Chapter 12

Jessica pulled her phone from her handbag, and phoned the Robson girls’ parents to get permission for them to stay the night with her and Sidra. After apologising for not having the girls home by now, she explained, “We are all suffering from delayed shock at the attack, and I believe a night of comfort at our hotel would go a long way towards helping your girls recover. I have cleared it with Reg, so there is no problem with paying for it.”

“Good grief, Jessica,” said Mrs Robson. “I am glad that you are there for them. As a mother of a teenager yourself, you know what needs to be said and done for my girls to be reassured. Keep them with you for now, as it will be good experience for them: let them understand better what real life is like. We can sort out costs with Reginald at a later date.”

Jessica remembered another point she needed to make about timing. “Oh, regards Reg: he is being kept in hospital overnight at a minimum. He was pretty tired and sore when we saw him; but as for longer, we don’t know yet but I doubt he will get out very soon. That is a medical decision, and the police haven’t taken his statement yet.

We were supposed to go home tomorrow, but that may have to remain on hold for a bit. We’ll let you know. If Reg still wants to take your girls to our home, we will need to visit your farm to have the girls collect what clothes and gear they need for an extended visit, and let them say ‘cheerio’ to you.”

Ending the call, Jessica did a quick mental check of the capacity of the Volvo if all five were to travel south. She decided it was a practical proposition, if they took enough breaks on the journey. She got herself back to the girls and took them to the car for returning to the hotel. The girls advised where you could best park a car at this time of day, and they walked to the hotel from there.

The hotel staff were very understanding about the aftermath of the attack, and quickly agreed to move a second double bed into Jessica and Reg’s room. They were horrified that one of their guests had been injured in their town, and did their level best to cater for the visitors’ needs.

Jessica’s phone rang, and she quickly answered it in case it was the hospital.

“Jessica Robertson,” she announced.

Frances’ agitated voice demanded, “Jessica, what has happened with Reg? We got a call to confirm we are Reg’s next of kin. Apparently he is in hospital.”

“Yes, but he is fine, Frances, in the sense of not in danger. He was knifed while protecting us, and the hospital performed an operation to remove the blade safely. He was talking to me in the ward not that long ago, but is probably asleep by now.”

“Oh. That is why they wouldn’t let me speak to him, when I rang the hospital. They just said it wasn’t possible for anyone to speak to him at this time.”

“Well, put your mind at rest: he is on the mend, Frances. He was a real hero, defending me and the girls.”

“Girls?”

“Oh, yes. You wouldn’t know about them. The two daughters of the Robsons at the farm. Reg arranged for them to come home with us, for relationship training, or you might say counselling. They clearly need to learn how to respect their parents and other people, Frances, so Reg thought that as you and your team did so well with him, you could help them as well.”

Frances was cautious. “What exactly are we talking about, Jessica? It is not just another two girls who have taken a fancy to Reg? He is not up for grabs, you know.”

“Gosh, no. Reg was horrified when I asked him a similar question. He sees it as helping them to be better people, in return for the kindness shown to him by their parents. I didn’t mention it, but he found another couple of lumps of coins or something. It was enough to bring a woman from York to collect them as Finds.”

“Another woman? Reg seems to attract them without fail!”

“This one is a middle-aged married lady, so not a worry, Frances. Reg called her a Finds Liaison Officer. She went back to York with his lumps, after taking loads of photos.”

“Oh, yes. Reg dealt with a guy of the same title here, last time he found something. So he is going to get some more cash from his detectoring?”

“I have no idea, but I suppose so. The lumps were quite heavy, but no-one was sure what all was in them, except there were silver coins showing on the outside. Reg was a bit cagey about what else might be the contents; something to do with the weight.”

“Yes. It is all guesswork until they separate out all the material, and start identifying each item. That could take ages. When are you seeing Reg again, Jessica?”

“In the morning. I think they wanted to make sure he slept a lot while he was with them, to get the wound edges to knit together. They don’t want much movement at the beginning, one of the nurses said to me, so they are trying to keep him flat on his stomach and not moving much. Sleep is a good way of achieving that end.

At some point they will want him out of there, to free up the bed, for hospitals work on making maximum use of a bed. If you are not a properly ill patient, they want you out and gone.” Jessica appeared not to agree with this policy.

Frances was also thinking about Reg’s release from hospital. “Will he be able to travel by car, or should we get a private ambulance to bring him home?”

“No idea, Frances. I’ll ask while I am at the hospital tomorrow. Are you and the others coping?”

“It is amazing, Jessica, how much we miss Reg in just a day or two. It is like a part of you is not there. If I could, I’d drive to Scarborough to bring him home at once, but I don’t want to do anything that might harm him. I love that man of mine!”

“I understand. Frances, a confession: Reg told me he loved me! It just popped out, without him thinking about what he was saying, and when I quizzed him about saying that, he admitted that it was true. It had just crept up on him, he said. I was delighted, but I don’t know how you will feel about it; me being an older woman and all.”

