Chapter 14

I was stuck between wondering if I would ever recover enough to get back in the box, and wondering what would happen to me if I failed to get back within the time we allowed for me to take the brick to the outer door, go back and get in the box and pick up the ingot.

I ended up dragging myself on my bum back inside the box, used my good foot to kick and slide the brick out of the box, picked up the ingot and slipped it into my nearest pocket, and then sat there while my foot throbbed agonisingly. I could think of nothing else but the pain. I know afterwards that I should have got hold of the first aid kit before getting back in the box, and so get a pain killer into my system, but pain stops you from thinking straight. I felt very cold and almost passed out trying to cope with the agony, and perhaps I lost consciousness for a moment or two, but eventually I was back in the vestibule calling to Sandy for a painkiller pill.

Of course such a thing was not in the vestibule, so she had to run round to the back door with the key, open it, rush to the technical room and locate the first aid kit that was there, run back to the door, exit, lock it and hurry back to the front door, into the vestibule, and only then start searching the box for painkillers.

She found paracetamol and quickly gave me two of those. I looked for water to wash them down, but there was none, so I did my best to swallow them dry. It was not easy, but I persevered.

At least the concentration on getting these tablets down my throat enabled me to forget the pain for a little while, then it returned to full intensity, my eyes watered with the pain, I felt nauseous, and finally I did pass out.

By the time I regained my senses, Sandy had read the instructions on the packet, set out another two tablets for me to take in this emergency, then she thought of dragging off my shoe and sock before the swelling made it too difficult to get them off.

It took half an hour before I recovered enough to be able to think and talk coherently, and Sandy quizzed me on what happened in 2026. I was confused at first, but at last I was able to explain about dropping the brick on my toes, and everything else that shot through my mind at the time, and how stupid I felt about the whole episode.

Once she knew that there was no immediate danger, and that my damage was a simple accident, she asked if I had the ingot. I patted my pocket, and she was able to pull it out and lay it beside me.

“Okay, at least that worked,” she said, and then went to the controls to reset it for the same trip again, so that she could see if there was any indication of a low power level.

There wasn’t so she declared, “Right. I will go this time. Tell me where the ingots are hidden and how I get hold of one.”

I sat there, holding my damaged toes, and explained where the screwdriver was, which panel of which piece of equipment had to be removed, and that the ingots were on the floor of the machine. She told me, “I want to do that, so that I can see if you can make two trips in quick succession without draining the battery too much,” and set about leaving me while she had a trip of her own.

She came back after the set time, with an ingot in each hand, looking satisfied.

“I was able to get the ingots, and still had time to brush the crumbs of brick out of the box, so there is nothing underfoot. When you go back with more bricks, you had best do so with a strong bag for the bricks, a bag that you can hold by your side, and not above your feet.”

I took it that my future wife was warning me that she would expect me to do as she instructed in future; and for now, I saw that she was right to do so: she was the sensible one. I needed to be protected from my carelessness.

Sandy told me she would buy a suitable carrier for the bricks. She decided that two at a time was the optimum load, and that for the transport, I would have the bag sitting on the ground while I held the carrying handle.

I had more pressing needs.

“Sandy, I can’t walk for now. What am I going to do?”

“Oh, sorry, Bob. I wasn’t thinking. My poor love, are you still in severe pain?”

“I am, but I can thole it. The level has dropped dramatically, but when I try to put my weight on my foot, it’s much sorer. How am I going to get home?”

“Oh, that’s a problem, yes. I had better phone Daddy.”

“Phone him from where?”

“I’ll find a phone box and give him a ring, to see if he can bring the car and collect us. Where’s the nearest phone box?”

I had to rake through my memory, and remembered there was a red box on the next street down from us. I told her, and she said, “I left my handbag in the house. Do you have any change, Bob? I need some cash for the phone box.”

I had some in my jacket pocket, so I put my hand in and found enough for the phone. I handed it to her, saying, “See what you can sort out with your Dad, love.”

She went off on that trip to the box, leaving me to stretch out on the floor with my back to a wall making myself as comfortable as I could. Eventually I fell asleep with exhaustion, being woken up by Sandy calling out to me, “Bob? Are you okay? I am here with Daddy and his car. We are going to drive you home, he says. He thinks you ought to phone your doctor as well.”

