A/N: Brackets below indicate what Beryl "Dirty Mind" Mason can't hear during the Chelsie conversation this afternoon.
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Tuesday, 3 April 2018
Overnight Sunday into Monday saw Lady, unfortunately, return to one of her old habits – waking in the middle of the night with a need to urinate. Monday afternoon whilst Charles was out for his training walk, Lady wet the blanket in her kennel meaning Charles returned home to the smell of urine and the need to do a load of wash.
But again, there was nothing terribly new about this so when Charles spoke with Elsie on Monday evening – as was becoming their new routine – the two made plans to meet for dinner on Tuesday.
Despite Charles intentionally staying awake late and walking Lady close to midnight, Lady had another accident in the early hours of Tuesday, this time in her dog bed. At 4:00 am Charles stripped the cover, put it in the soaking basin and moved Lady to her kennel - now with a clean blanket - where she slept the rest of the night.
Charles went for a long walk again on Tuesday morning, apprehensive about what he might come home to. When he did return, the blanket in kennel was fortunately dry, but Lady herself especially listless also. And then shortly before luncheon she barked. Lady never barked, which concerned Charles as much as the bed and blanket wetting over the prior 36 hours. To the point that he called the Yew Tree Veterinary Clinic to get an appointment as soon as possible.
Beryl was of two emotions when she spoke with Charles – glad for him to come in presumably allowing for her to further some of her matchmaking between him and Elsie, but sorry for the reason behind his coming in. Her husband was not available but Andrew Parker could see Shrimpie, if Charles arrived prior to 3:30. He did.
3:00 pm
One look at Charles as he walked into the clinic and Beryl knew instinctively that today was, regrettably, not the day to bring up anything beyond Shrimpie to him. Dr. Parker set about collecting a urine sample aand was disappointed to see evidence of blood with his bare eye. He asked Charles if he'd noticed any before now and the answer was no.
Dr. Parker didn't especially express concern; given Shrimpie's past history with UTI's, he suspected that's what was happening again and explained that the last infection might not have gotten out of her system completely. He'd have Daisy run the test and as always they'd know more in 20 minutes and he would prescribe whatever was necessary from the dispensary. Recalling his adventures of trying to give Lady pills the last time Charles – damn and blast – realized he was likely facing another round of that.
Charles returned to the waiting room, no one else was there save for Beryl who was behind the reception desk and confirming by phone an appointment with another pet owner for tomorrow morning. Looking at his watch, it was going on 3:30 and he recalled Elsie saying she would be done with her last patient about then. He texted her asking when she would be free for a call to discuss dinner plans. She replied back right away that now was good.
By then, Beryl was off the phone herself, but not wanting to disturb her work, Charles asked, "Will it be a bother if I make a call from here?" He had noticed it had started to rain and would have otherwise stepped outside. Beryl's nonchalant gesture told him he could do as he wished.
["Hello, Mr. Curmudgeon! How's your Monday been?"]
"Well, Lady and I are at the vet. She uh, has something going on again. May be the same infection as before. Just need to wait a little while and find out for sure. And you, what about you, Beautiful?"
Beryl inadvertently heard Charles address whomever was on the other line as 'Beautiful' and immediately decided to listen in more intently, of course employing her best eavesdropping techniques – keen eye and no physical or verbal reactions.
[Awww, he could be so sweet, Elsie thought. But then she sighed, "I'm afraid the day has been especially long and hard."]
"Long and hard - I thought you liked it that way every day!" Charles boomed with a hint of laughter in his voice. This was getting juicy quickly, Beryl thought!
["Cheeky. No, today was not fun."]
"Oh, come on, tell me what fun is?"
["I'll tell you what fun isn't - when you: a) see six clients, back to back, and the third spilled their latte in your waiting room but didn't tell you about it, but the fourth one does, b) find out the bloody window washers can't come until August to clean your bloody window because of some bloody scaffolding work, and c) forgot your lunch at home!" Elsie was steamed. "And –
"And?"
"And as if all that weren't enough, how would you like it if Lady somehow got into your hamper whilst you were in your morning shower only to walk out and find two pairs of your pants ripped to bits? Hmmm?"]
"Rip up your knickers? That is naughty!"
Beryl, who had been trying to multitask definitely heard that – and was now fully locked into the one-way conversation. She was getting a sense that Charles Carson had a whole different side to his personal life than she had any inkling of before! She didn't know as she liked the revelation, but had best listen further given her interest in pairing him up with Elsie.
["I'll say! Charlie, I am so ready for this day to be over. And without any lunch I'm hungry. What are we doing?"]
"Well, first of all, I want you all to myself. It's been four days since –"
["Since that delicious Mediterranean dinner with Richard and Isobel. Oh, that's just making me more hungry, it was so good, so fresh."]
"Yes it was, and I would go so far as to say not just good but very…satisfying. Anyway, as I said, just the two of us, none of that couples stuff again like Friday night – at least for a while again. But I found them nice, kind of tame? How about you?"
["I enjoyed their company and seriously, where else would I hear about acupuncture?"]
"Oh, for certain, I learned a few things myself! Based on that, I have an idea of what I'd like tonight, but really I want to hear what you have in mind, my dear." Out of the corner of her eye, Beryl noticed Charles waggle his prominent eyebrows with that comment.
["Well, I did happen to be looking online and there was a review of a place kind of near me and –"]
"You read about something new and you think we should try it. Intriguing set up."
