We stopped at the supermarket on the way home and I helped Eileen do her weekly grocery shop. Once home we bought our purchases inside. Dad came up from the shed and enquired how the interview had gone. When I told him I had a trial job he gave me another hug.
He asked Eileen “Have you heard from Sarah?”
“I’ll give her a ring now”
She dialled a number. “Hi Sarah, have you any news”….. I could vaguely hear crying on the other end of the line….”Oh, that’s not good. We will come down. See you soon”
She turned to me and Ted “Sarah has just been in to intensive care to see Rod. Evidently he is worse than we thought. She sounds a mess. We need to go and comfort her Ted”
“I would like to come as well” I said.
She looked at me. “Ok, but promise to be civil with her. Change out of her suit while I put the groceries away.
I went to the room and quickly took off the suit, hanging it in the wardrobe. I took off the stockings and shoes as well and put on the jeans and sandals I had worn yesterday. I was starting to look for a new top to wear. When there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Mum and Dad “Are you ready” She asked
“I was just looking for a new top”
“Don’t worry, we need to wash the shirt anyway. Come as you are. We need to get going. Sarah sounded very distressed” I grabbed Jenna’s handbag from the tote bag and followed them out to Ted’s car.
We arrived at the hospital and made our way to the emergency department. We were told that Sarah and Hilda were using the room where we had spoken to the nurse last night.
We entered the room and Sarah immediately came across and hugged Mum, sobbing into her shoulder. We could see Hilda was distressed as well.
Eventually Sarah calmed down and told her story. They had finally been allowed in to see Rod and hour ago, needing to be disinfected and gowned before they could enter. The doctor had forewarned them that Rod was in a very serious condition. They had amputated his right arm and suspected his spinal cord was severed. They had been ushered in to the intensive care room. He was on a raised bed connected to multiple machines. He was unconscious and wrapped up like a mummy. He only had one arm. Sarah had not lasted there for long. She was nauseous and had to rush from the room. Hilda had stayed for 10 minutes but was not allowed to touch her son.
It hit me. I we ever swapped back I would be a one armed paraplegic. I must have fainted. Suddenly I was on the floor. Ted was asking Mum to call for a nurse.
They put me in a wheelchair and took me into a room and made me lie on a bed. A nurse took my blood pressure and reassured me that I would be alright, that I was just in shock. Hell I thought, I hadn’t even seen him. How must Sarah be feeling? First Mum and Dad came in to check how I was. I was to stay in the bed for an hour. They left to check on Sarah.
Later Sarah came to see me. She held my hand and said we had to be brave. I said I didn’t want to be maimed. She reminded me I was better off than the real Jenna. She said that the doctors had told her that ‘Rod’ was still considered in critical condition and may not pull through.
A nurse came and checked me over, measuring my blood pressure again. She said I could re-join my family and led me back to the room where I had fainted. A policeman was talking to Sarah, Hilda, Eileen and Ted.
Sarah introduced me as her sister, explaining that the policeman was going to let them know what they had discovered about the accident.
It turned out that Rod had been at the Royal hotel and had been drinking heavily. When the barman had refused to serve him anymore drinks he had left the hotel and wandered across the road. He had been hit by a delivery truck. They were not going to charge the driver, who had stopped and rendered assistance, until the ambulance had arrived. He handed Sarah Rod’s car keys and his wallet which were the only valuables in his possession when the accident occurred.
Just as the policeman left a nurse came in and told Sarah a friend by the name of Zach had turned up and was asking after Rod. Sarah went with the Nurse and shortly after returned with ‘Zach’. He immediately went and hugged Hilda.
After 5 minutes he came across and Sarah said to us “Zach, do you remember my parents Ted and Eileen and my sister Jenna” I gave her an enquiring look and she gave an almost undetectable shake of her head. I gathered she had not told ‘Zach’ who I really was. Zach looked very distressed himself. I couldn’t blame him, he had inhabited Rods body for 25 years.
Ted suggested that they could not do anything further at the hospital at the moment and perhaps we should go back to Sarah’s.
Zach volunteered to take Hilda back to her place. We said our goodbyes. Mum insisted I come with her in Ted’s car. Ted drove Sarah back in her car.
Once there we said hello to Biddy, who was his usual excited self. Ted suggested that he and I could drive down to the Royal Hotel and see if we could locate Rod’s vehicle and bring it home. Mum said she would stay with Sarah.
We drove down to the Royal but could not see the car anywhere. We tried some other hotels in the vicinity and eventually found the car in the Railway Hotel carpark. Ted muttered something about Rod going on a real bender. I got to drive Rod’s car back to the house. I had a quick look in the glove-box and the console of the car but could not see the medallion. I told myself to have a more thorough look through the car when I had more time.
When we went inside, Mum was cooking something in the kitchen. She told us Sarah was having a bath.
At dinner Mum suggested she might stay the night with Sarah. Sarah did not disagree and told us that Hilda had changed the sheets after staying in the guest room last night. I again related what had happened at my job interview and that I had two weeks to make an impression. I also told them what the lawyer had said when I met him.
Mum said “It’s a pity that you are on bail Jenna. If not you could have stayed with Sarah, now you appear to be getting on again, while Rod remains in hospital.” I could not have agreed more.
After dinner I had to get in the car with Dad and drive back to Jenna’s room. Knowing that I had a new job to attend in the morning I set the alarm on my phone to 6.00 am, changed into Jenna’s pyjama’s and went to bed early.