The Lake by Louise Sharland

Author:Louise Sharland [Sharland, Louise]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2021-01-27T17:00:00+00:00

22

I spend two nights in hospital with severe concussion. When I’m finally discharged, both Adam and Grace come to collect me. I’m just folding my dressing gown when I hear them approach. The look on their faces is odd, almost conspiratorial, as if something has passed between them that I am not party to. Grace sits on the bed and pats the space next to her. I sit down and await her instructions.

‘Adam and I have been talking,’ she begins.

Adam is beside me now. I can feel the hairs on his arm tickle my wrist.

‘Kate,’ his voice is soft. ‘The doctor says that because you were unconscious for a time there is a possibility that you could experience some side effects from your head injury.’

‘Side effects?’

‘Post-concussion syndrome,’ says Grace, taking the baton. ‘Fatigue, disorientation, depression.’ Ah, the magic word. ‘The doctor has recommended that you’re not alone, that you’ve got someone watching over you for at least a week. That’s why I was thinking you could come and stay with me. That way I—’

‘The doctor also recommended that you’re somewhere familiar and comfortable,’ interrupts Adam, a slight edge in his voice. ‘With no stress.’

‘There’ll be no stress at my place,’ says Grace defensively.

‘It’s not fair on Ellie,’ Adam counters. ‘She needs you right now.’ Clever one, Adam. He leans past me to look at my sister. ‘You’ve been a fantastic support, Grace, but I’m her husband. She needs to be at home with me.’

I wonder if either of them has even thought to consult me about what I might want.

‘Look Adam, it’s not that I …’

Their voices fade into the background and I watch in amazement as the pattern on the wallpaper in front of me begins spinning and swirling. It becomes an enormous whirlpool, threatening to suck me in.

‘I want to go home,’ I say, extracting myself from the vortex. The thought of travelling all the way to Cambridge feels unbearable. If I can’t go back to my mother’s place, then at least I want to be somewhere familiar. Choose your battles, Katie.

‘Well I guess it’s settled then,’ Adam says. ‘I’ll take you home and either Grace or I will go to your mum’s and pick up your things.’

‘I need to speak to Doris,’ I say, ‘about the cat.’

‘I can do that,’ offers Grace.

‘No!’ I hadn’t meant to yell. ‘I need to speak to her myself.’

‘Okay,’ says Grace, exchanging a look with Adam.

‘I’ll be taking leave for the next week,’ says Adam. ‘So you won’t be on your own. We’ll see how it goes after that; maybe get someone in if we need to.’

All settled then.

I nod, grateful for not having to think too much. Thinking at the moment seems difficult, elusive, like trying to capture a flower petal in water.

‘I’ll tell the nurse,’ says Adam, marching off.

I turn to Grace. ‘What about Ryan?’ She looks uncomfortable and even though my brain is foggy, I understand at once. ‘I get that you and Adam agreed not to talk to me about him, but I have a right to know.

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