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Great Writing - Home > Extended > Let no man put asunder - chapter 28
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Extended Work
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| Let no man put asunder - chapter 28 | |
| By LynB | ||||||||||||
| 06 January 2007 | ||||||||||||
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Chapter 28 It was proving to be a very long night, with neither Jon nor Eliza getting much sleep. She lay there watching him as he tossed and turned, trying in vain to ease his aching limbs into a more comfortable position. He was beginning to feel really ill by now. He was unbearably hot, yet he could not stop shaking, and his head felt as if it was splitting in half. Every few minutes, or at least it seemed like it, he was gripped by bouts of uncontrollable coughing, leaving him red faced and unable to catch his breath. When he finally managed to stop, he lay back on the pillows, holding his chest, beads of sweat standing on his forehead, pleading with Eliza to help him. “I’ll get you some paracetamol to bring your temperature down” she said, gently stroking his forehead “and I’ll see if I’ve got anything I can give you for that cough. An extra pillow might help.” “Hot blackcurrant” he whispered, wincing as the effort of trying to speak sent pain shooting down his throat. “My mum always used to give me that when I had a cold, maybe that might help…” “I think this is more than a cold” said Eliza, sitting on the bed next to him. “It’s flu at the very least. Hold on, I’ll be back in a minute.” She returned to the bedroom about five minutes later, and waited patiently while he swallowed the paracetamol, then she offered him a glass of hot blackcurrant, as he had requested. “There you go” she said, smiling warmly. “Made with Nurse Eliza’s own fair hands. That should make you feel better. Drink it slowly, and it should help ease your throat. I’m getting back into bed now, but if you need anything, just say. Don’t worry about disturbing me – don’t suffer in silence!” “Not much chance of that” he said, just managing a smile, before he was bent double by yet another gut wrenching coughing fit. “Oh shit, it hurts! What’s wrong with me, Eliza? It hurts when I breathe, and I feel like death warmed up.” “I don’t know” she said, gently rubbing his back, as he lay his head on her shoulder. “but I think I should call the doctor in the morning. In the meantime, try and sleep. I know it’s easier said than done….” She watched intently as he drifted off to sleep, his head still resting on her shoulder. After the night he had had so far, she did not have the heart to move him, and risk waking him. There were times when she thought his breathing sounded a little noisy, but just put that down to congestion. Eventually, she could keep her eyes open no longer, and before she knew it, she was sound asleep. All too soon, daylight came filtering through the curtains. Eliza’s eyes flickered open, and she groaned inwardly, feeling that no sooner had she fallen asleep than it was time to wake up. Somehow, during the night, as a result of his fevered tossing and turning, Jon had moved back to his side of the bed. Eliza was hoping that maybe he would have improved by the morning, but when she gently touched his burning hot forehead, and watched as his chest rose and fell with each dry, painful breath, she realised that was definitely not the case. She got up as quietly as she could, and made her way into the living room to ring the doctor. She quickly showered and dressed, and put the kettle on, for a very welcome cup of coffee. As she waited, she heard movement behind her, and turned to see Jon standing in the doorway. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes were red and swollen, and he was having trouble keeping them open; he pulled his white robe a little tighter, as if he were cold. “What the hell are you doing up?” she said, putting her hand on his arm. “Go back to bed. You look like a dead man walking!” “Thanks, Eliza” he said, his voice so quiet she could hardly hear him. “You certainly know how to make me feel good, don’t you!” “I’ve called the doctor, she should be here soon. Now go back to bed! Go and lie down before you fall down!” “If you make me a nice cup of coffee, I’ll be a good boy, and do as I’m told. I…” He broke off, bent double by a sudden fit of coughing. Beads of sweat stood on his forehead, as he fought for breath. He looked helplessly at Eliza, an expression of silent panic on his face. She took his arm and guided him into the bedroom, where he virtually fell on to the bed, still coughing and fighting for breath. “It’s all right” she said, her voice calm. “It’ll stop in a minute. I know it hurts, but the doctor will be here soon, and she’ll find out exactly what’s wrong with you.” “Oh God, Eliza, kill me now!” “Is it really that bad, love?” “No, it’s worse. In fact, I don’t think things could get any worse.” “What do you mean?” Before he could answer, the doorbell rang. Eliza went to answer it, and, a few minutes later, she returned with the doctor. After asking a few questions, and listening to his chest, the doctor put her bag on the floor, and sat down on the bed. “You need to stay in bed for a few days, and take the antibiotics I’m going to prescribe for you” she said, putting her hand on his. “You have pneumonia.” “What! Do I have to go to hospital?” “No, it’s just a mild case – antibiotics and plenty of rest should see you right. