Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 727.

Printer-friendly version
Wuthering Dormice
(aka Bike)
Part 727
by Angharad
  
-Dormouse-001.jpg

I felt quite poorly; I alternated between feeling too hot and freezing. So I think I shivered or sweated depending on how my body felt. At one point I felt as if everything was a big dream, that I was lying in a hedgerow having been knocked off my bike, the rain was lashing down on me and everything since that point had been my febrile imagination.

I even thought I saw the driver glancing down at me, though she did nothing to help me. Then she walked away, leaving me to my fate. I don’t remember much else.

I woke being prodded and my face being wiped with a cool cloth. “Hello, Cathy, remember me?”

“Dr Smith?” I think it was him – my GP. ‘What’s he doing out dealing with a road collision?’

“I’m pretty sure you’ve got yourself a virus; you have a temperature and whilst I don’t think it’s swine flu, all I can do is give you something to cool you down. I can’t give you paracetamol, but I’ve left a script with Stella. Keep taking lots of fluids and rest. I’ll call by in a couple of days if you’re no better. ’Bye.”

I think I croaked a reply, my throat felt really sore. He’d looked in my mouth with his little torch, and felt my neck. I’d heard him say it wasn’t mononucleosis. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt awful.

Threads of a conversation were coming through to me. I wasn’t sure who it was talking but I assumed it was Stella and my doctor. “… been through a lot recently …driven herself too hard … worried about the children and those she couldn’t save …yeah, she’s the mystery healer … but don’t tell anyone … just rest … stay here …”

Rest? Ha! I couldn’t do anything else, even if I tried. I was aware of others coming into the room but couldn’t be bothered to see who. Stella kept saying to me, “Cathy, you’ve got to drink,” and she’d prod me and make me swallow a few drops. I hadn’t been to the loo for ages and decided I needed to go. I staggered out of bed and across to the bathroom – thank God for en suites, because I would never have found it otherwise.

Three anxious little faces watched me lurch across to the bathroom. They all beamed at me as I came out. “Do you feel better, Mummy?” I think it was Trish who spoke.

“A little,” I lied. I actually thought I was dying for a while. Viruses – possibly the simplest life form there is, and here I am, the zenith of mammalian evolution, absolutely floored by it. “Better not come too close, in case you catch it,” I said and decided my throat felt a little easier.

“The doctor said we wouldn’t catch it, Mummy.” Trish was going to argue – great, just what I needed.

“Okay, you know better than I do, be it on your own head if you catch it.” Livvie and Mima stepped back a pace, Stella walked into the room and after helping me back into bed – she made me change my nightdress first, the other was soaking with sweat – she made me drink some of the water by my bedside. “Ugh – what’s in this?”

“Ecchinacea,” called Stella’s voice, “it’s supposed to help with virus infections.”

“I haven’t a blessed cold, I’m dying.”

“No you’re not, you’ve got a wee virus infection, that’s all.” Stella wasn’t going to listen to me.

“If all I have is a wee virus, why was the doctor here?”

“He’s the one who diagnosed it.”

“Shows how much he knows, then,” I pouted and sulked as I lay back in the bed. Trish got on the bed and gave me a hug. I hugged her back, “Thank you sweetheart, that made me feel much better.”

“Oh good, Mummy. Would you like me to read to you?”

“That would be wonderful, I’m sure it would make me feel better.”

“I wanna read, too,” squawked Livvie.

“Me wanna sit with Mummy, too.”

I suppose they did their best. But listening to children reading while someone is practicing panel beating inside one’s head, isn’t conducive to relaxation. I tried, I really did to stay awake, but I couldn’t. In drifting away I heard someone complain and Stella tell them, “Well, you fall asleep when we read to you every night.” It became acceptable after that. To be honest, I couldn’t have cared one way or the other.

The three adults, Stella, Tom and Simon gave me tremendous support over the next couple of days. I slept much of the time, but they individually or collectively looked after the children.

I learned afterwards that Tom closed up the house and he and Kiki came to stay with us in the hotel for a few days. He had a room on the same floor. When I saw the dog, I thought I was home again. I think I was disappointed when I realised I was still in the hotel.

