Chapter 26 - Part 1 - Gen 2 - Tapestry

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I set off for work happily my head buzzing with everything that Rocky has said about it being more than possible for me to have a music career even being a mixed berry.

I do, however, feel a little guilty for being happy right now and having to leave River who is a right emotional wreck at the moment, his baby being born this morning and him not being there has really knocked him about, luckily Denim is at home to keep an eye on him.

I have continued with my job at the bar against Rivers wishes, mainly because for the most part Grape Orchid has very much kept his distance only coming over to me very occasionally to pester me. Generally when he has approached me he has been totally hammered, and hasn't really been talking a lot of sense or hung around for very long, so he's been pretty easy to ignore and keep at arms length.

I have watched with amusement over the past few months all of the bar brawls he's been a part of, most of them he's actually caused because of his bad attitude when he's drunk.  He can go some for an old man and now I see where Prelude gets it all from, he is the spit of his old man, I really don't see any of my Mother or Mulberry in him at all character wise.

Tonight, however, he decided to come over and talk to me while he is completely sober.

I noticed strangely he wasn't here again when I walked into the bar like he usually is, he strolls in about an hour after I have started work, on a normal day he is usually totally wasted by the time I get here.

Even stranger, there hasn't been a normal day yet this week, as I have not seen him in this bar at all during the week, I was beginning to think and hope that he might have moved to another bar and wasn't using this one anymore, not that it really matters now because in a few weeks time we will be back at home in Sugar Valley and I doubt I will ever have to see him again.

I try to forget about him once I've seen him walk in, I know he has made his way to the bar so that is where I expect him to stay for the rest of the night, so I am very surprised when after only about five minutes he appears behind me. 

"Here you go wuss I've bought you your flavoured water!"  he places the glass down on the piano with a very unsteady hand, so unsteady he's spilling the water everywhere.

I smile at him because he usually brings me vodka lased beer which he ends up drinking himself, finally he has actually brought me over something that I can drink.  I notice he doesn't have his own drink in his hand like he usually would.  I'm hoping he won't stay long, he's bound to go back to the bar for his drink.  As he is sober I make a mental note that I have to talk to him properly and try not to rub him up the wrong way, and I definitely have to watch what I'm saying.

"So where is that blue woman of yours I haven't seen her around for a while, I've just been round to yours and your blue fella said she wasn't in.  I was hoping to have a word with her."  I wander what he might want with Winter. 

"She's moved out of town, she's gone to live with the babies Dad"  he grunts but doesn't say anything else for a while, I wander why Denim didn't just tell him she's moved away?  The old man asks if Winter's move is permanent.  "Yeah, she won't be back, only to check on the house occasionally, Denim is renting her house now."

"You are a strange one!!"  he says as he starts laughing  "Do you have a thing for blue ... I heard what you did for that Clay fella taking him off the streets ... looks like he has landed on his feet thanks to you!!"  lets hope he hasn't heard about the colourless girl!!  "No orange berry's on the street you could have taken care of instead?"  This guy seriously has a problem with colour, or is that the way they work in this colour coded world, you only look after your own.

"Just a coincidence ... I got talking to him in the park and he's a really nice guy, he didn't deserve what happened to him!! His wife and three children were faded by a drunk driver which drove him to drink and he lost everything!"  he mumbled that's a shame and he didn't know  "Besides I'm colourblind so I don't see what colour anyone is and I don't ask either because I don't really care."  he starts laughing quite loudly

"Colourblind ... it must be a fault with orange, I know another orange berry who is also colourblind."  he suddenly bursts out laughing  "Shame nobody warned him my daughter isn't orange before he married her!!"  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry he's talking about my parents.  I glance at his face and he just smiles at me.

"So your daughter is colour mixing ... I thought you didn't like it!"

"Don't pretend like you don't know!!"  he snaps at me quite nastily, the sudden change in the tone of his voice surprised me and I start to panic inside, wandering if he does actually know who I am and he's just testing me.   "It's no secret ... me and my family are talk of the town and have been for many years, you've got to have heard it from somebody ... As if it wasn't bad enough my daughter and Grandson were born colourless, then all three of my children go off to Sugar Valley colour mixing!!"   I say nothing and just carry on playing the piano.

