Page 3 of The Side Road
‘If you could please restrain yourselves,’ Mia said.
The door opened. A middle-aged, dark-haired woman wearing a denim dress with comfortable-looking trainers entered. In her hand, she held Leo’s chart. After pausing inside the doorway, she read through the details, then she raised her gaze and considered Leo sitting on the bed.
‘More people steal meat than any other type of food. Did you know that?’ the doctor said.
‘It was a smoked Portuguese chicken breast,’ Leo confirmed. He looked at Blanche. ‘I guess it’s cat food for dinner tonight.’
Mia laughed.
The doctor frowned. ‘How old are you?’ she asked.
‘Seventy-six. Thought I’d be sitting in a wheelchair dribbling by now. No desire to be carried off in a box just yet. Lost some of my teeth, but I’ve still got most of my marbles.’
‘Did you bump your head?’ the doctor asked.
‘A slight bump,’ Leo confessed.
‘Okay, after the nurse dresses your wound, I’d like to run a few tests.’ She removed the stethoscope from around her neck and began her examination.
Leo was a surprisingly cooperative patient. He remained calm while the medical staff checked his vital signs and drew blood. The doctor scheduled a head scan for the following week.
An hour later,standing in the hospital carpark, Blanche took a set of keys from her handbag and passed them to Mia. ‘The bike is still at the supermarket,’ she said. ‘Would you mind driving it home? Leo will be in the car for the next few weeks.’
Leo rode a classic BMW R90/6. Built in 1974, it had a glossy black frame with a matching sidecar. Mia hesitated; the bike was Leo’s pride and joy. Confiscating his keys would not go down well.
‘Nonsense. I can ride it home,’ Leo insisted.
‘No, you can’t,’ Blanche snapped. ‘Not until your test results come back. And for the record, it wasn’t my idea – you can blame the medical profession for caring too much.’
Leo complained that his independence, symbolised by his motorbike licence, was integral to his masculinity. Blanche rolled her eyes. Again, she repeated the advice of the medical staff – the BMW was off-limits. Until further notice, Mia had the keys.
Mia jiggled the keys. ‘I’ll pick you up. You can ride in the sidecar,’ she told him.
‘I ride on the bike,notin the sidecar.’
A ringing phone interrupted their disagreement. Unsure who the phone belonged to, Blanche and Leo looked at Mia.
‘It’s not mine,’ Mia assured them.
Blanche searched her handbag. Finally locating the phone, she pulled it out and answered the call.
‘Oliver, darling, what a lovely surprise. How are you…’ Blanche paused. She clutched the front of her dress. ‘Oh dear, that is bad news. Darling, don’t worry about a thing. We’re on our way. Tash can stay with us until you get here.’ She ended the call. Lifting her head and looking toward the horizon, she said, ‘Elsie Buchanan died this morning.’
‘Really? She was in fine health last week,’ Leo said. ‘Completely ignored me when I passed her in the street. When I said good morning, she looked the other way.’
‘Who’s Elsie Buchanan?’ Mia asked.
‘You know Elsie, she’s my second cousin,’ Blanche said. ‘You must know her. She lives in the old parsonage. Remember, I told you about the incident with the orange pork surprise?’
Mia shrugged. ‘Honestly, I only listen to half the things you tell me.’
‘Natasha found her in bed this morning…dead,’ Blanche continued. ‘Oliver is on his way, but it will be a few days before he gets here.’
‘Where does he live? On the moon?’ Mia asked.
‘Worse – in the Kimberley,’ Blanche said.
‘It’s a bloody big country,’ Leo confirmed.
