Stepping Stones

2 BANGKOK HOSPITAL-2

“Yes, it does seem like a long time ago, almost another lifetime ago. To think that while I was worrying whether I was going to get a better job, my baby was being tossed about in a car on a motorway like a rag doll because her stupid husband was drunk and too big-headed to leave his car and get a taxi.

“It’s incredible when you think of it in those terms, isn’t it?”

“Yes, darling telak, but it doesn’t do you or Soom any good to think like that either. You can’t be there every second of every day for her, can you? Sometimes, you have to get on with your own life, like you were doing, no-one would blame you for that.” He drew the seat back for her, “Sit down and have a nice cup of coffee and a cake. You’ve got to keep your strength up.”

“Darling, you remember all those times when I told you that Soom was not your daughter and never would be? I didn’t mean that… you have been everything a father could be to her and she, and I, are very proud of you. the man who helped me create her was a worthless piece of rubbish in comparison.”

“Steady on now! I’m not used to praise, especially from you and it’s not even my birthday.” She laid a hand on his.

When they had finished and were paying the bill some thirty minutes after sitting down, Craig’s phone beeped. He took it out and unlocked the keyboard. “A text from Mike, she seems to be waking up.” Lek was off, leaving Craig to wait for their change.

He hurried up after her.

As he half-hurried into the room - he wanted to demonstrate that he cared, which he genuinely did, but was torn between wanting to be there and wanting to give them some space – he could see only smiling faces on all those who were not prone. Something had obviously happened, and it was equally obvious that it was something good. He paused at the foot of the bed and watched a nurse talking to Soom.

Soom was replying in phrases that made sense, which accounted for the happy faces. He looked into her eyes which were only narrow slits under heavy veils, but he was sure that he saw recognition and an attempt at a smile. Craig grinned widely and held up a thumb. The weak smile grew a little and her right hand tried to move.

It was only then that he noticed that Lek, Mike and the nurse were watching them. Craig smiled at everyone and then sat down next to Lek. Lek laid a hand on his knee, squeezed it and then returned her gaze to her daughter.

“How is she, nurse,” Craig inquired in Thai.

“Dee maak! Very good… er, better than normal expect.” Followed by a flurry of Thai, which Lek translated as ‘she is strong and is doing very well, but still needs a lot of rest’.

Soom’s eyes were opening wider by the minute and expression was returning to her face. The nurse was happy enough with her progress to puff up her pillows and place the control panel for the bed by her right hand after showing her how to use it. Soom had minor cuts and bruises but there was no injury to her back or neck, so she could use the motorized bed to help her to sit up which was what she wanted. The nurse spotted what she was trying to do and elevated the top third of the bed.

Soom smiled and nodded when she was in a more comfortable position, “Ka,” she whispered. As she turned to leave, the nurse took Mike’s elbow and said something near his ear.

“Excuse me, admin… I need to sign some insurance papers,” he explained and left with the nurse.

Mother and daughter spoke in Thai.

“So, how are you feeling, Little One? If you don’t want to talk, just shake your head, I’m sure you are still very tired and under the influence of the drugs.”

“OK, tired… but not sleepy… bored. Bad dreams… I feel drunk.” Craig could follow everything that was being said easily enough.

“If your body is telling you something, listen and believe it, it knows what’s best for it in cases like this. If it wants to sleep, don’t fight it, just go to sleep. When you are awake your brain has more to think about than when you are asleep, so it can devote more of its time and energy to repairing you, and that is what your body needs to be doing now, so if you want to go to sleep, just do it. Don’t worry about us, we’ll still be here when you wake up.

“Do you need anything, darling?”

“Is Mike all right? I thought I heard him… before.”

“Yes, he has been here the whole time. The nurse just asked him to pop out to sign some papers, he’ll be back soon.”

“Water, please…” Lek looked around there was a baby, spill-proof beaker on the bedside table half-full of lukewarm water. Lek held it to her mouth and Soom sucked some out.

“Craig, look in the fridge over there for some fresh water, please. This has been there for hours at least” He fetched a bottle of mineral water, ripped of the plastic seal around the top and passed it to Lek, who drank the water remaining in the beaker and refilled it with the cool water. “Here, darling, this is much better.”