"So have you got nothing to say?!"  he's frowning at me when I glance at him "Got no insults to fling at me like everyone else does?!  I've heard it all over the years ... so don't hold back ... I've had it all thrown at me so there is nothing you can say that will hurt me ... I'm numb to it now!!" 

"It's the alcohol that numbs you!!"  I laugh at him  "It's none of my business what your family do, if they are happy then what's the problem!?  Colour and the lack of it is only skin deep, we are all exactly the same underneath!"  he pulls a strange face at me for saying that  "Is that why you drink so much, because you don't like what your children are doing?"  I should be trying to change the subject but I can't help be a little bit curious.

"I've always had a problem with drink, even before Lilly was born, my Father was like it and so is one of my boys."  he stands there quietly for a moment  "Having a colourless child is kind of a shock to the system!!  I probably would have coped with it a lot better if people weren't so nasty ... I got the sack, all our friends and parents turned their backs on us, our eldest son was constantly being beat up at school because of his sister, we went through hell ... I always wanted a little girl and she ends up colourless!!  Her arrival turned our world upside down and it's never been right since."  

I wander for a moment why he is talking to me like this. He is sober too, he's standing there not even drinking?!  He's acting very out of character to how I usually see him ... he continues to stand there ... I really could do with getting rid of him before I say something I shouldn't.  I nearly said something then that I shouldn't and really had to bite my tongue hard ... I felt like telling him she is still his little girl even being colourless and if he wasn't such a selfish narrow minded berry hole he would see that!!

"Are you not drinking tonight? ... you are usually well wasted by now."  I ask him hoping I will remind him and he will go off to the bar and forget to come back.  He shocks me by saying he doesn't much feel like it tonight, he only came in here to find some company.  Great so why pick on me?!  I look at him wide eyed and he starts laughing.  "You don't feel like getting slaughtered ... are you sick?"

"I've not been feeling too good lately"  he mumbles quietly "Doc's put me on medication and told me I've got to pack in the drinking!!"  I glance at him  "It seems I'm not too well!!"

"Nothing serious I hope!!" 

"Cirrhosis of the Liver ... from all the drinking Doc says!"  I stop playing the piano and look at him for a moment ... that is serious ... that is one of Dads scare lectures to try and keep us off the alcohol and he's always saying that's what he sees in Preludes future because of how much alcohol he drinks. "Ive been in the hospital since the weekend."  he says quietly, so that is why I haven't seen him.

He remains quiet for a while and sits down on the table, he's sitting there almost like he's in a daze, I keep taking quick glimpses at him, he's almost making me feel sorry for him ... it's obvious he's lonely and needs someone to talk too, I should imagine his illness is scaring him ... but it's his own fault and he doesn't have his family around him when he needs them ... because he has driven them away.

The old bugger could be dying and they don't have a clue.

"Is that why you wanted to speak to Winter, because she's a doctor?"  I ask him and he mumbles yes  "Maybe you should tell your family!"  he starts laughing

"Like they'd be interested, my daughter and youngest son probably won't even speak to me and I should imagine my other son is too pissed to care!!"  he starts coughing  "I only talk to my one Granddaughter and I don't want to bother her with my problems she's at University, she'll just fuss and it will disrupt her studies!!"  I laugh in my head, Wisty is a bit of a mother hen, she used to fuss over me something chronic when I was little ... I can just imagine her dropping her studies and rushing out here to look after the old man.  Oh berry!!  Now I'm worried, what if he does tell Wisty and she comes racing out here ... then I've definitely got a problem.

"You've got more than one grandchild I should imagine what about them."  I ask him more out of mischievous curiosity of what he might say. 

"Yeah, Eleven, I've got Nine living, two have faded ... I've only ever seen Wisty, Affair and Storm, not seen none of the others, not even a picture, but I do know all their names, Wisty tells me all about them."  I'm actually surprised he knows how many of us there are, that he lets Wisty talk about us or that he's interested enough to listen.  He starts laughing  "Actually I've got one with the same name as you, Tapestry, he's a little handful from what I hear, he has disabilities."  Fudge ... he's knows a lot more than I thought he would ... I need to make sure I don't tell him about any more of my medical problems or he might get suspicious of the coincidence, I have to laugh to myself about him saying I'm a little handful!!

