NB New Direction - 6. NB ND Chapter 6

I slept a lot and ate very little over the next countless days, flowers and get-well cards, told me that my family and friends had been visiting me, and thinking of me, and when I woke to the sound of no more regular beeping sound, I smiled, as the sound was really getting to annoy me a lot. When I heard a slight sound, I turned my head to see Annette sitting in a chair nearby, and I smiled to her.

“I can always rely on you to visit me, whenever I am in hospital, thanks for doing that” I said to Annette, “You are most welcome, my dear. You have a lot of family and friends who have been very worried about you, for the past two weeks, you have been in ICU here at the QE2 hospital, they transferred you to a regular ward late yesterday” Annette informed me. “Wow, was I really that sick?” I stated, shocked that it had been over two weeks.

“Yes, your brain swelling got worse, that is why you have a shaved head, and a large bandage on your head, but don’t touch it to hard, as the top of your scull has been removed” Annette informed me, which really shocked me, and I started to panic, what happened, why is all of this happening to me” I said as I began to cry uncontrollably, and Annette sat on my bed and tried to comfort me.

Sebastian came into the room in the middle of my crying episode, and also tried to comfort me, and try and get me to settle a little, and a nurse and doctor entered the room, just as I started to get myself under control, Mr Davenport, you may remember me, I am Mr Tim Jarvis, we are very pleased that you have finally woken up, we put you in a medical induced coma, after removing the top of your scull, to allow for your body to recover from all the trauma, that you have been experiencing.

We estimate that it will be another week, before we can put your scull back into place, then it will be another few weeks to allow for your scull to fuse together again, when you are eventually released from hospital, you will need to wear a bicycle safety helmet for about six-months, mainly when you are travelling in a car, or going for a walk anywhere, to prevent any serious accidental knocks on your head” the doctor explained.

I was so shocked, that I didn’t know what to say, Sebastian asked a couple of questions, which the doctor answered before he left to do his rounds. Although I was very sleepy, I wanted to ask Sebastian some questions, so I sat up in bed a little, so I wouldn’t fall asleep.

“So, tell me cousin, what has been happening?” I asked, “Well as you may remember, I was due to attend a French class with the twins, and as I suspected, the twins were correct, and unfortunately I ended up having a yelling match with the teacher, which brought the headmaster in.

When I had finally calmed down, I informed the headmaster, that the French teacher was incompetent to teach the French language, and that he should have done more thorough checking before employing her. The French language teacher, who is actually from Vanuatu, then started arguing with me in French, and she even tried to slap me, but I managed to step away in time.

I informed the headmaster that I would be making an official complaint, not only to the school board, but also with the education department, and that I was removing my brothers from that school effective immediately” Sebastian informed me, which made me chuckle, “Wow, that is incredible, so what happened with the school board and education department?” I asked.

“The school board suspended the French teacher, pending an official investigation, and the education department, is waiting from a report from the school board. Oh, and the news of that even spread like wildfire within the school community, and over twenty other students withdrew from the school in support of what happened to me.

Two of the parent representatives on the school board have resigned, because the board refused to sack the French teacher, and they withdrew their children as well” Sebastian announced. “Wow, and I always miss all the fun, so what has happened about the twin’s education?” I asked and Sebastian gave a short laugh, “That is the amazing thing to come out of all of this.

I have leased a building just inside the Claremont Council boundary, and the parents are taking it in turns to supervise the student’s studies, and since then another twelve students have left their former school to join our little community school” Sebastian said. I was getting really tired, so I slid back down under the covers and promptly fell asleep. When I woke next, a lady was walking in with my dinner, which I refused to eat, so she walked back out of the room, and a few minutes later a nurse came in.

“What is this I hear that you refuse to eat?” she demanded, and I carefully sat up in bed, “Now look here, Ms high and mighty, don’t you come in here and demand to know why I refuse to eat what you call food, I will eat, but it will not be any of this crap food” I snapped back, just as Sebastian walked into the room. “Allow me to have a discussion with my cousin, and I will let you know shortly” Sebastian said to the nurse, who frowned at me before she left.

