Veiled Dreams by Gill James Page A

He was shaking so much he was not sure that was a good idea. But the tram would take forever, and he would have to wait for a cab. No, the bike was the best option. He grabbed his helmet, hoping that that stupid bitch who’d caused so much trouble between them would not be hanging around on the steps again.
    She wasn’t – probably too cold and wet – and the churning in his stomach slowed a little.
    Soon he was weaving his way through the traffic. The rush hour had started and the narrow streets in the old part of town were crowded. Still, at least he could get the bike through gaps a cab would never get through. The tram would he been much too slow at this time of night, with all the people getting on and off.
    Even so, and although it actually only took ten minutes to get to where the road widened out and led to the modern hospital not so very far from Christina’s school, it was too much for Jan.
    ‘Shit,’ he spat, as the traffic light, which would let him on tothe boulevard went red. He revved the engine hard several times, as if that would make the lights change quicker. A police car pulled up beside him. Jan saw the officer about to get out. There was a law about making that sort of noise in residential areas. The last thing he needed right now was a conversation with the law and possibly a fine as well. He held up his arms in surrender. The police officer nodded sternly.
    The lights changed, and Jan was able to swing on to the wider road. The police car followed him. Better keep to the speed limit then. It was just as well really, the way he felt, he would have gone so fast he would have probably caused another accident. Concentrating on his speed and the police car behind him did at least help to keep his mind off worrying about Christina.
    The lights of the hospital came into view. He drove into the car park. There was no more room in the places reserved for motorbikes.
    ‘Shit!’ he said again. Damn. He would just have to park in a car space and at best earn a fine, at worst have his bike clamped or taken away. He didn’t care. At least he could deal with that later, after he had found out what had happened to her.
    Baby, what are you doing to me?
He thought to himself, as he walked over to the main entrance.
Please be all right. I love you
,
baby
.
    The hospital was strangely quiet inside. He thought there would have been more people there, perhaps visiting on their way home from work. The reception desk was completely unmanned, the computer was still switched on and a pair of spectacles lay abandoned on a pile of papers.
    ‘Come on, come on,’ muttered Jan. ‘Where is everyone?’ He noticed the bell on the desk. He rang it three or four times. ‘Hello, anyone there?’ he shouted.
    Eventually a woman in her fifties with greying hair and a worried look on her face came by.
    ‘Can I help you?’ she asked.
    ‘I’ve come to see Christina Grant,’ said Jan. ‘She came in about forty minutes ago, I think.’
    The woman tapped on her keyboard and then looked at her screen.
    ‘Oh,’ she said. She frowned and looked concerned.
    ‘May I ask,’ she started, ‘are you a relative?’
    ‘I’m her boyfriend,’ said Jan.
    ‘Oh, I guess it’ll be all right,’ she said. ‘It’s relatives only, you see. But boyfriend – yes. Relative – sort of, I suppose.’ She smiled weakly at him. ‘Fifth floor, Block A, Elderflower Ward.’
    ‘Is she very badly hurt, then?’ asked Jan.
    ‘I’m really in no position to comment,’ said the woman. ‘You’ll have to talk to the people up there, I’m afraid.’
    But Jan could see it in her face. Whatever had happened to Christina was very bad indeed.
    ‘Go through the double doors and turn left towards the lifts,’ said the woman, without looking at him.
    Jan all but ran along the corridor. There were several people waiting, and the lifts seemed to be stopping on very floor. He probably wouldn’t be able to get on the first one. He decided to go up