The further fracture had been so excruciating that Bertha had resorted to accepting the morphine tablet the doctor had offered her … but only half of it. She was therefore feeling a little dopey, as if she’d downed a couple of large schooners of good quality sherry, but the medicine had at least eradicated her pain sufficiently to let the doctor re-set and re-plaster her leg and it was still working its magic. All she was feeling from her injury at the moment was a bearable dull throb. Once the effects of the pill wore off, though, she was adamant that her own pain-killing remedy would see her through from now on.
In a laboured voice, she responded, ‘No, thanks, lovey. I just want to sleep now.’
Aidy leaned down to peck her cheek then whispered, ‘This is all my fault and I’m so sorry, Gran. I know you lied to the Doc. You weren’t disobeying his orders at all. You were trying to wake me up because I was late back for work, weren’t you?’
Drowsily she answered, ‘When I woke up and saw you fast off in the chair, then noticed the time, I was worried you’d be in trouble. I did me best to shout you awake but I just couldn’t … I didn’t want to tell the doctor what really happened and make you look bad, a young woman of your age, sleeping the afternoon away …’
Aidy wasn’t listening to her. The mention of work had sent a wave of sheer panic rushing through her.
‘Oh, Gran, I’ve got to go! I should be at work. Will you be …’
Despite her own drug-induced state, Bertha knew why Aidy was concerned. ‘Just go, love. I’ll be fine. And stop worrying. Yer boss’ll be understanding when you tell ’em yer old gran had an accident and you had to get the doctor to her.’
Aidy just had to pray she would be.
Having run all the way back to work, her lungs felt like they were on fire and she was gasping for breath by the time she slipped through the gates, dashed over the yard and sneaked her way round to her own department. Stopping for a moment outside the door to the workroom, she tried to compose herself then walked inside as if she had just slipped out for a moment.
As Aidy made her way to her table, her eyes darted this way and that. Thankfully there was no sign of Imelda. Hopefully she had got away with her lateness.
Colleen accosted her as soon as she slid into her seat, simultaneously pressing the button to start up her machine and grabbing the garment she had just finished making up before the dinner-time hooter had sounded.
‘Where yer been, Aidy?’ her friend demanded.
‘It’s a long story, Col. I’ll fill you in later. I need to press on.’
So intent on getting on with her work was she, Aidy didn’t notice Colleen was trying to tell her something. Quickly checking the cotton was threaded through her machine correctly, she placed the neckline of the dress under the needle foot, pinned a collar in place, pressed her foot down on the pedal and began to attach the collar to the dress. Over the drone of her machine and the forty-nine others, Aidy realised Colleen was shouting at her. Stopping what she was doing, she flashed an irritated look at her, snapping, ‘I hope it’s urgent, Colleen. You know I’ve a lot of catching up to do.’
‘It’s more than urgent, Aidy, it’s critical. Hardwick wants to see you in her office. She told me to tell you you’re to report there immediately you show up.’
Aidy’s face paled. ‘She knows I’m late back?’
‘“Late back” is an understatement, Aidy. You’ve been missing half the afternoon. She’s been here several times, asking where you were. I tried to cover up for you, told her the first time you’d gone to the privy, the second you’d had to go again ’cos you’d got a stomach upset, but the third time she wasn’t wearing it. Told me to send you to see her if you did happen to show your face this afternoon. You’d better go.’
Imelda Hardwick’s office was no bigger than a broom cupboard. She was sitting on an uncomfortable wooden chair at a small cluttered desk, her face wearing a pensive frown as she concentrated on the paperwork she was looking through. When a highly worried Aidy tapped on her open door, announcing her presence,