This whole thing lasted four bloody days, which was longer than the third test match. I didn’t have the energy to ask Simon if he’d given the man his money back. I just hoped he wasn’t betting on the outcome of the whole series. Simon can be wonderful – he can also be a total cretin, and a stubborn one at that.

I was finally allowed up and dressed. I had a shower and dressed myself. The sun was shining and I’d have loved to be out on my bike or with the kids. Sadly, after washing and dressing, I was knackered or fair wabbit as Tom would say.

The girls made a fuss of me and I tried to eat but I wasn’t hungry. “Starve a cold and feed a fever,” said Stella, quoting some old wives’ tale.

“I thought it was the other way around,” I argued, but she doesn’t brook dissent and made me eat soup. It was quite good, although I reckon I’ve made better ones. I felt sick afterwards, but that was mainly wind. I was glad she didn’t try to burp me.

The doctor, through Stella, had organised a blood test. She took the blood and I must admit I hardly felt it – her nursing had some uses. I had a raised white blood cell count–there’s a surprise, I have an infection. They still didn’t know what it was –oh joy.

At least I could read the paper and kept abreast of the Echo’s crusade to find the mystery healer woman. As far as I knew, they weren’t even warm. They suggested all the clues they had and in adding them up, made a number in excess of the chocolate bars, I suspected Stella or Simon had ordered which were shared by the girls and occasionally given to me.

’New information suggests the Healing Angel has left the city of Portsmouth and gone back to her home planet – so says local psychic, Edmund Murgatroyd: “She’s been put off by all the nastiness and greed she found here, so she’s gone back to her home planet near the star Alpha Centauri. This was revealed to me in a conversation with her superior Kloff Sidberm. Her real name is Maugrim Glossburn, and she is an intergalactic trouble shooter.’

The article cheered me up no end. I doubted they’d stop looking for me, but given my own poor health at the moment, I can’t see there being too many episodes of miracle healing involving yours truly. Where do they get these people, the local looney bin?

No one else seemed to catch my bugs, so we decided it was stress, so even Wonder Woman can have an off-day or three. I didn’t want a repeat bout, I might not survive it, so I agreed to all of Stella’s demands – rest, drink plenty of water – rest some more – eat as much as I can – keep my spirits up by the girls reading me stories

Oh well I might just survive a bit longer, I was quite relieved to discover it wasn’t all just a dream and I wasn’t actually expiring by the roadside while Stella called her brother to collect the body.

05Dolce_Red_l_0.jpg

up
170 users have voted.
If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos! Click the "Thumbs Up!" button above to leave a Kudos

Comments

nice start and ending

Of course we're all in fear of Angharad (or Bonzi) discovering that Cathy's experiences were all a dream. Our heroine certainly is allowed to show her humanity now and then and get sick. She just needs to get better quickly as so many depend on her. Had a chuckle over the kids being offended that Cathy fell asleep to their reading.

Like It's Been Said Before,

Even Cathy needs to rest. Her body actually got sick from healing Meems! But that bit about the 'ANGEL' sounds like Henry shielding his daughter in law to be.

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine
    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

Healing Angel!!

This is episode seems to be Cathy's body making her take a break from all the stress and healing. Since being knocked off her bike, she's bested some big opponents. Now she's temporarily incapacitated by the smallest live life form-a virus. I love her three 'little angels' reading to her.

With the Seer weighing in, it looks like a transition is coming. What will Lady Catherine be up to next? I hope we see progress on the wedding. Maybe a meeting with Margaret the Priest she wants to marry her to help her sort things?

Thanks for keeping this saga going. Any story with 727 episodes has to be a saga.

Hugs,
Trish-Ann
~There is no reality, only perceptions.~

Hugs,
Trish Ann
~There is no reality, only perception~

The end of healing?

Has the infection taken her healing ability away? Is she a mere mortal now? Upcoming chapters will tell!!!!

Now we know this is fiction !

... I mean, really, a doctor making a House Call ?!!

