Page 10 of A Found Family at the Cornish Country Hospital

‘Zahir’s going to be pleased that Esther and Danni have got themselves into the first two lanes. Are you okay?’ He waited as she tried and failed to stop coughing. ‘Let’s go and get you a drink.’

‘I’m fine, it’s—’ The rest of her words were stolen by a cacophony of sound that could almost have passed for a small explosion, if Isla hadn’t witnessed Christine, the head of catering, giving an almighty sneeze. Everyone at the hospital knew Christine. Her ready laugh and willingness to provide a plate of toast and a cup of tea, to calm any crisis, even when thekitchen was officially closed, made her hugely popular among the staff, although Isla had known her long before she’d joined St Piran’s. Christine was a friend of Isla’s grandparents, and they all belonged to the Port Agnes Quicksteppers, where Gwen now headed up the over-sixties dance team. The sneeze might have been enough to make everyone jump, but Christine’s reaction afterwards was even louder, as she screamed and clutched her back.

‘Aargh! Oh my God, it’s agony, I think I’ve popped something!’ Christine’s face was twisted in pain, as Aidan and Isla broke into a run, heading towards her, with Danni and Esther already focusing their attention on her too.

‘Someone else is going to have to take my spot in the race. I don’t think I can move.’ Christine grimaced again.

‘That’s the last thing you need to worry about. You might have done yourself a serious injury.’ Danni’s tone was insistent, but gentle. ‘Have you had back pain before?’

‘In my job? You’re joking, aren’t you?’ Christine managed a rueful smile. ‘Sciatica is my old pal, but if I avoid doing stupid stuff like trying to lift sacks of potatoes, or leaning over the sink for too long, I can usually keep it at bay. But this feels worse than all the other times. Ow! For God’s sake, how can I have done myself an injury from sneezing?’

‘You’d be amazed what the force of a sneeze can do.’ Aidan gave her a sympathetic look. ‘I’ve had patients who’ve suffered whiplash from sneezing.’

‘Can’t your eyes pop out if you try to sneeze with them open?’ One of the other staff, who Isla recognised from the hospital restaurant, but whose name she didn’t know, raised her eyebrows. But Danni shook her head.

‘That’s an urban myth. But you do need to get checked out, Christine. Do you feel as if you can bend forward or twist at the waist?’

‘Ow, oh no, no, no!’ Even the slightest movement of her body seemed to be agonising.

‘Is she going to be able to walk again?’ Christine’s colleague from the restaurant widened her eyes in horror at the prospect of it being so serious.

‘I bloody hope so, Janice, because Gwen’s going to kill me if I can’t. I’m supposed to be in her team for the dance competition in Redruth next month.’

‘Don’t worry about that now, Christine. We’ll see if we can get you a bit more comfortable.’ Isla positioned herself next to the older woman. ‘Try putting your arm around my shoulder and using me like a sort of crutch, and see whether that eases the pain at all.’

‘It does a bit, but I feel as though, if I could lie down, it might help even more.’ Her body was stooped forward and the pinched look on her face seemed to have eased a little bit.

‘Do you think it could be a vertebral compression fracture?’ Isla had seen this once before, with a patient who’d desperately tried to hold in a series of sneezes during the delivery of a eulogy at a funeral service. When she looked at Danni, she was nodding again.

‘It could be.’

‘That sounds serious. That’s a break in the spine, isn’t it?’ All the colour had drained from Christine’s face, and she swayed against Isla.

‘It sounds a lot worse than it is.’ Danni’s tone was reassuring. ‘You’re going to need a scan to make sure. But if it is a vertebral compression fracture, it’ll probably heal without any intervention. You’ll be given painkillers, but the most important thing will be to keep weight off the injury as much as possible, because sitting and standing will make the pain worse until it starts to get better.’

‘How long for?’ Christine still looked very pale.

‘At least six weeks, but we’re not even certain that’s what it is yet. Let’s just take it a step at a time.’ Danni turned towards Esther. ‘I’m sure Gwen said there’s a first aid tent next to the practice green outside the clubhouse. We need to see if they’ve got anything that might be useful, until we can get Christine to the hospital.’

‘I’m on it.’ Esther was already heading in the direction of the clubhouse, and other people had begun to move over towards the starting line.

‘Let’s get Christine somewhere she can try lying down and have a bit more privacy. Behind the gazebo over by the tombola stall is probably the closest place.’ As Danni spoke, Aidan moved to Christine’s other side.

‘So are you lot forfeiting the race then?’ Rory, one of the physios, might have been smiling when he asked the question, but Isla had a strong suspicion he wasn’t joking.

‘Not on your life.’ Zahir was already grabbing the sack out of Danni’s hand, and he turned back towards where he’d been standing. ‘Gary, you need to get over here to sub for Esther, or Amy can. Then we just need to get someone to take Christine’s place.’

‘Yep, there’s definitely no danger of me wanting to start a relationship with Zahir.’ Isla kept her voice low, as she and Aidan began to help Christine towards the tombola stand, and even their patient giggled, before she winced in pain again.

‘You’ve got to stop making me laugh, it’s bloody agony.’ Behind them the sports day seemed to be getting back on track as quickly as it had been interrupted, but Isla was glad to be helping Christine instead. This was all she’d ever wanted to do, for as long as she could remember. Every time she managed to make someone feel a little bit better, it felt as though her father was watching her, almost like they’d never really had to say goodbye at all.

Christine’s popularity meant there was no shortage of offers of help in the wake of her accident. Isla’s grandparents had been among the first to arrive in what had turned out to be the not-so-private spot behind the tombola. They’d come armed with blankets from the car, and as many cups of tea in cardboard cups as they’d been able to carry from the refreshment stand.

‘We thought Chrissy and her rescuers might be in need of a cuppa.’ Isla’s grandmother beamed in her direction. She’d always been incredibly proud of Isla’s job, and she used every excuse she could to slip the fact that her granddaughter was a nurse into completely unrelated conversations.

‘Joy by name, and Joy by nature.’ Christine reached up a hand from her position on the ground. ‘Although I might have to let it cool off a bit, or I’ll probably tip it straight on to my face, lying down like this, and add third-degree burns to the list of things I’ve got wrong with me.’

Isla hadn’t wanted to worry Christine more by telling her that there was a good chance she might have osteoporosis, if she’d fractured a vertebra just by sneezing. But even lying on the ground hadn’t been a barrier to her googling why it might have happened, and it was clear she was scared of what the implications might be.

---