda. He studied her blankly for a few moments before recognition dawned.
“Sparks,” he said, the word a breath of exhaustion.
“How are you feeling, Frank?” Magda asked.
She had to wait for an answer, Frank’s chest rising and falling weakly. “Old.”
“You’re going to be okay.” She wanted to project more confidencethan she felt, smiling when she had no smiles to give. “They’re going to keep you overnight, just to make sure you’re alright. So you’re in the best place.”
“Mmm.” Frank’s eyes were closed, and Magda thought that he was caught somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.
“I’m sorry you got hurt,” Magda said.
Frank dropped his hand on top of Magda’s, patting it lightly. “Stupid,” he murmured.
“He got away,” Magda said, and now she heard the tremble in her own voice as she had to admit the truth of what had happened. “That man, he took the chess piece and the Impossible Box.” Tears were in her eyes, and she wiped at them with her free hand. “He was attacking me, but James stopped him. And Henrietta saved you, Frank, she came.”
Frank opened his eyes into a frown of confusion. Magda nodded towards the foot of the bed, where James and Henrietta stood watching. Frank looked that way.
“James Wei.” James smiled, bowing slightly.
Frank looked at Magda.
