immigrant-8

Subject: Immigrant Chapter 8 This story is a sequel to the story, “Marooned” which is already on Nifty, and it is a work of fiction, and all the characters in it are fictitious. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is incidental and unintended. The story involves the relationship between an adult and a minor and may involve scenes of a sexual nature. There is no outright sex and any sexual activity is of a gentle and loving nature (if you’re looking for pornography – look elsewhere) but none-the-less it may offend some people and, if you are one of those people, or if it is not legal for you to read such things, please read no further. To those who are still here please enjoy. If you wish to provide feedback I can be contacted at lfa4321jonah@outlook (note, there was an error in this address printed with some earlier chapters. This is the correct one) and please bear in mind that you don’t pay to read these stories, but it does cost Nifty money to provide them. Please consider donating to Nifty fty/donate.html Immigrant By Jonah Chapter 8 I stared at her for a long moment, then handed Simon the car keys. “Simon, go wait in the car. I won’t be long.” Simon took the keys and went. “Who’s with Phil, Glenys?” “Only Alice, she’s got to report to him because she saw some of his patients.” “Thanks,” I said, and strode off down the corridor. Phil’s door was closed so I knocked and entered. Phil looked up from his writing then relaxed when he saw who it was. “Thanks Alice, that’ll do for now,” he said, “and thanks for helping out today” Alice was a dumpy looking lady with a cheerful face. “No problem at all doctors,” she said, “hallo and goodnight Doctor Rankine.” “Goodnight Alice, and thanks,” I replied. “And thanks to you too Rob,” said Phil as the door closed behind her. “Justin Dorridge,” I said. “What about him?” “He has been abused as we suspected. His parents have gone to prison for it, or something related to it, which is why he’s fostered, and he’s not the only child involved.” “Where did you get that?” He asked. “Glenys,” I replied, “but I can’t get any more than that because I’m not allowed to discuss it with her.” “No, certainly not,” he replied, “but if the police are already involved, or have been, then there’s nothing to stop us from going to social services to find out what they know.” “Do you want me to arrange a meeting with them?” “Can’t do any harm,” he said. “I don’t mean any offence, but you’ll understand when I say I hope I don’t see you again before morning. Goodnight Rob, and thank you.” “Night Boss,” I said. Simon was more talkative on the way home. “We had a special assembly to pray for all those people who were killed,” he told me. “Forty-one children and eight adults, they say. ” “Well they must be right because I signed forty-one death certificates,” I told him, “but that’s just a number. The parents of every one of those forty-one children are feeling things right now that have nothing to do with arithmetic.” “I know,” he said. “That’s why we pray. Peter and me have been praying since last night. Luke says Ben has too.” That surprised me. I wasn’t particularly religious myself, though I believed I was a Christian, but I had never thought that Ben might be. I didn’t think I was qualified to discuss religion with Simon. He probably knew more than I did. If he needed to know more he should go to Jonah, or June Bennett. I dropped him off at the flat and then drove back to the surgery. Phil was nowhere to be seen, but I knew he had to prepare for evening surgery so I settled in my consulting room to see my last two patients. I was finished by ten past four as neither had anything complicated or worrying to deal with, so it was straight back to the flat. “Keep that boy away from me,” I said, as I spotted Sammy Porter. Sammy looked crestfallen. My tone was ironic, but Sammy clearly thought escort this was no laughing matter. In fact he looked as if he would never laugh again and the tears began to flow. “Come here Sammy,” I said sitting on the sofa. Sammy sat next to me but didn’t look at me. “What’s the matter Sammy?” I asked quietly. “Forty-nine people killed, and all those children,” he said. “Luke told me what you had to do last night.” “I wish he hadn’t,” I said. “I’ve always wanted to be a fireman when I grow up,” he said, “and I know all about fire engines, and I like to dream about walking into burning buildings and rescuing people, and using all this expert knowledge to put fires out, but I don’t think I could do what you did last night. It was always so exciting, but it isn’t a game is it?” I put an arm round the boy’s shoulder and pulled him closer. “Yes it is Sammy,” I said. “To you it’s a game that you mustn’t let anybody spoil. Soon – too soon – you’ll grow up and life won’t be a game any more. Don’t do it before you have to.” “But all those children…..” “Won’t be any better off for you grieving over them. They are where nothing can harm them ever again. Those who are left behind have to live with it – their parents, their friends, the emergency services and doctors. I had a hell of a night, but I don’t need to share it with you. It will have been all worthwhile if you