If she had expected Anna to be at school, or for any of her siblings to be there for that matter, she was sadly mistaken. The whole family seemed to be running riot around the small terraced house. It was hard to count the younger ones as they never seemed to be still.
Anna, after a prod from her harassed mother, took Callie out into the garden.
“What’s this about then?” she asked in a sulky tone.
“I think you know very well what this is about.”
“I just need my puffers; else I can’t breathe.”
Callie took a deep breath herself.
“Look, I’m going to be straight with you, Anna. You’re old enough to know the consequences of your actions. If you are really needing to use the blue inhaler that much, that means that your asthma is poorly controlled and you are likely to have a serious attack.” Callie held up her hand to stop the girl from interrupting. “And if you do have a serious attack, then it’s possible that all the treatments the hospital would normally use to try and stop that attack, would not work.”
“What do you mean?”
Callie hadn’t noticed that Anna’s mother had come out into the garden and heard what she had said.
“I didn’t think her asthma was bad?”
“It’s not,” Anna said. “So long as I get my inhalers.”
Anna stood up, intent on avoiding any further conversation. Technically Callie should not continue talking about it now that her mother was present, but the damage was already done and she might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.
“You are getting through far too many. We need to increase your preventer medication, maybe give you a course of steroids.”
“I don’t need that.”
“Then I think we need to get you assessed at the hospital.”
Anna looked sullen.
“Oh my God,” her mother said. “Is it really that bad?”
“No, it isn’t, Mum, the doctor’s just making a fuss. Doesn’t want me to have my inhalers, maybe they cost too much.” She gave Callie a venomous look.
“The cost is nothing to do with it,” she countered. “I am honestly worried as to why you are getting through so much medication. I spoke to the asthma nurse and she says your peak flows have been good, and she can’t understand why you need your puffer so much. I think we need to do more tests and maybe refer you to the hospital.”
“I don’t want that.”
“You’ll do what the doctor tells you, young lady.”
At least she had Anna’s mother onside, although, as she left the house with Anna glaring at her, Callie wasn’t sure if that was going to be enough to get her to attend an out-patient appointment, whenever that came through.
* * *
The second visit of the afternoon was to the hospital. She asked at the main reception and was told which ward had David Morris as a patient.
Speaking to the nurse at the desk, she was directed to the bay and could see him, drip in his arm, and a striped pyjama top, undone, revealed masses of bruising and a large dressing covering the left side of his abdomen.
If he was surprised to see her, he didn’t show it. All the fight had gone out of him. Every ounce of his energy was being spent trying not to move and cause himself more pain.
Callie sat on the chair by his bed, as he eyed her warily.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“What’s it look like?”
“Painful.”
“Spot on.”
“How did it happen?”
“I fell down the stairs.” He couldn’t look her in the eye when he said this and she knew he was lying.
“Really? Your injuries are more consistent with being beaten up. I’m even told that on your side there’s the shape of a boot where you were stamped on.”
“Must’ve landed on one of mine then.”
Callie decided to change tack.
“The last two times I’ve seen you, you’ve been arguing with Councillor Claybourne. Why is that?”
“Let me see, maybe it’s because the man’s a prick.”
“Why?”
“It’s none of your business.”
Callie was getting a little tired of being told this, not least because it was absolutely true.
“Look, David, I’m going to tell you what I think happened and rest assured, I have absolutely no proof for any of this. I think you and Mr Claybourne had a falling out about the cigarette smuggling, and that when the shop was raided, he blamed you and had you beaten up. If that’s the case, I’m sorry, because it was me who told Trading Standards about the place and I’ll happily tell him so if that’s what you want, but I’m not sure how much help that would be.”
Morris stared at her, open-mouthed. Of course, it wasn’t strictly true that she had told Trading Standards about the shop, she had merely threatened to, thereby forcing Kate’s van driver to tell them.
“How did you know about it?” Morris managed eventually.
“I saw you coming out of the shop with a carton of cigarettes that matched the description of the smuggled ones. So, I suppose, Claybourne could argue that you were the source of the information, but it wasn’t deliberate and I will leave your name out of it. I have to warn you, though, that I am also going to tell the police about my suspicion that he is behind it.”
“No, please don’t, Dr Hughes, please don’t go to the police.” Morris was understandably frightened at the prospect.
“I’m sorry, but I have to. I will also suggest that they might need to offer you some kind of protection and I think you should agree to co-operate fully with them, because you don’t want to give Claybourne the chance to come after you, again.”
She left Morris to consider what he should do next, and
