Footprints - 7. Chapter 7

Will, Ruwan and Catherine necessarily do the same things people usually do in a hospital. Wait. Stare at blank walls. Pace. Willfully surrender to pangs of unrequited worry. Eat. Wait some more. But what if the unexpected happens? Something so remotely impossible that the only logical response is disbelief. Like the sudden appearance of an extinct dinosaur. Like the sudden ability to walk through walls. So it is when Will notices the man approaching them. His quick footsteps echo down the long corridor. Quick. Determined. His tweed jacket is buttoned in the middle. His white shirt hangs off his trousers.

‘I came as quickly as I could,’ his voice is gruff, like a lion roaring. ‘I’m Corneles. Is he alright?’

Will backs off. Ruwan introduces himself. ‘He’s been in there for six hours.’

‘Corneles?’ Will says.

‘Baz and I were together once.’

Will stares at the man who had left Basil without a reason. The man who never came back. His eyes are slanted slightly, and his chin is as sharp as the nib of a parker pen in a lean face. His hair is black and silver and cropped short and his ears are too big for his face.

‘Basil told me about you.’ Will says indignantly.

‘I’m sure none of it is good. Still, I feel I owe it to him to be here. Is he alright?’

‘We don’t know.’

‘You saved him, didn’t you?’

Will is unsure if save is the right word. ‘I helped him to shore, yes.’

‘You did a great thing. Thank you.’

The unspoken question in Will’s mind is what the hell are you doing here? You left him, you son of a bitch. How dare you show your face now, after all these years. What now? Are you going to force your way back into his life? Are you here just to torment him? Is your concern genuine?

Corneles takes Will by the elbow and leads him away from Ruwan and Catherine.

‘I’ve seen you somewhere,’ hesays, staring into Will’s face.

‘Everyone has seen me somewhere.’

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. How long have you known Bas?’

‘Why do you ask?’

‘Curiosity.’

‘Long enough.’

‘Listen, I’m not here to interfere in your relationship with him. I just think you’re too young for all of this.’

‘I don’t think age has anything to do with this. It’s about responsibility.’

‘So you live with him?’

‘No. But I intend to.’

‘He won’t allow that.’

‘We shall see. Anyway, what are you doing here? You left him without even saying goodbye. That was very responsible of you.’

Corneles glares at Will as though the devil has been unleashed. ‘That’s my business. There are reasons. I’m not prepared to talk about them.’

‘Well then, we have nothing more to discuss.’ Will says, walking away.

‘Will!’

Will stops and turns to face him. Deadpan.

‘Do you love him?’

For a moment he is silent. He could say “Yes”, but that would be too easy. ‘What do you think?’

‘I need to know. ’

Ruwan approaches Will and sees the consternation on his face. ‘Is there a problem here, Will?’

‘He wants to know if I love Baz.’

Ruwan moves forward and deliberately places himself between the two. ‘Yes. He loves Baz. More than you will ever know.’

‘That’s all that Baz needs. Love. I’m happy to hear that. At least he’ll be cared for.’

The door to the operating theatre opens and a surgeon dressed in green coveralls appears. All three men move quickly towards him. Catherine latches onto Will.

‘He’ll be fine. A few weeks of recuperation. We didn’t amputate his foot. Obviously he’ll walk with a limp for a while, but we’ve placed a metal rod between his heel and foot. He’ll be fine with one arm. We had to amputate from the shoulder. The lacerations were extensive and too deep, the arm would have given him problems in the long run. Overall, the operation was a success. We’re closing up the wounds now, and he’ll need rest to sort out the trauma.’

‘Thank you, doctor.’ Catherine says, smiling.

Will steps back. Turns away from the crowd around the surgeon. A few hours ago they were safe, life had never been better. In one, flashing moment, life changed for Basil. One moment he had a hand, an arm. Now gone. Forever. Silently, Will’s tears drop. He hears them as they crash to the floor. One tear after another. One heartwrenching sob after the other.

Ruwan comforts him. Massages his neck and upper back. Telling him it will all work out. Not to worry. Catherine takes his hand and kisses it, telling him the same things. ‘We’ll be there to support him, every step of the way my baby.’

But Will’s head drops onto his chest and knows that from here on in, life will never be the same. It’s the moment of change.