Read Online Survival of Thomas Ford, The by John A. A. Logan - Free Book Online Page A

ten minutes had elapsed and Mr McCallum had not phoned back. Dr Nissen tilted his neck to one side. It wasn’t often that he felt such urgency about a case. He did not often make snap decisions. But he had to admit, when he first encountered Jimmy, the bird-like face, the black eyes, the things the boy was shouting, only moments had passed before Dr Nissen was going through a mental list of possible colleagues to bring in for the second signature needed. Dr Nissen had lied to McCallum on the phone. Jimmy’s admitting A&E doctor had gone off duty so it was too late to use him now.
    Dr Nissen sat in his small office, bit his lip, then decided on Ray Mellor. Ray was a sensitive man. He would pick up on the Satanic vibe coming off this lad right away and be happy to sign off on it.
    Dr Nissen couldn’t see the bed where Jimmy was restrained, not from his chair in the office. The boy would keep there for a while longer though. He wasn’t going anywhere, and Karen had an eye on him.
    Karen, the young nurse, was standing at the side of Jimmy’s bed, an expression of suppressed fascination on her face and in her eyes. Jimmy was raising his head high off the pillow now, to stare at her. He was grinning.
    “Come on now eh?” he was saying, very quietly. “What’s your name? Hey, don’t worry about me, I’m cool. My girlfriend’s a cleaner in this hospital eh? Working a shift right now. We came up on the bus together. I had sore guts, that’s all, and she says I had to go to A&E. Then I wake up here! Go and ask her. Do you know her? Lorna Stewart. She says she’s cleaning the theatre today, getting ready for some big inspection you’re having here.”
    “Lorna the cleaner?”
    “Aye. Young lassie like you. Bonnie like you. You know her? Go and tell her what’s happened eh?”
    The wide double doors of the ward slammed open. Karen looked over, startled, to see Dr Radthammon running in. He was sweating and wheezing. His eyes glared.
    “Where is Dr Nissen?” he shouted at Karen.
    “He’s in the office, Dr Radthammon.”
    Radthammon’s eyes swivelled, almost involuntarily, toward Jimmy on the bed. Radthammon saw the same bird-like features as McCallum the builder. The same black eyes. Instead of thick white hair, there was thick black hair. Radthammon turned away and headed for Nissen’s office.
    “This place is mental eh?” said Jimmy from the bed. “What’s your name?”
    She looked at the black eyes.
    “Karen.”
    “Karen. Do you go out much in the city Karen?”
    “Aye. A bit.”
    She felt herself smiling.
    “Going to scratch my neck, Karen? I’m awful itchy there.”
    The girl sighed. She swallowed. She walked to the bedside, glancing back at Nissen’s office door. Loud voices could be heard from the office, muffled emissions, like baby elephants senselessly trumpeting. Karen felt herself blush as she reached toward Jimmy’s neck. At the last moment she looked up at the hungry black eyes and pulled her hand back.
    “How about going out tomorrow night eh Karen? You off then?”
    “No, I’m working tomorrow night.”
    “Night after then?”
    “I’m working then too.”
    “Just one wee scratch eh Karen?”
    She reached toward his neck again. Before her hand could touch his skin he darted forward with his head and enveloped her index finger in his mouth, the whole finger. He sucked like a greedy calf. She pulled her finger away and stepped back from the bed. Jimmy grinned at her.
    Dr Nissen’s office door opened. Dr Nissen and Dr Radthammon walked jerkily across the hard floor, their expensive shoe heels clipping.
    “We’re very sorry about this misunderstanding, Mr McCallum. We’ll arrange for a taxi to take you home right away. Karen, please undo Mr McCallum’s restraints,” said Nissen.
    Karen looked strangely at the doctors. Both their faces were red, their eyes bloodshot. Karen had never seen them like that. She turned towards Jimmy. He was grinning hard now, at all of them.
    “Doctors