Luke's Diary: An Unlucky Man In A Zombie Apocalypse. Entries 957 - 1157

Entry 1062: Saturday 24th August 2019

Entry 1062
Saturday 24th August 2019

The week just keeps getting worse. I'm currently in St Mary's Hospital. Something awful has happened.

I woke up feeling a bit strange. Part of me felt nervous about speaking to Auntie Meryl, but another part of me was really looking forward to seeing her. I actually had a good night's sleep. For the first time in a long time, I had a good night's sleep, and whilst I felt a bit nervous, I woke up with a big smile on my face, feeling thankful that Leo and I were safe, that Nikki was out of our lives and that I was going to re-build my relationship with Auntie Meryl.

I got out of bed, got dressed and picked up Leo. With a feeling of apprehension, I walked downstairs expecting to see Auntie Meryl sat in the sofa in the living room with some word puzzle book, but when I arrived at the bottom of the stairs and turned into the living room, I was surprised with what I saw. Two, armed GRID soldiers were stood near the TV as Mum sat in the sofa with a worried look on her face. I was a bit taken aback. My anxious smile was replaced with an expression of concern. "What's going on?" I asked. "Sausage, I think you'd better sit down," said Mum in a gentle tone. Staring at the GRID soldiers with caution and then looking back at Mum, I slowly sat on the sofa and plonked Leo on my lap. I noticed the worrying look on Mum's face and the stern but also rather sympathetic look on the faces of the two GRID soldiers. "OK," I said, "I'm starting to worry now." "I'm afraid we've got some bad news," one of the GRID soldiers said. "Oh, God," I gasped, "It's not Nikki is it? Has she done something stupid? Oh God, I knew we shouldn't have left her." "Luke, it's not Nikki," said Mum. "Oh?" I said, "Well, what's going on then?" "It's your Auntie," said one of the GRID soldiers, "She's had an accident." "An accident?" I said, "What sort of accident?" I tentatively asked. "I'm afraid she had a heart attack just outside Sainsbury's in Cowes High Street," the other GRID soldier. "Oh my God!" I gasped, as I felt a cold shiver run down my spine, "Is she OK?" The two GRID soldiers turned and looked at each other as they exchanged uncomfortable expressions. "Tell me!" I loudly snapped. "She's been rushed in for an emergency operation," said one of the GRID soldiers, "There were some complications. She might not pull through I'm afraid, but we're told the guys at the hospital are doing their best." "Jesus Christ," I said, as a tear ran down my face and I felt the cold shiver down my spine intensifying. "We can give you a lift to the hospital," one of the soldiers said. I turned and looked at Mum. I wasn't sure what to do or say. I was in a total state of shock. "You go to the hospital," said Mum, "I'll look after Leo and let the others know." I handed Leo over to Mum, grabbed my coat and quickly left the house with the two GRID soldiers who gave me a lift to the hospital.

When I arrived at the hospital I was in a right state; all flappy and panicky and worried like Hell. I eventually ended up at some sort of nurse's station where I met a nurse who told me that Auntie Meryl was in surgery. SURGERY! Apparently, the heart attack caused her to have a bad fall and she hit her head on the side of the pavement. They said something about a bleed on the brain and being oxygen starved. I didn't understand everything they were saying. I still don't. I just know it's a load of medical speak that sounds really bad.

The nurse showed me into the relative's room; a small secluded space with comfy sofas and a drinks machine in the corner. I've spent most of my time in here pacing up and down, worrying like Hell. I can't believe this has happened. After all the horrible things I said to Auntie Meryl, I can't believe she's having emergency surgery to keep her alive. What if this had have happened over on the mainland where there are no surgeons or functioning hospitals. It doesn't bear thinking about.

After about an hour or so Trudy and Mike turned up. Mike walked straight over to me, wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big hug. "Oh, babes," he said, "I'm so sorry." "What if she dies, Mike?" I worried, "What if she dies? What if she dies in there and I never get to say goodbye? I never get to say sorry for falling out with her and saying all those horrible things to her. She can't die. She just can't." "Oi," said a firm Trudy, pointing her index finger at me, "Now pull yourself together. It's going to take more than a bang on the head to put that old duck out of action. What do you think she'd say about you being in here flapping around like a big f*nny? She'd tell you to get a grip, that's what she'd do. Surgeons are in there right now trying to save her life. Focus on that! Focus on what people are trying to do to keep her alive." Trudy's harsh but powerful words calmed me down. I took a seat and Mike sat next to me and automatically started giving me a shoulder rub. "The nurse told us that they're doing all they can," said Trudy, "And apparently the surgeon is a top bloke. We're lucky we've got him on the island." "Why did we fall out!?" I exclaimed putting my head despairingly in my hands, "All those horrible things I said. God." "Don't think about that now," said Trudy. "What else am I going to bl**dy think about!?" I snapped. "Something else," said Trudy, "Your Mum said you and Nikki are finally over. Think about that." "Oh, I don't want to think about bl**dy Nikki," I snapped, "I'm too worried about Auntie Meryl." "Well, sitting here and worrying isn't going to help," said Trudy, "I get that you're worried and all that, but it's not going to help you, and it's not going to help Meryl. Now TJ's looking after Primark so me and Mike can stay here until you get some news." "My head is just a mess," I said. "Yeah, your face does look a bit manky," said Trudy. "I mean inside my head – my brain," I snapped, "I just want her to be OK." "We all do," said Trudy, "We all love the mad old bint."