general I have to say that capitals aren’t my strong point’To be on the safe side she added, ‘Neither’s politics.’
Carefully Dr Nicholson said, ‘That’s not a problem. I won’t ask any questions about either subject.’
‘Phew, what a relief.’ Lola relaxed back against her piled-up pillows. ‘I’d hate to be kept in just because I couldn’t name the leader of the Liberal Democrats.’
Dr Nicholson cleared his throat and said, ‘I’m sure that wouldn’t happen.’
‘Well, hopefully not, but sometimes you do know the answer and you just can’t think of it.
Someone fires a question at you, you know it’s important to get it right and — boom! — your mind goes blank!’
‘Of course it does.’ He nodded understandingly.
‘Like, let’s try it with you.’ Lola waggled an index finger at him. ‘Capital of Australia.’
Dr Nicholson hesitated. Blythe, never able to resist a quiz question, let out a squeak of excitement and raised her arm. Lola swung the pointing finger round and barked in Paxmanesque fashion, ‘Yes, Mum?’
‘Sydney!’
‘No it isn’t.’ Lola returned her attention to Dr Nicholson. ‘Your turn.’
He was looking somewhat taken aback. Opening his mouth to reply, he
‘Brisbane!’
‘Sshh, Mum. It isn’t your go.’
‘Um...’
‘Melbourne!’ squealed Blythe.
‘Mum, control yourself. It’s Dr Nicholson’s turn.’
At this, his shoulders relaxed and his mouth began to twitch. ‘It’s Canberra. And I’ve just worked out what’s going on. I’m not Dr Nicholson, by the way.’
Bemused, Lola said, ‘No?’
He smiled. ‘Entirely my fault. I knew the police had told you our name last night and I kind of assumed you’d remember. But you were concussed. I’m sorry, let’s start again. My name’s Philip Nicholson and I’m here to thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming to my wife’s rescue.You did an incredibly brave thing and I can’t begin to tell you how grateful we are.’ His voice thickened with emotion. ‘Those thugs could have killed her if you hadn’t gone to help.’
Lola clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘I thought you were my consultant, coming to check whether I was compos mentis: Philip Nicholson looked amused. ‘I realise that now.’
‘Phew! Just as well I didn’t think you were here to examine my chest.’ God, imagine if she’d whipped her top off, that would’ve given him a bit of a start.
‘Quite.’
‘How’s your wife this morning?’ said Lola.
‘Well, still shocked. Battered and bruised. Two broken fingers.’ There was a hard edge to his voice now. ‘Where they tried to wrench her rings off!
Did they get them?’
‘No. Which is also thanks to you. She’s pretty shaken up, and her face is swollen. But physically it could have been a lot worse.’ Philip Nicholson shook his head and slowly exhaled. ‘My wife and I owe you so much.’
Lola squirmed, embarrassed. Anyone would have done the same: ‘No they wouldn’t,’ Blythe retorted. ‘Most people would have had more sense.’
Their visitor nodded. ‘I’m inclined to agree. Though very grateful, of course, that your daughter wasn’t—’
‘Hello, hello! Morning, all!’ A little man wearing a maroon corduroy jacket over a green hand-knitted sweater came bouncing up to them. Pumping Lola’s hand and simultaneously pulling closed the curtains around the bed, he said, ‘I’m Dr Palmer, your consultant. Let’s just give you a quick once-over, shall we? If you two could leave us alone for ten minutes that’d be marvellous.
I say, that’s a fair-sized bump on your head. How are you feeling after your little adventure last night?’
‘Great: Lola watched as with mesmerising speed he began testing her reflexes, her eyes, her coordination. ‘Are you going to be asking me questions?’
‘Absolutely’
She couldn’t help feeling a bit smug. ‘The capital of Australia is Canberra.’
‘Good grief, is it really? Always thought it was Sydney. Never been much good at capital cities, I’m afraid. When I’m checking out my patients I prefer to ask them sums. What’s twenty-seven times sixty-three?’
‘Uh ... um ...’ Lola began to panic; seven threes were twenty-one, carry two and—
‘Only kidding.’ Mr Palmer’s eyes twinkled as he snatched up her notes. ‘What day is it today?’
‘Wednesday the fourth of December.’ Phew, that was more like it, that was the kind of question she could answer.
‘Cheers.’ He wrote the date on a fresh page then added o/e NAD.
‘What does NAD mean?’ Lola peered at it. ‘Please don’t say -Neurotic and Demented.’
The consultant chuckled. ‘On examination, no abnormality detected.’
