Casualty

Leonora was sitting on the cliff top with Tata's head on her lap. She was stroking Tata and talking to herself.

Tata and Leonora had started off with one of those good conversations about how wonderful and beautiful Tata was. Tata always enjoyed hearing about herself and added the odd "Grrrrruff," to the conversation.

But when Leonora changed the subject Tata became bored and dozed off to sleep.

Next to Leonora were the two little crutches. She had thanked them very nicely for their excellent efforts in getting her up the cliff and put them down carefully on the grass. They liked Leonora, it was good to be appreciated. They had chattered away together for a while, and then like Tata, had decided to take a nap.

Mrs Leonard arrived up the path first, and dashed past Leonora saying that she was going to try and bring the Land Rover further up the track. Then Leonora saw the arrival of the strange procession, the three big strapping men swaying gently as they carried Leonard between them.

He had his arms around two of them and the third was supporting his legs. How bizarre thought Leonora. Then she scowled. Why was Leonard being carried when her ankle was far worse than his?

The men put Leonard down on the grass next to Leonora and everyone had a rest. It wasn't easy carrying Leonard, even for three big strapping men.

"Why are you being carried? My ankle is far worse than yours, I should be the one to be carried. And I am much lighter than you," she said.

"You have one good leg Leonora. I don't. So there's an end to it," he replied. Do one.

"Why did you not tell Mrs Leonard I had twisted my ankle, you selfish woman?" he asked.

"She seemed to be under the illusion that I should have struggled heroically up the cliff path with you in my arms, accompanied by two little crutches, while stoically and bravely suffering the searing pain of a twisted ankle and the ongoing agony of the metal plate in my broken leg."

Leonora didn't know what to say. Leonard never spoke like that. He was always abrupt. Perhaps he had been reading trashy novels. Nor did she have an answer to the question.

"Anyway you look very silly," was all she could think of.

"Well, you've had plenty of time to rest, so you and the little crutches and Tata can start making your way back to Tata's Land Rover. Get a move on," he ordered. He was sick of Leonora and annoyed with himself that he had wasted time thinking pleasant thoughts about her. She was selfish, childish and rude.

Leonora did as she was told. Not because she felt like being obedient but because she was sick of Leonard too. The clumsy idiot shouldn't have fallen over when he was meant to be helping her.

She briefly thought about asking for one of the big strapping men to carry her, but reluctantly decided against it. Leonard was so heavy that it was taking three of them all their time to carry him.

The little crutches had woken up from their nap and jumped up eagerly, happy to help Leonora again. They smiled at her, trying to give her moral support, as well as physical support.

Five minutes or so afterwards, Leonard and the three men resumed their strange cumbersome procession and slowly staggered and swayed down the path.

Eventually, the invalids finally arrived back at the Land Rover, and installed themselves inside, with some difficulty.

Mrs Leonard set off to drive to the hospital.

"I don't want to go to hospital," piped up Leonora.

Leonard was losing his temper.

"Fine Leonora. You can wait in the Land Rover while I go into casualty. Then when we get home, you can pack your bags and drive yourself back home because I am fed up with your childish behaviour."

Leonard waited for his words to sink in. Given that Leonora could hardly walk on her right leg she was in no condition to drive anywhere.

"Or, you can go into casualty with me, and check that you haven't broken anything. At the very least you will need some sort of support, and depending on how badly you have sprained your ankle, you may need a plaster cast.

"You can act as irresponsibly as you want when you are on your own, but when you are a guest in my home I am not prepared to let your injury go untreated."

Leonora said nothing. There wasn't really anything she could say, and she gazed morosely out of the window. She had an intense dislike of hospitals and avoided them at all costs. Leonard was well aware of this and she thought he was being very unfair. And very bossy. And pompous too. She hated him.

Casualty was hell for Leonora. Luckily it wasn't particularly busy but she was in agony when her boot was taken off, and then again when they X-rayed her ankle. The general consensus was that her sprain was bad, and she should really have a cast, especially when she told them about all the previous accidents to the same ankle. Leonora groaned.

Apart from anything else, it was one thing having a cast as a teenager and escaping school, but on a middle-aged woman who had nothing to escape, it was just a drag. She would look most inelegant. And what was she going to do about getting home? It was all Leonard's fault.

Fortunately for Leonard, he fared slightly better and only needed a support stocking. But although he had been gradually increasing the weight-bearing on his broken leg, the medical staff were concerned that he might put too much weight on it now and set back his recovery. So he was consigned to a wheelchair for the next week.

When Tata and Mrs Leonard saw the two of them coming out of casualty they couldn't resist laughing. They looked so pathetic. On top of that they weren't speaking to each other, and both looked extremely sulky.

Not surprisingly, Leonard and Leonora were both thinking the same thing. What was to be done about Leonora? She was trying to work out how she would get home, while Leonard was trying to work out how to tell her she needed to stay with them until she was mobile again, knowing that she would immediately refuse to stay any longer. Not that he wanted her to stay for weeks on end, but he didn't want to see her in difficulty either.

Luckily Mrs Leonard efficiently jumped in to sort the issue before either of them had got round to mentioning it.

"Of course you will stay with us Leonora won't you, until your leg is better?" she said.

"Tata and Leonard and I wouldn't dream of seeing you trying to go home and manage alone when you are in such pain," she added tactfully to appease Leonora.

Leonard tried not to snigger. Tata barked her approval immediately.

"Grrr ruff ruff." Even if Leonora wasn't mobile she could play tugs all the time with Tata, and tell her how wonderful and beautiful she was. She put her head on Leonora's shoulder for emphasis.

"And when I go back to work, you and Leonard can keep each other company, so neither of you will be bored," said Mrs Leonard innocently.

Leonard thought that was rather sneaky and looked at Mrs Leonard suspiciously. Was she laughing at them both? But Mrs Leonard was concentrating on the road ahead and he couldn't see any change in her expression.

Leonora gave in. "Thank you," she said feebly. And wondered how on earth she was going to cope with staying with Leonard for more than a few days.