Cold Wind in May

Writers' Cramp

"Baton down the hatches folks, we're expecting strong winds from the north tonight. Forget your summer clothes and grab your thermals as temperatures are dropping fast."

It was three in the morning when the sun lounger came crashing through the bedroom window. We were sleeping naked, spooning, after making love. John took the brunt of it as he slept on the window side of the bed. He cried out in pain as glass shards embedded themselves in his upper back.

"Stay where you are and I'll get an ambulance." I grabbed my underwear from the floor and glass splinters fell from it. "Ow!"

"You okay Jane?"

"Just a small bit in my foot. I'll be okay." I went to the drawers and grabbed fresh undies, then a jumper and a pair of cut off jeans. They weren't kidding when they said temperatures would drop rapidly. "Stay still, there's still a lot of glass everywhere."

I made the 999 call then grabbed the hand-held hoover. It buzzed around the bed clearing a path so that John could safely move. I threw him a pair of underpants to cover his dignity, then I waited by the front door for the blue lights.

When the paramedics arrived three hours later they insisted John lay face down on the stretcher for the journey. I hobbled behind in my flipflops. "Busy night?" Stupid question given the howling wind that was making steering the ambulance hard work.

"You don't know the half of it love. You two got off lightly."

I was thrown forward as the ambulance came to a sudden halt. I couldn't see the cause from the rear seat. "Tree down," the driver shouted through, "We'll have to find another route." It took us two hours to cover what should have been a fifteen minute journey.

A&E was packed. People with oxygen masks and tubes of all sorts were being rushed into the lifts. I suppose they were headed to the theatres. "Might I respectfully ask that those with only minor injuries go home and see their GP in the morning." The request was ignored by all but two.

John was wheeled into a bay where a nurse examined his back then left. "Get us a cuppa love."

"I'm not sure you should. You might need an operation or something." The or something came along two hours later. A nurse wheeled in a trolley and proceeded to remove the glass with tweezers. The cardboard kidney dish was soon full. A loose layer of gauze was taped across John's back and then she left again.

Suddenly it went dark. "Don't panic folks. The emergency generator will kick in soon." In the darkness machines gave off an eerie glow. I guess they had switched to battery power and that was why they were making bleeping noises. They were all pitched differently and it was like discordant music. Then the lights came on again and all but one distant bleep went silent.

"I've come to take you to xray mate. Can you manage to get into the chair?" The porter assisted John off of the trolley.

"If it's okay with you I'll stay here and get my foot sorted." It was only a small cut but it was really throbbing. I watched John disappear down a corridor then I called to a passing nurse. "Can you get someone to deal with my foot please?"

"Sorry Mrs Staunton, we didn't realise you were injured as well." I had a bit of a wait but finally I went through the same procedure as John. We were discharged and I went to the front desk to ask for a taxi.

"You'll be lucky love. They've warned everybody to stay off the roads. The buses are still running though." We must have looked a right sight, me hobbling on my injured foot, John dressed curtesy of lost property, both of us freezing cold, walking to the bus stop. But at least the sun had come out.

665 words