Chapter 11

A/N Thanks everyone for all your kind reviews. I'm so grateful for all your encouragement. I am posting a double post of chapters 11 and 12 to finish out the story. I hope you enjoy them.

~o~

Bob sauntered down the corridor. He had finished his rounds for the day and now he was heading to Lee's room to take him down to the restaurant for a soda and a burger. This had become a daily routine since Lee had recovered from corrective surgery to his leg. Bob had a hand in that surgery. It was a mess. They found to their horror that someone had reset the bone incorrectly which brought on a massive infection. The pain of walking must have been terrible. No wonder he was limping everywhere.

Lee had become very agitated prior to surgery and he had to be held down and sedated. Bob felt bad about that now. They had no idea at the time that someone had preformed an illegal procedure on him. He must have been terrified. But that was all behind him now and Lee was doing better every day. He was becoming familiar with staff members and could now remember not only their names but what job they did in the hospital. His speech had come on in leaps and bounds too since admission. He'd be soon ready for the rehabilitation unit. Bob rounded the corner and sauntered into the room.

"Hay buddy, what's up," he stopped in his tracks as an old man stared back at him.

"Eh sorry," he began to back out.

"No wait, I've been trying to use this bell but it doesn't seem to be working. Will ye hand me that bottle. I need to go,"

"Sure," Bob handed him the urinal and pulled the curtain around his bed to give him some privacy. That done he backed out of the room and headed towards the nurses station.

"Hi," he smiled at the young nurse behind the counter. The nurses offices was littered with large folders, sheets of paper and half cups of cold coffee.

"Mr Morrison is looking for a sleeping tablet for tonight, could you prescribe him one?" She asked before he could speak.

"Give me a look at his file,"

She had it ready and handed it to him.

He looked through the file noting what other meds the man was taking. He quickly scribbled down a prescription and handed the folder back to her.

"I was looking for Lee X, wheres he at now?" He asked.

"He's been discharged."

The smile fell away from Bob's face.

"Discharged, what do you mean?"

The nurse suddenly looked flustered.

"We were told to free up the bed. He was due for discharge and so we were told to move him on. We got in contact with social services and they found a place. He was sent to a care home out in the country."

Chief Medical Officer Morris Tobin looked up with disapproval as his door was barged open and Dr Neugent stormed in.

"It is customary to knock when you enter Doctor," he snapped.

"I couldn't give a crap," Bob told him.

The older man put a hand up.

"Be careful. I know what this is about. We thought it better to remove him while you were away for the weekend. Easier on both of you. I say be careful Dr. Neugent because through out this whole episode you have shown a level of unprofessionalism that quite frankly has disappointed me. Of all of our junior staff I felt sure that you were one of our more promising candidates but you have let your emotions get the better of you. Quite frankly Dr Neugent I am disappointed in you."

"We were getting places with him. He was becoming sharp, remembering names, speaking clearly, aware of his surroundings and timeline. We were getting places with him."

"That was not your remit Dr Neugent. We are here to see to peoples physical needs. Mr Lee X has been sent down to St Marys Home. The country air will do him good."

"St Marys...I wouldn't board my dog there,"

"You forget yourself Doctor, St Marys is an excellent establishment. He will be well looked after."

"He'll never come out of there," Bob uttered sadly.

"Dr Neugent, you have many other patients. We all at some time meet with a case that tugs at our heart, makes us want to care for them forever but no, we patch them up and send them out and hope they never return. That is the life of a doctor, now I suggest you get back to work. I will overlook this outburst as I know how much you cared for Mr X. He is not your patient anymore."

There was nothing more to say. Bob turned and walked out closing the door quietly after him. Outside he stood in the empty corridor. He looked up at a portrait of a doctor long since deceased. The man wore a black suit and had a great bush of a mustache. He looked down at Bob and seemed to disapprove of him too. Standing alone in that wood paneled corridor with it's great mahogany doors and shiny buffed within an inch of its life floor Bob wondered what he was doing here. All he ever wanted was to help people. You patch them up and send them off. He shook his head and began walking slowly down the corridor lost in his thoughts.

~o~

The staff were glad that he could at least dress himself. They barely spoke to him as they hurried in to wash and dress the others. There was no privacy, he shared a room with six others. He turned his back on them now as he began to unbutton his pajamas.

"Don't be shy," one of the carers called over to him. "You're the best looking thing in here, and that includes Raymone. Can I help you wash?"

"Lucy!" Raymone called out. "He can wash himself. Get him a basin of water and then go and see if the shower room is free. Trevor is due a shower this morning."

