[stylist] Trials of an honorary Dragon chapter 28 (New chapter)

[helene ryles]

Chapter 28:
Hospital by Liza Bronze

 I just felt numb as P.C. Rickshaw and Katrina led me to the hospital
in which Nadia lay.  As the hospital smells hit me, my temper got the
better of me.  The clattering hospital sounds and the painfully bright
light did little to soothe my nerve.  How could anyone hope to get
better in a place like this?   I felt like a volcano about to explode.
"P.C. Rickshaw here, your niece is in front of us, she's lost a lot of
weight.  She’s also come down with some sort of infection,” signed my
old colleague on my hand.  I was in no state to wonder when she had
learnt finger spelling.
“Is it serious?” I asked, opening my eye so I could peer at the blurry
shape in front of me.
"Fairly, but only because she’s so underweight.  I found her
languishing in sick bay.  Since they didn’t seem to do much to get her
better I brought her here.  They say she's been refusing to speak, eat
or wear any of her hearing devices, and they also told me she attacked
a teacher,” P.C. Rickshaw answered.
“That’s not like her. Was the food vegan?” I asked.
"I doubt it.  A little boy who wore odd clothes took me to Nadia.   He
told me the staff has been starving her; in an effort to force her to
co operate.  If this is true, someone is going to end up behind bars
over this," P.C. Rickshaw stormed.
"I thought you said they were dedicated staff.  Didn't you go there?"
I asked. I could not keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
"They were, when I went there.  They were always a little strict, but
I’m used to that as my parents were even stricter.   They were never
abusive though.  They must have changed a lot since then.  Maybe I
should have checked it out more thoroughly before persuading Madrella
to enrol Nadia there, but I couldn't very well leave Nadia with
Madrella.  I would never have convinced her to send her to Druzil, so
where else could she go..."
"She had a perfectly good home with me,” I snapped.
"I know but Beria wouldn't have it.  Some of the teachers were
complaining because her bodyguard wouldn’t let them transfer Nadia to
the oral programme.  If it had been left to me I would have taken
Nadia away from that violent woman altogether, but I had my career to
think about.  I thought she would be safe at NIRC... Anyway, thanks
for not telling Beria about my involvement in Snyder Slyrake's
arrest."
I shrugged, roughly pulling my hand away.
P.C Rickshaw wasn't the only person I was angry with.   I even felt
angry with Nadia.  I told her to keep her head down.  Not to get
involved in politics so why did she have to start rebelling against
the teachers for?   It must be those dreadful books that Wendy Krum
was giving Nadia to read.
Then there were the staff at NIRC! A politically active child with a
poor grasp of reality can be a nuisance but that did not excuse their
behaviour towards her. I hoped P.C.  Rickshaw sentenced them to jail
for a very long time!

                             ***  ***  ***


Katrina and I were still sitting next to Nadia's feverish form when
Nadia’s father came to join us. Time had not soothed my boiling
temper, neither had the eye drops I was being given to take for my
glaucoma.  I had already had enough of the brightly lit pungent
reeking hospital ward and it was still the same day, even though it
felt like a whole month had passed.  I wanted to go back to Vinny but
Nadia needed me to be here for her.
Nadia’s father reeked of alcohol.   I waited impatiently willing him
to hurry up and leave us again.
“I made such a mess of it all.  When I had my leg amputated I assumed
the cochlear implant would make Nadir hear normally," finger spelt the
little man.
"It’s Nadia, not Nadir.  Don't you know the name of your own cursing
daughter," I snapped.
"Sorry to cause offence.  When Nadia was born my wife called her Nadir
and told us all she was a boy child.  If only I hadn't sacrificed my
leg.  I thought he would benefit from being able to hear.  I never
realised I would evoke the wrath of god in this way, and the evil
science demon was laughing at us.  He gave only half Nadir's hearing
back and my wife could never accept that.   He would have been much
better off being fully deaf like his sisters.”
“I could have told you that.  You were supposed to smuggle her out and
let me take care of her,” I retorted.
“Yes, of course.  Anyway the dragon who bought my leg paid for his
cochlear implant, but I still had to find the money to buy a
prosthetic leg…”
“What happened to it,” I asked, glancing at his stump.
“I had to sell it after my dept kept growing bigger. So I turned to
selling black market goods to try and rid myself of all the debts I
was accumulating.  It’s a bit like gambling since I could earn such a
lot of money that way, but I had to abandon my stocks several times or
get caught by the police.  Sometimes I was sold faulty goods too.  Now
Nadir is dying and I can’t even stay with him because I’m on the run
from the Darthrilan authorities,” Mr Murat lamented.
"Well push off then.  I certainly don't want to be talking to a wanted
criminal.  You could have stood up for your child, but you chose to
slink away like the wretched dog that you are.  Leaving poor Nadia to
be abused by your own wretched wife," I shouted.
  I heard him jump to his feet. He left the room, slamming the door behind him.
"Liza, that was a heartless thing to say," Katrina signed.

                       ***  ***  ***









Almost twenty four hours had since elapsed since Nadia was brought
here.  I felt bone weary, yet I could not sleep.  The way this ward
kept filling with police officers and other people just served to
irritate me further.
 I heard more footsteps approaching and the tapping of a long cane.  I
looked up to see a blurry shape approach me.
"It's Pyre speaking," finger spelt my step son.
I pulled my hand away.  I just didn't feel like speaking to anyone just then.
"Why are you being so rude to everybody here?" Pyre continued, roughly
grabbing my hands back so he could continue to sign to me, "That was a
really heartless thing to say to Nadia's father.  We were hoping
Nadia’s father would stay here…” Pyre told me.
“Why ever for?” I asked.
“Melissa is bringing all the witnesses that you put together for
Madrella’s first trial here…”
“Why here? In a hospital ward of all places?” I asked.
“You would be amazed at how many of the witnesses have come down with
sudden unexplainable ailments of some sort or other.  In fact some of
them have died.  We want to keep the rest of them in one place, so we
don’t have to divide police cover between more then one place.  The
hospital agrees to let us use these rooms, for this purpose.  Now we
just have to catch Madrella…”
“How is that going?” I asked.
“No luck so far.  They did manage to pick up Mr Murat though. He went
off to drown his sorrows.  He has now confessed to them about his and
Madrella’s dealings in various black market goods and other illegal
substances that he was trading in.  The police are keeping him locked
in a cell at the station to await his upcoming trial."
"How pathetic!" I retorted.
"You can talk; you just sit there feeling sorry for yourself.  Melissa
spent a long time practicing the alphabet with me, so she could speak
to you, but you just pulled your hand away.  That was a very rude
thing to do.   Aren't you even going to ask me how Nadia is," he
demanded.
"She's very sick and suffering from malnutrition.  I already know
that," I snapped back.
"She also needs to have her cochlear implant removed.  It's causing
her a great deal of pain, which is impeding her progress. The doctors
are reluctant to remove it though until her temperature comes down,"
he told me.
"How long do you think it will take before she can have the operation
done?" I asked.
"She needs it done now.  We've been arguing with the doctors about it.
 I'm speeding things up a little as I'm a healer, but the doctors are
too modern to trust our methods so we have to wait and see. I also
have to persuade granny to bring Sunniva and Pluto here, but she's
being very stubborn as usual. I guess I'll just have to sneak them
out," he told me.
"What good will they be?" I asked.
"They will be good company for Nadia, and Pluto is an even more
talented healer then I am.  I'm sure he'll help her get back on her
feet.  It's just granny.  She's also stopped Vinny from coming to see
you.  I’m really annoyed about that.  Father is the only one around
here that is likely to sweeten your foul temper."