Hey, Nukia here!
This fanfiction is a side story to Beyond This Love.
I don't know if any of my old readers are reading my rewrites anymore, but I'm going to keep going. I'm not sure if this chapter will make sense, it's split into 3 parts and I've got a feeling that I've missed something but I'm not sure what yet.
But thank you for the reviews, favorites and the alerts! Also to the unknown people who read my fanfictions, I promise it will pick up at some point! If you don't like it, then don't read it.
Chapter 16!
I arrived back at my Aunt's cottage about 4 hours ago from Oxford, I'm so tired after the train journey back to Winchester. But I enjoyed spending time with Bella and Jamie, I visited so many places well I was staying with them. I went to the shopping centre, I went for a wander around the grounds of Oxford University and basically saw all the sights of the town. I also went to visit my Mum and Grandmother's grave, it felt weird going back to see their gravestone after all of these years. I plan to visit Bella again really soon if my Aunt will let me sometime next year in the summer.
I looked over at my duffel bag leaning against my wardrobe, I'm feeling to sleepy to unpack my dirty clothes right now. I've been getting up earlier than I normally would well I was staying with Bella, but I didn't mind because I got to do many fun things with her and little Jamie.
" Elizabeth, I've made you a tuna and sweetcorn sandwich!" I heard Rose call from downstairs. " Do you want me to bring it upstairs to your room or shall I leave it in the fridge until your ready to eat?"
" I'll be down in a moment or two!" I yelled.
" I'll put it in the fridge then!" I heard her yell back to me from downstairs with a laugh. " Why don't you take a nap, I'll wake you up when it turns 4pm!"
" Okay!" I yelled.
I blew my fringe away from my eyes, I lay back on my bed and stretched my arms out on my bed. I looked at my alarm clock on my bedside table, it was now 2:30pm and I didn't feel like moving from my comfy bed. I grabbed hold of one of my pillows from my bed, I snuggled my face into it and closed my eyes as I curled up into a ball. I guess I could just rest my eyes for one moment, a little nap doesn't sound like a bad idea right now.
I felt myself being roughly shaken awaken, I partly opened my eyes to see Rose looking down at me with a look of concern on her face as she kept repeating name. I quickly sat up in my bed, I looked around my bedroom and heard male voices coming from downstairs.
" What's going on? Do we have visitors?" I asked sleepily. " Is it 4pm already?"
" Oh Elizabeth, something terrible as happened to your Aunt!" She said with a hint of worry in her voice as she took hold of my hands. " You've got to get your coat on and come with me immediately, Miss Havisham as been rushed to the hospital!"
" What?!" I asked, I quickly slid from my bed and put my shoes on." What's happened?! Is my Aunt Thora okay?!"
" I don't know my love, but be quick and get your coat!" She replied as she switched my bedside table's lamp off. " She's been taken to Royal Hampshire County Hospital, there is a taxi waiting for us outside of the cottage!"
I rushed out of my bedroom with Rose, we hurried down the stairs and took our coats from the pegs in the hallway. I watched Rose hurry into the kitchen to get her handbag, she yelled to me to go and get her set of cottage keys from the key bowl in the living room. I walked into the living room, I saw blue flashing lights coming from the road outside of the cottage. I took a look around the room as I grabbed Rose's keys from the bowl next to the sofa, my Aunt's favorite teacup lay broken on the floor and her book left open on the arm of her favorite Victorian leather sofa chair. I carefully picked her broken teacup up from the floor, I placed the broke pieces of the teacup down on the coffee table and walked out of the living room.
" Elizabeth, can you grab Miss Havisham overnight bag from the hallway before we leave?" I heard Rose call from the kitchen." I'm just locking the kitchen's back door and closing the window, I'll just be one moment!"
" Okay!" I nodded, I glanced over at my Aunt's overnight bag by the coat-rack and put my coat on as Rose left the kitchen. " Did you pack her favorite nightgown and hot-water bottle?"
" Oh course! Come on my dear, let's get going..." She replied, she closed the kitchen door behind her and placed her hand on my shoulder as she led me towards the front door. " Your Aunt is most probably at the hospital by now, she left about 30 minutes ago. I didn't want to wake you well the paramedics were here, it would have only distressed you..."
" I understand Rose, what happened to my Aunt?" I asked.
" It's not my place to say my love, let's just get to the hospital and see what the doctors say..." She answered. " I hope I remembered to locked the back door, we don't want any unwelcome visitors well we're at the hospital..."