“Way to go cousin, I never expected you to be so nasty to the nurses” Sebastian said, when he was sure that the nurse was out of hearing range, and I just smiled, “Sorry, it’s just the food here is disgusting, can you get me some decent food please?” I replied, in a pleading manner, which made Seb laugh.

“Ok, I will see if there are any diet restrictions, and get something organised for you” Sebastian replied, “I wish I was at Bethesda, at least the food there is excellent, now tell me some more about this community school” I said to my cousin. “Let me see, I think I had told you that, we had set up a community school, with 36 students, all from the same former primary school.

The school is on Stirling Highway, which causes a few safety issues, but the location is ideal, as it has a large open room on the ground floor, two sets of toilets, 4 large rooms and two small rooms upstairs, and two medium size rooms, and two small rooms at the side on the ground floor, but it is only temporary, as I have other plans in the works at the moment” Sebastian said with a big grin.

“Oh, and what may they be?” I replied suspiciously, “Well… I have been doing some more investment purchasing in the Claremont area myself, on the corner of Ashton and Second Avenues, to be precise” Sebastian said, and I tried to picture the area where he was talking about, then it clicked. “Hang on that is on the northern border of the showgrounds isn’t it?” I replied, and Sebastian nodded his head, as he continued to grin.

“Ok, well more details would be nice please cousin” I said after I saw he was trying to delay saying any more, “Well… I bought the corner block, which contains three businesses, plus I bought the single house at number 46 Second avenue, plus the house and two units behind it at number 36 on the same street, but there are 12 fairly new units between those two properties on that avenue.

The house and units at number 36 back onto the corner block, which is a good 3,600 square metres, or just under 0.9 of an acre of space. Also, have sent letters to the owners of all the other properties on the south side of Second Avenue that backs onto the showgrounds with very generous offers to purchase their land, and today I have received an acceptance of the offer, from the owners of Numbers 52 and 60, which is 3 older units on each.

That means that I now own or will own soon, the corner block on Ashton, plus the property directly behind it, which is number 36, plus number 46 and soon I will have 52 and 60” Sebastian announced. “So, what are you going to do with all of this property” I asked. “If I can’t get any more properties next to 46, 52 and 60, I just might pull them down and build new apartment buildings, but if I can get a property next door to those, it will be bigger enough to use your business office design, to build business buildings.

For the property on the corner and the one behind it, I was planning to do something slightly different, I am planning to ask the architect to make a slightly different layout inside, with the same size area of two buildings joined together. For the building on Ashton Ave, I want the ground floor to have four large retail shops, with 2 staff bathrooms, and 4 storage rooms, one for each shop.

On the upper level, I just want an undercover customer and staff parking area, located above the south end shops, accessed from two ramps, one up and one down from Ashton avenue, halfway along the building. The carpark will have a total of 26 car bays, and 4 motorbike bays, and the other half is to be an octagonal shaped area for functions, exhibitions etc, with bathrooms, which can be opened up to link with the upstairs exhibition room from next door, or accessed from the upstairs carpark.

The second building, I want to have on the ground floor, two exhibition rooms, that are separated by a hallway, the usual two bathrooms, plus the two sets of stairs and the lift, in same location as the office suites. Upstairs, I want two exhibition rooms, that can be opened up into one big room, also with two bathrooms, the stairs and lift, plus the access to link with the upstairs room next door.

What I am hoping is, as well as providing retail space for four businesses, including parking, that we can encourage the Royal Agriculture Society, to lease the exhibition rooms, during the Royal Show. I have already spoken to the four business owners on Ashton Avenue, and they are happy with my offer for compensation, and a reduction in rent, while the three old buildings are pulled down and the new building is constructed.