["The food sounded good and in the photos the place looked warm and cozy."]
"On the intimate side it sounds?"
["Mmmm. But maybe you'd prefer to go somewhere you know, it sounds like your day could have been better as well."]
"Oh, I'm counting on you to help make it so! Don't misunderstand me, I always like to try something new."
["Well, this place sounds like a bit of a throwback."]
"Don't be bashful, just tell me already!"
["You liked Fun Shui, and I wonder if that means you like other Asian food."]
"Yes, I do, there aren't many things that I dislike, in fact." He chuckled again, patting his stomach.
["Well, do you remember hot pot from the 1980s?"]
"I do remember trying it - that was crazy fun! Say more."
["So you've had hot pot before?"]
"Yes, yes, but I can't think of how long it's been since I tried it."
["Well, that's this place's specialty."]
"Ooh, is it good and hot? Because I remember I liked it really hot. If you can't guarantee it will be super hot, forget it. And you have to start with a good bone, a big meaty bone."
["That's what the critic was saying – he gave them 5 stars for the heat. Well, 5 stars for the temperature and 5 stars for the spice."]
"Yum. I always like it when things are spicy! I don't know if you know that about me yet."
["You sound just like Martha! Let's see, I've got the article here right now. What did they say…5 stars for temperature and spice, served with an array of vegetables, noodles and then you just put the fresh herbs in and you're done."]
"Back up, back up, on the bottom or on top?"
["Top, no doubt about it."]
"On the top she says! The lady knows what she likes. That's my preference as well."
Beryl couldn't contain herself any longer and lowered her face below the counter, to mouth to herself, "On the top she says?!"
["No, you don't want to submerge the herbs, just blanch them. I remember pinching the herbs with my chopsticks and just swirling them once or twice around the bowl and then lift them out. At least that's what I do with Pho. Have you tried that?"]
"You expect me to put it in and swirl it around? I don't know if I can do that, change my ways at my age. I've always just dipped in and out, quick over and over, put it in, nice and slow, before things go limp.
["Oh? Where'd you pick that up?"]
"From Alice for sure, she liked it that way though she always told me don't take such a big bite. But honestly, first time was before her, I'm sure I tried it at Uni." He chuckled, "No, now that I think about it, maybe even before then!"
["The only thing is, they don't take reservations and I know it may not seem necessary on a weeknight, but this article said they'd had a resurgence. Do you think you can meet me there by, oh 5:30 at the latest?"]
"Sounds a little risky, but if not tonight, I'd be game to try it another one."
By now, Beryl Patmore was so flustered in filling in the blanks and [mis]interpreting innuendos over the last few minutes that she thought Charles had just said, "risqué!" She was therefore startled when her husband walked up behind her and asked her when the courier was due to arrive. She told him the driver wouldn't be here for a good hour yet, why was there something wrong? He needed Mr. Carson.
"Well, you can have him! All the while I thought he was a good and decent chap Bill, but he's nothing but a pervert by the sound of it! Who would have guessed?! And here I was thinking he'd be a good catch for Elsie!" Bill Mason just shook his head, his wife just couldn't stay out of other people's business.
Charles had been ambling around the waiting area the whole time he was speaking with Elsie, focused intently on her on the other end of the line so when he looked up and saw Dr. Mason in the waiting room trying to get his attention, Charles realized he best hang up. "I've got to go, Els, Dr. Mason needs me. I'll call you when and we can hook up."
Did he just say 'Els'? Beryl wondered. No, couldn't be. Must have been some other kinky thing, probably some position she hadn't heard of before, like Hell's Bells or something...
He didn't even wait for her to say goodbye, but Elsie hardly noticed. "He called me Els…", Elsie thought. There'd been only two people in her life who had ever called her Els: her da and Joe, Joe Burns.
When Dr. Mason led him from the waiting room back to Dr. Parker's office and closed the door behind the both of them, Charles knew something was very wrong.
"Mr. Carson, we have Shrimpie's results back from the lab. Let me begin by saying we don't know what it is, but it's not an infection." He let that sink in for a moment, in reality it took Charles back four years to when he'd found himself in a similar conversation with Alice's second OB-GYN surgeon – the irony of considering him "the good doctor."
Dr. Mason continued, "We're glad you could bring Shrimpie in so soon. We'd like to take a tissue sample today and send that in. If we finish in the next little while, send it off yet today, we can probably have it back tomorrow and we go from there."
Charles heard himself ask the question, "What do you think it is?"
"We don't like to speculate Mr. Carson, malpractice and all."
"Dr. Parker, would you excuse us please?" Charles turned to the young doctor seated behind his desk the whole time.
"Of course, Mr. Carson." And he stood up and slipped out the door of his own office.
Charles was leaning against the backrest of the side chair, his grip digging into the fabric and foam underneath. "Dr. Mason, this sounds serious."
"Yes, I think it is."
Charles exhaled and transferred his hands to his temples pressing the bases of both hands hard against his forehead. "I should call Sybil. What do I tell her?"
"The truth."
"Which is?"
"In all likelihood, Shrimpie doesn't have very long to live."
Charles just looked at him. With a heavy heart, Charles replied, "Go get your sample then."
"I'll have Dr. Parker prep her. She's really going to be fragile tonight, best stay with her."
Dr. Mason left the office, leaving Charles alone.
He dialed Elsie. "Well that was quick!" she said cheerfully.
He sighed into the phone. "I'm guessing the hot pot place doesn't do take away."