can still smile and laugh. ” “And pray,” he added. I welled up suddenly “Yes Sammy – and pray,” I said, and discovered that I meant it. Susan was at the door to collect Sammy and Jason, so that conversation was at an end. Jonah was cooking dinner tonight and had just about finished making spaghetti bolognaise for everybody. The usual happy band of pilgrims seemed to be missing from the counter though. A very sombre looking lot had taken their place. Jonah served up without a word and people ate in silence. It occurred to me that a similar scene was being repeated in households all over London at that moment. In a few days there would be funerals, and well attended ones at that. People needed to pay their respects. The bus had been headed for Stanmore, so there would be grieving families there, but Simon’s school in Pinner had lost a lot of people. My mother had told me once of the Welsh mining village of Aberfan, where a whole generation had been wiped out by an unstable slurry tip that had demolished the village school. She had still been at school in the North of England at the time, and she said services had been held nationwide and the whole country shared in their grief. “I’ve got a job you can all help with after dinner,” said Jonah. “No worries,” said Simon. We finished our meal and Peter and Simon washed up while Jonah took us up to the boys’ room and showed us a crude wooden frame, roughly 2′ x 18″. “Simon, I’ve got a couple of sheets of marine plywood, can you and Ben get one of them screwed to this frame. Luke, you and Peter, when he comes up, can help me make the other frame. It’s time we got started on that model railway.” “I’m not sure I want a model railway any more”, said Peter from the doorway. I sat down on the bed and said, “Come here Peter.” He sat down beside me. “Now why do you suddenly not want a model railway”. “It doesn’t seem right. All those people killed.” “Except railways try to stop people being killed,” I pointed out. “You seem to forget that most of the people who were killed last night were on a bus. They were killed because buses and cars aren’t as safe as railways. Do you know how hard railwaymen work to try to make sure that their railways are safe? It wasn’t their fault that the bus was where it had no business to be. There was a train involved in that, and nearly all the people on that train got up and walked off of it. Most years there are no passengers killed at all on railways in this country, compared to thousands of deaths every year izmit escort bayan on the roads. When there are a few deaths on railways these days, it’s usually caused by road users who don’t use level crossings properly.” “I suppose so,” he muttered. “And Jonah’s gone to a lot of trouble to start your model railway,” I said more quietly. “Isn’t suddenly not wanting it a bit ungrateful?” He got up and walked over to Jonah and said, “Sorry Jonah, I do want one really, but I thought you said we haven’t room.” “We haven’t room for one that goes round in circles like Liam’s,” said Jonah, “but real railways don’t go round in circles and that station that Neil and Peter made for you is a terminus. Your trains can run into it and leave from it like real trains while goods trains can shunt in the goods yard.” “Yay!” said Peter in the nearest thing to a display of enthusiasm that I had seen all day. Within the hour we had two baseboards completed and Jonah had started the framework for a third shorter one. This, he said was for a traverser. None of us knew what one of those was, but we all looked forward to finding out. Simon and Jonah were soon fitting brackets to the sloping timbers of the roof to support the baseboards. By bedtime the three baseboard frames were in position in the boys’ room and came nowhere near obstructing their sleeping space. “I’ll get it,” said Simon suddenly. I presumed he meant the door, though I hadn’t heard the bell. Anyway he disappeared only to reappear a few moments later in the company of a very large policeman. “Evening Bob,” said Jonah. “I wasn’t expecting you. Simon put the kettle on will you mate?” “Thanks Jonah,” said the officer. “I won’t pretend I don’t need it. I’ve spent the whole day at the morgue, taking good people who deserve better to identify their loved ones. I only popped in to see your doctor friend.” “How can I help you constable?” I said. “Nothing to worry about sir,” he replied. “I’ve just got a letter for you. The public inquiry has been fixed for a week on Thursday, and you’ve been summoned as a witness. Your partner has got one too.” He handed over the envelope and I slit it open. The letter was headed “Office of Rail and Road” and said exactly what he had said it would. “Thank you, constable. I’ll make a note in my diary. ” “It’s milk and no sugar ,isn’t it Mr. Drage?” “Thank you Simon, that’s perfect,” said the policeman, taking it from him. “Jonah, Fred says we haven’t seen you down the station lately. The kettle’s always on you know.” “I’ll have to pop in and see him sometime then,” said Jonah. “Things have been a little busy around here lately.” “So I see,” said the officer. “My Charlie doesn’t use his trains nowadays, since he discovered girls. I’ll have to see if