Frances was not surprised. “Jessica, it happens with Reg. It often seems inevitable. He finds it so easy to fall in love with women who are loving towards him. He responds in the only way he can: loves them back. That’s how he came to love all of us girls here. If you questioned him, he would probably admit to loving Holly and Carol, although he would never dare to admit it to them. Sidra is another, though he is trying to love her as a daughter; I can tell. Elizabeth is too new to consider in that way, but she is certainly in awe of him.”

“I have noticed these effects, and Sidra loves him as well, even though he is so insistent on her passing her school exams and going to university afterwards. He is like the father she should have had: loving and pushing at the same time. She grows by the minute under his tutelage.”

Frances turned practical again. “When you are at the hospital tomorrow, ask about a private ambulance to take Reg home to us. Get the details and we can work on it; all right?”

“I can do that. If all goes well in that line, I and Sidra will drive back with the two Robson girls. I’ll let you know when to expect us.”

Reg came awake, to find it was morning. He wondered how he had slept so long, and asked the nurse who woke him. She smiled at the question.

“Mr Robertson, you woke up twice during the night, and we gave you a sleeping draught each time, so you went back to sleep almost immediately. You will be needing to pee by now, I expect. Let me get you a male urinal to use in bed; we don’t want you to get up yet.”

She produced the moulded papier-mache unit for Reg, lifting the bedclothes and slipping it under his naked body and into position. He found it easy to use, despite lying on his front. These one-use pieces of equipment were perfect for their purpose. The nurses emptied them at the ward wash-room, and the papier-mache item went in the recycling bin.

She returned and told him, “The police are due shortly, to take a statement from you, Mr Robertson. We told them they weren’t getting to see you until now, but they didn’t seem over-anxious. It appears that your actions were accepted by them as genuine self-defence. The local paper’s correspondent was here, but got his story details from the ambulance men and the A & E staff. He may be back to get a quote from you, but who knows? It will depend on when the weekly paper is printed.”

Reg said anxiously, “My memory of the event is pretty hazy now, I’m afraid. Hopefully more will come back to me when they ask their questions.”

This turned out to be true. The policemen – they always seem to come in twos – went through the events of yesterday, and Reg found he could tell them the story from his viewpoint at the time. He explained that he did not know what had happened to his attacker after the blow, until the ambulance crew told him the man was dead. He emphasised that he never at any time envisaged killing the man; merely tried to disable him to prevent the attack going any further.

“I was quite disturbed when they told me he had died. No doubt the ambulancemen can fill you in on what I said at the time. My memory is a bit hazy about some of the events. You don’t make notes at the time, I have found!”

The police constables nodded as he told it, and occasionally asked for more detail, until he finished with the ambulance delivering him to the hospital. They had already interviewed these men.

“One other point, Mr Robertson. The blow you used against your attacker: was that accidental or what?”

Reg saw that they were giving him a chance to claim it was accidental, but instead explained the truth, “I and my family voluntarily undertook a self-defence course at our university, run by a sports doctor there. This was after an attack on one of our members, thus we wanted to be able to respond protectively. He taught us some moves we could use in emergency, if we thought our lives were threatened, or that of one of our friends. We had to practice until it became automatic, but he emphasised that we should never try to kill, unless our own life was threatened.

The blow I used was one we practised, but this was the first time I have used it in earnest. I did it without even thinking. I had been hit, and later found it was actually stabbed, clearly with intent to kill or severely disable me, so I responded accordingly. The was no malice on my part, merely an attempt to stop an attacker from continuing his attack. It was unfortunate that he seems to have died, but that was not my original intent. I merely wanted to disable him in return for hurting me while I was defending the girls.”

One of the men told him, “That pretty well confirms what the witnesses saw, Mr Robertson. You are lucky to be alive, after being stabbed in the back. The guy who stabbed you, and died for his pains, was known to us as a troublemaker of the worst sort. No-one except his family will regret his passing. We have to get your statement printed, then you have to sign it. We will be back for that.

We have to report all the facts to the coroner, but it is unlikely that there will be a formal inquest, as we will be reporting that your action was reasonable in the context of attempted murder on you. Unless you hear soon to the contrary, you may go home when you are discharged by the hospital, assuming you have first signed your statement. We should by then be able to confirm the coroner’s decision.”

Immediately after they had left, Jessica came in, worrying again.

“The nurses wouldn’t let me in earlier, Reg. They said you had the police with you.”

“Quite correct, Jessica. They took my statement, and will be back with the printed version for me to sign. It looks like I will probably be free to go home then, though I am still very sore in the area where I was stabbed.”

He paused. “Do my wives know about the attack, Jessica?”

“They certainly do! Frances phoned me for details, as the local police had notified her, as the next of kin, that you were in Scarborough Hospital. She was somewhat frantic about your condition, so I had to assure her that your injury was not life-threatening, and that you would get out soon. She was anxious about your future, and talking about getting a private ambulance to take you home.”

“Really? I must ask the hospital here if they can send me home by NHS ambulance, before Frances goes overboard on that. She is a wonderful girl and I love her dearly, but she takes my welfare too much on her shoulders. Oh, did you tell her about Hermione and Jemima?”

