Chapter
Forty-two
Peter
waited until he was sure Karen was fast asleep before he moved.
Finally he stood up and gathered up the remnants of her breakfast,
taking the tray back downstairs into the kitchen. He carefully
washed up the mug and plate and set them on the draining board to
dry.
Smiling
to himself, he slipped on his light summer jacket and checked in the
pockets for his door keys. He ran up the stairs, looking into the
bedroom once more. Karen was still asleep as he closed the door
gently behind him. He hesitated, wondering if he should have put a
bolt on the outside of the door, then shrugged to himself.
‘She
won’t be going far,’ he thought. ‘That’s a job for later
on.’
Still,
he left the house as quietly as he could, making sure that the front
door didn’t slam behind him, holding the key in the lock as he
closed it. He soon reached the phone box and dialled the number for
the hospital ward that Karen had left on the pad in the kitchen.
‘It’s
Peter Edwards here,’ he said as soon as he was put through to the
ward. ‘I’m ringing to let you know how Karen is.’
‘Oh,
thanks for ringing,’ said the male nurse who answered. ‘This is
Mike, the Charge Nurse, speaking. I was going to drop by and see how
she was.’
‘That
won’t be necessary,’ Peter bristled.
‘When
will she be coming back to work? Any idea how long?’
‘She
won’t be back for another week, at least,’ said Peter. ‘The
doctor has said she shouldn’t be working in that sort of place
until she’s well.’
‘I’m
sorry to hear that,’ said Mike. ‘What’s the matter with her?’
‘I’m
afraid she’s having a bit of a breakdown. I think working there
has made her ill, actually.’
‘Really?’
Mike remarked. ‘I’m surprised at that. Karen seems such a
steady kind of a person.’
‘Well,
you don’t know her then, do you?’ Peter was feeling slightly
annoyed at this man who thought he knew Karen.
‘Maybe
not,’ Mike said. ‘I only know that she’s a good nurse. She’s
reliable and has a good head on her shoulders.’
‘And
I’m telling you that she’s ill, OK?’
‘Yeah,
alright mate,’ said Mike. ‘Tell her we’re all thinking of her,
won’t you?’
‘Of
course. Goodbye then.’
‘Get
her to ring in when she’s better,’ Mike said.
Peter
hung up without replying. ‘You’ve got to be joking,’ he said
to himself as he dialled the number for the doctor’s surgery.
‘It’s
Peter Edwards here. I need to see Dr. Wright,’ he said firmly.
‘He said I could come in if things got worse with my wife.’
The
receptionist asked him to hold the line. He waited.
‘Hello
Mr. Edwards.’ The receptionist’s voice was soon back. ‘That’s
fine. Dr. Wright will see you in half an hour at the end of surgery
if you’d like to come in then.’
Peter
put the phone down and stepped outside the booth. He lit a cigarette
and walked in the sunshine towards the surgery.
‘What
a lovely day,’ he thought, pleased that all was going well.
Soon
he was sitting in front of Dr. Wright.
‘She’s
getting worse Doctor.’ He frowned. ‘She accused me of trying to
poison her, and came at me with a kitchen knife yesterday. I really
don’t think she’s stable enough to have this baby.’ He paused.
‘I was thinking either a termination or maybe it would be best to
take the baby away for adoption once it’s born.’
‘Are
you absolutely sure? That seems rather, er, extreme.’ Dr. Wright
sounded shocked. ‘Have you talked to your wife about this?’
‘Of
course I have,’ said Peter. ‘She’s in full agreement with me
that she’s not well enough to look after a baby at the moment.’
He looked around the room for inspiration. ‘The thing is,’ he
went on, ‘she’s so weird at the moment, I don’t think she can
remember what she’s said from one minute to the next. To be
honest, Doctor, I believe she’s a danger to herself. She’s
certainly a danger to me, and she would definitely not be able to
care for a child.’ He paused. ‘I know having a baby is what
we’ve always wanted - and it’s heart-breaking - but... I love my
wife and her well-being must come first. I’m very worried about
her.’
‘Well,
she didn’t seem as bad as that when I saw her.’ Dr. Wright
hesitated.
‘Take
it from me, Doctor,’ Peter asserted. ‘She is bad, very bad. You
know, I think that being pregnant may be making her worse. Tipping
her over the edge, I mean.’
‘Perhaps
I should call and see her again. It may be best to take her into
hospital for a while.’
‘No!’
Peter’s voice was sharp. ‘I wouldn’t want her to go into a
place like that. I can look after her at home.’ He stood up. ‘I
should go. Don’t worry about it Doctor - I can manage.’
‘But
it sounds like she needs more than you can offer,’ Dr. Wright said.
‘I will come and visit her again and see for myself what she’s
like, if you don’t mind. Say tomorrow morning after surgery. Do
you think you could manage until then?’
‘I
really don’t think you need to come and visit at all,’ Peter
blustered. He wondered whether he’d made the wrong move involving
the doctor again so soon. The last thing he wanted was for Karen to
be taken out of his care. He just wanted to make sure that the baby
was dealt with as soon as possible. All he wanted was his old wife
back and for things to carry on as before. That wasn’t too much to
wish for, was it?
‘Look.
I know it must be very difficult for you,’ Dr. Wright’s voice
interrupted his thoughts. ‘No-one likes to admit that their
loved-one may be mentally ill but the treatments these days are very
good. Patients are often only in for a few weeks then with regular
appointments with the psychiatrist many live full, normal lives again
before long. Taking away your baby is a very drastic thing to do and
probably totally unnecessary.’
‘You
don’t understand.’
‘I understand that you’re very distressed and maybe not thinking
very clearly.’
‘It’s
alright, really,’ said Peter. ‘I shouldn’t have come.’
‘Well
- I shall visit tomorrow morning. Your wife is my patient and my
responsibility.’ He smiled. ‘After eleven then. Tell her to
expect me.’
Peter
shook his hand and left the room.
His
head was reeling. ‘Now what?’ he thought.
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