Magic at Silver Spires (4 page)

It suddenly struck me that I was noticing everything in such detail. Nicole's soft voice, the man's loud voice and wobbly chin, the different rooftops that I glimpsed through the ambulance's blacked-out windows. My whole world was crystal clear, and right in the middle of it was my throbbing leg and a feeling of helplessness that made me want to cry. And then a few tears did squeeze their way out of my eyes and rolled down the sides of my face. Nicole asked the ambulance man for a tissue and I dabbed at my cheeks, feeling silly and babyish. But then I saw that Nicole had tears in her eyes too, so I stopped thinking about myself for a few seconds, until another wave of pain hit me.

“It hurts quite a lot,” I told the doctor in the hospital through clenched teeth, wishing desperately that I could have something stronger to make the pain go away.

“We'll get you straight in for an X-ray,” he said, looking down at me carefully. “Apart from your leg, how do you feel, Antonia?”

I told him I thought I was all right, but I didn't tell him I hated lying on this stretcher bed because I felt so helpless. Then I had to give lots of details about myself, like what I was allergic to and what history of illness there was in my family, and halfway through I realized that Mrs. Pridham was right beside me. She reached for my hand – the one that didn't have the bandage – and held it tight, which made me want to cry again. But I didn't.

“You'll soon feel better now, Antonia,” she said, nodding and smiling an anxious smile.

I nodded back and I heard Miss Stevenson telling Mrs. Pridham about my accident as I was wheeled away.

“See you in a minute, Antonia!” Nicole called after me.

And suddenly I thought of loads of questions I should have asked and I couldn't think why I hadn't asked them ages ago. Like, was my bike very badly damaged? Did I lose consciousness at all? What exactly happened when I hit the pothole? Was it my fault that I'd fallen off? How long would I have to stay in this hospital? Was it far from school? Would Mrs. Pridham stay with me? Would Nicole be allowed to visit me? And then I gasped as I thought of the biggest question of all. Did my parents know what had happened to me?

The X-rays showed that my head was fine and I didn't have concussion, but my tibia – which they also called my shin bone – was broken in my right leg.

“Unfortunately the bone is out of alignment,” the nurse explained. “Tell me if you want me to slow down or explain anything,” she added, which was kind of her.

“Er…can you tell me if my parents know what has happened to me?”

“Yes, I'm sure they will have been told.” She smiled. “We'll ask your housemistress about that, shall we?”

I felt better then, so I could go back to my other questions.

“Yes…what is…alignment, please?”

“It means that the two bones will need to be pulled together in an operation under general anaesthetic. You won't feel a single thing of course. Then the plaster cast will be put on.”

Not feeling a single thing sounded wonderful at that moment. “When will I have the operation?” I asked quietly.

“First thing in the morning, dear. I'm afraid the operating theatres are all in use until then.”

I breathed in very deeply then let out my breath heavily, because I so wanted to start to get better and for everything to go back to normal. The nurse must have known what I was thinking. “The time will go more quickly than you think, dear. I'll get you settled in the ward, and I've got another painkiller here to top you up.”

That was a relief because the other one didn't seem to have made much difference.

“And when I've had the operation will I be allowed home?”

The nurse frowned and there was a little pause. “Home? You mean back to your school?”

“Yes, back home…to school,” I said.

She smiled then – I mean a really big wide smile – before her face turned grave again. “Well, you might be ready to go by tomorrow afternoon. But we usually keep patients in overnight when they've had a general anaesthetic. Let's just see how you get on, shall we, and cross that bridge when we come to it.”

I liked that expression, and even in my pain I repeated it to myself, so I could try to remember it and write it down later.

“So just one or two nights on your own, Antonia,” said Nicole, when the nurse took me back to her and Mrs. Pridham a bit later. “And we can phone each other and text, can't we…?” She turned to the nurse. “Is that allowed?”

“Yes, but we ask patients to think about others. It's important that no one is disturbed.”

“Will Antonia have a TV?” asked Nicole.

“Yes, you'll need to buy a card for that,” said the nurse.

“I'll get you a card,” said Mrs. Pridham immediately, “and look…” She held up a bag that she'd been clutching. “I've brought you your long pink-and-white T-shirt and your cardigan so you'll feel a bit more at home. I put your pyjamas and toothbrush in too, just in case, so you don't need to worry about that. And the most important news is that we've told your parents, and they're flying over! They'll be here this evening, and I'll stay with you until they arrive.”

Something inside me seemed to burst suddenly into song. I felt so happy. “My parents are coming here to the hospital?”

“Yes, I thought you'd be pleased,” said Mrs. Pridham.

Then there were even more questions whizzing round my head. Who exactly had Mrs. Pridham spoken to on the phone, my dad or my mum? And what did they say? Were they upset? And what about Papà's work? How could he leave so quickly? But I couldn't ask my questions, because I was being wheeled away to the ward and Nicole was walking along beside me with Mrs. Pridham just behind.

“I'm allowed to stay too, for now,” said Nicole. “I've got to go back for supper, though. Miss Stevenson's coming to collect me at half past five.”

I nodded and felt my eyes closing. What time did Nicole say? Five o'clock? And what time was it now? I tried to raise my wrist to look at my watch, but I really was too sleepy. I just didn't seem to be able to keep my eyes open.

When I woke up, the first person I saw was Nicole. She was reading a newspaper, which I didn't think I'd ever seen her do before. That was the only thought I had before a little surge of pain in my leg made me gasp and remember all that had happened.

Nicole leaped out of the chair, dropping the newspaper on the floor. “Are you okay?”

