Chapter 32
Joyce beamed as she accepted two bunches of flowers from the delivery driver. Closing the door with her hip, she quickly went into the lounge passing the bunch of long-stemmed red roses to her daughter she looked at her own bouquet and then read out,
“I can’t begin to tell you what a fantastic time I had this Christmas with you both, it was truly my best Christmas ever, love Will”
“Aren’t they the most beautiful bunch of star-gazer lilies you’ve ever seen!” Joyce leant over the back of the sofa, and asked with a grin,
“Well, what does the card in your red roses say?”
Buffy was beaming and she held the card to her chest
“There are SOME things a girl doesn’t tell her mother!”
“What time is Willow coming?” Joyce gently took both bouquets into the kitchen and took two vases’ out from the cupboard under the sink.
“About eleven-ish, her mom is dropping her off. We’re going into town, hopefully there’s something left in the sales!”
“You be careful!”
“We will…I can always hit people with my crutches if they get in my way”
They chatted while Joyce snipped the bottom of the stems and arranged the beautiful flowers.
Buffy wandered off to get the morning paper off the lawn
“Oh god mom, look at this”
“What is it, honey?”
Joyce came out of the cupboard under the stairs after putting the vacuum cleaner away.
“Look – even Faith’s jumped on the bandwagon now”
She passed her mother the newspaper.
‘My eighteen months of hell with Coach ‘Grope’ Joyce frowned and read the first paragraph.
The phone rang and Buffy answered it
“Hello”
“Hello, is that Buffy Summers’ residence?”
“Who wants to know?”
“Hi, my names Nicky Piper, I work for the Tribune, I was wondering if you’d like to put your side of things about your coach – you”
“Um, no, look, I’m sorry I’ve got to-“
“Did he ever touch you in an inappropriate way?”
“I have to go!”
Buffy slammed down the phone
“What is it?”
“Journalists -they want my story!” The phone rang again
“I’LL get it this time…hello?”
“Is that the home of Buffy Summers, my name is-“
“Look, WHOEVER you are, we’re not interested, do you understand, besides which, my daughter is still recuperating from the terrible plane crash, and all these phone calls and all this pressure isn’t helping, it’s hampering matters, I’ll thankyou not to trouble us again!”
“Please Mrs Summers, we only want-“
“I don’t CARE what you want, leave my daughter alone!”
Joyce too slammed down the receiver. Before it had chance to ring again, she lifted the receiver from the cradle.
“Leave it off the hook, anybody in the know has our mobile numbers, and when I get the chance, I’ll get onto the phone company”
“I can do that mom, I’m not helpless” (DING DONG) Buffy opened the door and staggered slightly as a young man burst forth
“Buffy Summers?” he thrust a small microphone in her face and Joyce had to push him off the doorstep to close the door
“You IDIOT! My daughter is on crutches, you nearly had her over – what gives you the right to think you can barge in MY house asking questions!” Joyce screamed at the closed front door
The letterbox flipped open and the journalist said,
“I’m sorry, but I only wanted to ask if-“
“GET AWAY FROM MY DOOR NOW!”
“But I only want to ask if-”
“YOU GET AWAY FROM MY DOOR, OR I SHALL SQUIRT MACE THROUGH THE LETTERBOX AT YOU AND CALL THE POLICE!”
Joyce was shaking with rage. Buffy hobbled into the lounge and was looking through the window. She could see the local radio car outside, plus another one drawing up.
The young man moved out off the porch, but only as far as the driveway, and began to talk to somebody.
Another car drew up and a smart looking woman and a cameraman got out.
“That’s it, I’m calling Mr Duggan at the gallery telling him I’m going to be late, then I’m calling the police” Joyce angrily untied her apron and threw it over the chair………
1 hour later
“Yes, it’s okay officer, she can come in” Buffy said via the radio the police had left in the house for communication with her.
Willow was allowed down the path and let in
“I tried to ring, but……” said Buffy’s bewildered friend
“Sorry, but the phone’s not stopped ringing, this journalist, that newspaper, all wanting to know stuff”
“What are you going to do?”
