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Chapter 54
I was in heaven and it didn't feel too bad.
Dying hadn't amounted to much - probably no worse than a bad visit to the dentist except that it had been more of a whole out of body experience.
At least now I'd got it over and could look forward to the hereafter and everything else. Maybe some good-looking angels could be found to brighten my eternity.
My only regret was that I hadn't been able to say goodbye to my mum. But she probably wouldn't have minded much.
I sighed sadly at the thought. The sighing hurt my chest and I felt slightly miffed. Hurting was supposed to stop when you died and I was still hurting which wasn't fair. Dimly I wondered whether there was a customer service desk where I could draw this to somebody's attention.
Then it occurred to me that perhaps I wasn't in heaven with the angels but rather in purgatory suffering for my sins. But I stayed optimistic. It could make the angels more interesting.
I moved gingerly and felt another jolt of pain.
Then another thought occurred to me. Perhaps I wasn't dead. I tested this new theory by trying to connect with my eyes and see if they would open. The darkness gave way to a fuzzy whiteness and my ears began to detect strange humming sounds.
"Try not to move!"
It was someone talking to me ... and the voice was female.
I tried to respond with some smart, off the cuff remark that would totally astound her with my brilliance."
"Ughrzzz."
"Try not to talk."
"Ughrzzz." My lips were hurting badly too. They felt as if crevices had opened up in them. Bravely, I tried again.
"Am I ... in heaven?"
The soothing voice was back again.
"No, this is Saint Margaret and Matilda's Intensive Care Unit and my name is Mary. On behalf of everyone here, let me say it's nice to have you back."
She had a lovely Irish accent, all soft caring and gentle.
"Back?"
"You've been very ill and it'll be a while before you're right again. Try not to move. Later we'll give you some food if you're hungry but in the meantime sleep if you want. The worst is over."
I could feel her hand over mine comforting me. Why? The answer was that Cool Barry was completely out of smart remarks and was dripping great tears all over the hospital pillows.
"Just let it out," she said, kindly, "it's the shock. You are quite safe now and you going to get better."
She leaned over and dabbed my eyes and wiped my nose. I wanted to do it myself but my arms were encased in plaster trunks by my side making a nice symmetry with the two plaster trunks that encased my legs.
A smart-alec comment occurred to me about going off with her to Plaster of Paris for the weekend but I never got it out before falling asleep.
The next few days could have been boring. After all, lying in bed is not usually a riot, especially by yourself. But there was always something to do with the nurses and doctors seemingly in competition as cheerleaders.
Soon, they moved me to a general ward where there were other people but I was still in my own room. Every day it seemed that more people want to see me.
The first was my very own favorite private eye (retired).
"How do you feel, Barry?"
"Happy to be alive!"
"You nearly didn't make it," she said, primly. "What on earth were you doing walking around there when you knew Bruno was probably looking for you."
"I like to live dangerously, I suppose," I said and then wished I hadn't. "Yeh, it was a bit stupid ..."
"Someone is outside wanting to see you in their official capacity and ask you some questions. I think you may be a bit surprised, if not shocked, so I thought I'd better prepare you. Bruno and his henchmen are locked away and bail has been refused. Apparently the evidence was mounting against Bruno and his extensive operations in London. Your attempted murder put the icing on the cake and gave the police something concrete to get the ball rolling. It was Jennifer who called the police to your rescue."
"He called Jennifer a prostitute ... and he wanted to make Gerda one too."
"You don't need to worry about Jennifer. I think you'll find that everything will be all right between you and Jennifer. I must go now, before you get too tired for your nice surprise."
She put her hand over mine, kissed me on the cheek and opened the door to my next visitor as she left.
"Jennifer walked in and over to my bed and kissed me too. I tried to wrap my plaster casts around her unsuccessfully.
Her smile was like the summer breeze and her blue eyes made me feel like drifting endlessly in a cloudless summer sky.
"You're not thinking of competing in Ron's floor show competition, are you?" I was referring to the blue uniform that matched her beautiful eyes.
She laughed and it was like a thousand church bells were ringing in the morning sunshine.
"I'm afraid that the uniform is real!"
"What?"
"It's real!"
"It would only be real if you've joined the police force."
She smiled a very gentle smile at me as if I was a very little boy who had missed a very big point. She gave her explanation speaking very slowly.
"It is real and I've been in the police force for a long, long time. Recently, they seconded me to plain clothes for a special mission involving a certain person you know about and who is now languishing in a cell awaiting his trial for attempted murder and living off immoral earnings from a chain of brothels all around London."
"You were working undercover?"
"It was a very special mission, very dangerous, very difficult and as it turned out very successful. I had to get deep inside Bruno's organization. It was dangerous because he was highly organized and extremely ruthless. Becoming his girlfriend and letting him think that I would go on the game for him was the best way of getting into his confidence. It was a job I volunteered for and was only given after careful selection."
I tried to assimilate the information just felt confused.
"What will you do now?"
"Much of my time in the coming months will be taken up with Bruno's trial. There are many other people involved in his organization who also have to be brought to book."
"Ron isn't one of them, is he?"
"No. Bruno was trying to get a share of Smokey's but he hadn't been successful, although it was still very much on the cards. He would have needed quite a lot of leverage because Ron was beginning to guess where Bruno was coming from and wasn't keen. However, Bruno was a past master at leverage."
"Thank you for calling the police."
"I knew Bruno wanted to get rid of you. He was just looking for an excuse and an opportunity. I'd been under surveillance for some time because he didn't really trust me. So I knew when you left my apartment, that he would be hot on your heels."
"What about us?" I hardly dared ask the question.
"What about us?" Her eyes were twinkling and she was waiting. The police uniform contained a real woman who wasn't going to take the lead.
"I love you so much, and I think your new blue uniform matches your eyes perfectly."
She smiled brilliantly.
"That's what I was hoping you would say and you said it wonderfully ... I love you too."
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
"Who was the man that you kept meeting at lunch times?"
"You have been doing your homework! He was my only contact with the force while I was under cover. He's a police officer and my boss."
"Do you think that, perhaps when I get better, Tommy would like a proper dad."
"I think he would like you for his dad very much." Her hand tightened over mine.
"Can we get married please - before you change into something else?"
"Yes, that would make me very happy."
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes."
And we seemed to carry on kissing for ever ...
The End
(c)Rob Hopcott
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