Now we know that must me a fantasy, don't we ?

... And here I thought it was all real, like ;-).

So, the question is, who heals the healer ?

Thank you Bonzi !!!

Kim

I Imagine

jengrl's picture

I imagine that since Cathy is now considered a member of a powerful family the doctor did not think twice about making a house call. Henry probably pays a pretty good bonus for someone to be on call for his family and guests.

PICT0013_1_0.jpg

GPs in the UK

Angharad's picture

Still make house calls for patients who can't get to them. This is all under the NHS. Having said that, they don't like doing them and they do as few as possible.

Despite all the negative publicity about the NHS, it's still the best comprehensive healthcare service in the world free to users at the point of delivery.

Angharad

Angharad

NHS calls.

I would just like to support Angharad regarding NHS GPs. They do make house calls still to those who can't make it to their surgery. Less than they did perhaps but if there is really need they do. Week after week. At least where I live in rural England.

It is really a fantastic service and one of the reasons that makes living here a passably pleasant experience.

Mind you on the whole it is best not to be mortally ill at weekends. Vets do offer a 24/7 service though and in that respect Angahrad's dormouse has more chance of prompt attention in case of sickness. What we in the wilds do have though is a 'First Responders' service of local volunteers with their own community vehicle who do give full cover and can give initial treatment, get you to hospital or even call in an air ambulance in case of a real emergencey.

Still on balance being a sick dormouse has its advantages.

Fleurie Fleuris

Fleurie

House calls

Certainly doctors make home visits in the UK. Only a few months ago I had a very painful urine infection that made attendance at the surgery embarrassing to say the least and the doctor attended within an hour of being phoned. A course of antibiotics and a few agonising days later and I was back to what passes for normal. The NHS certainly works for me and for friends who have needed it for more serious things like open heart surgery and new hips good enough for cycling and mountain walking.

I think Cathy is right, too. Starving fevers and feeding colds is the right approach according to the old wives' tale IIRC.

Geoff

I dunno...

I've got the pager # of my GP (or I did, until I accidentally deleted it)... She gave it to me when I was REALLY sick with bronchitus (& developed asthma - 6 weeks on codeine cough syrup & prednisone), with orders to page her if an issue came up...

And, more recently, I got my hemotologists home phone number...

Even American doctors can be human. :-) Though, I've not known them to actually visit the house - unless that was contracted in advance (home health care does exist, though it's normally a nurse that does it in the cities) for big $$$$.

Annette

From my experience

I recently met my GP outside my house; she had been with a housebound neighbour, so I know that necessary home visits are made.

I visit the surgery once or twice a year, and my doctor greets me with a smile and says that she is pleased to see me. I don't suppose that she has many patients with the combination of eye, blood, liver, plumbing and other ailments that have beset me over the years, so perhaps I am an interesting case.

I have been blessed with three very good female National Health Service GPs in the last three towns in which I've lived, and cannot fault the service that I have received.

Cathy has made many friends in the medical profession and they seem pleased to respond when she is herself in need.

Susie

Clutching at straws

You know The Echo's getting desperate when they devote column inches to interviewing the local "psychic" nutcase...


As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!

Perhaps

Someone was paid to do the story? It would clear some of monkey off Cathy's back, don't you think?

There are other things....

... an elevated white blood count can indicate. Though, in most cases, the one I'm most aware of doesn't show up as a virus... No, that's not quite right. I had a cold - and had an elevated count in bloodwork shortly later, which they thought was the cold... It's only when I had my physical 6 months later that the count was STILL high (actually a tad higher) that they dug deeper, and found something. It continues to climb, but there doesn't seem to be any other symptoms as yet...

So, I do hope that Cathy's elevated count is only a result of her infection. She really doesn't need another complication.

Thanks,
Annette (slowly catching back up)

See, there two kinds of alien.

This is great news, they can leave the squalid motel and return home.
I think another two days to be sure though.

Cefin

Feed a cold...

... to stave off fever is the original. Feed a cold and starve a fever is a corruption. Personally, I tend to stop at "feed".

Love Bev xx