“I spoke to mom’s lawyer, he said the best thing was to issue a none-committal statement to the media for now, as I haven’t made up my mind if I’m going to testify yet – and then state I must be left alone to recuperate”
“Have you spoke to William?”
“Yeah, but he’s walked into some crisis or other at the hospital, one of the doctors has been suspended, citing William as the cause, so he’s got enough to think about”
“Oh goddess…so I guess we won’t be going into town then?”
“Sorry Will…Mr Fleming will be here in less than an hour”
“And he is?”
“Mom’s lawyer – he’s going to help me draft a statement and read it out for me, we said to the press 2o’clock”
“I’ll make some tea then, camomile? – It’ll calm your nerves”
“Great”
********************
‘………An operation to remove a blood clot from my brain, and also an operation on my foot following a crush injury to it. If and when I want my side of the story heard, I will come to one of you. So to finish I’d just like to say to ANY journalists, leave me alone to recuperate, and I will co-operate with you if and when I deem the time right, thankyou – is that okay?” Buffy read over it.
“Fine, yeah that’s fine, thanks”
“Right, if you’ll just sign here………and here…excellent!”
Buffy handed back Mr Fleming his pen.
*************************
William paced back and forth in front of Quentin Travers’ desk, running his hand through his hair, he too, wasn’t a happy bunny.
“I SWEAR to god, I’ll-ooh!”
“Calm down William, nobody is blaming you!”
“I bet Charles Heaton would like to!”
“There are other’s on the board that know your worth William, don’t fixate on the one man, the one man that would fall out with his own shadow if he could. He just wants you to put your side of the story, that’s all”
“You know this whole thing is STUPID!”
“I know William, I know, and if you hadn’t forgotten your blessed shoes…”
“That poor girl needn’t have lost her life!”
“Hey now, stop that, I have it on good authority that the girls injuries were just too severe, her liver was crushed, she was a mess, very bad head trauma too, IF she’d survived, well it would have been nothing more than an existence, her spine was all mangled up too, she wouldn’t have been able to walk, or talk properly, dress herself, she’d have needed 24 hour constant care. No William, she had a less than 5% chance when she got here, she’d had to be cut out of the vehicle and had been trapped for nearly an hour and a half – that first vital hour was lost”
Travers went on to show him all the other reports written
“And all on the board be shown the complaint about Dr Tate before Christmas, and the rumours of her drinking too. Has she…has Dr Tate tried to contact you at all?” Travers asked, putting the reports back in his bottom drawer.
“No. I didn’t re-charge my mobile, I don’t think she has the number – at least I hope she doesn’t! If I find she has, then I’ll change my number – there’s no way I want that insane woman rambling on at me all hours of the day or night”
The phone rang and Quentin answered, listened and said ‘thankyou’, and put the phone down
“Speak of the devil”
“Oh Christ, she’d not here is she, coz if she is I’m-“
“Relax Will, she’s suspended, that means she’s not allowed on hospital premises except for medical emergencies, and by that I mean her own medical emergency, if she had an accident or something”
“Good” William felt all the relaxation he’d earned over Christmas rapidly draining away to be replaced by the jaw tightening stress he was used to.
“That was Charles Heaton’s secretary, she said the date for her disciplinary hearing is the end of next week”
“Really – good I’ll be out of the country”
“Really?”
William looked down and shrugged
“I don’t know, I doubt it, but I feel like it, go somewhere just for the hell of it, so I don’t have to be here and look at the wretched woman”
“Stick around William, if you’re called and are not here, then this will all be put back until you ARE free – you might as well accept the inevitable, and get it over with – I can assure you, nobody is going to blame you”
William nodded, muttering about the ‘bloody woman’.
***************************
“………And I conclude and ask you to leave Miss Summers alone to recuperate from her injuries, any breech of this request will result in a prosecution for harassment of a potential witness. Thankyou”
Buffy and Willow had the unusual dual opportunity to watch what was going on outside on the porch either through the lounge window, OR live on TV, it was on the afternoon SDTV news bulletin.