"Tapestry is quite a common name!!"  I say to him even though I know it isn't, and I really need to change the subject away from us lot, but I am now really curious. "So why have you not seen the others?"  I really shouldn't be doing this  "Why do you have contact with only one of them?"

"It's my own fault, I struggled with my daughters lack of colour, My eldest son had twins Wisty and Affair, Wisty she is the only pure berry grandchild that I have.  Her brother Affair was born colourless, that was very hard to take on top of my daughter.  Two of my children moved to Sugar Valley together, a colour mix town because they treat colourless berry's good there.  My youngest son followed them, he was very attached to his sister even though I tried to keep them separated, I sent her away to a boarding school so he wouldn't have to suffer the same as my eldest son did.   My eldest son managed to do something that I couldn't, protect his kid from the hatred, then one by one they start colour mixing ... I couldn't hack it ... it went against everything I've been taught ... I've said and done some horrible things ... it's been probably 20 years since I've spoken to any of my children ... so the Grandchildren I've never seen."  He almost sounds like he's regretting what he's done.

"But I guess you not liking the colour mixing thing you wouldn't have wanted anything to do with your mixed berry grandchildren."  he looks at me for a moment without saying anything.

"No I didn't at first ... and for a long time, I was angry and I'm stubborn, and I had my chance and blew it ... my son brought Storm his purple little boy to see me, and I lost it, his mother is green see and I specifically don't like green berry's, he had a perfectly good purple woman and he blew it and hooked up with an evil green woman.  I really upset that little boy apparently and none of them have spoken to me since."  He's off with that dazed look on his face again, one more question then I really need to stop this and change the conversation ... as he looks like he is set to sit there all night just chatting.

"What about now? ... what would you do if one of your mixed berry grandchildren turned up on your doorstep?"  he starts laughing

"That's not likely is it son!!  For one they can't come out of Sugar Valley, according to Wisty there is only one of them who could have passed himself off as a pure berry, and that was the purple boy I told you about, but he faded not long ago - all the rest are mixed colours." he starts coughing again, I've noticed he coughs a lot  "Secondly, I guess they've all been told about how much of a horrible person I am, that's if they even know I exist ... one of them turning up on my doorstep is highly unlikely ... impossible I'd say!!"

"Hypothetically ... what if one did?"

"I guess ... I'd be happy ... I do love and miss my children regardless of what people might think ... I'm just a stubborn old drunken fool, loneliness kind of makes you wise up, shame I couldn't have done it a long time ago ... but it's too late now, I think it's gone way past fixing ... I think if I tried they would just slam the door in my face ... no point me even maudlin over it now!!"  

I am really shocked, I never expected to hear him say that ... I seriously need to change the subject, before I go saying something silly ... he really is making me feel sorry for him!!  One more thing that's bugging tho, he hasn't once mentioned his wife yet.  He starts coughing really badly again, I can't say that I've ever noticed that cough before tonight.

"What about your wife?  You haven't mentioned her yet."  he starts laughing

"Ex Wife ... she's divorced me recently ... our marriage died years ago, not that it's ever been very good, but we gave up even trying soon after our youngest boy took off to Sugar Valley to join the other two ... we only stuck it out because of the loneliness ... we were both in the same boat see ... she lives with our daughter now so Wisty tells me."

"So is the cirrhosis bad?"

"Yeah pretty much ... I'm looking at a transplant so the Doc says!"  he grunts  "You'd be wise to keep sticking to your flavoured water if you don't want to end up like me!!"  Oh so he finally gets it now it's too late!!  I glance at him and he is just sat there in a daze again ... I actually think he's scared.  "Something else I should have wised up over a long time ago!!"

He gets up and I hope he's leaving, he's given me way too much to think about, and while he's sat here he is only making me feel even more sorry for him ... even though I know really I shouldn't!!!  He say's he's going to get himself a drink.  I watch him wander off slowly, wandering if he's going off to get slaughtered again ... he's almost made me think he feels like he doesn't really have anything to live for ... he's blown it with his family and he's very lonely!!  I shouldn't imagine he's got many or any friends either.

I am a little disappointed when he comes wandering back and sits down on the table again.  I guess I've got him for the night, I'm amused that he comes back with two glasses of water, well I think his is water.

"I hope that's not vodka!!"  I laugh at him as I watch him taking a mouthful out of his glass.

