Chapter 11

Molly rang Dan the following day and told him that a visit to Gina that day would be a waste of time. She was drugged to the eyeballs with painkillers and was hardly aware that Molly was there. She suggested that Dan left it until six the following day which Dan could and did do.

He was appalled at what he saw. Gina's head was bandaged. What could be seen of the right side of her face was badly bruised with many butterfly stitches and a mass of smaller scabs in between. She had a black right eye. Her right arm was in plaster from below the elbow. There was a tent over her legs.

Dan carefully bent over and gingerly kissed her lips.

"My poor little Gina," he said softly. "You took a pasting. Are you in a lot of pain?"

"No," she answered moving her lips as little as possible. "A bit but I'm still drugged to the gills so I'm pretty woozy."

Dan sat down on a chair on her left hand side and took her hand. "Well, if you want to nod off don't worry about me."

She gave him a one-sided smile. "I may well."

"It must have been a hell of a shock as well as jolly painful."

"I didn't have much time to feel either. The bang on my head knocked me straight out."

He squeezed her hand. "Thank God you're alive and won't be crippled."

"Yeah!"

"Well at least you picked a good time to walk in front of a motorbike. I'll be home for the summer hols when you get out and will be able to help Mum look after you."

She gave the ghost of a grin. "As long as you don't try cooking."

Dan chuckled. "I have hidden talents."

"Says you!"

They chatted quietly for another ten minutes or so and then Gina's eyelids began to droop. Dan kissed her again equally softly.

"Go to sleep, Gina. I'll see you tomorrow."

She was already asleep.

Dan walked slowly out and then stopped outside her door and shook his head vigorously as if to clear it of the sorry sight. A nurse came up to him.

"It's pretty shocking, isn't it?" she said gently.

Dan nodded wordlessly.

"But it looks worse than it is."

"Will she be scarred?"

"Very little if at all."

"Thank God."

He rang Molly when he got back to school.

"That was not fun, Mum," he said. "Poor girl and yet she was very cheerful in many ways."

"Yes and she'll come through with flying colours. If nothing else she's got guts."

"Absolutely. Look, I'm not going to be able to get in tomorrow but I will do the day after."

"Don't worry, Dan dear. I'll go in tomorrow."

"OK, Mum."

Dan did not manage to go in every day. His afternoons were full and he was on some sort of duty three evenings a week. Whenever he could though he visited Gina in the six o'clock to eight o'clock slot. He was pleased to see her bruises fade, the scabs heal and her come off painkillers. He also marvelled at her perkiness. He never heard her grumble once except about the food.

"I might even be able to stomach your cooking," she grinned.

She had to make a statement to the police on the third day of her incarceration.

"Fat lot of good that was," she chuckled. "I was walking in front of a stationary car at a zebra crossing, turned to chivvy my friend and bang. End of story!"

"Don't worry," replied Dan with a smile. "Cass and the driver of the car saw everything and got the devil's number as well."

"I bet he's shitting bricks."

"Gina!"

She pealed with laughter. Dan was thrilled.

Dan invited Rachel Hoddinot to the form plays. His excuse, to himself, was that it would be educational for her. There was a buffet supper afterwards and he was able to introduce her to the Winstons. She enjoyed herself and was very grateful. Dan was once again impressed by her but did not press for another date.

He was home for the holidays a week before Gina was discharged. Her arm and her leg were still in plaster but her ribs, although still tender, were no longer really painful. She opted for leaving her bed upstairs and Dan carrying her to her room. She nicknamed him Little Donkey.

"I hope you're not going to get illusions of being the Virgin Mary," riposted Dan.

"No," she replied airily. "Merely the virgin Gina."

Her face had healed completely and all three were relieved that it was unscarred. Her hair was still a mess though with the shaven patch where she had cracked her skull. She was very self-conscious about that and wore a beret whenever there was a visitor.

Two days after she got home the motorcyclist appeared before Pitsbury Magistrates Court. Dan attended. Neither Molly nor Gina wanted to. The young man pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, reckless driving and causing actual bodily harm. He was sent to prison for eighteen months and banned from driving for five years. Dan was less than satisfied and said so when he got home.

"I reckon he ought to have got five years and a socking great fine," he told Gina and Molly.

"Ooh!" giggled Gina. "The Hanging Judge."

Dan blew her a raspberry.

"You're as rude as one of your little boys."

Dan growled and then laughed with her.

"What did he look like?"

"An over-weight skinhead."

"Oh. Well, I won't bother visiting him in prison then. Did he apologise?"

"Yes but totally unconvincingly."

"Hmm."

"What about speeding?" asked Molly.

"No," replied Dan. "That was quite amusing actually. The beak asked the policeman prosecuting whether Gina's injuries were consistent with speeding and the policeman said in very measured tones that there was insufficient conclusive evidence to say that but the beak got the message. He raised his eyebrows quizzically, as you might say, and then after a significant pause said, 'Thank you, Inspector.'"

Molly and Gina laughed.

Molly was amazed at the lengths to which Dan went to keep Gina amused. He took her for walks in her wheelchair and shopping in Pitsbury. They called in on her place of work while they were there because Gina wanted to see if she could do some work at home. It was not as though she could write but she reckoned she ought to be able to tap thing out slowly with her left hand on her laptop. Her branch manager was clearly most impressed with her keenness and offered to send her routine work to do.