Double Glazing

Three weeks later, Eve and I married at the Registry Office. Andy was my witness, and one of Eve's friends, Jillian, acted as hers. I was surprised when Eve was married as Evelyn York, I hadn't known her maiden name. She told me why later.

"I wanted to marry you as Eve York, not Eve Chatsworth, I am attempting to wipe out that period in my life." I grinned telling her.

"In that case 'Now is the Winter of our discontent made Glorious Summer by this Daughter of York'." She made a face as she laughed

"That was horrible." I was laughing too, it had been a very contrived quotation. Bob Sellick came and insisted on taking us out that evening for a meal. There was little else to celebrate this union. We had partaken of the Honeymoon already.

Eve decided that she did want to move into my father's old house, and we finished clearing it before getting the decorators in. I left the choice of colours to Eve, and she spent some time with the decorator deciding her colour scheme. She paid particular attention to the bedroom that would be ours. My dad had rather old-fashioned ideas about decoration, and the place was a museum piece dedicated to the nineteen forties. When the decorator had finished the house had metamorphosed into the year two thousand and eight. It seemed bigger, light colours predominated, the kitchen gutted and re-fitted with modern appliances and a conservatory had been built on to the back, a wedding present from Bob. Eve and I settled quite easily into married life, without the hiccups that could arise as two people got used to sharing life. We shared all the mundane tasks, cleaning, cooking, and gardening and most importantly the loving, especially the loving. Eve was delighting in her new found freedom, playing variously the Vamp, the Femme Fatale, and the ingénue however her fancy took her. She didn't rebel completely against the rules laid down by Aubrey, dressing to go out with all the elegance she had been used to, but mostly preferring to dress in Jeans and a T shirt, and to my delight often nothing at all. We trolled through the papers, finding concerts we could go to, discussing the various merits and making decisions. Orchestral, Shakespeare at the Rep and at Stratford, and ballet at the Hippodrome, all were grist to our mill.

We were discussing what we would do to remodel the large garden, when suddenly tears came to her eyes. Concerned I asked.

"What's the matter? Did I upset you in some way." She shook her head.

"No. Completely the opposite. It came to me suddenly. You let me make all the choices about colours in the house, now we are talking about the garden, and you are asking for my opinion and listening to me. That is a new experience for me. He." As she referred to Aubrey now, "would make decisions and then inform me." She wandered away a little then turned with that irrepressible grin on her face.

"We must have a secluded area in this garden, because now I have this all-over tan, I want to keep it, and perhaps my husband will join me there." She smirked, "with particular emphasis on the 'join' bit."

"Hussy." She grinned.

"I know, and don't you just love it?"

I knew that it would not be long before Aubrey possessed the facts, you cannot keep a wedding a secret. I had decided that I was not going to take his vituperation anymore, and let Andy know that time had come to let Aubrey know his place.

"About bloody time." Was his comment.

We had been married for three months before Aubrey learned of the marriage. He exploded into my office like a tornado.

"You evil little Sod, and that goes for that bitch I just got rid of. You must have been planning this for months, you poofter. How the hell do you think you can satisfy her? Lifting shirts is more to your taste. Well you have had your laugh, now I am going to have mine. Start clearing your desk, arse-licker, how do you think you will keep her when you're out of a job, she's expensive you know. I'm going to see Andy, and this time you're gone. Then I am going to Sue you for alienation of affection. Not only will you be out of a job I shall take every last cent you have." I looked calmly at him, and picked up the phone.

"Let's do it now, Aubrey. I have to say you are a very brave man." His expression altered. This was not the reaction he expected.

"What does that mean?"

"Well if you want to Sue me for alienation of affection, then Eve in our defence will have to make public the reasons for your divorce. It will be an unusual case to say the least, especially as that particular complaint is not on the Statute Book in the U.K. I suspect the papers will love it." That stopped him. He couldn't know how much I knew about his divorce, but common sense told him that Eve would have said something to me. Add to the mixture the fact that he would not want the reason in the public domain.

"O.K. Shit. Maybe you can worm your way out of that, but I will sure have you out of your job."

"Well you had better speak to your Boss then."

"Damn right I will. Let's get Andy here now!"

