The pain has settled down now, just the occasional tearing growl in my belly. Morphine, yes my dear friend Mr. Morphine, your inescapable presence delights my inner being. As for my inner being I was wondering the other day as to what kind of shape it’s in and whether old beelzebub will be disappointed with his new stock. Oh well what more to think of while I lie here in my analgesical bliss. I have thought quite a bit these last few days about everything really, family, friends, my dog, how much free money I have received from the bank through the mortgage, that I will now, never have to pay off. If only I hadn’t bought the house but went on a weekend in monte carlo, rented a large yacht, played in the casino and spent the rest of it on alcohol and women. Just a weekend of that would have given me some good memory material to match my present stupefied state. I did spend the mortgage on that run of the mill 18th century country house at the behest of a woman who didn’t love me. If only I could raise a hand to my face, I would slap it.

Approaching, a most deliciously beautiful looking nurse.
“Mr. Rasmussen, is that a Danish name?”
“No actually it’s Norwegian, my grandfather was Norwegian”
What an intriguing way to open up conversation, I’ll grant her any wish she may have.
“What’s your name?”
“Rebecca...oh sorry my second name is Davis”
“That’s not Danish is it?”
She laughs, I’ve not lost it.
“No it’s not I’m afraid, My brothers friend has a second name something like yours and he’s Danish that’s why I was asking.”
“Why do you say I’m afraid?”
She picks up the chart at the end of the bed and begins writing something down
“I don’t know really, maybe because it’s something different”
“You mean being from Denmark?”
Looking up she smiles
“Yeah, I mean you don’t hear unusual names all that often”
I pause for a moment
“Unusual...I’m quite offended” She laughs again and moves toward my drip
“Any chance of a top-up?” I say as I look up to my dwindling supply of magic water.
“No problem Mr. Rasmussen, I’ll get straight on it”
“Please call me Will” I catch her looking at my bald patches
“Ok Will I will”
“You will, will you?” The third laugh was the sweetest and most pure. As she walked away, I admired her perfectly formed behind and her silky smooth legs as they paced slowly out of the room.

Within 5 minutes she had returned as promised with a full bag of morphine. She leant over me as she changed the bags and I caught a whiff of her wonderful smell, as sweet as her laugh. Her chest within inches of my face, her top two buttons were open and I could glimpse the beginning of the curves of her breasts. I imagined the rest. I deflected my gaze to her face as she struggled to reach the top of the drip stand. She wore the most vivid pink lipstick, although I hadn’t noticed that earlier. Her hair black and short with those bits that came about her forehead and sides of her face like someone had coloured them on with a marker, Bettie Boop like. I did notice her eyes when she was last in the room. They were ice-blue and electrifying to my soul.

Within my last month, many had come to my humble abode. I had sauntered back to my country house to live in, by sauntering I mean the effects of my painkillers made it seem that I had. Faces appeared appeared at my door of whom I remembered little but their faces. They were greeted by Rebecca, my nurse, who I had tempted out of the hospital with a more worthwhile pay deal. Oh she was worth every cent. I always caught my friend Tom looking at her behind whenever she left my room. My brother then visited on a rainy Thursday evening. My brother the eternal student, to even see him again was nearly enough of a shock to draw on a heart attack. He told me  that he had been to Thailand to find himself, I told him that it was more probable that he was looking for a ‘ladyboy’. He did not appreciate the gibe, as he had only ‘come out’ within the last year. Mother conveyed the story to me of how he had brought his boyfriend around to the house at christmas, and simply introduced him as such. My father was not happy. They had not talked since.