AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 25
Holly ran across the village green towards The Laurels cul-de-sac. She wanted to know the truth. How could Sid be buried with Ivy? What would everyone in the village say, when they saw? They would be gossiping about her family all over again. How would she be able to tell what was truth and what was gossip? It was time for Val to explain why she was lied to.
Rounding the corner to Val’s, she stopped short. Outside the house was an ambulance. Fear gripped her chest. Rushing over, she found Len crying as the paramedics brought Val out on a stretcher.
‘What’s happened?’ Holly asked.
‘Are you family?’ the paramedic asked.
‘No, I’m –’
‘I’ll have to ask you to step aside.’ The man quickly helped Len into the ambulance and it sped off, with the sirens sounding, leaving Holly standing in the street.
She turned to the growing crowd of concerned neighbours. ‘Do you know where they’ve taken them?’
A lady in a green cardigan shook her head. ‘I don’t know, love. They change their minds. One week it’s Weston, and the next it’s Musgrove.’
A young woman holding a baby spoke. ‘I’d try Weston. My dad was taken there by ambulance last week.’
Holly shouted her thanks and ran back to the caravan. She texted Joe and asked him to drop Trixy down to the farmhouse.
Arriving at Weston General, Holly recognised the paramedic she had spoken to, jumping into an ambulance at the A&E entrance. Parking up, she sat in her van, clutching her steering wheel, peeking up at the three-story hospital. She stared at the accident and emergency entrance.I can’t do this,she thought.She twisted the ignition again, hearing the van’s engine, then killed it. ‘You have to – it’s Val,’ she said to herself.
Taking deep breaths, Holly got out of the van. Her palms were damp and her heart raced. Once inside, she felt dizzy as the distinctive hospital aroma hit her. She steadied herself by holding on to the back of a chair. She felt as if the walls were drawing in around her. Len’s voice reached her ears and she saw him sitting in the waiting area. Adrenaline coursed through her, as if she had been slapped in the face.Get a grip, they need you,she thought.
Len’s eyes were red. ‘She collapsed, love, and I heard a crack. I’m gonna lose her I know it.’ He lifted a handkerchief to his face.
‘We don’t know that. What have they said?’
‘They’re doing tests. I thought I’d stay out here in case you came. There’s another waiting area further inside.’
‘I’ll get us some water first.’ Holly’s hands shook as she filled two flimsy cups with water, from a cooler. Passing one to Len, she sat by his side. ‘Drink this and then we’ll go through.’
Holly wanted to take the time to calm herself. She needed to be strong for Val and Len.
‘She’s been in pain for weeks with that hip,’ Len said.
‘What did the doctor say last week at the appointment I booked?’
‘She didn’t go. Said not to make a fuss.’
‘I knew I should have taken her myself. It’s all my fault. I’ve let things distract me.’
‘Of course it’s not your fault, love.’ He patted her hand. ‘You’ve got the whole world on your shoulders.’
A male doctor approached them. ‘I’m Mr Heath, the surgeon. Do you want to come through?’
Holly helped Len to his feet.
The doctor turned to her. ‘And you are?’
‘Our granddaughter,’ Len said before Holly could answer.
Holly squeezed Len’s arm as they followed the surgeon out of the waiting area, along a corridor and into a private office.
‘I’m afraid Valerie has broken her hip and from the x-rays it was in a pretty sorry state. Has she been complaining of pain?’
Holly nodded. ‘She said she didn’t want to make a fuss.’