"No need for that Aubrey. Speak to me. I am your Boss!"

Silence is golden, or so the saying goes. But this silence wasn't golden, well not for Aubrey. More a rather badly tarnished brass. His expression should have been captured for posterity, I know I shall remember it, yet never be able to quite put the expression into words. For moments he could find no words, when he did it was to bluster as usual.

"Lying little Shit. You Mr. 'queer' Birch are nobody. The office boy. Get Andy here now, We'll sort you out in next to no time." I still had the receiver in my hand so dialled Andy's number.

"Andrew Sellick."

"Andy, it's John. Aubrey is here, and would like a word with you."

"Is it what I think it is?"

"Yes."

"Right. I think this is going to be fun." I handed the phone to Aubrey, who immediately made his demands. Finishing with the words. "The Shit is now claiming that he is in authority, that he is the Boss." He listened to Andy, and his face faded from ruddy lustre, to a washed out bleached look.

"I d...don't understand...You're shitting me...That's a load of crap...He's what? " He listened some more. "His father?" I could hear the noise of Andy speaking but couldn't understand his words. I didn't need to as I had a fair idea of what he was saying. Eventually Aubrey slammed the phone down.

"Bastard!" He turned his back on me and stalked out of the office.

I never saw Aubrey again.

We didn't receive a letter from him, resigning his agency. There was no call to indicate his intentions, he just stopped working. We knew when we got calls from prospective customers who had appointments with him, and he didn't turn up. I would farm out these leads to other agents, who were quite happy to poach on his territory. I kept a close eye on what business was coming in, and was happy to tell Andy that the shortfall was very slight.

Eve had been worried from the start that without Aubrey, Sunrooms would suffer, after all he had over the years often told her how important he was to the business. When I explained that in fact there was little difference in our new order rate, she was relieved.

"So he wasn't so important after all." Was her comment.

"No." I replied, "and our gross profit has increased." She looked at me with that mischeivous expression of hers.

"So you will be in position to give me a job?"

"No I don't think so, Eve." I hurried to explain. "If we worked together, I would not be able to concentrate on my job, and I don't think the staff would be happy if they came in and found me having you over my desk, as I most surely would." She grinned.

"Good answer. That got you out of a lot of trouble."

Two weeks after that I was at my desk when Yvonne, our receptionist came in.

"John. I have two policemen in reception to see you." I suppose everyone in that situation will immediately try to recall if they had done something that required the police to call. I couldn't. So asked Yvonne to bring the in. It was actually a Detective Constable and a uniformed policewoman.

"Mr. Birch?" Asked the detective. I nodded. "I am Detective Constable Whittaker, and this is Constable Knight." He indicated the policewoman.

"What can I do for you?" I enquired.

"I am sorry to say, but your wife has been involved in an accident."

*

Chapter Eleven

A cold wind blew through my heart.

"How is she? Is she hurt? Where have they taken her?" The policewoman, Constable Knight came over to me, she put her hand on my arm.

"She's been taken to the General Emergency. She was conscious in the ambulance. We'll take you there now."

I went with them in the police car. The detective was driving, far too slowly for my temper. He took the opportunity to ask me some questions. Background stuff and where had I been all morning. I picked up on that question.

"Are you suggesting that this wasn't an accident?" There was a silence for a moment, it was either manouvering around a Bus, or because he wasn't quite sure what, and how much he could say. Policewoman Knight helped him out.

"The eyewitnesses thought that the car had deliberately mounted the pavement to hit Mrs. Birch."

"Let me guess, the car was a Jaguar." Whittaker looked at me in shock through the rear-view mirror.

"Why do you say that?" I explained the circumstances of Eve's divorce and our marriage.

"So you think that Mr. Chatsworth had a grudge against you." A grudge? I thought. More like an embittered hatred, but I said no more.

"Do you know where we could find Mr. Chatsworth?" I gave them the address of the 'Sycamores'. He used the Radio to advise his superior. When he used the words. "Possibly attempted Murder" It only re-inforced the suspicion I had.

As we got nearer to the hospital the traffic became quite congested.

