telephone messages when he’s out on house calls. I even learn how to use his computer, entering in appointments for his surgery.
‘How are you getting on with the medication, Travis?’ he asks one morning after we’ve had breakfast. Demi has gone to see her solicitor about her father’s will, and Mrs Dunbar is hunting for her shopping list.
‘I’m all right. I’m just a bit light-headed in the mornings.’
‘Good; but I’d like to discuss something with you after morning rounds. I’ve got a proposition for you that you might like to hear. It could be the solution to all your problems.’
He leaves me alone in the house, tidying the filing cabinet, dying to know what his proposition is.
About an hour later the front door slams.
‘Dr Mac?’
‘No, it’s me.’ Demi is standing in the office doorway.
‘Hello,’ I say cheerfully. ‘Got everything sorted with the solicitor?’
‘Almost. Travis,’ she comes slowly towards me, ‘Chas is coming back to Barrasay.’
I stop what I’m doing. She doesn’t seem too excited about it. Her face is deathly white.
‘Is he, now? When?’
‘Tomorrow. He’s staying for a couple of weeks; but, Travis, that’s not all. He said,’ Demi swallows, ‘actually, he asked – how you were doing after your seizure, and – and if you still had his jumper!’
I don’t answer. She rushes at me, trembling. ‘Travis, this is freaky! I never told him about you, or the beach! Maybe he was there – but – but it’s all a blank!’
‘Listen,’ I say calmly, ‘don’t worry about it. There must be a reasonable explanation.’
I’m sorry for her, but inside I’m glad. It means my mind hasn’t been playing tricks on me!
‘I’m going for a lie down,’ she says, and leaves the room.
When Mrs Dunbar comes back from the shops I help to unpack the groceries.
‘Put that Dundee cake on a plate, Travis, and we’ll have some for lunch,’ she says. ‘I’ll make some tea. Fancy a cheese sandwich to go with it?’
She starts to cut the cheese. As I go into the hall to call Demi I meet Dr Mac coming through the front door.
‘Thank God that didn’t take too long,’ he says, taking off his coat, and dropping his bag on the floor. ‘Just in time for lunch, I see. What are we having, Travis?’
‘Cheese sandwiches, with Dundee cake. Demi’s coming down.’
‘She’s back, then? How did she get on at the solicitor’s?’
‘All right, she said.’
‘Good. Mrs Dunbar,’ he marches into the kitchen, clapping his hands, ‘are those sandwiches ready yet? I’m starving!’
Demi comes in looking pale. Her eyes are red; she’s been crying. She tells us miserably about Chase coming to stay.
‘So you do have a boyfriend, Demi!’ Dr Mac helps himself to a sandwich. ‘Travis did say you had one. You kept that quiet! Is he staying at the hotel?’
‘Yes.’
‘He’d be welcome here if we had the room.’
Demi doesn’t answer, only picks at her food.
After lunch, Dr Mac says, ‘Come into my office, and we’ll have that chat, Travis.’
Now I’m about to find out what this ‘proposition’ is all about.
‘Take a seat,’ he says, so I sit in the chair opposite his desk. ‘It’s about your seizures.’
‘What about them?’
‘I think there may be a way to get rid of them once and for all.’
I bite my lip. Part of me wants the seizures to go, for me to be rid of the scourge they bring, but if they do go, I may never get back to twenty ninety-nine.
‘Is there a stronger medicine you can give me, then?’
‘No, I’m thinking of surgery. The Neurology Hospital in Glasgow...’
Suddenly I’m back in the institution again, listening to Chase talking about epilepsy surgery. I grip the arm of the chair nervously.
‘Travis, calm down,’ says the doctor impatiently. ‘It’s a perfectly safe procedure.’
‘No! I don’t want them to touch me!’
‘But these seizures are ruining your life! You can’t go on living with them forever,
‘How are you getting on with the medication, Travis?’ he asks one morning after we’ve had breakfast. Demi has gone to see her solicitor about her father’s will, and Mrs Dunbar is hunting for her shopping list.
‘I’m all right. I’m just a bit light-headed in the mornings.’
‘Good; but I’d like to discuss something with you after morning rounds. I’ve got a proposition for you that you might like to hear. It could be the solution to all your problems.’
He leaves me alone in the house, tidying the filing cabinet, dying to know what his proposition is.
About an hour later the front door slams.
‘Dr Mac?’
‘No, it’s me.’ Demi is standing in the office doorway.
‘Hello,’ I say cheerfully. ‘Got everything sorted with the solicitor?’
‘Almost. Travis,’ she comes slowly towards me, ‘Chas is coming back to Barrasay.’
I stop what I’m doing. She doesn’t seem too excited about it. Her face is deathly white.
‘Is he, now? When?’
‘Tomorrow. He’s staying for a couple of weeks; but, Travis, that’s not all. He said,’ Demi swallows, ‘actually, he asked – how you were doing after your seizure, and – and if you still had his jumper!’
I don’t answer. She rushes at me, trembling. ‘Travis, this is freaky! I never told him about you, or the beach! Maybe he was there – but – but it’s all a blank!’
‘Listen,’ I say calmly, ‘don’t worry about it. There must be a reasonable explanation.’
I’m sorry for her, but inside I’m glad. It means my mind hasn’t been playing tricks on me!
‘I’m going for a lie down,’ she says, and leaves the room.
When Mrs Dunbar comes back from the shops I help to unpack the groceries.
‘Put that Dundee cake on a plate, Travis, and we’ll have some for lunch,’ she says. ‘I’ll make some tea. Fancy a cheese sandwich to go with it?’
She starts to cut the cheese. As I go into the hall to call Demi I meet Dr Mac coming through the front door.
‘Thank God that didn’t take too long,’ he says, taking off his coat, and dropping his bag on the floor. ‘Just in time for lunch, I see. What are we having, Travis?’
‘Cheese sandwiches, with Dundee cake. Demi’s coming down.’
‘She’s back, then? How did she get on at the solicitor’s?’
‘All right, she said.’
‘Good. Mrs Dunbar,’ he marches into the kitchen, clapping his hands, ‘are those sandwiches ready yet? I’m starving!’
Demi comes in looking pale. Her eyes are red; she’s been crying. She tells us miserably about Chase coming to stay.
‘So you do have a boyfriend, Demi!’ Dr Mac helps himself to a sandwich. ‘Travis did say you had one. You kept that quiet! Is he staying at the hotel?’
‘Yes.’
‘He’d be welcome here if we had the room.’
Demi doesn’t answer, only picks at her food.
After lunch, Dr Mac says, ‘Come into my office, and we’ll have that chat, Travis.’
Now I’m about to find out what this ‘proposition’ is all about.
‘Take a seat,’ he says, so I sit in the chair opposite his desk. ‘It’s about your seizures.’
‘What about them?’
‘I think there may be a way to get rid of them once and for all.’
I bite my lip. Part of me wants the seizures to go, for me to be rid of the scourge they bring, but if they do go, I may never get back to twenty ninety-nine.
‘Is there a stronger medicine you can give me, then?’
‘No, I’m thinking of surgery. The Neurology Hospital in Glasgow...’
Suddenly I’m back in the institution again, listening to Chase talking about epilepsy surgery. I grip the arm of the chair nervously.
‘Travis, calm down,’ says the doctor impatiently. ‘It’s a perfectly safe procedure.’
‘No! I don’t want them to touch me!’
‘But these seizures are ruining your life! You can’t go on living with them forever,
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