" You've locked it..." I said with a slight smile as I grabbed my Aunt's overnight bag from the floor. " The cottage isn't that important right now, we need to get to the hospital and be there for my Aunt Thora. She needs us, we've got to look after her until she feels better again and she will be okay, right Rose?"
" I bet she will be just fine, let's hurry now!" She replied.
I hurried through the front door of the cottage with Rose, she locked the door and put her set of keys in her handbag. We hurried along the pathway together, I closed the garden gate behind me and got in the back of taxi. I hugged my Aunt's overnight bag close to my chest as the taxi pulled away from my home, I looked through the car's back window and saw a police car parked outside of the cottage as the taxi drove off down the lane.
The taxi pulled up outside of the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Rose took her purse from her handbag and told me to wait inside of the hospital for her. I got out of the taxi, I closed the car's door behind me and hurried into the hospital's reception. I stopped near some blue plastic chairs in the reception area, I took a quick look around the reception as I chewed at my bottom lip. I've never liked hospitals, the smell of disinfectant and the beeping sounds of the machines always made me feel nervous. I saw Rose hurrying through the main entrance of the hospital, she made her way to the reception desk and took an envelope from her handbag. I quickly followed after her, we got directions from the receptionist to the ward that my Aunt was being kept on. We made our way to the ward my Aunt was being treated on, we saw a dark-haired nurse on the reception desk on the ward and Rose gave her my Aunt's details.
" Miss Thora Havisham..." She said well she looked through her records on the desk. " Ah yes! She's in the side-room at the end of this corridor, her room number is 4C. But at the moment she's being seen by one of our doctors, so if you wouldn't mind taking a seat at the end of the corridor and I will inform him that you're here now. There's a drink vending machine down there too in case your little one needs a drink, the canteen is also open till late if you get hungry..."
" Yes, thank you..." Replied Rose. " Come on Elizabeth, we've got to go this way..."
I took hold of Rose's hand as we walked together down corridor, she stopped me by a row of blue plastic chairs along the wall of the corridor and took her purse from her handbag. I placed my Aunt's overnight bag down on one of the chairs, I watched the nurse from the reception desk go into the side-room numbered 4C and she closed the door quietly behind her.
" Elizabeth, why don't you get us some hot drinks from the vending machine down the hall..." I heard Rose say. " We maybe waiting for a while yet to see a doctor, so we better get something warm to drink well we've got the chance..."
" Okay, what would you like to drink?" I asked and turned my attention to Rose. " Tea, soup, hot chocolate, coffee..."
" Tea for me, you on the other hand better stay away from the coffee..." She answered, she took some money from her purse and held a few coins towards me on her hand. " Here we go, that should me enough. You better hurry up my dear, I'm gasping for a hot drink..."
" Okay.." I nodded.
I took the money from Rose's hand, I walked back down the corridor and stopped in front of the vending machine. I read through the list of drinks and settled on a hot chocolate for myself. I put some money into the machine, I ordered a tea for Rose first and then a hot chocolate for me. I took the plastic cups from the machine, I looked back down the corridor and saw a blonde-haired doctor talking to Rose. I carefully walked back down the corridor, I stopped near a water cooler and listened in on their conversation.
" Miss Morrissey?" He asked.
" Yes, that's me..." She answered.
" Hello, I'm Doctor James Marshall..." He smiled and shook Rose's hand. " I'll be treating Miss Havisham well she's under our care in this ward, I don't have all of her results back just yet. But from what I gather this is not the first time she's been rushed into hospital in the last few months, am I correct?"
" Yes, she was rushed in on August the 15th with breathing problems..." She answered. " Is Miss Havisham okay? It was quite a shock to my system when she collapsed after she had her afternoon tea, I'm here with her young Great Niece Elizabeth. She doesn't know that her Aunt is seriously ill, we made up a covering story saying that her Aunt was staying in a health retreat in the Peak District the last time she was rushed into the hospital. If you could please keep it discreet for her sake, we plan on not telling her just yet..."
" I understand..." He nodded.
I hid behind the water cooler and leant back against the wall as I took a sharp breath, I must be hearing things. Why would Rose and my Aunt lie to me about the Peak District? What is going on? If my Aunt is really that sick then why haven't they told me yet? I peeped my head around the water cooler and continued to listen in on their conversation.
" I'm afraid to say Miss Havisham as a mild case of Pneumonia, we were very lucky to catch it when we did..." I heard him answered. " It says in her medical notes that a close family member of Miss Havisham died from Pneumonia, am I right?"
