Chapter 5 - Vidius

Chapter Five – Vidius

‘Thanks Sup, I appreciate your moral support, or should I say, Colonel? Your rank structure has changed back to the old days, hasn’t it?’ Jan is staring at the face of his darling, barely recognizable, through the glass of the ICU reception area. Stephan and Nonna just left. He will have to work on his attitude towards Nonna. A thought rushes through his mind. But these Blacks, they are all the same.
He has to move out of the ward in case the cell phone causes interference with the sophisticated life support machines. ‘Yes, it has’ answers the head of the Police of Stellenbosch. ‘I don’t particularly like the changing back, it might just remind too many people of our difficult past.’ Jan feels a bit of a temperature rise, but in the current situation he quickly suppresses it.
‘So how many did you catch?’ ‘ Well, we interrogated the four that we caught, it seems like there were only four… AND it seems they have been watching your house for weeks. This normally means inside assistance and we…’ The police chief is interrupted by a sickening noise in his ear. ‘Hello Mr Botha? Are you there?’ The line has gone dead.
Jan has dropped his phone and it crashes into pieces on the ground. The life support machines at Helena’s bed have gone crazy and he rushes to the bed, only to be forcefully stopped by the staff. ‘Please Mr Botha, stay back!’ He is forced back to the reception area.
45 minutes later the head of the medical team approaches him. The doctor looks at Jan and a brief feeling of pity spills through him. It looks like Jan’s 1.9m frame has shrunk to the size of a dwarf.
‘Mr Botha, your wife has gone into a deep coma. She is stable now and physically out of danger.’
‘What do you mean by “deep coma”, Dr van Zyl?’
‘Well, she could slip out of it in days, or it could…well it could take months…and …well, it may never happen.’ Van Zyl always felt that with this kind of news, one always says it as soon as possible and with as few as possible words. Jan slips back into his chair, looking up into the doctor’s face, devastated.
The doctor pauses for a moment, changes his gaze towards the entrance. Coming through the entrance is an elegant, distinguished looking black woman with her hair tightly bound behind her neck, making her attractive features even more prominent.
‘Mr Botha, I’d like you to meet Dr Thabalala, our resident psychiatrist. I called for her, because I’d like her to orientate you as to what has just happened. She’ll support you over the next few days. She will head the team that takes care of your wife over the interim period. She has a reputation of being one of the best in the business … and I should know … she is my wife as well!’
The news of the relationship doesn’t really sink in. Then it does. ‘I must phone my son … he has gone to drop off our domestic worker.’ A quick subtle glance passes between the two doctors.
Jan reaches for his cell, remembering it broke on the floor. ‘Dr van Zyl, can I use a hospital phone? I’m afraid I dropped my phone on the floor, splitting it on the floor.’ Jan is not even aware of it himself, but he is completely ignoring Dr Thabalala. But she is very aware of it … and used to it. She sighs. When will this prejudice ever disappear? ‘I am so sick of it,’ she thinks silently.
‘No problem, Mr Botha, just go to the counter, the nurse will assist you.’

‘Tembi! WHAT are you doing here?!’ asks Stephen in disbelief, and but with excitement in his voice.
“Tembi? How come Stevie calls you Tembi? Only Papa used to call you Tembi!’
Stephen’s cell rings. ‘Excuse me, I just want to take this,’ and steps outside the front door.