Page 16 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Just wait will you, love,’ said Joyce breathlessly, grabbing Tori’s arm. ‘Let me just get my bearings. I’ll be fine in a minute.’
‘But, Mum, I really think that—’
‘I’m fine, honestly,’ said Joyce, pulling herself up into a sitting position with Tori’s help. Ernie was quick to nuzzle into her. ‘Oh, Ernie, are you checking up on me?’
‘He knows something’s wrong too. You were out cold, Mum!’
‘And now I’m fine. This just happens from time to time and I’m always fine after a few minutes.’
‘This has happened before?’
‘A couple of times,’ replied Joyce, not quite meeting Tori’s eye.
‘If this has happened before, that’s even worse!’
‘Help me up, will you?’ said Joyce, her left arm outstretched. Tori took it gently, helped her mum to her feet and sat her down in one of the dark oak kitchen chairs. ‘These things just happen when you get to my age. It’s nothing to worry about, love. I’ve just been overdoing things.’
‘That’s not true, Mum, and you know it. You need to see the doctor. What if it’s something serious?’ Joyce was silent. ‘What would you do if it was me? You’d march me up to Dr Marshall’s in the blink of an eye and I’d have no say in the matter, would I, Ernie?’
‘Well…’
‘You know you would, Mum.’
‘Fine,’ said Joyce, her shoulders slumping. ‘I guess it can’t hurt to get checked, if it puts your mind at rest.’
‘It will,’ said Tori firmly.
‘I’ll give the surgery a call in the morning.’
‘It’s only just gone six – the surgery’s still open. Why don’t I give Dr Marshall a call now and see what he says?’
‘You know, you remind me of someone,’ said Joyce, smiling weakly.
‘Yeah? Who?’
‘Me,’ Joyce laughed. ‘I don’t give up easily either.’
Tori put in a call to the surgery and Sheila, the receptionist, was as helpful as ever. She rang Tori back within five minutes and said that, given the special circumstances, the doctor, who lived in the village himself, would make an exception to the home visits rule and pop in to see Joyce on his way home after surgery. Joyce, who thought a home visit was completely over the top given that she’d only had a ‘dizzy turn’, was wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa, at Tori’s insistence, with her feet up on a footstool and a cup of sugary tea at her side. By seven thirty, there was a knock at the door, and Tori sprang up from the sofa to answer it.
‘Tori,’ said Dr Marshall with a smile, as he stepped over the threshold. He was a tall man, with jet-black hair, which was greying around his temples, despite the fact that he was only in his late thirties.
‘Thanks for coming out, Doctor, I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it,’ said Tori. ‘I know you don’t generally do home visits as a rule.’
‘It’s no bother, you’re on my way home. Now, where’s the patient?’ he asked, and Tori led him through to the living room. ‘Good evening, Joyce,’ he said as he sat down next to her on the sofa and opened his medical bag. ‘Why don’t you tell me what’s been going on?’
‘I’m sure it’s nothing. Tori shouldn’t have bothered you,’ said Joyce, waving her hands dismissively. ‘I just had a bit of a funny turn, that’s all.’
‘Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?’ he replied with a smile.
Joyce went on to explain everything that had been happening with her health in recent months and Tori was shocked to learn about the tiredness, weight gain, sensitivity to the cold, as well as muscle aches and pains.
‘Honestly, sometimes I feel as though I just can’t keep my eyes open,’ Joyce explained, ‘but surely, it’s just part of getting older?’
‘She was running the Cosy Cup on her own before I got back,’ Tori explained. ‘I know she’s been under a lot of pressure and working too hard.’
‘I’d like to run some tests,’ replied Dr Marshall. ‘Come into the surgery tomorrow and we’ll get some blood work done – that will give us a clearer picture of what’s going on.’
‘Thanks, Doctor,’ said Tori.