"Music and Lights?" Suggested Constable Knight. Whittaker agreed, and The policewomen lowered her window and reaching out, stuck the blue flashing light on the roof, at the same time the Detective switched on the two tones. Like that we cleared through the traffic without trouble, and pulled into the entrance to the hospital. PC Knight turned to me.

"I'll come in with you, otherwise you will be held up by all the 'jobsworths' seeking to justify their existence. I nodded. She was right, she strode through the reception area and ignoring the queue she went to the desk.

"Mrs. Evelyn Birch." She demanded abruptly. The receptionist typed the name into her computer.

"She's just gone up to ITU, I'll ri..." Too late. PC Knight took my arm and almost dragged me with her towards the lifts.

"Give them the chance and they will want to know your life history and inside leg measurement before they let you in." She muttered to me as the lift doors closed.

ITU was on the third floor, and following in her wake we walked briskly to the area. The nurse on desk duty looked up, the police uniform alerting her to the importance of our arrival. PC Knight again was not going to take any flak from anyone.

"Mrs. Evelyn Birch, what room is she in. This is her husband John Birch." The nurse regarded me with that trained sympathy of all nurses.

"Mrs. Birch is in twelve. She has just come back from MRI and X Ray. She will be going up to Theatre very shortly. I'll get the Doctor for you. She pressed a page button on the console and almost immediately a Doctor who had been walking away from us down the corridor, turned and came back to the desk.

"Doctor Emerson. This gentleman is Mr. Birch, Evelyn's husband."

"Oh good, you're here. I shall need you to sign a consent form for surgery."

"Can I see my wife, and can you tell what injuries she has suffered."

"She has compound fractures to both legs, fractured Pelvis, and multiple bruises and contusions. We will need to pin her legs and Pelvis, and immobilise them to allow the Pelvis to heal, that's why I need your signature. I'll take you to her now. We have given her some powerful pain relief, so she may not be too lucid. Come this way." He walked away even as he was finishing the sentence. I followed.

Eve seemed so small in that bed, lying so still you could believe she was dead. Only the gentle rise and fall of her chest and the regular beeping of the monitors refuted that impression. Her face was lined with pain, although she appeared to be sleeping. The doctor approached the bed.

"Evelyn." He said softly. With no response he tried again but louder. "Evelyn, there is someone to see you." He still had no response. I bent down so my mouth was close to her ear.

"Eve, my darling. Can you hear me?" Her eyelids fluttered and a weak smile came to her lips. Her eyes opened.

"John! Oh my lovely man, you're here." I gently kissed her lips.

"Of course I am. How many times have I said, where you are, I am."

"I'm happy now, Joh..." Her voice faded as she returned to sleep, the small smile remaining on her face.

Doctor Emerson was shaking his head.

"I have seen it many times, but it still gives me a good feeling when our patient knows their loved one is with them. The reaction is always positive. There is a much better chance of full recovery now now." He offered me the consent form. I read it and asked.

"What procedure are you doing?"

"We will pin her legs and her Pelvis so that they mend straight, and we will have to position them and restrain them in that position for a couple of weeks so that her Pelvis knits properly. Don't worry, they do this a lot, and once healed it will seem as if this had never happened." I signed the form.

"Thank you Mr. Birch. You are welcome to stay, but Evelyn." I interrupted him.

"She doesn't like Evelyn, she has always been Eve." He smiled and thanked me.

"I'll note that on her records. As I was saying you are welcome to stay, but Eve will be in Theatre for I would imagine something like four hours, and she will not be concious for at least twelve hours after that."

"I'll stay."

Shortly after our conversation the guys in green scrubs and a nurse came with a Gurney, expertly transferred her from the bed, and took her up to Theatre. I had noticed a waiting room down the corridor, and headed for that. I was surprised to see WPC Knight sitting there.

"I would have thought that you had left by now."

"No Mr. Birch. DC Whittaker went off with the car, and I was told to stay here on the offchance that your wife would be able to give a statement."

"You'll be lucky. They have just taken her to Theatre. They reckon it will be something like sixteen hours before she regains consciousness." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh well, lots of overtime then." She grinned. "Not good for you, but quite handy for me. How is your wife?" I gave her the information that Dr. Emerson had given me. She nodded.

"He's right you know. One of our Traffic guys was involved in an horrific accident. His Pelvis was broken. He's back on duty now and can still chase villains on foot."