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” “I find that very difficult to believe at the moment” he said, leaning back on the pillows. “I’ve never felt so ill in my life, I….” Eliza and the doctor looked at each other in surprise, as his voice broke, and he covered his face with his hand. For a minute or two, he was completely incapable of speech. “What is it, dear?” said the doctor, her voice gentle. “Is there something else bothering you?” “No, it’s all right, I’m just feeling a bit low, that’s all. I’m fine, honestly.” Not wanting to push it, the doctor just gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and took her leave, but Eliza was not convinced. After telling him that she was going to the chemist to collect his antibiotics, she resolved to find out exactly what was bothering him. When she had spoken to Donna on the telephone, she had told her he was upset, but would not say why. Not knowing was tormenting her, but at the moment he did not appear to be in any fit state to tell her. When she returned, she poked her head round the bedroom door, but he appeared to be asleep. She was just about to go out again, when he called her. “Eliza, I need to talk to you…” “Not now, babe. You need to rest – we’ll talk later.” “No, Eliza – now. Please, come and sit with me. I could use some company, and I really do need to talk to you.” “Okay” she said, the pleading look in his eyes making her relent. “but just for a while – you don’t want to overdo it. Now, what’s on your mind?” “I don’t know where to start….” “Try the beginning.” “Donna’s pregnant. He couldn’t wait to tell me…” “What! Steve told you? Surely that was up to Donna!” “Oh, they were quite a double act! It was a fantastic punch line – she told me she wants a divorce!” He felt so ill, and the look of love and concern on her face was enough to break down his fragile defences. Despite the pain, he could not hold back any longer. She reached over and took him in her arms, holding him close as he clung to her, weeping uncontrollably. She winced as huge, shuddering sobs tore at his already inflamed throat, and gently rubbed his back, waiting for the storm to pass. He gradually quietened, and just lay his head on her shoulder, trying to get his breath back. “I’m so sorry, Jon” she said, her voice shaking. “What a kick in the nuts this must be for you!” “Why are you sorry?” he replied, pulling away from her, and leaning back on the pillows, clearly exhausted. “This leaves the way open for you, doesn’t it? I thought you’d be pleased!” “I don’t take pleasure in other people’s pain” she said, trying not to let on how much his bitter words had hurt her. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I love you! Why would I be pleased about something that has obviously caused you a great deal of pain? No matter how it happens, it always hurts when a marriage falls apart. I know how much you loved Donna…” “Yes, I loved her” he interrupted, not quite meeting her eyes. “but now I love you! I’m sorry, Eliza – I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. It was uncalled for, and I hope you can forgive me.” “What’s to forgive? I like to think you can always show your true feelings in front of me – that’s what love is all about. Come on, give me a kiss.” “No, Eliza. I don’t want you catching what I’ve got…” “Jon, we’ve been sharing a bed, so I don’t think it really matters if we share a kiss – do you?” “When you put like that, I suppose not.” Over the next few days, he began to feel better, and although he had been told his cough would persist for a few weeks, he felt his strength gradually returning. He did not feel strong enough to visit his children, and, besides, he did not want to pass anything on them, or Donna, so he contented himself with telephone calls. It was not the same, but it was still good to hear their voices. When Eliza was on a night shift, it passed the time, and he did not feel quite so alone. Despite his protests, he was no different to anyone else, he did not like to be alone when he was ill. He counted the hours until Eliza came home again, and he could take sanctuary in her arms. After one particularly trying night shift, Eliza was walking to her car, smiling to herself as she thought of the man she loved waiting at home for her. She took her keys from her pocket, but suddenly she screamed, and they clattered to the ground, as she felt someone grab her from behind and a hand was clamped firmly over her mouth. “I’ve been waiting for this moment” said a husky male voice. “up until now, every time I saw you, you were with lover boy, but now I’ve got you alone! We were meant to be, Eliza! I told you that, but you wouldn’t listen! You gave me the flick! I didn’t like that! You hurt my feelings, so now, darling Eliza, it’s payback time…..”
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