Free The year of the virgins by 1906-1998 Catherine Cookson Page B

long desk, he joined his hands on top of a clean blotting pad and, leaning slightly over them, he said, 'I'm afraid, Mr Coulson, I'll have to ask you to speak firmly to your wife with regard to her visits to her son, at least for the next few days until we can ascertain fully the extent of the damage. You know, as I pointed out to you, that he is unlikely to walk again, and that

    his liver has been damaged too. Quite candidly he's lucky to be alive, if one can put it that way. Anyway, together with the liver problem he's likely to be incontinent. And added to this, we had to take away part of his lung.'
    Now he paused and, putting his hand out, he tapped the edge of the blotter, as if it were in sympathetic contact with Daniel, saying, 'I know that sounds terrible enough, but there could be more. These are physical problems which, in one way or another, can be treated, but until he is fully conscious, to put it candidly, we won't know what has happened in here.' He now tapped his forehead. 'The point is, you have to ask yourself if you would rather see him dead and out of all the coming misery, or would you have him live, if only to be nursed for the rest of his life. And how long that will be . . . well, I am not God and I can't put a time to it. We don't know if there is damage to the brain, although we do know his skull was slightly cracked. And the same question will apply to him, you know, when he knows about his condition: will he want to go on living? The will is a mighty force both ways, but we must just wait for time to answer that question. And, as I pointed out, the next few days will be crucial: so I must insist that he be put under no undue strain, for I hold the theory that many a patient who is apparently unconscious can imbibe the emotions of those around him. And your wife . . . well, you'll know her better than anyone else, but she does seem to be a very highly strung lady. Am I right?'
    Daniel stared at the surgeon for a moment before he said, 'Yes, you're right, only too right. The fact is, he's all she's lived for for years. And to put it plainly, she was already in a state yesterday, feeling she had lost him through marriage. But now, if anything was to happen to

    him . . . Oh - ' he waved his hand in front of his face as if he were flicking off a fly - 'it's all too complicated. But I will see that her visits are kept short.'
    Mr Richardson rose from his seat, saying, 'Thank you. I shall leave word that only you and she are to be admitted to see him during the next day or so, and then for a matter of minutes only. But' - he shrugged his shoulders - 'she seems determined that she's going to sit with him. You will impress upon her that this would not be for his good at the moment, won't you?'
    'I'll do that.' But even as he spoke he had a mental picture of the scene being enacted as he told her she was to carry out the surgeon's orders, or else. It was the 'or else' part that made him visibly shudder, for he doubted that, were she to act up again, he'd be able to keep his hands off her.
    In a kindly tone, Mr Richardson now said, 'And you, Mr Coulson, I won't tell you not to worry, because that would be pointless, but you can rest assured we'll do everything in our power to bring him round; and when, or if, that is accomplished, to help him to accept the life ahead.'
    'Thank you. Thank you very much indeed.'
    They parted in the corridor; but there was no need for Daniel to go into the waiting-room to collect Winifred, for there she was standing at the reception desk. And what she had to say was drawing the attention not only of those behind the desk but also of other people in the hall.
    T will take this matter further. I shall write to the Medical Board. Other people can sit with patients, with their family. Who is he, anyway?'
    Daniel's voice was scarcely above a whisper but the words came out of his mouth like iron filings as he said,

    'Only the man who saved your beloved son. Your son. Nobody else's.