The Ghost Road by Pat Barker Read Free Book Online

Wansbeck.
Spanish influenza was quite unusually virulent and he had it badly, and yet he
seemed indifferent to the outcome. Rivers grasped him firmly round the wrist.
'You know you've got to fight this.'
    Probably 'fight' was the only word he understood.
'Done enough of that,' he muttered, and turned away.
     
    * * *
     
    In Westminster the leaves were already beginning to turn.
Not to the brilliant reds and golds of the countryside, but a shabby tarnished
yellow. In another few weeks they would start to fall. The worst thing about
London was that summer ended so soon.
    'You know, sometimes,' Rivers said carefully, his
glasses flashing as he turned back from the window, 'it helps just to go back
and try to to to to... gather things together. So. Let's see if I've got this right. You were in hospital
after a riding accident—'
    'Yes, that's right. I didn't notice the mare—'
    'Yes. And while you were there, one of the nurses cut your
penis off and put it in a jar of formaldehyde in the basement.'
    Telford shook his head. 'I didn't say for for...'
    'Formaldehyde. No, I know you didn't. They don't use pickling
vinegar.'
    'Ah, well, you see, you'd know that.'
    A deep breath. 'Why do you think she did that?'
    Telford shrugged. 'Dunno.'
    'But you must have wondered. I mean it was
quite an astonishing thing to do, wasn't it?'
    'Wasn't for me to ask questions.' Telford leant forward, delivering what he obviously thought was the coup de grace. 'You
wouldn't want me teaching you your job, would you?'
    At the moment he'd have welcomed assistance from any
quarter. 'Didn't the doctor say anything?'
    'Not a dicky bird.'
    'Telford.' Rivers clasped his hands. 'What do you pee out of?'
    'M'cock, you stupid bugger, what do you pee out of?'
    Rivers concentrated on straightening his blotter. 'I
wonder if it would help if we talked a little about women? '
    It might have done. He was never to know. A few
minutes later Telford said, 'I can't say I care for the tone of this
conversation, Rivers. It may have escaped your notice, but we're not in a
barracks.' He stood up. 'God knows, the last thing I want to do is pull rank,
but I'd be grateful if you'd address me as Major Telford in future.'
    He went out, slamming the door.
     
    * * *
     
    Moffet lay back, eyes closed, grinding, ' Yes, yes, yes,
yes,' as the pin pricked his skin.
    The usual routine, and yet something was different.
The air of indifference had gone. Deliberately, Rivers let the pin stray across
the line on to skin that should still have been numb.
    'Yes, yes, yes!’
    The pin stopped. Moffet opened his eyes and smiled wearily.
'You can go all the way down if you like.' He closed his eyes again. Rivers
moved the pin down the leg at intervals of two inches. 'Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.'
Wearily now, each 'yes' coming precisely at the moment the pin touched the
skin. Over the shin, across the arch of the foot, down to the
tip of the big toe. 'YES.'
    Moffet had yelled the word. Through the gap in the
screens, Rivers saw the other patients turn and stare at the shrouded bed. He
put the pin down. 'Well.'
    He wasn't particularly surprised: the removal of
hysterical paralysis was often—one might almost say generally—as dramatic as
the onset. Moffet lay still, his face sallow against the whiteness of the
pillow, making no attempt to hide his depression, and indeed why should he? His
sole defence against the unbearable had been taken away and nothing put in its
place.
    'When did this happen?'
    'First thing.'
    'Have you tried to walk?'
    'Not yet.'
    'Do you want to?'
    'Seems the logical next step. So to speak.'
    'Can you swing yourself round? Sit on the side.'
    Rivers knelt and began massaging Moffet's calves,
chafing the slack flesh between his hands.
    'I suppose I'm expected to be grateful.'
    'No.' He stood up. 'All right, shall we try? Put your
hands on my shoulders.'
    Moffet levered himself off the edge of the bed.
    'How does it feel?'
    'Don't know. Weird.'
    'Do you want to try a few steps?'