[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.He had bushy eye brows, a dark complexion and intensely dark eyes.“Maybe a tendon or ligament snapped.We will have a proper look in the hospital and take an X-ray just to be sure, but it will take a while.A&E is busy at the moment and your mother won’t be a priority: her condition is stable.”“That’s fine.We’ll just get ourselves a few magazines and a newspaper to keep us occupied,” Hanna assured the man, trying to sound as casual as she could.His name badge read Karim.She had been right, that name was Persian.“How are you feeling Biddy?” she asked her mother.“I am fine.You carry on talking.I am sleepy, I’ll rest my eyes,” was the reply and Biddy closed her eyes and appeared to drift off.“I am terribly sorry for calling out the ambulance,” Hanna said, turning back to Karim.“But we had no way of getting her up and running.”“You don’t have to justify yourself,” Karim said warmly.“You did the right thing.Too often people play the hero and try to carry someone who is injured, causing a lot more pain and long term damage.Especially with older patients, much greater problems can come from such ill-advised efforts than from unjustified calls for our services.Trust me,” he added generously.“Thanks.I feel bad enough as it is.I am responsible for my mother wearing those high heels.She would never have fallen otherwise.My father is going to be mad when he hears about it.My mother suffers from Alzheimers, by the way,” Hanna added.She took her mother’s hand and only when she was quite certain that Biddy was fast asleep did she decide to carry on talking to Karim.It was odd, she worked with a different crew on every single trip, which meant she got to know a set of approximately forty people to work with every month.For the duration of each trip these people became her family but then she would not meet them again for months and months.Every week new people came into her life and others gradually fell off her radar.She had perfected making small talk over the years of flying, but for some reason she found it difficult to speak to this handsome, intense man; yet she found herself uncharacteristically shy.“Would you say that most calls for an ambulance are justified?” she finally managed.“Yes, the vast and overwhelming majority is.There will always be prank calls but rarely do we get called out for someone who overestimates their need for help.I say it is always better to be safe than sorry,” Karim replied.“Your mother could not have walked from there.You needed us.I think it is really sweet of you that you take your mother out into town.I am sure your father sees the kindness behind this.Family is everything.”“Thank you, yes, we should all look out for our families,” Hanna admitted.“But people have to earn a living and lead their own lives.I wouldn’t want to judge anyone who can’t invest the time.”He kept quiet after that.“Do you think my mother will have to stay in hospital?” she eventually tried to reopen the conversation.“We will see, but I guess if you are at home to look after her the hospital would try to keep the bed free for someone in more desperate need.It all depends on the X-rays.”Hanna nodded and then started scratching the sore point on her leg again.“We are nearly at the hospital,” Karim suddenly said.“I need you to stay out of the way while we get your mother out and then follow us through the A&E doors.Reception is going to give you a form to fill in and then you will just have to wait your turn.It was nice talking to you.All the best!” Karim said as they pulled in to the hospital entrance.Biddy did not even wake up as the stretcher was lifted out of the vehicle and was asleep all the way through the hospital corridors until she was being lifted off the stretcher and onto a narrow hospital bed in a cubicle ready for examination, whenever that would be.“Are you in pain, Biddy?” Hanna asked.“No,” Biddy replied, looking puzzled.“What are we doing here?”“We are at the hospital to have your knee looked at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]