CHAPTER TWO.
As I opened my eyes, my first thought was how silent everything was. There was no traffic noise outside, or the ever present brouhaha which normally drones on in the background no matter where you are.
I tried to say 'where am I' but the words jumbled into a dull tone, deep at the base of my neck.
Then a bright light, small yet very intense was being shone into my eyes, from right to left, then back again.
As I began to focus, a warm hand encircled mine, and I could see Fitzgerald's impish grin. He spoke something and raised his eyebrows, then tapped my hand in reassurance.
I watched him say something to a nurse on the other side of the bed, and seemed to understand her reply without actually hearing it.
Finally, a tall, middle aged man with receding hairline and glasses, switched off the flashlight and placed it into the top pocket of his jacket. He mumbled something and pointed to the back of his head, just behind the ear.
I was fully alert now and realized I couldn't hear. There was a throb from the base of my neck and an ache which seemed to permeate my whole body.
Fitzgerald looked around, fetched my shoulder bag from a side chair, rummaged through it and produced my sketch pad and pencil. He turned the pages to a fresh sheet, and began to write. When he turned it towards me, I cried. It said:
'Don't worry. It's only temporary... I still love you.'
Then I felt an injection in my right arm and things went fuzzy pretty quickly. I must have slept for ages. When I woke again it was after surgery, and I was in a private room in Wollongong Hospital.
It must have been early morning, as the traffic noise outside made me visualize 'drive time'.
I looked around the room and found Fitzgerald fast asleep on a very uncomfortable tubular style chair. There was an open copy of OZ-WIDE TALES resting precariously on his stomach, while his glasses were hanging by finger and thumb, ready to crash to the ground.
"Doctor... " I said, and without thinking began to fold down the sheets to get out of bed. Then realised I couldn't.
The room began to twirl, so I rested flat on my back until the feeling passed. It must have been only a few minutes, but it seemed longer. Then I sensed someone at the door and turned my head slowly to see a short, skinny nurse with dark swarthy skin, enter the room. She had large, dark brown eyes, and a very bland smile.
"How are you?" she asked, without really expecting an answer. "Open up... " and proceeded to place a thermometer under my tongue.
Fitgerald stirred, and without any conscious thought went through the motions of replacing his specs. He slapped his lips together, rubbed his chin, then delved into his pocket to produce his watch.
[hidepost]He tapped the cover twice as usual, opened the flap, looked at the time and replaced it without really knowing what time it was. I watched him sneak an extra strong mint from his other pocket, and cover it under the guise of wiping his nose with a pale green handkerchief.
"There now, that's better," he said, "and how is my little trouble maker, this bright and fanciful morning?"
I wanted to answer, but the nurse did it for me.
"Fine thank you, doctor. Is there anything I can get you. Coffee? Tea?"
He shook his head. "No need to trouble y'self. Or as they say here in Australia... I'll be alright, so I will."
The nurse laughed, removed the thermometer, glanced at it quickly, then shook it, before writing the details onto a report, clipped at the end of my bed.
It was then I felt the constraint of bandages around my head and neck. The overall soreness returned to my body and I felt more tired than I had after running the College fun run last July.
I must have fallen back to sleep after that, because it was dark when I next looked towards the window.
I eased myself up onto my elbows and felt okay. There was no-one else in the room, but a copy of The Illawarra Mercury was placed on the tubular chair near the window where Fitzgerald must have slept the night before.
There were several cups tucked under his chair and one of his shoes was half covered by a grey blanket and pillow.
Then I heard a toilet flush and looked towards the private bathroom opposite my bed. Fitzgerald emerged looking about as bad as I felt.
"Awake at last then," he teased, and clip-clopped, one shoe on, one shoe off, across the floor to my side.
"Are you hungry... expect you are. I'll see what I can rustle up from the cavern of the Phantom."
He gently placed a hand against my cheek, as a father to an ailing child, and said; "You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble just for me, y'know."
I grinned and it hurt. He reached over and kissed me gently on my forehead.
Please Login or Register to get Full Site Wide Access to our Premium Content. PLUS Get Access To The First Three Chapters of my Book.
Registration is FREE! so all you need is a real email address...
If you have already registered for our premium access but want to read the next 3 chapters of my book - Please use the link INSIDE the PDF eBook Download available to Members in Chapter Two.
(Membership really does have its Privileges)