The Price of Butcher's Meat by Reginald Hill Page B

together we staggered into the bathroom.
    â€œThere,” she said. “I’ll just tidy up your bed, then I’ll be back for you.”
    â€œTake your time,” I said. “I’m going to.”
    I left flushing the bog till after I’d got washed up so’s she’d not have any advance warning and come rushing to help. Two quick steps from the bog to the doorway and I had to stop for a rest.
    Matron were standing by my newly made bed, holding my recorder.
    â€œFound this in your bed, Mr. Dalziel,” she said.
    â€œOh aye. It’s a sex aid,” I said.
    â€œReally?” she said, holding it to her ear. “What’s it play? Beginner’s instructions?”
    Cheeky cow! But I had to laugh. And she grinned too, like she knew that my only interest in bed that moment was getting into it and going back to sleep.
    I went forward at a stagger, grabbed the recorder off her, and fell across the mattress. She tutted and pulled the duvet over me.
    â€œI see you’ve got a visit scheduled tomorrow,” she said. “Hope you can get down to your physio session in the morning or we may have to cancel it.”
    But she was grinning as she said it.
    Bit more to her than I reckoned. Could make summat of her yet! But need to be careful now she’s set her sharp little eyes on this thing. Think I’ll tuck it between my legs before I go to sleep. If anyone can get it out of there without me noticing, then I’m really knackered! But I’ll need to find a better place to hide it permanent if I don’t want them having a right giggle in the nurses’ room. Old trick, wrap it in a plastic bag and stick it in the lav cistern. First place a cop ’ud look, but cops are one thing I don’t need to worry about just now!
    So, head down, and hope I can skip them funny dreams I keep on getting and work on a nice little fantasy about Cap instead. Roll on tomorrow. Couple of hours with Cap’s all the physiotherapy I need!

10
    Okay, Mildred, I should have listened to you and put my woolly vest on!
    Bad night. Didn’t get my hoped-for fantasy about Cap but another bunch of them daft dreams about floating around and talking to God!
    But my physio went well. Tony tutted a bit when he looked me over. But by the time he’d finished, I were feeling lish enough to reckon I could give Cap the welcome she deserved!
    First, though, I had to put up with her giving me the bollocking she thought I deserved! Blabbermouth Festerwhanger must have really laid it on thick about how much damage I could have done to myself going over the wire.
    I tried playing it down, doing the big bull thing, saying, “Come here and I’ll soon show thee how poorly I am!” Well, she came, and I showed her, and that’s when I found out, like mam used to say, that my eyes were hungrier than my belly.
    When I finally gave up, she said, “That does it, Andy. From now on in, if they tell you to start the day with an ice bath, you bloody well take it! If I wanted a eunuch, I’d have looked in the Istanbul small ads.”
    She’s got a real lip on her, Cap.
    She’d brought my civvies as promised and it were only by promising to be a good little patient and do what matron tells me that I stopped her from taking them back.
    When I asked if she had any news from the Factory, she said nothing, except that Pete had told her everything was going fine and nobody was missing me. He’d asked her about visiting me. I told her no way, not till I were properly up and about. He’d seen me at the Central while I were still good for nowt. Next time he saw me, I wanted to be back tosomething like full steam, else he might start feeling sorry for me. I don’t doubt the vultures are already circling over the Factory and if Pete comes back from a visit with a long face, they’ll be flapping to land!
    Cap said I were daft, I needed my friends. I said I knew what I needed