Let Your Heart Rule Your Head

Chapter Seven - "I needed to talk to you"

 The doctor and Ruby got out of the room, finding Prudence talking to the other doctor. "Oops, is he telling her about Dennis?" Ruby thought, suddenly growing pale. As the doctor who was with her in the room walked away, Prudence saw her daughter and smiled.

"The doctor is explaining what kind of tests Dennis will have to run."

"I don't want to know," Ruby sighed.

"But I advise you to go back home and try to relax," the doctor kept going, "make yourself a cup of tea, anything. Try to relax, if there are any problems, we'll call you."

"Do you have a telephone here?" Ruby suddenly asked.

"Yes, cross the corridor and turn left. There will be a telephone area."

"Thank you."

She kissed her mother on the cheek and whispered "I need to call Brian." Prudence nodded and watched her cross the corridor and turn left, as the doctor told her. Ruby spotted the telephone area; it was an open room with four wall telephones behind a large glass window. She walked the glass door and reached one of the telephones. 

She buried her hand into her pocket and took out a coin of five pence that she slithered into the small slit under the handset. She took the piece of paper on which Brian had written his phone number and dialled it. "I hope he's home, I hope he's home," she repeated to herself.

"Ruth May here" a feminine voice answered.

"Hello madam, can I talk to Brian?"

"Who's calling?"

"My name is Ruby Franklin, I'm a friend of his from the Imperial College. Is he home?"

"He just got home actually. Let me go get him."

"Thank you."

She smiled, even if she knew that the woman couldn't see her. She could hear faded voices and footsteps through the phone. She heard a little crack and she jumped, full of excitement. 

"Ruby? Are you okay?"

"Brian! It's so good to hear you!" she sighed in relief. "I don't really know how I currently feel actually..."

"Oh, I hope you're okay, dear." 

Ruby simpered. Brian had called her "dear", and he was worried for her. Brian spoke again. 

"Are you home already?"

"No, I'm still at the hospital." she sighed. "I needed to talk to you."

"How's Dennis?"

"Good," she lied. "He... He's fine."

"Ruby, I can tell you've been crying and that you're not fine. Nor is he. Tell me the truth."

"Doctors think his liver is seriously injured."

"Ouch... Have you talked to him?"

"No, they put him in an artificial coma. He can't eat, he can't drink and he can't speak."

"I'm terribly sorry, Ruby."

Ruby clenched her fist and held back her tears. She took a deep breath. "Brian? Can we still go to Hyde Park tonight?"

"Oh!" Brian exclaimed. He sounded surprised by her question. But Ruby meant it. She wanted to see Brian, she wanted to see him smile; she liked it when he smiled. She loved being with him, he was so sweet, so kind, so funny.

"Are you sure you want to go, Ruby?" he asked with concern. "Don't you want to rest? Or stay with your mother?"

"No, I really need to go out. And actually... Oh, that's going to sound weird, but I really like being with you, you know. I feel fine when you're there. You make me think about happier things."