I tried to focus. “How long have I been asleep?”

She looked at her watch. “Well it's four thirty right now.”

“Oh, ages!” I suddenly felt really guilty. Poor Nicole must have been so bored waiting for me to wake up. “Is Mrs. Pridham still here?”

“Yes, she's gone for some fresh air. We've been taking it in turns.”

“Oh, thank you…”

“Are you hungry or thirsty? Shall I get the nurse?”

“I'm not really hungry. I wonder when I'll be allowed more painkillers…”

“Oh, poor Antonia. It must be awful.”

“No, poor you. You've missed the picnic lunch and everything. I've really messed up your day, haven't I?”

“I don't mind about that. I just keep remembering the moment when you came off your bike. You hit the ground so hard and then rolled over. But then you were completely still and silent and I thought…I mean…I was so scared…what might have happened to you.”

“Poor Nicole,” I said, reaching for her hand. “Well I'm okay now, see?” I tried to smile, but it must have come out like a horrible grimace because another wave of pain shot through me at that moment.

“Oh hello, Antonia,” said a nurse – a different one – coming in. “How are you feeling after your sleep?”

“Can I have another painkiller?”

She took something off the end of my bed and started to read it. “Just looking at your notes… Yes, you can.” She glanced at her watch. “In a few minutes, all right?”

Suddenly, Miss Stevenson appeared at my bedside and Nicole turned big accusing eyes on her. “I thought you said five thirty!”

“Yes, I know I'm a bit early,” said Miss Stevenson, looking very surprised. I was surprised too. I'd never heard Nicole sound upset like this. “But I've got to get back on duty, I'm afraid. Matron was having the weekend off but when she heard the news she insisted on coming back to help cover for Mrs. Pridham, only her train was cancelled so she's going to be late.”

Nicole bit her lip and looked down, and I felt awful for causing everyone so much trouble.

“It's all my fault for going too quickly down that hill,” I said, as more tears gathered in my eyes.

Miss Stevenson shook her head. “No it's not. These things happen. Don't start blaming yourself. It's nobody's fault. The important thing is to get you better.”

“What time do you think Antonia will be able to come back to school tomorrow?” Nicole asked the nurse.

“Well, she's down to have the op at half past eight so there's a tiny chance she might be able to come home the same day, but it depends on how she reacts to the anaesthetic as to whether she comes home later that day or not till the day after.”

“You can text me to let me know,” said Nicole.

“Aha, you've woken up!” came Mrs. Pridham's voice from the doorway. “You're looking better already, Antonia.” She smiled. “I've forgotten about the TV card. I'll just go and sort that out now.” Then off she went again.

“Now, here's a bag with some more things that Sasha's sorted out for you,” said Miss Stevenson, taking some bits and pieces out and putting them in the little cabinet beside my bed. “Look, she even thought to pack the book you're reading at the moment.”

“Good old Sasha.” Nicole smiled. Then she bit her lip again. “See you tomorrow, Antonia.”

“Yes, see you tomorrow all plastered up!” said Miss Stevenson, putting a hand on Nicole's shoulder to guide her away.

I watched Nicole right until she got to the door, where she turned to give me a wave. I knew she'd do that and I was ready to wave back and was pleased because my shoulder and arm and hand didn't hurt at all. So at least I'd only got my leg to worry about now. I so hoped my operation would go well and that I could go back to school the same day. But I knew there was no point in thinking about that now. It only made me anxious. I'd just have to cross that bridge when I came to it. I smiled to myself for remembering the new expression I'd learned. Then I smiled again – a bigger smile – because soon Mamma and Papà would be with me.

“Oh darling, we're so happy to see you!” said Mamma, in Italian, of course.

I guessed she must have said that at least twenty times since she and Papà had arrived, and I gave her another hug because I was really, really happy too. From the moment I'd found myself lying at the roadside several hours earlier, everything had felt like a dream, and this was the most dreamlike part of it all, because my parents were actually here in this country, in this hospital. They'd asked me over and over again about the bike ride and the accident and they always finished off by saying, “
Non importa. Siamo qui adesso e tutto andrà benissimo.
” (“Never mind. We're here now and everything's going to be all right.”)

I wanted to hear about my brothers and what was going on back home though. “So Ricardo and Paolo are with Nonna and Nonno?”

“
Si, si,
they are having fun with their grandparents!” Mamma laughed.

I looked at Papà. It was odd to see him so…strained. He'd spent ages talking to Mrs. Pridham when they'd first arrived, and though they were talking very quietly and had their backs to me, while Mamma kept hugging me and asking me loads of questions, I'd managed to pick up a few words of Papà's, like “helmet” and “ambulance” and “first aid”, and I knew he'd be wanting every detail from Mrs. Pridham.

But at least now he was smiling. “We must book into a hotel,
cara
,” he said to Mamma.
Cara
isn't her name. It's Italian for “darling”. Then he turned to me. “The nurse told us we could only stay a short time with you this evening, but we'll be back tomorrow first thing before your operation.”

“We were lucky that they let us come in at all!” said Mamma. “Visiting time was over a long time ago.”

“But of course they knew these were special circumstances,” Papà put in. He smiled again, but I could see sadness in his eyes. “We came as soon as we possibly could.”

“So little time to organize everything,” said Mamma. “We couldn't have done it without Nonna to have your brothers, and Nonno to drive us to the airport.”

“Thank goodness there was a plane with spare seats on it leaving so soon,” said Papà. “Otherwise…”

His voice trailed off and he raised his hands in a gesture of helplessness. It was so unusual to see my father like this.