Mr Fleming the lawyer came back in the house and closed the front door behind him.
“There, all done, and the telephone company have-?”
“Yes, they’ve set us up with a temporary injunction on the line, an operator answers first” Buffy said
“Good, well I shall be off, I hope you feel better soon Miss Summers, and if there’s anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ring me, okay?”
“Sure, thanks bye” Willow saw him out and reported back to Buffy that all the journalists that had been outside had now gone.
“Good…isn’t worth going shopping now is it?”
“No…worth having something to eat though, I’m starving!” Willow said
“Oh, I know what we can have!”
***************************
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but the card’s been rejected, insufficient funds” The storekeeper handed Dru back her debit card
“Don’t be ridicule – cudelous…try it again!” Dru was already swaying slightly, as well as slurring
He swiped the card through the register again, and again it gave out three loud beeps, ‘insufficient funds’ flashing up on his screen
“I’m sorry…do you have another card?”
“Wha?- Oh um………this?”
“That’s for Victoria’s Secret only ma’am”
“Here…you look!”
Dru tossed the purse on the counter, looking bored and making sure he was in full view of the in-store camera in case there were any comebacks, the storekeeper went through the purse and found a credit card to a ‘Dr Drusilla Tate’, and frowned
By sheer luck, a police car drew up and two officers walked in. Dru was beginning to flag a little but she tried to stand up straight when she saw the two officers
The one officer opened the fridge and took two cans of soda
“Hi officer Johnson, Alvarez…erm” he motioned for them to come down to the other end of the counter, showed them the credit card and said
“Does she look like a doctor to you?”
The Hispanic officer frowned and said
“Dr Drusilla Tate?”
“Yes, tha’s me, wha you want?” Dru tried to look sober
“Are you okay ma’am?”
“No, I’m not…trying to push-per-per-purchase, a drink! He won’ let me…say’s I’ve suffish-insuffish…”
“Insufficient funds?”
“That’s them, yeah – insufferance ish funds…(hic)”
“Would you mind standing to one side while I ascertain one or two facts please ma’am”
Dru went to reach for the litre of vodka but the officer said
“Oh, no, no, no, not yet ma’am…right, you are Doctor Drusilla Tate, is that right?”
Scowling at the officer because he wouldn’t let her have her bottle she shouted
“Yes! Told you once!”
“Please keep your voice down ma’am, could you tell me what surgery or hospital you work at?”
“Why?”
“Because quite frankly ma’am, you don’t look like a doctor to me, and – “
“Look…don’t bloody CARE what you think…let me get me voddyka, n’ I can go!”
“Oh no – where do you live?”
“Round the corner”
“Round. The. Corner. Where?”
Dru tutted, grabbed the officer by the arm and pulled him towards the door
“Hey – what do-“
“M’ showin’ ya…there….one, two, fird one up – wiv the light on” (hic)
“Steve, I’m going to check this out, okay?”
“Sure”
Five minutes later, the officer came back
“Well, seems that she’s telling the truth…I’ve seen her photographs everywhere and um…some suspension papers, seems the hospital have um…”
“Can I go now?”
Officer Steve Johnson looked at his colleague
“Well she’s not driving, and she wasn’t violent, so…”
“Thankyou!” Dru grabbed the litre of vodka and went to leave
“Hey, just a minute – you haven’t paid for that!”
“You got my cred-(hic)card!” Dru said indignantly
“Oh yes, um, hang on…”
He swiped the card and the purchase went through
“Can you sign this please?”
Dru heaved a sigh, carefully put the vodka on the counter, scrawled over the tab and picked up the bottle and went to leave
“Don’t forget your card ma’am”
The storekeeper put the credit card back in her purse and she put the strap round her neck and lurched off, holding onto the vodka like it was a lifeline.
Dru went out muttering about ‘bloody Diego’s’
“My god….what’s it coming to eh, no wonder she’s been suspended!”
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