Free Survival of Thomas Ford, The by John A. A. Logan Page A

still be there now. This country, man! Liberties are just an illusion eh?”
    “Do you want sugar?” asked Robert.
    It was difficult making coffee for Jimmy. He always wanted it made a different way every time.
    “Eh? Aye man. Five please.”
    Robert dropped the lumps of sugar in Jimmy’s mug, one at a time, making five plops in the hot liquid. Jimmy grabbed the mug. Robert watched him, knowing that Jimmy would drink it fast, not caring if his mouth burned, as he tried to catch a whole coffee-infused cube to eat before it melted. It was a game of Jimmy’s. Most of Jimmy’s games, Robert noted, had their penalties and rewards clearly delineated in that way.
    “Aye,” said Jimmy, “I only went up because I had sore guts eh? After my dad stamping on me at the site. Lorna talked me into it. I went up to the hospital with her on the bus.”
    “Was she there when they tied you up?”
    Jimmy stuck his tongue out, grinning. There was a brown sugar cube on the tongue. Jimmy shook his head.
    “No man, she’d gone off to start her shift. So they had me alone eh, tied down. But there was this nice young nurse man. I asked her out, but she didn’t go for it. Where’s your mum?”
    “I think she’s in her room.”
    “How’s she getting on? I’ve not seen your mum for a while.”
    “Aye, she’s ok.”
    “Will I go and say hello to her just now, see how she’s doing?”
    “She might be sleeping I think.”
    Jimmy sniffed. He sipped coffee. Jimmy twisted his neck to one side and grinned quickly.
    “I’ll just pop along to the end of the corridor and do a knock at her door eh? See how she is.”
    Jimmy walked out of the kitchen. Robert blinked and listened to Jimmy’s footsteps on the wooden hall floor. He heard three sharp knocks on his mother’s door.
    “Mrs Ferguson!” Jimmy shouted. “It’s me eh? Jimmy!”
    Jimmy was standing with his nose an inch from the door, grinning. He waited a few moments, then he gave three more hard raps. A quiet, muffled reply came through the door,
    “I’m sleeping Jimmy.”
    Jimmy opened the door and walked in to Mrs Ferguson’s bedroom. The window was open and Jimmy felt a fresh texture to the room’s atmosphere. Mrs Ferguson was a long lump beneath a blue duvet. At the pillow end, Jimmy saw her thick and luxurious black hair.
    “Aye aye, Mrs Ferguson! Just grabbing some Zs eh? Aye, I know how you feel! I’m just out of the hospital myself eh! Had me tied to a bed up there so they did. But my dad sorted it out.”
    Jimmy’s reptilian grin remained engaged, although Mrs Ferguson’s face made no appearance above the duvet. She did not reply.
    “That’s a nice blue duvet cover, Mrs Ferguson. Did you get that from Argos ?”
    “Jimmy, I really need to get some sleep just now, ok love? I might get up later and see you then if you’re still here.”
    Jimmy grinned. After several seconds he stepped back and closed the door. He walked along the hall to the kitchen.
    “Aye,” he said to Robert, “your mum’s getting some kip.”
    Robert nodded. He crunched his square jaws against a digestive biscuit.
    “But your stomach’s better now?” he said.
    Jimmy placed a flat palm to his belly. He nodded.
    “Aye, it’s fine now. That’s the weird thing. It was hurting like fuck until they drugged me up and tied me in that bed.”
    “Maybe you needed the rest,” said Robert.
    Jimmy nodded. The grin was gone.
    “Hey Jimmy, you don’t think it had anything to do with the crash do you?”
    “What?”
    “Them drugging you and tying you up.”
    “How could it be to do with the crash?”
    Jimmy’s face showed an exaggerated incredulity as he stared at Robert. Robert shrugged.
    “I don’t know. I just thought of it there. Like, maybe they know. Maybe you said something.”
    “I’ve not said anything. How, have you said anything?”
    “No.”
    “Have you said anything to your mum?”
    Robert swallowed. He shook his head.
    “Eh?” said Jimmy. “Have you?”
    “No