Simon's Choice by Charlotte Castle Read Free Book Online

but there was nothing inside for her grasping stomach muscles to bring up. Tears coursed down the child’s face.
    A nurse in cartoon character printed scrubs appeared, a sympathetic smile on her face. “Oh, Sarah. It should calm down a bit soon. We’ll give you more anti-emetics in half an hour if it hasn’t, but we don’t really want to give you any more drugs at the moment if we can help it. Would you like an iced lolly to suck, sweetheart?”
Sarah nodded, the tears still streaming down her little cheeks, her whole body undulating with each muscular contraction.
“Orange or blackcurrant love?” The kindly nurse asked, removing her water jug to refresh.
Sarah didn’t respond.
“I’ll choose then shall I, pet?” The nurse wandered off as Sarah gave a little groan.
“I’ll stay tonight.” Simon looked up at Melissa. “You slept here last night.”
“No, I want to stay. You go home, I’m fine.”
    Simon wanted to argue. He wanted to stay on the little pull-out bed the hospital provided for one parent by the bed of their child. But rows were the last thing his daughter needed now. Besides, it was near impossible to get a decent night’s sleep on the ward, the children regularly being woken for temperature checks and drip changes. He had to work, therefore he had to sleep.
    The nurse returned, ice-pop in hand, a re-constituted grey cardboard bowl in the other. “Here you are, sweetheart. I got you orange. Let’s just change your hydration bag shall we?” She proceeded to unhook an empty bag from above Sarah, replacing it with another, chatting to Simon and Melissa as she worked. “Mr. Abnam would like to talk with you both in the morning. He’ll be doing his rounds around 9 a.m., so if you could be here for 9.30 a.m. that would be great. There now, flower. That’s all done. Try to get some sleep. Mrs. Bailey, will you be sleeping here tonight?”
    Melissa nodded.
    “Okay, well you know how to make the bed work. It’s quiet at the moment, so I’ll get you both a cup of tea if you’d like? No? I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” The nurse sidled off, waving at other parents as she left.
“Can you get off work?” Melissa sounded tired.
“I’ll have to. It’s no problem, I’ll call in first thing. They know what’s going on. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“No. Thanks. I …” Melissa gave a false little smile. “ … I have to be here.”
“I understand. Sarah, darling? Are you awake?”
The little girl had rolled into a ball on her side. Now she mewed a quiet affirmative.
    “Here, shall I open your ice-lolly? It’ll help settle your tummy.” Simon helped Sarah sit up again, then tore the wrapper with his teeth, and handed her the cool, soothing ice-pop. “Should Daddy get off then?” Simon asked, unwilling to leave them, not wishing to tear himself away but knowing both his girls needed to settle down for the night. Sarah nodded her head once in agreement.
    “I love you Daddy.”
    “I love you too. I’ll be back in the morning.”

    * * *

    When Simon arrived back at the hospital the next day, the ward was alive with activity. It was a stark contrast to the strained, half-lit, whispering world of the evening before.
    Porters criss-crossed the ward, wheeling children to other parts of the hospital for tests and scans. Nurses called greetings to each other as the night-shift handed over to the incoming team. Crockery clattered as health care assistants retrieved the children’s breakfast cereal bowls and teacups and loaded them onto the little train trolleys, ready to be returned to the kitchens in the bowels of the building.
    The parents who had stayed with their children were packing up their beds, bringing order to their individual campsites. Mothers struggled into day clothes, pushing overnight bags out of the way, throwing down cups of weak, milky tea and munching on cold toast. Televisions, swinging on arms above each bed, blared out a selection of cartoons.
    The Ward