“I did. As expected, she assumed you were collecting even more women, but I explained your altruistic approach, aiming to help out the Robsons.”

“Thank God for that. I was starting to worry about springing these girls on her without advance warning.” He switched subjects and looked up at her from his awkward position. “Jessica, the nurses have kept me on my front and asleep for much of yesterday and all night, so that I would not move around and disturb the wound. Could you ask them about when I might be allowed up, or turn over, or whatever change is allowed, and when I can get home, and how?”

“I’ll go and do that now. Sidra wanted to see you, but I held her back until I found out your current condition. Do you want her to come in while I go make these enquiries?”

Reg was agreeable with that, so Jessica left, and shortly Sidra hurried in, trying to appear to walk nonchalantly. She quickly looked him over, then decided she should kiss her hero.

Reg accepted the kiss, and went through the same tale that he had related to her mother. She wanted to give Reg another hug, but he immediately advised against it for now, as it would not be good for his wound. She nodded, accepting this as a valid reason.

Instead, she asked, “Can I bring Jemima and Hermione in to say a quick hello? They are outside, and want to greet their new hero.”

“Tell them it will be just for a minute or two, Sidra. Explain that I am still knackered, will you, so that they don’t stay too long?”

Worried again, she rushed off to report this and quickly the Robson girls were by his bed. This led to friendly kisses to his cheek and enquiries after his health, and apologies for his treatment by local thugs. He shrugged off the apologies as best he could the way he was lying, declaring it could happen anywhere. He asked about their parents, and what they were saying.

Hermione, taking the lead as the elder sister, told him, “We are going to visit them today and pack our bags. We are driving with Jessica and Sidra to your home to stay for a while. It seems your wives want to teach us a few things; what exactly, we are not sure, but Mum and Dad have approved it. Your place is not a hippy commune, is it?”

“God, no. It is a standard happy community. We just happen to have more wives in the family than usual.”

He paused for a breath. “Now, about visiting my home, I am not sure when and how I am getting out of here, but once you have collected your gear you girls should certainly go with Jessica in the car we used to get to Scarborough. It is a good-sized car, so there should be enough space, even with your luggage in the boot, as there are only the four of you.”

“Sidra said you were tired, so we’ll be off, Reg.”

He remembered his manners. “Thanks for coming in, anyway, girls. It was kind of you to do so.”

Almost as soon as they had left, Jessica was back to his bedside, with breaking news.

“Reg, the hospital wants to transfer you to the hospital nearest your home, for continuing treatment. It gets you out of their hair, passes the buck, and frees up the bed for other patients. That’s not the way they put it to me, but that’s what they meant!

Oh, and the admin people I spoke to called me Mrs Robertson, which cheered me up no end, I can tell you; until I wondered if they thought I was your mother!

They say you need a couple of days more bed rest in a hospital to let your wound improve, then the local doctors may let you home in a wheelchair for a few more days, before you start gently exercising your body. I think that such exercise does not include sex, though they refrained from coming straight out and saying that, my love! You must be down in their records as ‘married’, for them to almost suggest that restriction.”

“Oh well, I will put up with that deprivation for a few days, but I have got so used to making love to at least one girl every night that I will feel deprived. You and I managed fine, didn’t we, my dear?”

“We did, Reg. I am looking forward to your speedy full recovery, in every way.”

Jessica went back to the administrators to get the details of the planned move, and reminded them that Reg had to sign his police statement before he was moved. That spurred them to phone the police station and get the statement up to the hospital for signing right away. They gave Jessica a guarantee that “Mr Robertson” would be transferred later that day if the receiving hospital could be sure of a bed being available.

That allowed Jessica to collect her charges and take them to the farm at East Ayton for Hermione and Jemima to gather their things for an indeterminate stay at the Robertson household. Charlie and Charlotte were amazed at how much more considerate the two girls were already. Of course, regarding Reg as their hero had made a big impact on the pair. They were now keen to follow his instruction. Jessica’s advice had helped as well.

They said a tearful goodbye to their parents, and Jessica promised the couple that their children would be well looked after. She drove them back to Scarborough, to collect the bags of Sidra, Reg and herself, signing out and paying the bill by credit card. She reckoned she could be home before dusk, if the roads were not too congested and she didn’t feel too tired.

She phoned Frances, and warned her of their likely arrival time; and told her of the probable and expected transfer of Reg to the local hospital by NHS patient transport. That satisfied Frances, who now relaxed her previous concern. She would be able to get her hands on her husband soon.

Jessica now got everyone into the Volvo, and headed for home. It was only after she had been driving for a while that her unconscious mind reminded her of what she had earlier thought to herself: the phrase ‘heading for home’. She was now subconsciously thinking of the Robertson house as ‘home’.

She wondered if it was related to Reg confessing that he now loved her, or that she now felt comfortable within the Robertson household. She concluded that it didn’t really matter. It was now ‘home’ to her, and that was a comforting thought.