valorous idylls chapter 16

Come Back Corporal Jones All Is Forgiven

Saint Brigid's Day.
A feast I've never remembered in my life.
I'll remember it from now on because today they're operating on me.
Saint Brigid is one of those spectacular Irish saints from 1500 years ago who can seem a bit mythic.
That is to say some of us aren't too sure whether she existed or not.
Fembos in Ireland often try to hijack her as some sort of goddess in a divide and conquer manoeuvre against the ancient church.
There's a Saint Brigid of Sweden too who is more recent in the historical sense and whose life has more credible attestation.
Still today I'll call on the intercession of the Irish girl.
A nurse with the name tag Ruth Ibeabuchi arrives at my bedside and attaches a monitor to my functional arm.
She frowns as the machine beeps.
"James," Nurse Ruth Ibeabuchi shouts suddenly. Calm down. Calm down James. James calm down."
The affect is quite quaint.
I'm sitting quietly in the bed.
Ruth Ibeabuchi is still shouting "calm down."
The sponge bath guy approaches and addresses me congenially.
"So James, what do you for a living?"
The machine goes: "Beep, beeep, beeeeeep."
I think this is hilarious.
Someone trying to relax me by asking me what I do for a living.
Ruth Ibeabuchi rounds on the other staff member.
"You go way Paul," she cries. "You go over there. You go over there. Do your work."
Now this is rum.
But the man does not retreat.
He says again quite gently: "Are you okay there James?"
Ruth Ibeabuchi lets another cry: "Go away Paul. Go to your work."
I say: "It's alright. I am okay. And thank you."
He goes.
For all the world it is as though he had been trying to protect me.
But from what?