Lucy huffed as she left the room. Raymone said no more but continued to undress a man who was bed bound.

There was no sleep to be had that first night as one of the other residents was moaning and crying all night and another kept coming over and trying to wake him. The nurses began to walk the other residents out of the room now as they were dressed and Raymone gestured with a grunt that Lee should follow them. After walking the length of several dark corridors he found himself in a massive hall. There was a table at the very top where nurses helped some residents to eat. For a moment Lee feared that someone would be spooning mush into his mouth but seconds later someone took his arm and walked him over to a table near the very end. It was a long table, there was a plastic bowl and spoon for every sitting and a large plastic mug.

Fights broke out between the residents. One dark man got up and a large man quickly took his seat. A shouting match ensued. A shouting match which could have come to blows. The staff didn't seem to want to intervene. They sat in a line drinking coffee just watching the residents.

Prayers were said and soon after two large spoons of oatmeal was slopped into his bowl. His mug was filled with milk. The oatmeal was bland, there was no sugar or honey to add to it. He dulled the taste by taking mouthfuls of milk between spoonfuls. He looked around at the other inmates, some on them were shouting, some were just rocking in their seats, what was this place. A nurse suddenly caught his eye and his heart leaped in his chest but no he didn't know her. She had soft brown hair and wore lip gloss on her lips...he didn't know her but just for a moment he thought he did.

To add to the confusion in the afternoon the place was full of children. They brought balloons and small presents. They tried to cheer the residents but the day room was full with excited children making the residents agitated and a little aggressive. Lee stood in a corner, he put a hand to his right arm scratching at an imaginary itch. He looked anxiously around, this was wrong, he didn't belong here. He missed Bob but suddenly he felt he didn't belong with Bob either. Anxiety began to crowd in on him. He looked down as a child was suddenly looking up at him.

"Here," the boy handed him a balloon. Lee took it from him. He wanted the boy to go but the child continued to stare up at him.

"Do you want some cake, there is cake over there. We made it. I can get you some."

Still looking anxiously around at the masses of people and streamers and balloons Lee gave a shaky nod of his head.

~o~

Lee found himself outside. He was walking, just walking. He had to get away from the noise. He was prone to head aches anyway but all the commotion in the day room really made his head hurt and brought with it the fuzzy thoughts. He had to be by himself to think them out. One of the residents had a beer glass in his hand, he was moving it to and fro and singing to the children. The image reminded Lee of someone but he couldn't quite form the picture. If only his head would stop hurting.

He had walked out the gate and down a cobbled stone side walk. The care home drive was full of cars as it was Sunday and relatives were visiting. No one noticed him leave.

"Can I help you...can I help you," the lady asked again.

He was standing in a small groceries store.

"No," he shook his head and began to back out.

"Are you ok?" She smiled.

She turned to her husband and something passed between them. He went to the phone and picking up the receiver he dialed a familiar number.

He left the store and continued on down the street. He passed quiet little houses and shut up shops, their windows portraying mannequins with slightly old fashioned clothes. He came to a gate over looking a field. He put his elbows on the gate and looked at the cows grazing lazily in the late evening sun.

He thought again of the resident in the care home holding the large cup, it wasn't a beer glass it was a large cup. He was rocking it back and forth singing a song.

A car suddenly pulled up beside him. Three large men got out. One of them was Raymone. He put his hands up as he approached Lee.

"Now come on, we don't want any trouble."

Lee began to back away but they surrounded him. He wasn't going to struggle but they took hold of him roughly and began dragging him towards the car.

"Here get his head, get him in," Raymone barked as people across the road stoped in their tracks and began to watch. He was pushed into the car and they sped off back to the care home. The car went in around the back and he was pulled out and marched between them. At this point he was frightened. Confusion was crowding in on him and he was beginning to forget everything, even where he was. Lee suddenly broke free of them and ran the length of the corridor. He slammed into a metal door and tried to open it but it was locked from the outside. He was wrenched from the door and dragged into a nearby treatment room. Raymone opened a cabinet and quickly went through its contents. Lee was hauled onto a treatment bed and held down by three other men. One of them ripped open the button and pulled the sleeve of his shirt up past his elbow.

"Quit struggling or it will hurt," the man yelled into his face.

A tourniquet was pulled tight on his upper arm to bring up his veins as Raymone filled a syringe.

"You're not qualified to administer that," Lee said with a grimace as he struggled.

They all looked at each other.

"Quick give it to him." One of them said nervously as he struggled to hold Lee in place.

The syringe was pushed into the vein in his arm. Lee took in a sharp breath as pain radiated up his arm, seconds later he was unconscious.