Chapter 9

The following January Theresa's mother slipped on ice and broke her hip. She was rushed to hospital. Theresa made the two hour journey to look after her father, Ian, while he was on his own. Neither Bill nor Wendy was very happy about her doing so but she was adamant. She rang to say that she had arrived safely.

Forty-eight hours later she rang again.

"Wendy, darling, I've been a poop and left all my pills behind. Would you pop them in the post?"

"Do you mean to say that you haven't taken any for the last two days?"

"Well, I took my morning ones before I left and I've borrowed some of Gran's anti-clotting ones which she didn't need to take with her but I'm afraid I haven't taken any of my others because she isn't on them. Anyway, don't let's cry over spilt milk, just post them to me would you?"

"No, Mum, I won't. Even if I was to put a first class stamp on them there is no guarantee they'd reach you tomorrow. I'm going to bring them to you as soon as I've arranged for the children to be looked after because they're due home before I'll get back."

"Oh, darling, there's no need to that."

"Yes there jolly well is. See you soon. 'Bye, Mum."

She slammed the receiver down. She was furious and she knew Bill would be livid. She went up to the bathroom and found the tablets. She remembered collecting the last prescription about a fortnight previously so there should be about another fortnight's left. She was aghast to find that there were three weeks' worth. Even at home Theresa had not been taking them regularly. She was appalled.

She next went to her mother's desk and found the repeat prescription form, the date on which confirmed what she had worked out.

"Oh, Mum!" she wailed.

She rang Poppy who fortunately was at home and told her what had happened.

"She needs spanking," said Poppy. "Of course I'll look after the children. When do you reckon you'll be back?"

"In about four and a half hours. I'll leave the key in the usual place."

"Fine. Off you go and give her a ticking off from me too."

Wendy drove as fast as she safely dared. Theresa made a show of flippancy but Wendy, knowing her as she did, realised that she was ashamed and a bit frightened. She reined in her own anger and anxiety.

"Mum, you have GOT to take these pills regularly. Obviously I don't know but I suspect that they take a period of days to stabilise your condition and then hold it at an optimum level. By missing the odd dose here and the odd dose there destabilises things and that must be dangerous. Promise me you'll take them properly.

"Grampa," she continued turning to him, "please, please see she does. A bit of naval discipline is probably in order."

"Damn!" Ian said grinning. "I threw my cat o' nine tails away a year ago. Nancy was behaving so well."

"No splicing the main brace for her if she misses out."

The old man chuckled. "That should do the trick. No, Wendy my dear, I'll keep an eye on her. I promise."

"Please don't tell Bill," Theresa pleaded.

"I've got to, Mum, and you know it."

Theresa looked anguished but nodded. "Yes," she sighed.

Two days later Nancy contracted pneumonia. The hospital staff did all they could for her but her heart was not strong enough to cope and she died. Bill took leave and joined Theresa, saying nothing about her failure to take her pills but made a point of reminding her. He helped Ian sort out the funeral arrangements.

Bill and Theresa were worried about Ian living on his own but he was completely unfazed.

"There's no problem," he said. "I can cook simple meals. I'm fit enough to do the chores and keep the garden tidy and Sue comes in once a week to clean. It was sweet of you, Wendy dear, to come and hold my hand while Mum was in hospital but now she's gone I must get used to getting on with the rest of my life on my own."

"You're to come and see us whenever you feel like it."

"Thanks. I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise"

Wendy brought the children up for the funeral and then they all drove back in convoy.

Once home Bill and Wendy were relentless in checking to see that Theresa took her medicines correctly.

"You're a couple of old fuss-pots," she complained.

"For a very good reason," replied Bill firmly.

Theresa said no more.

It was inevitable that they did not maintain the pressure on Theresa and she began to slip into bad ways again not wilfully but forgetfully. Her outpatient check-ups were now three monthly. Following one some nine months after Nancy's death her specialist rang her.

"Mrs Ainsworth," he said, "Your latest blood samples show your blood to be a bit thicker than we would like. Have you been taking your medication regularly?"

"Mostly."

"That's not good enough, I'm afraid. I'd like you to come and see me on Friday at three and we'll do a further scan while you're here."

Theresa duly presented herself and the specialist told her very firmly that it was essential that she took her medication properly. She needed to make it part of a routine. Failure would, not could, result in premature death. A very chastened Theresa left the consulting room.

Early the following week the specialist rang again.

"I'm afraid I have bad news for you Mrs Ainsworth. The scan has revealed a small cranial aneurysm."