Spoils of War by Catrin Collier Page B

to wait until morning, Dr John. It could be embarrassing for them. He only had a pair of army-issue trousers on and the flies were undone. Nothing in the pockets, no underclothes, boots or shoes. We thought it could be a domestic. Soldier home on leave, out for a good Saturday night, gets drunk, goes to see his brother’s wife. Brother comes home unexpectedly – well – you’ve been operating on Mrs Ronconi …’
    ‘And you were so busy concocting this little fairytale you didn’t think to call an ambulance to get this man into hospital before he died?’
    ‘We called you, Dr John.’
    ‘And I can’t be everywhere. Don’t you people ever use your own initiative?’
    ‘He could be connected to a potentially serious case, doctor.’
    ‘So you decided to freeze him to death.’
    ‘We wanted to question him. Besides, nine times out of ten, the Saturday night drunks wake in the morning, get their summonses and stagger off home.’
    ‘This one isn’t capable of staggering anywhere. Get two men to carry him upstairs. The sooner that ambulance gets here and he’s admitted into the Graig, the happier I’ll be. I’ll go on ahead and warn them he’s on his way.’
    Andrew just had time to check that there was no change in Diana’s condition and Ronnie was still sleeping before the ambulance bell announced Tony’s arrival. Running up to the men’s isolation ward, he met the porters wheeling Tony into a cubicle.
    ‘Bronchitis?’ the ward sister asked.
    ‘Pneumonia, nurtured and helped along by exposure,’ Andrew pronounced authoritatively, checking Tony’s pulse.
    ‘Staff,’ the sister called. ‘Prepare a cold sponge bath to bring down this patient’s temperature.’
    ‘Is there any penicillin in the pharmacy?’
    ‘I’m not sure, Dr John. Even if there is, we’ll have to wait until it opens at eight to get a script filled.’
    ‘I’ll write him up for it anyway and I’ll call in again in a couple of hours to check on his progress.’ Andrew walked to the sink to wash his hands.
    ‘He’s a Ronconi, isn’t he?’
    ‘You know him?’
    ‘No, but I trained with Laura Lewis, Ronconi that was. They all have that look about them. Dark eyes, dark hair and similar features. It’s peculiar, isn’t it, how when you get to know one member of a family well, afterwards all the brothers and sisters look slightly odd, as if they’re not quite right. But I couldn’t tell you which one this is.’
    ‘Tony.’ Andrew took the towel she handed him.
    ‘The ambulance men said they picked him up at the police station. Do you want me to arrange for the relatives to be contacted?’
    ‘No, I’ll do it later.’
    ‘Don’t forget to warn them that there’s no visiting for anyone this sick.’
    ‘If he comes round the police will want to talk to him.’
    ‘Not until he’s well enough.’ She scribbled something on Tony’s chart before peering at Andrew over her glasses. ‘This is my ward, Dr John, and whatever he’s done, he’s my patient now and no one will see him until I say so.’
    ‘Diana?’ Ronnie asked thickly. His tongue was too big for his mouth and his lips felt as though they were made of India rubber.
    ‘We operated, but it’s too early to tell if there’s any permanent damage.’ Andrew checked Ronnie’s pulse.
    ‘Her head …’
    ‘We repaired the fracture as best we could.’
    ‘But her brain could be affected.’ Ronnie lay back on the pillows. He clearly didn’t expect Andrew to answer him because he looked across to Huw, who was sitting on the only chair in the cubicle. ‘Billy and Catrina?’
    ‘They’re safe in my house with William and Tina. Can you remember what happened?’
    ‘Tony and I had a fight. Diana tried to stop us, Tony lashed out and hit her through the window.’
    ‘We found Tony in Leyshon Street. All he had on was a pair of trousers.’
    ‘He’s in here now with pneumonia.’ Andrew decided that as Ronnie was calm enough to ask lucid questions, he