" I'm not really sure, you're asking the wrong person for that kind of information..." She replied. " You're best calling her GP, he's got all of Miss Havisham's medical family history in his records from her Father to her Mother and other family members..."
" You're right sir!" I said loudly, I hurried over to the doctor with the cups of hot drinks in my hands and stopped next to him as I spilt some of the tea on the floor. " My Mum died of Pneumonia when I was 8 years old, I was given the Pneumococcal Vaccine because there's a history of lung disease in my family. My Grandmother, Annabella died from respiratory failure and..."
" Elizabeth!" Interrupted Rose as she placed her hand on my shoulder. " Don't be rude, the doctor was talking to me!"
" I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you both..." I sighed." But how is my Aunt Thora? Will we be able to see her?"
" It's quite alright, you don't have to say you're sorry..." He smiled. " You seem to know your families medical history quiet well, that's good that you informed me about the lung disease in your family. But your Aunt is being cared for by one of our nurses right now, you may not be able to see her until tomorrow morning..."
" Oh..." I sighed.
" Excuse me doctor, but what will happen now?" Asked Rose." When will Miss Havisham be allowed to come home? Will she need any care workers or the local doctor to pay her visits in the week? I have to say Miss Havisham is set in her ways, she dislikes change in her daily routines..."
" At the moment she will be staying in hospital for the next few days, she needs to have more bloods taken and around the clock supervision for the moment..."He replied. " There will be a few changes to her daily routine, she will need a oxygen canister for her breathing at times and her medication will be doubled at some point in the future months..."
" Oh I see, how long will it take her to recover this time?" Asked Rose.
" It will take her about two to four weeks to recover, I've prescribed some antibiotics for Miss Havisham to take once a day..." He replied as he closed his folder and put his pen in his suit pocket. " Just give her the antibiotics, make sure she gets plenty of rest and fluids. Other than that she will be back on her feet in no time, but you do understand that her lungs are deteriorating at a slow rate. Like before we've discussed in the past that we're not sure how long Miss Havisham as left, have you discussed future plans yet with her?"
" Are you saying my Aunt is going to die?!" I gasped and looked up at Rose. " Tell me that he's lying! She can't die yet, she's to much of a firecracker to die!"
" Elizabeth, it's okay..." She soothed as she gently rubbed my shoulder and kept her eyes on the doctor. "I understand doctor, thank you for your time..."
" It's not a problem, I will come back when I know more..." He smiled.
I watched the doctor walk down the corridor, I looked up at Rose standing next to me and watched her sit down on one of the chairs by the wall. I walked over to her and sat down next to her. I held her cup of tea I got from the vending machine towards her, I gave her a small smile as she took the cup from my hand and sighed deeply to myself. I guess my Aunt Thora is really sick this time, I don't really know what to think right now after what the doctor had told us.
" I'm sorry for my outburst, I should have known better..." I said quietly.
" It's okay my love, it's not your fault how you reacted..." She smiled.
" She will be okay for now though, right?" I asked.
" Of course, your Aunt is a firecracker like you said..." She replied, she put her arm around me and kissed the top of my head. " I bet she'll be right as rain by the morning and demanding her morning cup of tea, but you do understand that your Aunt is really ill. We didn't want you to find out this way, your Aunt was planning to tell you about her..."
" It's okay Rose, I understand!" I interrupted." You don' have to say it, it's okay!"
" You've grown up to quickly, you're a credit to Miss Havisham..." She smiled. " You don't know how much you mean to her, she is very proud of you even if she doesn't show it. Do you want me to grab you a bite to eat from the canteen?"
" No, I'm not hungry right now..." I replied quietly and took a sip of my hot drink. " Do you think we will be able to see her tonight? I know the doctor said in the morning, but I just want to see her..."
" We'll see my dear, will you be okay for a moment well I just make a few phone calls?" She asked, she removed her arm from around me and picked her handbag up from the floor. " There is a few people I need to ring, I'll only be at that payphone down the corridor..."
" Yes, I will be fine..." I answered.
" Good girl, I'll try to hurry..." She smiled.
I watched Rose walk off down the corridor, I took another sip of my hot chocolate and looked over at the side-room my Aunt was staying in. I'm not really sure what's wrong with her, but I hope she gets well enough soon so she can returned back to the cottage. I want to make her happy and spend more time with her before I lose her, I can't think of my life without my Aunt being part of it.