Page 68 of Lost in Love
“It’s just a ride to the hospital where I’m going to check on my patient. I’ll take the risk.”
“Thanks again. I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I know it was a risk bringing me here last night, so I really can’t thank you enough.” Anna gulped the rest of her tea and placed the mug down. “Right, I’ll pop home, change, and grabs some things for Dad.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“Thanks, but I'm sure I'll be fine.”
“Your neighbour mentioned some bloodstains; I think they attempted to clean it. Don't be shocked. It's only a bit of blood.”
Anna nodded and gave her half a smile.
Walking back into the house without Harry being there was strange. She wished she’d taken Katherine up on her offer now and had her beside her; everything felt easier with her at her side.
She could see where the neighbour had cleaned some of the blood up; the patch was cleaner than the rest of the carpet. It hit her how different the house was from Katherine’s. It was dark, dingy, cluttered, and a little musty.
She hadn’t noticed when she had arrived. It was just the old house, but now she realised how much they had let it go. Paint peeled off the walls and cracks had appeared. The carpet was threadbare. It wasn’t a place she recognised as home. Her mother would have been devastated to see it.
She wondered if she could use the time off between hospital visits to do it up for him. She felt a little embarrassed to think Katherine had come into her home, which was so in contrast to her own, but she’d never said anything or judged the way they lived.
After a change of clothes, she rummaged under her bed and found a small bag that would do for her dad’s things. She took it through to his room and pulled back the curtains. She was faced with the same dismal scene. So much needed doing.
With a few items stored in the bag, Anna made her way back to Katherine’s. She didn’t know how she would be coping now if it wasn’t for her. The immense relief she felt when Katherine had appeared at the hospital was overwhelming. She was still angry at her, but in that moment as she dried her hair for her, she had felt the need to say out loud how she felt. “I love you,” she had whispered, not ready for Katherine to hear it.
She wasn’t sure at this stage if the fundamentals of their relationship could even be fixed. Any talk of love at this stage would only complicate matters and put pressure where it wasn’t needed. There was trust to rebuild after Katherine had lied about why she broke things off with her, regardless of why she had done it.
During the car journey to the hospital, Anna made plans for how she would fix the house up, where she would start. His bedroom was probably best as he would need to use it a lot. Katherine had been quiet the whole journey and barely spoke, but when they approached the ward he had been moved to, she stopped suddenly.
“Be prepared, his bruises will have come out. He may look a little worse than you remember from last night.”
Anna nodded, and they entered the ward.
Katherine was right: Her dad looked like he’d picked a fight with a lion and lost. His face was bruised and scratched up, and an arm was in plaster.
“Don’t mind me if I don’t get up,” Harry said with a smile.
“Don’t be silly, Dad.”
“Good to see you, doc.” Harry gave Katherine a wink.
“Harry.” Katherine nodded at him.
A nurse entered with an iPad. “Ah, good, you’re here. I was about to run him through everything. Take a seat.”
Anna took the only seat by the bed and watched Katherine as she walked around to the window.
“We’ll be doing a hip replacement today, Harry, because you have a fracture in your femoral neck. That’s the bit that connects the top of your leg with the ball joint of the hip.” She made a rather hash job with her hands to try and demonstrate, but Harry nodded his understanding.
“Now you’ll be needing a general anaesthetic. The anaesthetist will be down shortly to go through that with you as it can be a little more complicated in Parkinson’s patients.”
“Why more complicated?” Anna didn’t like the sound of where this was going. She looked to Katherine, who stepped forward to reassure her.
“It’s more about the side effects after than the surgery itself. When the brain is in a fragile state like Harry’s, then it can get a little agitated from the anaesthetic.”
“Yes exactly,” the nurse confirmed. “Following the surgery, you may want to wait twenty-four hours before coming in again. Let him settle.”
“That’s a good idea, Anna.” Katherine nodded at her.
“Now, Harry, following the surgery, your sensitivity to the medication you are on may increase or decrease, so you let us know if you are experiencing any symptoms you don’t think you should be. We’ll come and get you at midday; it should take a couple of hours.” The nurse turned to Anna. “We’ll ring you of course once we’re done and let you know how he is. Then, if all is well, you can come back tomorrow evening during visiting hours or possibly even the next day. He should be back on this ward by then.”
