Chapter 18

We visited Henry every day that Harry and Sylvia were away often took it in turns to visit him and spend time reading and talking to him. Unfortunately there was no discernable difference in his condition. Katy phoned Sylvia each night and updated her on what could only be bad news. By the end of the week she felt that her mother had started to relax a bit and that she was benefiting from her break even though there was nothing to comfort her in what she had to relate.

When they returned Sylvia once again took up her duties and took over the visiting, relieved sometimes by Katy. Harry began the job of instructing me in the duties which I was to take over from him so that he could concentrate on his political career. The first thing we did was to meet the estate manager and it was made clear to him that he was not being replaced, but I was actually taking over the role that was formerly his lordship's.

Once he knew this he appeared much happier. It was obvious that he had been worried in case his job was on the line. In our conversations with him I made it clear that it was not just the things that Harry was doing that would be my role. I would also be looking at ways in which we could expand our activities and bring in more revenue in order to increase its profitability. I also made it clear to him that if he had any ideas on this I would be more than willing to listen to them and discuss them with him.

In the mean time Katy had been accepted as a graduate student with the Open University and would begin her studies in November. She had been given a tutor and received an appointment with her to discuss the nature of her studies. Needless to say she was pleased about this and was looking forward to the start of her new role. I think the nanny was also pleased, since it would enable her to spend more uninterrupted time with her charge.

It was becoming clear to us that babies did not stay that way for very long, as Henry Calum seemed to be growing by leaps and bounds. He also seemed to be learning how to do things at an extraordinary rate. After a period of getting about by holding on to the furniture, he suddenly took off and was now walking on his own. At the same time he began to form words and make us aware of what he wanted.

Shelley was great with him and took him out a lot to various activities like Playgroup and to a swimming club for babies. She frequently informed us that he was a very bright little boy. Of course, as his proud parents we agreed with her, and his grandparents concurred. On our time off we also took him places. On a Saturday morning we often took him to feed the ducks on the river and on a Sunday we would take him for short walks, which he seemed to enjoy. Since both of us enjoyed walking we hoped that by getting him used to this, from an early age, would build up his enthusiasm and once he was strong enough he would be able to share our love for the great outdoors.

On the home front we had the decorators in to prepare the rooms in our wing of the mansion house so that they would reflect our tastes. We also modernized the bathroom and in one of the smaller rooms we turned into a wet room, for both of us preferred a morning shower. During the renovations, this part of the house had its beautiful wooden floors sanded and polished. We wanted to keep this feature so we used large rugs rather than carpets in the main sitting room and dining room. In the bedrooms we used smaller rugs, and the master bedroom and one of the guest rooms had an en-suite.

Katy and her mum had a great time picking out furnishings, and I equipped my study with the super-duper laptop General Argon had given me and managed to link this to the much more primitive computer with the floppy discs which I would be using in the office. This meant that when I needed to, or wanted to, I could work from home. In an amazingly short time we were able to move into our new quarters I made sure, however that it was hidden in a hidden and locked desk drawer on my desk when I was not using it

We had converted the attic rooms at the top of our section of the house into a self-contained flat for Shelley. She had a sitting room, dinning room, and a guest bedroom as well as her own bedroom, in case she wanted to have guests to stay. She also had a small office, which had a single bed, which fitted, into a cupboard, the door of then pulled down rather than opened out. This meant that if she needed to, she could use it as another guest room.

We had allowed her to pick her own furnishings and it turned out that she had a flair for putting things together. When she had finished her little flat was like something out of one of those magazines that feature stylish houses. Katy and I were both impressed and we complimented her on her good taste and style. She was pleased with our reaction.

Mind you, with her innate artistic ability, Katy had done much the same in furnishing our part of the house. I realized I should have complimented her in the same way as I praised Shelley for her efforts. I resolved to do that when we got back to our own apartment.

It was becoming more apparent to us that both Sylvia and Henry were feeling the strain both of visiting their son and dealing with the uncertainty of his condition. Katy and I discussed this and decided that as we were now living in the area we should do what we could to try and take some of the stress of the situation. This would involve us taking a greater role in visiting Henry Junior so that some of that burden at least would be lifted from their shoulders.

As a result of this decision Katy took over one of the afternoon visits and an evening visit and I did two of the evenings and we went together on the Sunday afternoon. We spent part of the time talking or reading to him and when we were together we added speaking to each other and talking about him in the hope that something would penetrate and get a reaction.

But, as with his parents, we got no sign that anything was getting through.

After a few weeks of this it was easy to understand how depressing this must be for his parents. On one occasion we were able to speak to his consultant who had come in to see him. His prognosis was not very hopeful, as he felt the longer his coma lasted, the less his chance of recovery. He also informed us that even if he did recover, the extent of brain damage made it unlikely that he would be able to live anything remotely like a normal life.