I replied, “My folks don’t have a phone, Sandy. We’ll have to get a neighbour to phone for us.”

“We can deal with that later. Where is your doctor’s surgery?”

I knew that, as I had been there a couple of times in the last few years, so I told her. She gently eased my sock on to my foot, but left off the shoe, as it would be impossible to put on. Her father appeared at the door, and volunteered to help me hobble, mostly hop, to his car, placing me in the back, where I was much more comfortable. Getting in was not too awkward, and I relaxed, waiting while Sandy locked up the house and then joined me in the back. I was pleased to have her with me, and I knew I should thank her father.

“Sir, many thanks for your valuable assistance today. Without it I would be in even worse trouble.”

As I spoke I realised I didn’t know his surname. Throughout I had known Sandy and Georgina by their first names; never having to ask their surname. It seemed odd to me that I had become engaged to a girl and yet did not know her surname!

I whispered to Sandy what I had neglected to ask, and she giggled.

“Thompson,” she told me. “Silly you, not to have asked either of us.”

“What’s that, Sandy?” her father called back as he prepared to start the car.

“Bob had never got around to asking our surname, neither me nor Georgina.”

“What would he want to know Georgina’s surname for?” he queried, but Sandy was quick off the mark.

“Business, Daddy. If he had to phone in, he would have to ask for Miss Thompson. It would be wrong to ask for Georgina, don’t you agree?”

“Right enough. You haven’t been introduced to his parents yet?”

“No. I was planning to visit them tomorrow, but as we are going to his home now, I can do the introductions today. Not the way I expected it to happen, but that’s life for you.”

Her father left the engine switched off so he could speak with us, and now suggested, “Why don’t I take them out for dinner, and you two can come as a pair. That would be much more sociable conditions for getting to know them.”

I contributed, “I am not too sure I will be fit enough to go out for a meal with you, sir, but I can pay for the meal, if you will let me.” I looked to Sandy, and she nodded to confirm she had enough of my cash with her.

“Oh yes. We shall see what the doctor says. We can divert to your doctor first, Bob, and get his professional opinion on your foot and what to do about it. Do you know where we go for his doctor, Sandy?”

“Yes, Daddy. Bob told me where it is, so I can guide you, and we can see if a doctor can take a look at it. I hope he can come to the car if he is not too busy.”

By the time we got to the outside of the surgery, I was drifting in and out of awareness; I did not know why.

Mr Thompson charged into the building. Sandy later told me that he had browbeaten the receptionist into calling the doctor through at once as there was an emergency case outside. The doc came out to the car, where Sandy told him how I had been injured. He clearly recognised my face, and whipped off my protective sock and took a good look, then as he talked to himself about stupid people he began to gently feel each toe in turn, ignoring my yelps of pain as he did so.

“Hmm ... no broken bones, I think, but there is a big bruise developing. You are not going to be able to walk for several days, Robert. You need frequent cold compresses to cool the damaged site, and I will give you a prescription for codeine to dull the pain. You will still have some background pain, but you need that to tell you that the damage is still there and stop you from doing a stupid thing like getting on your feet. From what I have been told me about the period from the accident until now, you are suffering from shock as well, so you need bed rest for the first day or so. Drink plenty of fluids, and do NOT exceed the prescribed dosage for codeine. Got all that?”

Sandy informed him, “I have got it all, doctor, and I will tell his mother.”

The doctor now looked intently at my hand-holding nurse. “And you are?”

“His fiancee, doctor; rather recent, but most definite.”

“Congratulations, I think. This is Robert, remember. It will be a while before he can afford to get married, let me warn you.”

“Not now, sir, but that is a story for another time. Thank you for coming out to see Bob.”

“Glad I could do so. And the gentleman in the driving seat?”

“My father. I called him when the accident happened, or as soon as I could get to a phone. He is taking Bob home right now.”

“Good man. Home and bed, is my immediate prescription. Give me a moment to pop back inside and I will write the prescription for the drug.”

“Thank you, doctor. I’ll see he is looked after.”

That was all I remembered until the car stopped outside the tenement and Mr Thompson went up to fetch my father so that between them they could carry me up the flights of stairs to our landing. At my father’s suggestion, they used the four-handed seat carry to lift me all that distance. All I had to do was hold their shoulders to stay erect. It is a surprisingly simple and effective carry procedure for a foot injury.

