THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS. GLAD I COULD MAKE YOU LAUGH A LITTLE BIT TOO. IT'S SUCH A SENSITIVE SUBJECT, I THINK A BIT OF HUMOUR IS NEEDED.
SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS A BIT SHIT...
Nikki paced up and down the hospital corridor. Destroying the sixth polystyrene cup she'd drained of coffee. Ripping the white foam up bit by bit was therapeutic, all the caffeine however, was not. Her nerves were shot. She wondered what was taking so long, yet on the other hand was glad they seemed to be taking their time. Hopefully handling the most precious thing in her life with the delicateness she deserved. She just wanted to know she was ok.
Lorraine blinked a few times. Squinting eyes being blinded by he bright lights above her. Oh great, the anesthetic hadn't worked. She was going to have to have yet another needle jabbed into her by sourface. She'd literally only just closed her eyes. Then Lorraine winced as she felt a pain in her throat, as her face moved, she felt hard plastic against it. An oxygen mask... Then she saw the smiley nurse looking down at her. Eyes still so full of care, she must deal with hundreds of patients everyday, Lorraine was just another job to her but she made her feel safe. Looked after. Just like Nikki did. Nikki. Lorraine wanted to see her. She pulled the oxygen mask off her face. That's when she realised that she hadn't just closed her eyes... the anestetic had in fact worked and she'd had the operation. As she moved she felt a sharp pain across her breast.
"Oh, don't try to move, sweetheart." The nice nurse stroked her arm gently.
"I... need to just... is Nikki still here?" Lorraine croaked. Her slurred speech surprising herself.
"The lady with you earlier? I expect so, yes." The nurse smiled widely. "She's been asking for regular updates."
"I pulled through." Lorraine looked shocked. "Did it all go ok?" Lorraine was scared of the answer to this question but wanted to hear it from this kind older lady rather than some doctor who just went through the motions.
"Well I'm definitely not an angel. Not with a face like this." The nurse giggled.
"I love your face." Lorraine slurred with a smile. Amusing the nurse. "When I open a hospital, I'm going to poach you from this place." Lorraine whispered. Well she thought she was whispering but she was infact shouting croakily. The nurse laughed.
"The doctor will be around to see you shortly. Once we've got you comfy on a ward." The nurse patted Lorraines hand and gently placed the oxygen mask back onto Lorraines pale face. Lorraine took a deep breath in and was grateful for the pain relief. Her chest was really sore. She closed her eyes and let the remainding drugs in her system consume her once again. Letting her sleep.
"Excuse me..." Nikki approached the young receptionist. She'd got sick of waiting around in a corridor and needed to know where her beautiful girlfriend was.
"Just one sec..." The receptionist held her hand up to Nikki whilst she finished off the tweet she was writing. Nikki assumed it was to tell Twitter just how bored she was... She looked like she was about to fall asleep. Her chavvy chewing of gum the only sign of life coming from her.
Nikki stood with her tongue in her cheek patiently. Even though she wanted to grab the phone and stamp on it. Once the receptionist finished whatever she was doing on her phone she looked up at Nikki.
"Done?" Nikki raised her eyebrows sarcastically. "I was just wondering if you could tell me where-"
The receptionists mobile started vibrating wildly on her desk and Nikki had quickly lost her attention as she once again held her hand up to silence her while she answered it.
"Hiya... Oh my god yeah. SO hungover though. Can't deal with today. I know... yeah it was mad wasn't it?" The receptionist was suddenly wide awake as she shouted over enthusiastically into her phone.
Nikki had to literally clench her fists. Digging her nails into the palms of her hands. Hands she wanted to wrap around this idiot receptionists neck.
"Can I just see that for a moment?" Nikki grabbed the phone out of her hand before she had a chance to answer. She then dropped it into the pint glass full of water on the desk. The one she was obviously using to try and banish her hangover.
"What the?!" The receptionist jumped up as if Nikki had physically hurt her.
"Now as I was saying... Lorraine Donnegan, where is she?" Nikki stared at the receptionist scarily. Intimidating her. Not something Nikki would normally condone but right now she'd do anything to just see Lorraine.
The receptionist manically tapped on her keyboard. Eyes full of grief for her iPhone. "She'll be in ward 31."
"Wasn't that hard was it?" Nikki scowled before running off to find ward.
"You owe me a new phone. Crazy bitch!" The receptionist shouted after her. Nikki stuck her middle finger up without even turning around. She might get a bit of work done now that her phone had been murdered.
Nikki ran through the hospital, not really knowing where she was going. Her feet pounding as fast as her heart. She'd never felt so nervous ever. Her tongue was sticking to the roof of her cotton wool filled mouth and she felt like if she stopped running, she would vomit. Angst burning up to her throat from the pit of her stomach. She managed to find ward 31, god knows how with the lack of signs in this massive hospital, but she did. She panted hard as she entered the ward. Scanning all the patients faces. There was an elderly lady siting upright knitting what looked like a scarf... for a giant. The mismatched orange and blue knotted together all the way from the needles to the end of the bed and further underneath. She didn't even flinch as Nikki burst in. Then there was a young girl, asleep hugging a teddy bear. She really didn't look well at all and Nikki felt a pang of sadness. There was one more patient in there but the curtain was pulled around. Nikki walked slowly over, catching her breath and calming down. She gripped the edge of the grey and green creased curtain, swallowed hard and pulled it open...
There she was. The love of her life. Laying asleep on the metal hospital bed with a pain relief mask above her head and a drip hooked up to her left arm. Nikki sighed. Half relief, half sadness at seeing Lorraine looking so weak. She slowly walked over to the bed and sat on the empty chair beside it. She took her hand and stroked it gently with her thumb. She could see a bandage poking out the top of Lorraines hospital gown above her left breast. She loved that bandage because she knew it was covering a scar. A scar she couldn't wait to see. Couldn't wait to kiss. Because that scar hopefully saved Lorraines life and in turn her own. That scar will be beautiful.
"You must be Nikki?"
Nikki wiped the tears away from her face that had escaped without her realising and jumped a little. Turning around she saw the smiley nurse standing behind her. Nikki nodded. Confused slightly. How did she know her name?
"Ms Donnegan was asking for you." The nurse winked.
"Ah right. Hope she wasn't giving you any trouble." Nikki tried to laugh but it wouldn't come out. Like her own laugh was controlled by Lorraine. Without her, it wouldn't make an appearance. No way.
"None at all. She is the only patient to ever offer me a job as soon as they come around from an op though." The nurse chuckled.
"Yeah, that sounds about right. She's always working this one." Nikki stroked Lorraines hand again. Swallowed hard and turned back to the nurse. "So... It all went well then, right?"
"The lump was successfully removed, yes." The nurse nodded but her smile faded slightly. This didn't go unnoticed by Nikki.
"So that's it? The cancers gone.." Nikki was looking at the nurse questioningly without actually asking the question because she could tell by the nurses face something wasn't right.
"Well it's not that simple. But, the doctor will be around shortly. You should discuss it with him, love." The nurse now avoided eye contact with Nikki. Looking at Lorraines chart hanging on the end of the bed, the drip, the pain relief mask... just anything rather than Nikki.
"Please? I've been waiting all day. I really need to know now." Nikki pleaded looking up at the nurse with red tear stained eyes.
"OK... step out for a minute" The nurse whispered and stepped outside the ward. Nikki kissed Lorraines forehead and then followed her with a heavy heart. She didn't like this. She didn't like it at all.