Chapter 24
Laden down with presents, William carefully opened his room door, edged it shut with his shoulder and slammed it with a back kick of the foot. The presents had begun to slip his grasp and he was worried it was something glass would fall and break, so he quickly made for the bed.
The presents had a soft landing and everything was okay. Switching on the bedside lamp William yawned and scratched his head. He couldn’t make up his mind whether he was hungry or not – it was a ‘between’ sort of feeling, you know the one, you could eat something, but didn’t know what you wanted, or how much. Airplane meals tended to do that to you, coz there was always something on them you wouldn’t eat, and it left a gap………
Deciding he needed caffeine at the very least, he filled the kettle and switched it on.
Pulling a bottle of Jameson’s Irish whiskey out of one of the Duty Free bags, he put it on the side. It was then he noticed an envelope had been slid under the door.
Wiping off his footprint off it he opened the Christmas card and read,
‘Bes Wishe, Drooooooooooola’. At least that what it looked like, the handwriting was atrocious.
He frowned and looked at the shaky writing again and said softly to himself,
“Blimey Dru, I KNOW doctors are notorious for having bad handwriting, but!”
He put the card flat on the table and threw the envelope, and went and made himself coffee. He realised that it was getting on for midnight and hoped the coffee wouldn’t keep him awake
Carefully putting all the gifts in a bag, William crawled into bed. He was tired and had been travelling a lot, so sleep would not be a problem, coffee or not………
************************
“Tell me then, go on!”
“Well, I’ve decided that as it’s a bigger turkey than I usually buy, I’ve changed the cooking time from 9.30am, to 7.30am – I’ve got to do the ham too remember, and then roast veggies” Joyce said, sitting with Buffy. There was one slice of pizza left; both had nearly empty wine glasses.
“Roast potatoes, yum-yum!” Buffy giggled, the wine making her hot and slightly light headed.
“You be careful, we don’t want you falling over and doing any more damage to yourself!”
“I’m alright…but we don’t want anymore injured Buffy, coz Buffy’s gonna have a fab Christmas!” Buffy said, lying down and grinning with her eyes shut. Joyce glanced up from checking her list and smiled at her daughter. Her eye then caught the daily paper and Joyce said,
“Have you thought anymore about – well you know, that business with Coach O’Connor?”
Buffy sat up and looked serious for a moment, and then said,
“To be truthful mom…I don’t even know if I’m going back there”
“Why, because of what he’s done?”
“We don’t know he’s done anything, or, or even done it all, and even if I said I wanted to go back, would there be anything for me to go back to? – I mean if Coach goes, who would run the school?”
“Wouldn’t that woman, what’s her name, Illyria, wouldn’t she do it?” Joyce sat with the list on her knee, and reached for her wine.
Buffy shrugged
“If they began to leave in droves, the school couldn’t pay for itself.”
“So you think by going now just saves prolonging the agony?” Joyce asked
Buffy shrugged again and began to pick threads on the cover over her legs
“Thing is mom, skating has been my life for 11 years now, it’s all I know, but – I don’t know……... Everyone keeps saying to me, ‘huh, bet you can’t wait to get back on the ice’ – truth is, I CAN wait – in fact, I’m not hankering after it and it worries me a little. What if I never feel like it again? What can I do?”
Joyce leaned forward and smiled, patting her daughter’s hand
“Honey, you’ve come through a really traumatic experience, it’s still very early days yet and you don’t have to make any decisions just yet. Let’s get Christmas over with, and then see how you feel, okay?”
Buffy looked up, nodded and smiled at her mother, who picked up her list and said,
“Right, after this I’m going to peel the veg and leave them in pans of cold water, that will save time in the morning, the stuffings are all made, so are the bacon and sausage garnishes…they’re all in the fridge – I wonder how long I should boil the pudding for………”
“Boil the pudding?” Buffy asked, perplexed
“Yes, the Christmas pudding, it’s VERY rich almost black in colour, chock full of raisins, currents, sultana’s, spices, mixed citrus peel, sugar and alcohol – you wrap it in a cloth it comes in a bowl, and you boil it in a pan of water”
“Where is it, let me look at the instructions on the back of the packet, it should tell you” Buffy said, remembering her mother saying that the writing was always too small for her to read.
Joyce handed Buffy the said pudding and Buffy was amazed just how heavy it felt.
“You’re planning on giving us THIS after the biggest turkey dinner in the world? Oh, you’re okay mom, this one’s civilised…you can just heat it in the microwave – think I might pass though!” Buffy weighed it in her hand and passed it back to her mother again.
“That’ll save me some time then, right, turkey, check, ham, check, stuffings and garnishes, check, peel potatoes and vegetables – do that after this – is there anything you can think of?”
“Have you made the bed up with the new covers for him?”
“Yes”
“Put him some clean towels?”
“Oh god no, I forgot, glad you reminded me!”
*******************
William woke with a start to the jangle of the news blaring. 6.30am, he’d forgotten to alter the cock…he knew she’d said early, but this was ridiculous, he couldn’t turn up on the doorstep before 7am, so he decided to have another hours sleep, then get up and have a shower. Things should have quietened down in the shower block too by then, all the doctors would be in work by then, those who had to work.
Slipping into his best trousers, William did up his favourite blue shirt and bent down to look under the bed for his shoes. He found it necessary to talk to himself
“Shoes, shoes…where are you shoes…bloody things…where are – oh shit – there in my locker at work!” Frowning at his tatty old trainers, he really COULDN’T go in those, there was nothing for it, he’d have to stop by the hospital and get them.
Slipping in the back entrance, William trotted up the stairs, he ignored the elevators altogether. He got to the fourth floor and was VERY surprised to see the light on in Travers’ office.
William knocked and went in
“Didn’t think you’d be work – oh! Dr Gupta, it’s you!”
“Dr Carling, what brings you here – don’t have any patients do you?”
“Me, no, just came to pick up my shoes, I thought for a second you were Dr Travers!”
“We have an understanding – he covers me for Diwali, I cover him for Christmas, nice little arrangement we have” William smiled, opened his locker and took out is shoes, throwing his tatty trainers in their place.
“Well, don’t work too hard” William finished tying up his laces and made to leave. Outside he could hear the double fire doors flip-flapping shut, then gales of girlish laughter. Will closed his eyes, the ONE person he didn’t want to see…
There was a light knock and a smiling Drusilla walked in holding a folder
“Dr Gupta, I wonder if – WILLIAM! What are YOU doing here!”
“Me, oh I um, I came to get my shoes”
“But I thought you didn’t know what you were doing for Christmas – I thought you were in Dresden? Dusseldorf?”
“Munich, and now I have plans, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ve-“
“Don’t run off! We could dinner together, tonight, my place – I’ve bought in far too much food and-“
“Sorry Drusilla, I’m spending Christmas with friends, and if you don’t mind, I’ve got a very long drive ahead of me” William fibbed
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Well ladies, did we get the presents right?