There’s Always Tomorrow – Episode 31
There's Always Tomorrow by Mark Neilson
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- 1. There’s Always Tomorrow – Episode 31
Larry was looking for a coffee machine for Lorna, who was now shaking like a leaf after her drive to the hospital.
Helen rose to her feet in the waiting-room where they had been left as one of the stroke unit nurses came in.
“How is the lady?” Helen asked.
The nurse nodded.
“She’s fine. You were right, it was a TIA. We’ve done the brain scan and there’s no haemorrhaging, so we’ve put her on to blood thinners to stop any repeat clotting.”
Glancing at the ashen-faced Lorna, the nurse grinned.
“That guy who brought you here wouldn’t take no for an answer, would he? We don’t have an A and E; we only take referrals.”
Helen nodded.
“Sorry about that, but I knew you would have all the equipment here to handle her. Larry is an ex-Army sergeant – they’re not used to taking no for an answer.”
The nurse laughed.
“My dad was one, too. A big gentle guy until there was an emergency, then he took control.” She looked at Helen. “You say you were a nurse? Where?”
“I was a sister, down south.”
“But you’ve quit?”
Helen grimaced.
“Pressure. A mistake was made when I wasn’t there to deal with it. I felt responsible.”
“Short-staffed?”
“What else?” Helen replied.
The nurse patted her arm.
“We’ve all been there, but you did brilliantly. You might have saved her life.”
Helen nodded.
“The quicker you get the patient to hospital the better.”
“Absolutely. I must get back to my ward. We are short-staffed here, too. If any admin type complains about you gate-crashing, ignore him.”
“Will do,” Helen replied, smiling. “We’re waiting for the lady’s son to be brought here, then we’ll leave him to sort everything out.”
Wullie turned up 20 minutes later with neighbour Isa and Ian Macdonald, Betty’s son, who had come straight from his tractor almost in mid-furrow at the ploughing.
He was a brawny young man in overalls and muddy boots.
That will give admin another nosebleed, Helen thought.
She took him through to the unit’s reception desk.
“Relax,” Helen said. “They’ve done a brain scan and your mum’s OK.”
“What was it?” Ian asked unsteadily.
“A blood clot messed up things in her brain for a few minutes. A mini stroke. Your mum got her legs back again quickly, and her speech is no longer affected.”
“Will there be any lasting damage? Another stroke?”
“The effects of the TIA are gone already. All she needs is rest and to keep down her blood pressure. They’ll give her tablets for that.
“They’ll also give her tablets to thin her blood and open up the blood vessels a little more. She was lucky to get this warning.
“Now she’ll be put on medication to stop a major stroke from happening.”
He stared at her.
“Are you a doctor?”
“No. A nurse,” Helen explained, handing him over to the unit’s staff.
She went back to find the others waiting for her.
“Isa’s going back in her car,” Larry said. “I’ve phoned Ian’s brother and he’s on his way here and he’ll be able to take Ian home. Lorna can drive us back.”
“Not me. I’m too shaky,” Lorna said.
“Then I’ll drive,” Wullie offered.
“You’re going to drive?” Larry asked. “Maybe I should walk?”
“Suit yerself,” Wullie said. “Let’s go. This place gars me grue.”
“It what?” Lorna asked.
“The polite version is that it makes him shudder,” Larry explained, smiling.
“Why didn’t he say that?” Lorna asked, a slow smile spreading on her face.
“I just did,” Wullie muttered under his breath.