“I know… car crash… after party. I remember lights… and screeching… and then nothing. I think I heard Mike talking, but not sure. Am I all right? I can’t feel anything…”

“Don’t worry, that’s probably the pain-killers. The doctor says you have a hairline fracture of the skull and concussion, but otherwise no serious injuries. You must have been thrown about a bit, Mike says the car is a write-off. If you hadn’t been wearing seat belts, God knows what else may have happened to you.”

“Do you have a mirror, Mae?”

“You look fine, don’t worry.”

“Mae?”

“It will all heal up” she rummaged in her bag, took out her compact, opened it, looked at her own drawn features for a second and then held it in front of Soom’s face.”

She inspected every square inch of her face and neck by moving her head from side to side, up and down. “I look awful! I’ve got fourteen scratches, a cut with two stitches in it, a black eye and a swollen lip… and a party hat on! What’s that for?”

“All of the cuts and bruises will heal, there’s no need to worry about them. I don’t know why you’ve got the hat on. Wait a moment…” Lek stood up and looked down on it from directly above. It was a simple, white paper band, about six inches wide with no top. “Ah, it looks as if they have had to cut some of your hair away to inspect your cranium.”

“You mean I’m bald?!” shouted Soom as loud as she could involuntarily, but it came out as a hoarse croak.

“No, now don’t panic, you can see you’ve still got hair on your shoulders. It’s just a patch… not very large, where the crack in your head is, I imagine. Don’t worry… it’ll grow back soon enough.”

“Yeah, right, it has taken me eight years to grow it this long since leaving school, what am I going to look like with half a bald head?”

Lek sat down. She could understand her daughter’s concern. All young Thai women took immense pride in their long black hair. Many girls grew it to their coxis, three or four feet long. Although Soom’s beautiful hair was only half that length, it was still her pride and joy and she spent a lot of money on it.

“Your hairdresser will come up with a style that will hide that patch for you with no problem… you may need a small hairpiece for a while, but you should be concentrating on getting better not on what you look like.”

“Your mother’s right, Soom, concentrate on getting well first, then out of here, and then you can take care of your hair. Priorities, you know. The marks on your face will be gone in a week.”

She nodded, looking a little ashamed of her flash of vanity.

“How was your election, Mae?”

“Your mother won!” interrupted Craig proudly. “You are now looking at the District Orbortor for our tambon,” and he presented her with a sweep of his open hand. Lek stood and made a semblance of a curtsey. Soom went to clap her hands, but then saw the drip and said ‘Hurray!’ instead. At that moment, Mike came back into the room. His face brightened immediately on feeling the up-beat atmosphere and seeing his smiling wife.

“Hello, what’s going on here then? How are you feeling, telak?” He crossed to the bed and took her left hand.

“Paw was just saying that Mae’s been elected Chief Orbortor of the tambon.”

“That’s great news! Congratulations, Mae! That’s why we went to that party last night, we were so confident that you would win, that we wanted to be somewhere we could celebrate, but things got out of hand and so we left early…” his telling of the story grew slower and quieter under Lek’s powerful gaze. He wished he’d never started to confide it in them, but couldn’t leave it mid sentence.”

“Yes, well, the less said about last night the better as far as I’m concerned although I’m sure the police will want to hear all the fascinating details. A thought – Mike, have you phoned the bank and told them why Soom is not in work yet – and yourself for that matter?”

“No, Mae, it completely slipped my mind.”

“But it’s,” she checked her watch, “nearly one o ‘clock. That makes you four hours late… Won’t they have missed you?”

“Yes, they will, but they don’t phone. They just give you a boll… good telling off the next day… wipe the floor with you in front of everyone.”

“I think it would be a good idea to ring them, don’t you? I can’t see Soom being there tomorrow to get even more punishment for being with you, can you? You’d better tell them that it will be at least a fortnight before she’ll be in, but perhaps a month. I don’t know about you… How are you?”

“I’m all right, thank you, Mae, just a few aches and pains and a splitting headache.”

“Good. Now phone the bank.” The word ‘good’ was said ambivalently, she was glad that he had a sore head, but she didn’t want her daughter to think that. Mike left the room fumbling in his pocket for his mobile phone.

“Mae, I think I might sleep a little now.”

“Yes, you do that, darling. Do you want something to eat when you wake up? We’ll get you whatever you want, it’ll be here waiting for you.”

“That would be nice,” she mumbled without saying what she wanted and was asleep in an instant.

“Why don’t you try to get some sleep as well, dear?”