Sandy followed dutifully behind, and when we got to the door my mother was standing there anxiously. When she saw it was my foot that was swollen and sore, her first reaction was to reprimand me for hurting myself, then she got me to hop through to my alcove bed with my father’s assistance, and I sat on the bed. While we were doing that, my mother was welcoming and thanking Mr Thompson as my rescuer. Next my mother was through beside my bed, shooing my father away and telling him to go make a cup of tea for Mr Thompson and the ‘young lady’.

The ‘young lady’ in question appeared by my mother, saying, “I’ll help get him ready; I’m Sandy.”

“He is MY boy,’ declared my mother protectively, then stopped abruptly. “Sandy? His girlfriend?”

“His fiancee,” Sandy emphasised the word. “He is my responsibility as well as yours, Mum, - if I can call you that?”

“Oh, that would be nice, Sandy. If you take his top off, I’ll get his trousers and the other shoe.”

She was being careful not to expose my nether regions to Sandy, but that was only what I assumed later. At the time I was in too much pain to care for niceties. Between them they got me into bed. I heard Sandy talk about a cold compress, and Mum saying something, then I went under.

I didn’t wake again until I heard Mum telling me I had to take two paracetamol, and offered me these with a small glass of water. I tried to tell her I was supposed to take codeine, but Mum scoffed at me.

“We can’t get you codeine until the chemist is open, and that is tomorrow if we are lucky. You will just have to do with paracetamol until then. Did you sleep well?”

I mumbled that I did sleep, and wondered at that, for I had felt no pain while I was asleep. I expressed my surprise, and Mum came back with, “That’s shock for you.”

She went on, “That Sandy is a lovely girl. You chose well with her, son.”

I blinked and said, “I didn’t choose her, or her me. We bumped into each other, and wham, I was hooked, and apparently so was she. She is a wonderful woman, Mum; just what I always wanted: a girl who likes me for myself.”

“As if you knew what you wanted. None of us know in advance who we will decide to marry. Of course, some have it all arranged for them, but if it is done right, you can get to love a partner in such circumstances. Falling in love is not a starting point. It is a development to aim for if everything goes well between you. You seem to have hit that point almost at once, and that is amazing.”

“Talking of Sandy,” I asked, “Where is she? The last I remember, you and she were undressing me. I conked out at that point.”

“Once I was sure that you were out for a long while, I agreed to go with Sandy and her father for a meal while your father remained to help you if you woke up. That was good of him, but I think he also felt I was the better choice for getting to know Sandy and her father. Dad felt uncomfortable about chatting socially with a lawyer, in case he said something wrong. Me? I just chat to everybody; they have to take me as I am. It turns out that Sandy’s Dad is a sensible man, leaving his daughters to get on with their lives without being too interfering. Sandy says her sister had a disastrous relationship some years back, and their father was always there to support her as and when she wanted help.

She says that you have now taken over the helping job, as you are young enough not to be a threatening figure. After her bad experience she was scared of all men apart from her father, but now, as Sandy’s fiancee, she sees you as a friend she can trust. You seem to have done well by her, my boy.”

I changed the subject.

“Did you have a nice meal, Mum?”

“Really tasty. Mr Thompson took us to the Tontine Hotel. It happens to be not too far from our church at Ardgowan Square. Having a meal in a historic hotel was quite something, Bob. I presumed at first that Sandy’s dad paid for it, but Sandy said she paid for it with money you had given her for it. I was flabbergasted, I can tell you, for it must have cost quite a bit there. I will just tell your father that I was taken out for a meal, and leave out where it was.”

“The cash happened to come to me, Mum, so it was just a matter of passing it on. At Gourock, we were getting our bed linen and kitchen things and other stuff delivered when I had my accident. I tried to do too much, and my toes paid for that.”

“Well, learn from it, and you shouldn’t have any more accidents,” Mum said.

She is great at telling you what is already obvious, but that’s mothers for you; always trying to improve you. The trick is just to accept it as well-meant.

“Yes, Mum,” I said.

“Now, Sandy told me that the doctor wants you to take it very easy for a couple of days, until the shock wears off and your swelling goes down a bit. No school for you for a few days, I think. I’ll write a letter to the school, and your brother can