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Maureen had awoken early on Tuesday morning, troubled by the day ahead which would culminate in her dinner with Ron. There was a difficult conversation to be had and it was a relief in a way that by the end of today it would be over. Whether she would have any sort of relationship any longer would remain to be seen. After a swim she planned to go to the supermarket to buy some things for dinner. It was going to seem a long day before 7 p.m. arrived.
She switched on the radio whilst she was making herself some breakfast and was relieved to hear that the terrorist incident in India had ended after a long siege. Two people had been killed when the terrorists had initially stormed the hotel but the death toll could have been much higher. There were reports of a brave member of staff who had ushered guests to safety and had hidden them in a basement until they could be rescued. Maureen couldn’t imagine the awfulness of their ordeal and realised that her dinner with Ron was nothing compared with the tragedy which some people had to bear in their lives.
Despite her marriage and her life not being the happiest, she had never had to struggle to make ends meet and she had stayed with him by choice. How she wished she’d had the courage to leave him earlier and gain some qualifications. She could have had her own career and been independent.
Now through some quirk of fate, she found herself wealthier than she could ever have imagined. This could change her life forever and she had not really had the time or inclination to think about its full ramifications. Her brain could only cope with so much and for the moment it was focussed on the phone call which threatened to shatter her new found relationship.
**
News of Nick’s ordeal dominated the conversation in the chemistry laboratory at the University. Clearly, Nick would be off for a few days and Pat had taken over some of his more immediate and pressing tasks. The issue of finding new contractors in India was still important but Pat was going to try to conduct discussions using Skype. Matt had called everyone together for a short meeting to explain the situation.
‘I’m sure Nick will soon be in touch when he gets back to the UK. He’ll be arriving back this evening. It’s probably best to contact him by email tomorrow if you want to. I’ve told him not to come in for a few days.’
People mumbled their approval. Silence settled on the meeting and Matt was conscious that it could so easily have been tragic news he was having to deliver.
‘So, a bit of good news,’ he offered. ‘The front-runner compound UP-627 will be starting the Phase I study today followed quickly by a small Phase II study in patients. I’m sure you will all agree it’s good news. Fingers crossed for a good outcome.’
Everyone looked pleased apart from Joe who was still sore about not being accepted on the trial. He had been relying on the money. If he were to buy another car he would need a loan and he’d tentatively broached the subject with his parents but unsurprisingly they were unable to help him. His father was still struggling to find work due to being laid off and they were eating into what little savings they had. The bank might be reluctant to lend him any money as he was still in debt with student loans from his first degree. The meeting dispersed and the group continued to chat about Nick and the events in India. Life continued as normal.
**
Liam Bolton was at work in the pharmacy. Not surprisingly there was talk about the terrorist incident in India. He had tried to distance himself from the discussion as it only made him angrier and he didn’t want to let anything slip which might incriminate himself. He noticed that a sheaf of prescriptions had just come over from the adjacent surgery. It was going to be a busy morning. He quickly leafed through them and noticed that once again there was one for Mrs Kouri. This was becoming a joke. How many prescriptions did that woman have he asked himself?
The flip side was that it was all extra business for the pharmacy and would offset some of the losses they were suffering. Losses which were going to fund a good cause. His business after hours was booming and he hoped that during lunchtime he would be able to fulfil his orders from his private customers. Fortunately, Gerald Shipton took little interest in his businesses nowadays and was apparently busy working on his handicap on the golf course. It was amazing how some people were lucky in life and managed to create so much wealth so easily he thought to himself. He looked out into the shop and saw one of his regular customers.
‘Yes, Mrs Weston?’ he asked. ‘How are you feeling today?’
‘Oh, mustn’t grumble,’ she replied. ‘Another prescription. It’s a good thing I don’t have to pay.’
‘Yes, well, you’ve paid your taxes for long enough I think,’ said Liam. ‘Now take a seat and I’ll sort this out for you in a jiffy.’
‘Oh, Liam, you are such a nice boy. If only all assistants were as helpful as you the world would be a better place.’
‘Nonsense, just doing my job,’ said Liam as he headed into the dispensary to collect Mrs Weston’s several items.
**
Polly was at work but barely able to concentrate. Luckily she didn’t have any meetings today as she would doubtless make an idiot of herself. She had managed a couple of hours sleep just before dawn and so had woken with a slight headache. Normally she would have taken painkillers but she was worried whether she should at such an early stage of pregnancy. She was trying to drink water regularly and that seemed to be helping.
Her phone rang. ‘Nick? Are you OK?’
‘Yes, fine. I’m just phoning to say that I’ll be getting a flight which gets into Heathrow at about 9 p.m. UK time. So you won’t hear from me after lunch UK time, I’ll be on the plane.’
‘Oh, that’s great. Have you got a taxi organised?’
‘No, Brett is coming to collect me. It’s really good of him.’
‘Well, that’s brilliant. I can’t wait to see you!’
‘Me too. Now, look after yourself. I’ll text you the flight number so you can track it.’
‘Thanks. Love you!’
‘Love you too.’
Polly disconnected and felt so happy. Nick would soon be back with her again and she could tell him her news. It was going to be a long afternoon but at least she had something to look forward to, that was the main thing.
