مرگ یا زندگی

Chapter five

Life or Death

Kathy heard people shouting, and then the sound of her bicycle wheel spinning round. She opened her eyes and saw William’s face, among other faces, looking down at her. Finally, she felt the pain all over her body. It slowly spread from her head to the rest of her body. It was so bad she could hardly breathe. A siren sounded in the distance. William, who sat on the road next to her, gently lifted her head.

“You shouldn’t move her. The ambulance is coming now.”

“This is a bad one. We’ll take her now.”

“Can I go with her in the ambulance?”

“She won’t know you’re there, but, get in if you like.”

“Don’t worry about your bike. We’ll bring it to the hospital.”

“Thanks.”

William climbed into the ambulance and sat down near Kathy. He felt terrible. In fact, he was shaking. Kathy looked so white and there was a deep cut on her head.

At the hospital, William was walking beside the stretcher, praying for Kathy’s life while tears filled his eyes. The nurse came up to him.

“Wait here, please.”

“Will she be all right?”

“I’m sure she will. You should drink a cup of sweet coffee. It’s good for shock. you look terrible!”

The nurse brought William some coffee. He drank the hot coffee slowly. The long wait had begun.

Slowly the young people from Helping Hand started coming into the hospital. At first they talked to William, but he didn’t want to talk. He only wanted Kathy to be well, happy and laughing again as she was a while ago on the way to the picnic. One hour passed, then another. The young crowd left, but William sat quietly and waited. the clock ticked on the wall and the hands moved round, then round again. William hated that clock! Then the door opened and the doctor walked up to him. William couldn’t speak or even breathe.

“Are you William?”

“Yes. How is she?”

“A nasty bump on the head, some cuts and bruises, but nothing broken. She’s awake now and wants to see you. Ah, she also shouted the name Hampton House. Is it her home?”

“No, it isn’t.”

“She must stay in town when she leaves the hospital. No long journeys on trains or buses.”

“I’ll make sure she stays in town - but can I see her now, please?”

“Yes, yes, she’s waiting for you.”

Kathy smiled shyly at William. He looked tired and his T- shirt was covered in dirt and blood. He sat down on the chair next to her bed.

“How do you feel? You gave me an awful fright.”

“Much better now. The doctor says I can go home tomorrow.”

“Yes, he said you’re fine. He also told me that you said something about a house called Hantom, Hanton, or something like that.”

“Hampton House! A lady I met in the Old People’s Home said she used to work there once.”

A nurse came into the room.

“It’s time you went, young man. Come again tomorrow and take her home.”

“Goodnight, Kathy. See you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, and thank you William.”

Kathy relaxed and closed her eyes. She thought about the old lady’s story.

“Who was the old woman? Why did she tell me about her past? She seemed to know me but I had never seen her before. Rich masters with lots of servants have not been around for a long time. And the old lady looked so old! This Lord Hampton - can he still be in that house? Why did she give me the invitation? Oh, it’s the bump on my head that makes me feel confused. The man must be over 100 years old. The house is probably empty.”

With this last thought, Kathy felt very calm. When the nurse opened the door a few moments later, she was pleased to see that Kathy was asleep.