‘Life isn’t always straightforward,’ she said. ‘Can we put it all behind us and start again?’
‘I’d like that.’ He leaned in to hug her, realising it was the first time in twelve years that he’d felt his mother’s arms around him and smelled her familiar perfume. All of a sudden he was a child again, being comforted by her after grazing his knee or waking up from a bad dream. He blinked back his tears, afraid that if he let them fall now he’d never be able to stop. He leaned backwards and looked away to give him time to compose himself.
To his surprise, he heard her gentle laugh. He turned to her, puzzled.
‘Looks like your nan has finally got her wish. She’s been conspiring to get us back together for long enough.’
And suddenly the tears were gone and laughter bubbled out of his mouth.
The nurse who’d been tending to Betty approached them. ‘You can go back and sit with her now. Although I have to tell you, she’s not happy about being here.’
‘Oh, I know that,’ Mary said. ‘She’ll just have to get used to it, though, because she’s not going anywhere until we find out what’s wrong with her. Can I take her a cup of tea?’
The nurse shook her head. ‘Best not. Just in case we need to do any procedures. She’s better off nil by mouth for now.’
‘Oh! Do you think she’ll need an operation?’ Mary asked.
‘It’s just a precaution,’ the nurse said. ‘Once the consultant has finished his ward rounds, he’ll review her tests and come and see you. Hopefully it won’t be too long.’
‘Thanks.’ Mary got up. ‘Well, we’d best go and break the news to her. But she’s not going to like it. Betty without a constant supply of tea is not going to be pleasant.’
‘We’re just going to have to try to distract her, then,’ Jay said.
The nurse laughed. ‘Good luck with that. I’ll see if we can get you some answers as soon as possible.’
* * *
‘Well, Doctor. What’s the news? Am I going to live?’
The doctor smiled at Betty. ‘You are indeed. I’ve been through your test results and I can safely say that it wasn’t a heart attack.’
‘Told you so.’ Betty beamed at them all. ‘Lot of fuss about nothing. Can I go home, then? I’m gagging for a decent cuppa.’
‘I’m afraid not, Mrs Green. While it wasn’t a heart attack, you had a severe angina attack.’
‘What’s that, then?’
‘Simply put, it’s chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscles. Tell me, Mrs Green, what were you doing directly before the attack?’
‘I was hoovering. I like to keep my house looking nice.’
‘I’m sure you do. Angina can be brought on by a trigger, for instance, exercise, so you may need to take things a bit easier in the future. The good news is that you appear to have the most common type of angina, which is called stable angina and can be treated with medication. We’ll prescribe some beta-blockersto make your heart beat slower and with less force. They should help prevent future episodes.’
Betty pulled a face. ‘Can’t say I’m too happy about that. I’ve never taken pills before and I don’t like the idea of taking them now.’
‘You’ve been lucky, then, but I’m afraid they are necessary.’
‘And how long will I need to take them for?’
‘For ever, I’m afraid. I’ll also prescribe you a mouth spray, which will help you if you do have any further episodes. If you do, the first thing you must do is rest. Then take the spray. Wait for five minutes and, if the spray hasn’t worked, try it again. If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to call for an ambulance, but the spray — it’s called glyceryl trinitrate — is very effective, so try not to worry about it.’
Betty nodded.
‘Now, is there anyone at home who can take care of you?’
‘I live on my own, Doctor, and I intend to carry on doing so for a long time yet. But I have family who will look in on me.’
‘Yes, we will, Doctor,’ Mary said. ‘As often as we need.’
