Where Angels Breathe
Part 1
Jackson was never far from his thoughts, memories of him like treasure trove, he was constantly picking up one of the cherished gems. He would find himself drifting off, lulled into a happier time, lost in the past. He would lose time, wonder where it had gone, find he'd burnt his toast, that he'd left a tap running, that he'd made a careless mistake in work.
He'd burnt his toast again this morning, the smoke alarm sounding and bringing Paddy running in from the surgery, opening the window, wafting the offending smoke with a tea towel before throwing the burnt offerings in the bin, to then sit him down and make him some more.
He'd gone to work then, the morning passing in its usual blur. He'd made mistake after mistake, each job taking twice as long as it should. Cain usually so impatient, so intolerant letting it go without one word of reproach, at least he hadn't heard any. He could remember his uncle setting a steaming mug of tea in his hand at one point, then taking it from him what seemed like just seconds later, telling him he'd let it go cold! He'd been thinking about Jackson again.
He'd thought he'd heard the phone ringing, something was irritatingly breaking the silence surrounding him. Then he'd felt a hand on his shoulder, and a set of keys had appeared before his eyes while instructions were being spoken loudly in his ear. Cain wanted him to go on a breakdown, like a robot he obeyed, these days he just functioned, exactly like a soulless piece of intelligently wired metal.
He knew exactly where he was going, had been there often enough, he knew the customer well, Toke Baines, an old man with an even older car that was always letting him down.
It was summer, the roads a lot busier now because of the holidaymakers, endless coaches and caravans making their way along the narrow country roads, roads their drivers were unfamiliar with, roads he knew like the back of his hand. So how had it happened?
Why, when he'd rounded a corner he knew to be treacherous, one he knew to slow right down before taking... hadn't he done so?
He hadn't been concentrating that's why, he'd been thinking about Jackson again, about how he'd done a job for old Toke, how one small job had somehow turned into half a dozen bigger jobs, and how he'd not charged him a single penny. He was soft that way, no not soft, kind hearted... 'Generous in mind and spirit' as Ashley had described him the day he'd been laid to rest.
Memories of that day usually turned on his tears, but he couldn't blame them for what happened, they weren't blinding him. No he'd just taken the corner too fast, way too fast, realising too late he was on the wrong side of the road. He'd had to swerve to avoid an oncoming car. That's when he'd lost all control, when his vehicle refused to cooperate and had plunged through a wall. Even though he'd braked the truck was still in motion, rolling over and over, his world turning faster than it ever had before. All he could think about was that Cain was going to kill him, that he wouldn't trust him to drive the truck again.
It was like he was on some fairground ride, a scary one but without the usual accompanying excitement or thrill. They never lasted long enough those rides, you never seemed to get your money's worth... well he was wishing this one would stop. He wasn't enjoying this one, he was starting to feel sick, to feel pain, to taste blood. Just like Jackson had to have felt when he'd lost control of his van. He'd not been concentrating either, and that had been his fault, just like this was all his fault now.
Then suddenly the world stopped spinning, the ride had come to an end. He wanted to get off, to feel the ground beneath his feet, but he couldn't move. Something was stopping him, something was holding him in place. The pain wasn't helping either; the least movement seemed to aggravate it and the light... what had happened to the daylight? Had he lost track of time again? The light seemed to be fading, a strange nothingness overpowering it. It was making him tired, suddenly the thing he wanted most in the world was to go to sleep, so he did.
It was dark where he was, but it was far from quiet. There were people talking, he knew they were talking to him, demanding things of him. Beyond their noise, in the distance he could hear sirens, and they were getting closer, help was on its way. He wasn't sure he needed or even wanted help, he felt alright, strangely calm, and that was an alien experience where he was concerned, and he found he liked it.
Yes, he liked it here in the darkness, he felt safe, knew nothing could hurt him here, physically or emotionally.
He was floating in the emptiness now, floating away from the voices, being carried along by some unknown force. Well let it take him where it will, he knew someone he loved was out there waiting for him.
/
Another hospital bed, again surrounded by tubes, wires and machines that bleeped endlessly. He'd been here before with Aaron, the boy had almost died that time and the same threat hovered over him now.
From eyewitness accounts, it had been a horrific crash, the truck taking down a stone wall before rolling and bouncing down a hill, coming to a shuddering halt in the stream at its base. Aaron had been unconscious when help had got to him, and in the three days since had remained so.
His injuries had been attended too, the broken bones set, the cuts either sutured or glued together. It was the head injury that was causing the concern, the scan had given the all clear but despite that he wasn't responding, he wasn't coming to, he wasn't coming back to them. The doctors weren't sure what was happening, why Aaron remained in a coma, but they said the brain like the oceans of the world was relatively unknown territory, they knew so little about its workings, not nearly enough. It might be that he just needed a bit more time, or that there was some undetected problem, and if that was the case it would most likely be something they were powerless to put right.
As a vet he had some understanding of such injuries, would normally think the same way a doctor did. But not this time, he sensed there was something more going on, that Aaron just didn't want to wake up.
TBC