A Pretty Beach Wish by Polly Babbington (scary books to read TXT) 📗

with worry. Every single part of her being, every fibre of her thought about Bella all of the time. It was like she was wired and buzzing constantly. She could barely hold a conversation that wasn’t about the recovery or the hospital, and she’d spent hours poring over articles on the internet on cases such as Bella’s and the reconstruction of a traumatic foot accident and subsequent deformity.

Juliette held on tightly to the handle on the tote bag over her shoulder and realised she’d had her jaw set in a tight lock since the moment the train had pulled out of Pretty Beach. It was as if every part of her body was constricted, tense and taut. The whole of her was locked up in angst.

Get a grip on yourself. You need to keep everyone going. She said to herself as she marched out of the station.

Juliette opened the travel app on her phone - two buses took the route to the hospital or she could walk all the way through Pettacombe itself. She checked her watch and decided to walk. Maybe the fresh air would reset her head. Brighten her mood. She kept trying to tell herself to be grateful that Bella was alive, that the surgery had gone much better than expected, and that Bella actually seemed to be dealing with it all quite well.

She walked along the shiny pavements of Pettacombe in the drizzle with her umbrella up and rain mac on past hurrying shoppers and mums holding hands with children in welly boots on their way to school.

Striding along, she approached the hospital as a patient transport ambulance sailed past her and a man walked along with a child in a wheelchair and an umbrella. Yet again it hit her that her Bella, her beautiful baby was in hospital, and was very lucky not to have lost her toes.

Juliette blinked back the tears as the reality of those thoughts hit her again and as she came to the canopy outside the main reception she folded up her umbrella and put it in her bag. Just as she went to walk into the foyer of the hospital, a crack of thunder sounded from above and lightning lit up the now darkening sky. Another clap of thunder and then all of sudden the heavens opened and rain started to lash down. Juliette sighed, at least she hadn’t been caught in the downpour.

Juliette walked through the foyer and made her way to the orthopaedic foot and ankle unit. It felt strange to be in a hospital on the other side of it all - on the member of the public side. Usually she was in uniform, the one responsible, the one doing the caring. Now she was the one not really knowing what was going on, the one with all the questions. The one hoping everything would be okay.

A man with a huge duffel bag and long beige mac, and a very pregnant woman in flip flops and a too-tight pair of shorts stood beside her while they waited for the lift. The woman smiled and Juliette smiled back, but looked away at the lift buttons in no mood for small talk.

Juliette walked briskly along the corridor and up to the desk at the top of the ward. As she approached, she took a deep breath and relaxed her grip on her bag as the young nurse looked up from behind her computer, smiled at Juliette in recognition, and waved Juliette through.

Juliette walked all the way along the corridor, past sinks and hand-washing stations and a trolley parked at the side full of linen. Just before she got to Bella she stood at a sink and washed her hands twice with soap and dried them off with paper towels. It seemed odd to be standing at a sink washing her hands not in her uniform, not with her badge on, and ready for people approaching and asking questions. It seemed to smell different too; it felt both familiar and unwelcome at the same time. Usually when people said to her that they didn't like the smell of hospitals she had always nodded in agreement, but privately she had wondered what they actually meant. Now she knew.

Juliette pushed open the door with her foot, avoiding touching anything, and stood looking past two immaculately made-up empty beds and down to the end where Bella was propped up in a bed looking out of the window. Juliette blinked her eyes several times, took a deep breath, put a smile on her face and tried to look positive as she looked at Bella’s heavily bandaged foot and the machines surrounding her.

Bella turned as she heard the door close and smiled at the sight of Juliette. Juliette wanted to gasp, but kept the smile on her face. Bella looked tired, gaunt, pallid. Most of all her beautiful bright Bella looked weak and small.

Bella managed a fragile smile and then turned back to the window as Juliette approached the bed. Juliette reached over and kissed Bella on the cheek and took a seat on the dusky pink padded plastic chair.

‘How was the train?’ Bella asked, her voice low and sad.

‘It was fine.’

‘Did you remember my other Kindle?’

‘Of course. It’s here in my bag. How are you feeling, darling? How was the pain in the night?’

‘I’m okay, that pain relief made me feel really woozy again. I’m not having any more of that.’

‘No, it doesn't agree with everyone. I’ll have a look at it all. I’ll go and speak to the nurses. I’ll ask Luke too.’

‘No, Mum. Don’t please. Just let them get on with it. Let them do their job. You’re not here as a nurse. Just keep out of it.’ Bella said shortly.

Juliette was taken aback with Bella’s response. Bella let most things wash over her, normally let everyone else take care of things. This Bella seemed different. That’s because this Bella was different. This Bella was facing at least another surgery, confronting months