The Nurse(15)

‘Lissa, my apologies, I was planning to ring you later. How’re you holding up?’

‘My neighbour, Mrs Higgins, has been very kind. I’m going to stay with her for a few days until I get things sorted.’

‘Good, I’m pleased to hear it, I really didn’t like leaving you alone.’

I heard paper being shuffled before he spoke again.

‘I’ve spoken to the consultant psychiatrist looking after your mother. I’m afraid it’s not good news, Lissa. Your mother’s mental state has always been fragile. Dr Ramirez considers she is in a withdrawn catatonic state. Putting it simply, your mother has a decreased response to all external stimuli. There’s an absence of speech, she’s refusing to eat independently and refusing to move. This means she requires twenty-four-hour care.’

‘But they’ll be able to make her better, yes?’

‘They’ve started a course of benzodiazepines which may prove effective. Dr Ramirez also suggested that ECT might be of benefit.’

ECT… I’d seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, I knew exactly what that was. Electroconvulsive therapy. My poor mother.

‘It’s very effective,’ Dr Brennan insisted as if he’d read my mind. ‘It had bad press in the past, but I know patients who have benefited from it. I think you need to trust that Dr Ramirez has your mother’s best interests at heart.’

I didn’t have much choice. ‘When can I visit her?’

‘Dr Ramirez suggested you wait for a few days. He knows your situation, that you have lost your father. He’s very sympathetic.’

How sympathetic would he be when he knew there was no money to pay the bill? Perhaps staying away was the best option in the circumstances. I wasn’t sure I could have faced seeing my mother staring into space. ‘But I can ring, find out how she is?’

‘Yes, of course. Here’s the number for reception.’ He reeled it off. ‘And this is Dr Ramirez’s direct line.’

I scribbled both down, thanked Dr Brennan for his help and hung up.

A withdrawn catatonic state. An internet search for the term didn’t make me any wiser.

What was concerning was the twenty-four-hour care she needed. It didn’t sound like she’d be coming home anytime soon.

I needed to find a way to pay for what sounded like a very expensive stay. I picked up the files on both houses. My mother only lived in one. The other… where my father’s second wife lived… needed to be sold.

Whatever it took.

The end… as it always did… would justify the means.





12





Mrs Higgins was kind and comforting without smothering me. ‘Here you go,’ she said, opening the door into the spare bedroom. ‘There’s a TV here, so you can watch whatever you want, whenever you want.’

The room was spacious, the bed dressed in crisp white linen. She’d put a carafe of water and a glass on the bedside table. ‘It’s a lovely room, thank you. I’ll try not to be any trouble.’

‘As if you could,’ she said, giving me a quick hug.

As if she’d let me. She was kind, she wasn’t stupid. The TV looked like a recent addition, it made it clear that I was welcome to stay, but mostly in my room. It suited me. She and her husband had two children, both of whom were married and living abroad. The Higgins spent part of the year visiting them, months in Australia, and a strictly equal amount of time in Canada. If I was right, they should be heading off soon. I wondered if they’d allow me to stay in their home or if Mrs Higgins would drop a broad hint about moving on.

What I was going to do, I had no idea.

But there was one absolute certainty – whatever I had to do to secure my mother’s care, I’d do it.





The following day, I met with the solicitor, Jason Brooks. A short, very handsome man, he rose to greet me with an outstretched hand. He held mine for several seconds, assessing me as he did so, then nodded as if satisfied with what he saw. ‘Have a seat,’ he said, leading me to a leather chair on the visitor side of the desk.

‘Would you like something to drink? Tea or coffee, or there’s mineral water, if you’d prefer.’

His manner was pleasant and friendly, and I found myself relaxing. ‘No, thanks, I’m good.’

He sat on his side of the desk. ‘I was so sorry to hear about your father.’ His eyes flicked to a file on the desk, but he didn’t move to pick it up. ‘Your mother won’t be joining us?’

Of course, he didn’t know. So much had happened in such a short time that with everything swirling in a soup of emotion, it was hard to keep things straight in my head.

I’d lain awake for hours considering what I was going to tell people if they asked about my mother. That grief had driven her crazy… that she’d copped out of a life without my father… that she’d abandoned me. Sorrow washed over me again, tears of self-pity filling my eyes. Abandoned, it was such a lonely word. I pulled out a tissue, scrubbed at my eyes and reached into my core for some steel. ‘The news of my father’s sudden death affected her badly, Mr Brooks, she’s receiving care.’

‘I see.’

I wasn’t sure he did. ‘It’s in a private clinic. It’s going to be essential to free up some money to pay for it.’ I looked pointedly at the file. ‘My father’s will?’