A nurse put her head round the door.

"There's a phone call for you." She addressed WPC Knight, who told me as she went out.

"They don't like us using the personal radios in hospital."

She came back in five minutes.

"Chatsworth has been arrested. He was loading his Jaguar with clothes, presumably with the intention of making himself scarce. The car's gone for forensic examination, but according to DC Whittaker the dents and scratches on the nearside wing, are almost certain to match up with the scratches on the wall he hit after crushing your wife. He could be charged with 'Attempted Murder', and would be if the Police still prosecuted but most probably the CPS will opt for just 'Dangerous Driving' . If your wife were to die, it is easier the charge would be 'Causing Death by Dangerous Driving'. But it won't come to that."

"Why wouldn't he be charged with attempted murder?"

"Too difficult to prove. The prosecution have to prove that he intended to do that. His defence will argue that it was a moments inattention. Sorry Mr. Birch, that's the law these days. We catch 'em and the Courts let 'em off with a slap on the wrist." She shrugged her shoulders sadly. "I told my sergeant what's happening, and he has told me to get back to the Nick by bus. I will probably be here tomorrow to see if Mrs. Birch is up to making a statement. I suspect that DC Whittaker will want to see you as well, will you be here, or at your office?"

"I shall be here."

The next few hours were the hardest of my life. I was insane with worry for Eve, my mind imagining all kinds of scenarios, that she wouldn't make it through the op. That she would but be unable to walk again. Variations on thse themes kept flashing through my mind, but all of these imaginings were overlayed with a hatred for Aubrey. WPC Knight's words on possible charges had taken root in my head. If he was charged, and it would probably be the lesser charge, then Aubrey could afford a top class lawyer, and the possibility that he could be found not guilty, or that he could be guilty but get away with a very light sentence, settled as a cold block of ice in my stomach. If the Law would not punish him properly, then legally or illegally I would make certain that his punishment would be just.

Eve came out of surgery after a marathon of five hours. The nurse told me that she had come through well, and they expected her to make a good recovery. Once they had got her into bed and fussed as they do, I was allowed to go and see her. I was warned that she would be unconcious for some time, and that I was not to move her in any way. She was laying so still, her legs in sugical dressings and kept in place by a splint. This, I was told was to keep her Pelvis at the correct posture to mend. I sat next to the bed, not even daring to hold her hand. I was so tired and drooping from time to time. Eventually the nurse who was monitoring on CCTV, came in and told me to go and get some sleep.

"If you drop off and fall over her you may do some damage." I returned to the waiting room, where I nodded off into an uncomfortable doze. A nurse awoke me some hours later, and told me they expected Eve to come round soon. She handed me a little plastic pack containing soap, a flannel and a disposable razor.

Ten minutes later I was back at Eve's side. To me it looked as if she was still deeply unconcious, but I supposed that the nurse who was monitoring her could see signs of waking. Another nurse came in and checked Eve's pulse. She seemed satisfied, then poured some water into a flask with a tube attached to the top.

"She will be back with us soon." She gave me the flask. "Eve will be quite thirsty after the anaesthetic, let her have a few sips, just sufficient to wet her mouth." I nodded my thanks.

I don't know how much later, I wasn't really looking at the time, when I heard Eve groan. Her eyelids quivered and she licked her lips. I took her hand in mine and felt her squeeze a little. Her eyes opened unfocussed and her head turned slowly, a little movement from side to side. She was getting focus now and gradually turned to look at me. A small smile came to her lips.

"John?" Hoarsely.

"Yes, Eve. I'm here."

"I knew you would be. I love you darling."

*

Chapter Twelve

Later that day WPC Knight came to see Eve, to get her statement. Eve couldn't give her much information. She had been walking along the pavement and was unaware of the car approaching, until it hit her. Understandably at that point she was in no position to see what sort of car it was, nor describe the driver. She was shocked when the policewoman told her that Aubrey had been arrested and charged with Dangerous Driving with intent to cause injury. Eve looked at me astonishment. When WPC Knight had gone I explained as much as I knew.

"I knew Aubrey was angry with me for divorcing him, but I didn't think he would go that far." I had different ideas.