Skins: Endgame

Chapter 10

Effy and Katie's friendship had come in leaps and bounds. Despite the fact that they had been at each other's throats a year ago, with Katie ending up in hospital, the two had bonded recently. Katie had even volunteered to spend most of her time at the psychiatric hospital to stick with Effy and give her the support she needed.

Last night was no exception. Now, a morning sun spread across the garden of the hospital. Effy observed it in silence, her mind blank, with only an occasional voice ("Eff") going through it. The voice of Freddie. It had been a whole week since she last saw him and nobody had any idea where he was.

Katie, asleep in one of the chairs, stirred as a cleaner tended to his duties in the hall, using a vacuum cleaner to clear up the messy floors. She got up and went over to Effy, putting her hand on Effy's shoulder.

"Anything?" asked Katie.

"Only in my head," replied Katie, "He's talking in my head."

"What's our Fred saying?" Asked Katie. Effy smiled a little.

"He's saying they're all fucking mad."

Outside, other patients were taking part in an exercise. Using space hoppers, they bounded across the grassy terrain.

"Two, three and go!" Shouted one of the nurses.

"Yup," Katie agreed with the voice of Freddie.

It was a course the patients and nurses had used before, so they knew what would be ahead of them. Pandora Moon getting in their way wasn't in the routine. At the window to her room, Effy and Katie couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Is that Panda?" Katie asked, "What's she doing? Oh my God!"

Panda had been accosted by a nurse, thinking she was one of the patients. The nurse handed her a spare hopper, which Panda got on, bouncing with the rest of the pack.

Effy put her hands over her mouth to call out to her. "You're going the wrong way!" She shouted.

Panda seized the hopper with a tight grip and steered it in the direction of the window. The nurses and doctors, some still on the hoppers, also changed course and went after her.

"Go, Panda," called out Effy as Katie couldn't stop laughing, "they're all after you. Bounce to me!"

Panda increased her speed with an energy she never knew she had: her pursuers had no chance. Some of them had already given up, figuring out she wasn't even a patient. She got to the window and disembarked from the hopper, climbing through to her friends.

Later on, the three of them sat on the bed. Talking for ages, Panda revealed that she had written a song specifically for Effy. Panda sang it as Katie and Effy slowly, but surely, started to enjoy it.

"Scrapey, scrapey for you, shakey, shakey for you. What for? Life. Can't stand still, can we? So this is gonna cheer you up. Some days are disasters, that you wish could just end. Other days are bastards, just like a bad boyfriend, but it makes me feel much worse than this, to see a face masked with a frown, I'm not telling you to smile, but don't be down, don't be down, my friend, Don't do your wrist any harm, you don't belong on a funny farm, and I'd rather see you in a party dress than in a hospital gown. I'm not telling you to smile, but don't be down do, do, do, do, do, do. - Do, do, do, do, do, do."

As she sang, Doctor Foster stood watching, not at the doorway, but far back enough to be out of sight, with a perverse grin on his face. Suddenly a hand clasped onto his shoulder. Doctor Foster whirled around to face Tony.

"Hello Doctor", said Tony, "having a good day?"

"Thirly enjoying myself, thank you Tony." He replied.

Tony nodded.

"Remember," he told Doctor Foster, "we don't see eye to eye with your methods. She's coming home as soon as she's able."

"Understood," said Doctor Foster. He looked like he was about to say something else to Tony, but instead made his way down the hall in the opposite direction from Effy's room.

Tony went in the opposite direction of Doctor Foster and stood at the doorway of Effy's room as they finished Panda's song.

"Eff?" Enquired Panda nervously, wanting Effy's verdict on her song.

"Did you write that?" Effy asked Panda, "It's brilliant!" She couldn't have been more pleased.

A cough made them all look in the direction of the door, where Tony stood.

"Hello Sis," he said before turning to Panda, "Panda if you re-wrote that slightly, could I get a solo sequence? I'm quite good at-"

He had noticed Katie for the first time. Katie looked star struck. Tony approached her, extending his hand.

"Hello," he said, with a slightly more cheeky smile than usual, "I'm Tony Stonem."

"Katie," replied Katie.

"So you've been helping look after my sister then?" Asked Tony, "The pair of you?"

"Well we all stick together, don't we Eff?" Asked Katie.

Effy got out of bed and put her arms over both Katie and Panda.

"We've all gotta stick together," agreed Effy, "that's why I love you guys. All of you. Get over here Tony."

Tony stepped forward and together, all four of them formed a circle. All was well. For now.