Oh, and for the first business building, the one next to my place, I have made a slight adjustment to the plans, as I have decided to make Claremont, the Australian base office for Wagner International Investments, so the new office building upstairs, will be entirely WII, with just one lift and one set of stairs for access, which will need a security card and code to get to it, while the ground floor will still have 2 small and 2 medium office suites, plus the two bathrooms” Sebastian announced.

“So, have you finished flapping your gums, so I can get something to eat, or are you going to make me starve?” I said to Sebastian when he had finally stopped talking. Sebastian looked very confused, when I said this, and I saw a nurse walking by, stop to listen to his response. “What on earth is this flapping the gums?” Sebastian asked me, and from the hallway outside, I heard the nurse burst out laughing, as she continued on her way.

“It means, dear cousin, that you have been talking too much and I am getting very hungry” I said to Sebastian, “Oh, I see, gums meaning mouth, yes, I get it, Australian slang I presume?” Sebastian said with a smile, and I nodded my head and pointed towards the door. “Alright, I am on my way, I will be as quick as I can. Is a cheese burger, fries and coke, ok with you?” Sebastian said as he left the room, “You better not cousin, or there will be hell to pay” I shouted to him, as he had already left the room quickly.

Twenty minutes later, Mrs Cooper arrived with a small esky, which I presumed was my dinner, and as she was pulling out my dinner, the twins appeared, and I was so happy to see them again. “Hello rascals, how are you going?” I said to them as they approached, “Be careful boys, your cousin Huon is a very sick man, so no jumping around on his bed” Mrs Cooper said to the twins, who were disappointed that they couldn’t climb onto my bed.

“Because I have been so sick, the doctors have had to temporarily remove the top of my skull, till the swelling reduces, so my head is very delicate at the moment” I explained, and both boys looked very worried, and I smiled, “It is very nice to see you both, even if I can’t let you onto the bed to give me a hug” I said to the twins, just as Sebastian appeared. “Why were you hiding?” I asked Sebastian.

“I had to finish my burger and fries first” Sebastian said with a grin, and both twins turned to look at Sebastian and frowned, which made me laugh. “Ok, so it wasn’t a burger and fries, I just wanted the twins to see you for a little bit before I appeared that’s all” Sebastian confessed, as he placed a folder on the bed, for me to look at later

The twins and Mrs Cooper chatted to me, while I ate my dinner, and Sebastian sat in the corner, and just listened. “Seb e Jose non stanno più insieme” Louis said changing to Italian to make the announcement, and I looked at Sebastian, “Is this true?” I asked my cousin, and Sebastian was looking down at his hands on his lap, and he gave a small nod of the head to confirm what Louis has said.

“Why? What happened to cause this?” I asked, “Jose and I have been long distance arguing on the phone the past few weeks, because I chose to come and spend time with you, instead of being with him on the farm in the Falklands” Seb explained, “Oh, I see, and does that mean that you have left the farm and Falklands for good?” I asked, and Sebastian just nodded his head yes. I could see that he was getting upset about it, so I decided to leave it for now, and ask him about it some more in a day or two.

Once I had finished eating, and thanked Mrs Cooper for a delicious meal, she packed up the dishes and told the boys to say good night to Huon, which they did, and followed her out the door, “I better go to, I have a few things I have to do in the morning, I will bring your lunch over at 12 noon, if that is ok?” Sebastian said to me, “Sure mate that is fine, thanks for your company this afternoon, it has been great. Goodnight and sleep well” I replied, and soon after he left, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Unfortunately, the next time I woke up, I could hear the regular beeping again, and I was in a different room, and I presumed that I was in ICU again. I turned to see if anyone else was in the room, but the one chair in the room was empty, so I pressed the call button for a nurse. A few minutes later a nurse and my doctor entered the room. “Hello Huon, I presume you have guessed that you are back in ICU. You had a very high fever, and it took some doing to get you back to normal again, including some time in an induced coma” Mr Jarvis said to me.