‘I’ll go and find out what’s happening,’ I said, sounding more relaxed than I felt. Agnes nodded. She looked bewildered, a tremor shook her lower lip. She’d been tense and silent on the journey to the hospital.
If Lily was dead, how would Agnes bear it? But Lily hadn’t been frail, not in that sense, when I’d called on Saturday.
I saw the Irish nurse, whom I’d met before, along the corridor and asked her if we could have a word. She came into the room.
‘Do you know what’s happened?’ I asked
‘Mrs Palmer, is it?’ She checked.
‘Yes.’
‘I think she had a fall. They’ve taken her into the Infirmary. You’d be better talking to Mrs Li. I wasn’t on duty.’
Agnes followed me back to the reception area. Mrs Li told us that Lily had fallen early the previous evening. Dr Montgomery had been at the Unit and was able to assess her immediately. He recommended her transfer to the Manchester Royal Infirmary. He suspected that the fall had caused a small bleed to the brain. A scan and X-rays would show whether that was the case and whether there was any need to operate.
‘Oh, my goodness,’ said Agnes, ‘how is she? How did she fall?’
‘I really don’t know, I wasn’t here. We do get a lot of falls,’ she tried to reassure us, ‘problems with mobility. It was fortunate she was seen so promptly and I’m sure she’ll get the very best treatment there. She’s gone to the Regional Neurosurgery Unit, Mr Simcock’s the consultant. He’s very good,’ she persisted, ‘one of the best neurosurgeons there is anywhere.’
The phone rang and we waited while she answered it.
A woman with ill-matched clothes and lank grey hair had been hovering nearby, muttering repeatedly to herself. She moved closer, her hands clasped in front of her.
‘Did she fall or was she pushed? Answer me that. Humpty Dumpty fell, Baby Bunting fell, atishoo, atishoo, all fall down. They fell. She didn’t.’
‘Lily,’ I said, ‘Lily Palmer, did you see what happened? Did she fall?’
The woman shook her head on and on. Did she mean Lily hadn’t fallen or that she hadn’t seen anything?
‘I do not like thee, Doctor Fell, the reason why I cannot tell; But this I know, and know full well, I do not like thee, Doctor Fell. They took her, just like that.’ She kissed the air, turned and wandered away. It was impossible to know whether she really had something to tell us or whether she was living in a world of her own.
Mrs Li finished her call. ‘I’m sorry, is there anything else?’
I asked her which ward Lily was on.
‘I’m not sure. If you find the Neurosurgical Unit and ask there, they’ll tell you.’