A Secret Madness by Elaine Bass

Author:Elaine Bass
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Profile
Published: 2008-12-09T05:00:00+00:00

The ambulance provided forty-five minutes of jarring agony leading to a hard hospital bed where the pain was even more unbearable than at home.

A pleasant-faced white-coated young woman doctor directed the curtains to be drawn round the bed in the small ward of four in readiness for yet another internal examination. I tensed myself, and then the first touch of the metal probe sent my piercing scream through the hushed ward. Visibly startled, the doctor protested, ‘It’s surely not as bad as all that.’

‘It is, it is!’

With a glance at my tear-soaked face she left the room, soon to reappear with a nurse carrying a tray covered with a white cloth. I eyed the tray apprehensively.

‘It’s all right. I’m going to give you a morphine injection to ease the pain. Now turn on your side. Nurse!’

Half an hour later she returned to enquire, in a kindly voice, if the pain had gone.

‘It’s dulled it a bit,’ I said, ‘but’ — I bit my lower lip — ‘it’s still there, very much so.’

Disbelief flitted over the doctor’s face, and I sensed her thinking I was inventing this odious pain. But scientific caution prevailed.

‘I’m having you moved to a ward by yourself,’ she said, permitting herself a sympathetic female smile before leaving.

Strong arms presently transferred me to a trolley and wheeled me along corridors. Just like a piece of luggage, I thought, only not so useful.

A few hours later, in the small room containing bed, locker and washbasin, the pain had returned in full and went on steadily worsening throughout the long bleak hours of the night.

At five o’clock in the morning a bowl of warm water, soap and towel were left on the bedside locker by a busy nurse. I cast a reproachful glance at the rising steam. A wash might have been refreshing; but by now I could hardly move. I certainly couldn’t sit up and lift the bowl on to my lap and wash. Later, the bowl was removed with no comment other than a scornful tut-tut and a withering glance reserved, I guessed, for malingerers in abject fear of birth pangs.

The breakfast tray arrived. I was longing for tea. Cautiously, lying on my side and hindered by the cumbersome bulge, tight as a drum, moaning at each move, I edged my way towards the side of the bed and managed to prop myself up a few inches on my left elbow. My right arm reached out and grasped the cup and I sipped gratefully, though it was awkward drinking with my head tilted to one side and some of the tea escaped down the side of my mouth, trickling down on to the white pillow-slip.

I returned the empty cup to the tray and slowly lowered myself on to the pillows, wanting a hanky for the tea drying on my face and neck.

With no comment on the untouched breakfast, the nurse picked up the tray. ‘The doctor will be along later,’ she remarked cheerfully, patronisingly.

‘What time do you think that will be?’

‘After ten.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.