A stocky nursing sister came out to examine Andrew, her white tunic stretching over her substantial bosom. She leant over the side of the bed, her chest pressing down on the bedspread. In a high pitched coquettish voice she asked: 'And how are you feeling now my darling?'
His lips moved slightly as he whispered something to her. She took his pulse, concentrating on her watch for the required minute, then released his wrist. 'Food is on its way. Try and manage some, even if you are tired.' She looked up at me and said, 'Shall I leave you to say your goodbyes?'
Hastily doing as she suggested I followed her down the ward until she stopped at the door of the office. 'Will he be all right?'
'He seems a bit tense; he's had several visitors today, probably been very tiring for him.'
'Something seemed to happen, he was all right, we were talking normally... then he seemed much worse.'
'Ups and downs, you have to expect it. We are checking him every half hour for observation, so we will know if anything is wrong. His pulse was a little bit fast, that's all. I expect the last time you saw him he was fit and active. Sometimes simply being in a hospital bed makes people seem very poorly. Bit of a shock for you seeing him like that?'
'Yes, that may be it.'
'Maybe do you good to have a cup of tea or something. There is a visitors' refreshment room on the ground floor. Are you a relative?'
'No, a friend, the family is not close.'
'How long will it take you to reach home?'
'An hour perhaps.'
'If you like you can ring to ask how he is when you get back. There's no need, as I say, we are checking him every half hour, but ring up and ask for me if you're still worried about him.'
***
Tom and I went to the hospital together the next day. In contrast to me he was relaxed and talked easily with Andrew about his friends and staff at Ferns and Foliage. He teased him about being examined by attractive young doctors and being lifted out of bed by muscular male nurses. The place seemed to stifle my ability to make conversation. Andrew asked Tom to put off whatever work he had planned for the coming week to run errands for him, bringing him paperwork and doing miscellaneous jobs for Ferns and Foliage.
Towards the end of his week in hospital for observation he was conducting business from his bed using a mobile 'phone. He was forced to stop when the senior consultant recommended surgery, and booked the operation for the next day. Arrangements were made for him to recuperate in a nursing home near Eastbourne in the hope that getting him away from London would force him to rest, but after a couple of days he had Tom driving up and down to the south coast with correspondence and was ringing his staff several times a day with queries and to ask for progress reports.