he still wants them.” “Peter nearly didn’t want them either,” Jonah remarked. “Oh?” said PC Drage. “Why’s that Peter?” “Forty-nine people dead,” Peter replied. “It’s fifty now,” replied the policeman. “a little girl died this morning. She died in her mother’s arms, but the train didn’t kill her, or any of them. We’ve got the person who was responsible for that.” “Who was that,” Jonah asked. “A girl of nineteen in a Ford Ka was overtaking a lorry on the approach to the bridge. We’ve got dash-cam evidence from two vehicles. The lorry stopped to give way to the bus, to avoid passing it on the bridge but, as his dash cam shows, this stupid girl pulled out to pass him and then only just got back to her own side of the road or she’d have hit the bus. The bus had to swerve to avoid hitting her and she kept going. We’ve got dash-cam evidence from a police car that was following the bus, which clearly shows her mobile phone. She’s facing causing death by dangerous driving, using a mobile phone whilst in charge of a vehicle, endangering the railway, and fifty counts of manslaughter. She’ll do izmit sınırsız escort time for that lot, but she’ll wish they kept her in for life.” I think everybody was too stunned to say anything. The constable put down his cup and saucer and said, “Well thanks for the tea Simon. Jonah, don’t forget to look in at the station for a cuppa when you’re down our way, and that includes you Peter. Sergeant Boone said you thought you’d got a criminal record. I thought I’d made it clear that you haven’t. It’s just that, when you’ve got a black belt, you need to be a bit careful how you handle people. I’ve only got a green belt, but I have to watch it. Anyway, we’re always glad to see you, and you Luke, and our champion crime-fighter over there. It’s good to meet you Ben.” Ben smiled and nodded to the man. Simon showed him out. “Will we be going home soon?” an unexpected thought said. “Why?” I thought. “Are you in a hurry to leave?” Ben smiled. “No,” he thought, “I’m not.” TO BE CONTINUED. If you’ve enjoyed this story you’d probably enjoy other stories by the same author, also on Adult/Youth. “Marooned”, “Letter from America”, ” Stranger on a train” and “The Boston Tea Party” are all by this author, as is, “The Pen-Pals” (on Young Friends). You would also probably like “A Neglected Boy” by Jacob Lion. Pictures of some of the characters in this story can be found on Jacob’s bly/jonah-stories.html My thanks go to Jacob for his generosity and hard work in making this available. Immigrant – Dramatis Personae (that’s Latin. It means a list of people in the play, but it’ll do for our purposes). Professor Edward Alves, Of Yale university, and usually just known as “the Professor”, Ivor Belling, of Network Rail, a Rail Incident Officer, Revd June Bennett, a Methodist superintendant minister, Sgt Jack Boone, of the Metropolitan Police, stationed at South Harrow, Dr. Brian Chase, a consultant psychiatrist, David Cole, proprietor of an electronics hobby shop and Jonah’s landlord, Jonah Cummings, a graphiuc artist, foster parent of Luke and guardian of Peter and Simon, Luke Cummings, ten year old foster child of Jonah, Jacob Davis, five months old, Joe Davis, Father of Jacob and husband of Miriam. Lodges with Monica. Miriam Davis, wife and mother, Jason Dorridge, thirteen year old lodger and prospective foster child of the Porters. Justin Dorridge, fourteen year old brother of Jason. Foster child of Mrs. Storey. Patient of Dr. Rankine, PC. Bob Drage, of the Metropolitan Police, stationed at South Harrow, Mrs. Jenny Fuller, director of Social Services at Harrow, Monica Hardy, retired district nurse, and landlady of the Davises. Attends North Harrow Methodist Church, Dr. Tim Heath, of Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, Superintendent Charles Horace, of the Metropolitan Police, stationed at South Harrow, Peter Khan, nine year old orphan and ward of Jonah, Simon Khan, his thirteen year old brother, Miss Carol King, a Social Services case worker, DI Tom Lake, of the Metropolitan Police, stationed at West End Central, Nurse Alice Mayne, surgical nurse at the Pinner practice. Dr Philip Manley MD, senior partner of Rob, Sgt Duncan Moffatt, of the Metropolitan Police, Northern Tactical Firearms Unit, Geoffrey Porter, father of Sammy, husband of Susan and prospective foster parent of Jason. Samuel (Sammy) Porter, his son, Susan Porter, the other member of this Roman Catholic family. Dr Robert (Rob) Rankine MD, Australian immigrant who first appeared in Marooned. Junior partner in the Pinner practice, PC. Jason Roberts, of the Metropolitan Police, stationed at South Harrow, Dr John Rooke MD, Deceased, Dr. Paul Stevenson, consultant registrar at Northwick Park Hospital, Mrs. Joanne Storey, foster parent of Justin Dorridge, Ben Virgil, eleven year old Australian immigrant who first appeared in Marooned, Dave Webber, private tutor of Ben (and formerly of Luke), senior steward at North Harrow Methodist Church, Gladys Webber, his wife, a hospital matron, PC. Harry Weston, of the Metropolitan Police, Northern TFU, Mrs. Glenys Woods, receptionist at the Pinner practice, PC. Steve York, of the Metropolitan Police, Northern TFU.