‘Well, you did give me the job of finding out more about these little guys . . . ’ She indicated the statues. When Nina didn’t respond immediately, she adopted a pleading tone. ‘Aw, please, Nina. It won’t cost the IHA anything – I can pay my own way.’
‘You mean your parents can.’
‘Well, what are parents for? And I’ll learn a hundred times more from you in the field than I would in an office.’
Nina reluctantly conceded the point; since Macy was an unpaid intern and not an IHA employee, there was technically nothing she could do to stop her from simply buying a plane ticket and tagging along. ‘Okay, I guess.’
‘Awesome!’ Macy clapped her hands together. ‘I’ve never been to England before. I’ll need new clothes. What should I wear?’
Before Nina could make a facetious suggestion, Eddie put down the phone. ‘Was that Elizabeth in England?’ she asked.
‘Yeah,’ said Eddie, voice oddly flat.
‘Kind of a nice coincidence. I think the best place to find out more about the statues is Glastonbury, so we can visit your folks while we’re over there.’
‘I’d be going to see them even if we were supposed to be flying to Timbuktu tomorrow,’ he said, grim-faced. ‘Nan’s in hospital.’
2
England
The Royal Bournemouth Hospital was on the coastal resort’s eastern outskirts, and Eddie and Nina’s first stop after leaving Heathrow airport. Eddie practically skidded the rented Ford Mondeo into a space in the car park and jumped out. Surprised at being left behind, Nina hurried after him. Entering the hospital, she found him at reception, demanding to know where to find his grandmother. The woman at the desk wasn’t keen on his uncharacteristically brusque manner, but gave the information. Again, Nina was left trailing behind as he strode through the corridors.
She caught up outside a room on the next floor, where familiar faces waited: Elizabeth Chase, Nina’s sister- in-law, and her daughter Holly. Both looked drawn and tired, but relieved to see the new arrivals. ‘Uncle Eddie!’ said Holly, hugging him. ‘And Nina, hi!’
‘How is she?’ asked Eddie after the greetings were concluded.
‘Much better than when I called you yesterday,’ said Elizabeth. ‘It’s lucky I was with her when she collapsed – the ambulance got her here very quickly, and she responded well to treatment. They’re probably going to discharge her this afternoon – they’re just doing a couple more tests.’
‘Thank God. Is it okay to see her?’
‘Yes, fine. Come on.’ Nina noted that Elizabeth checked her watch before opening the door, but thought no more of it as she followed them into the room.
The smell alone, the tang of industrial-strength disinfectants, set Eddie’s nerves on edge. Like most people he had a dislike of hospitals, but in his case it was enhanced by the memory of friends who had been taken into one and never come out. His unease increased when he saw the frail figure in the bed. ‘Hi, Nan,’ he said, more quietly than he had intended.
‘Edward!’ replied his grandmother, delight evident even behind the oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose. ‘Oh, my little lambchop, come here! Give your poor old nan a kiss.’
He went to the bedside and kissed her cheek, letting her embrace him as best she could around the mask’s hose. ‘How are you, Nan?’
She released him, a small but deep cough escaping her throat. ‘I’ve been better. But it’s really picked me up, seeing you. And Nina too! It’s lovely to see you both again.’
‘We got here as fast as we could,’ he told her. ‘So they’ve got you on oxygen therapy?’
‘The best treatment for emphysema with a side effect of pulmonary hypertension, so we’ve been told,’ said Elizabeth. ‘Which would have been much less likely to have happened if you’d stopped smoking.’
Nan laughed faintly, coughing again. ‘At my age, there aren’t many pleasures left in life. Except seeing my family. Oh, I’m so happy that you came, Edward. I worry about you over there in America.’
‘How come?’ he asked.
‘Well, what if you get ill or have an accident? I’ve heard horrible stories about American hospitals, the way they throw you out on the street if you don’t have enough money, being charged hundreds of dollars for an aspirin . . . ’
‘It’s not
‘So they’re going to let you go home this afternoon?’ Eddie asked.
Nan nodded. ‘Elizabeth wants me to stay with her, but I’d rather go back to my own house.’
‘No, you’re staying with us, Nan,’ Elizabeth insisted. She indicated the oxygen cylinder beside the bed. ‘You need to keep the mask on until the doctors say you’re better, and you can’t possibly carry that tank up the stairs on your own.’
Nan seemed less than happy at being told what to do by her granddaughter, but acquiesced. ‘Don’t worry, Nan,’ Eddie said. ‘I’ll help you with all this stuff.’
‘Oh, thank you. Are you going to be here long? I know you’re both very busy.’
‘Don’t know yet. Nina’s got a work thing, but we’ll probably be around for a few days.’
‘Good. It would be lovely if you could take me for a walk while you’re here.’