"No, it's the same as what you are drinking ... I guess I've got to get used to this from now on!!"  I smile at him, so he is at least listening to the doctor, even if it might be just a little too late ... but he's a seasoned drinker, I wander just how long being alcohol free is going to last.  I can't help but notice that his hand is shaking really badly and he's spilling some of his drink down him ... he must be clucking from the alcohol withdrawal.

Strangely the place has been pretty dead all night, I'm not even sure why I'm sat here playing the piano, there has only been two lots of diners in tonight and the bar has been really deserted, even the drunks sat at the bar are thin on the ground tonight.

"Why is it so quiet in here tonight?"  I ask him as I look around

"Oh there is a big game on tonight ... I'm surprised you don't know!!  The whole world and his dog will probably be watching it, the Strawberry Fields lot are in town, it's always a big deal when we are playing them!!"   he starts chuckling  "If the landlord wasn't so miserable and installed a big screen TV in here like we've been nagging him to do for years, this place would be packed out tonight!!!"  Oh yeah, I remember now the game that Denim has been getting excited about all week.

"I'm not into sport!!"  I say, he says him neither these days.

"So is this what you want to do ... music, I've seen Grape and that son of his hanging around you quite a few times."  he laughs, I'd love to know what the bad feeling is that runs between them, they have both commented about not really liking each other.

"Eventually but not right now ... I'm not in a good place in my life right now."

"I know that feeling!!"  he laughs  "Nothing bad I hope!!"  I am changing the subject quickly.

"So what's the problem with you and Grape, I notice you don't seem to like each other very much."  I ask him.

"He's a law unto himself that one ... while I've had to suffer years of verbal abuse for what my children are doing, he's there flaunting that famous mixed berry son of his and nobody bats an eyelid ... he doesn't like me because of the way I've treated my family ... not that it is any of his business!!"  he starts laughing  "You know he told me years ago when Lilly was a toddler to move her to a colour mix town ... I thought he was talking shit to drive us out of town ... it appears he wasn't talking shit after all!!"

"So he was actually trying to help you and you didn't believe him!!" he rolls his eyes at me  "See if you had listened to him ... your life would be so much better now!!"

"It's alright you saying that ... we were going through hell, the stigma attached to having a colourless child you would never believe until it happens to you ... everyone was so nasty ... how could I believe he was being genuine?!  Besides mixed berry's to me at that time was just a very big no go ... I'm not sure I'd even physically seen one back then."

Now I guess that would all make sense, now that I know that Rocky is a mixed berry, and that Grape will go out of his way to help mixed berries and so it appears colourless berries too ... Grape obviously must think like we do - I can understand why there is so much bad feeling between the two of them.

I get the feeling he wanted to change the subject because he just suddenly starts to tell me randomly about Prelude which amuses me because I guess I'd probably know more about Prelude now than he does ... he tells me how Prelude loves his guitar and thought he might make something of himself when he stepped up to take care of and do the right thing for his colourless son moving him to Sugar Valley, but his downfall is the drink and that green woman of his, they have both caused a lot of trouble in his life, so Wisty keeps telling him ... I guess he doesn't know the half of it.  I'm laughing in my head because he's right there ... from what Dad has been telling River, since I went missing, Prelude has been permanently wasted because of her mainly being AWOL and he's gone and lost his job again.

I was pretty surprised when the old man told me that he used to be a school teacher and he was doing okay until his daughter arrived.   Of course the drinking didn't go down too well, nor his daughters lack of colour and he got the sack.  He's only had, what he calls stupid jobs since, like working in the grocery and book store, but he's retired now.  This got me thinking about Denim and the situation he got himself into because of the drink ... I wander how the old man has managed to keep his roof over his head when he's so wasted all the time ... so I ask him.  He starts laughing.

"My boy's ... they wanted to keep a roof over their Mother's head, they couldn't trust me too ... we did nearly lose the house a few time ... in the early days after they all moved to Sugar Valley ... they paid off the mortgage, I know they were only doing it for their mother ... but I'm not stupid ... I know who really paid it off!!"  I ask him who because he's just gone quiet  "That orange son in law of mine, I know my boys could never have scraped that much money together ... he paid it off ... he's loaded apparently, he's some big wig surgeon, and his parents."  He's talking about my Dad and I'm trying very hard not to laugh, yeah that is something that Dad would do!!  He starts chuckling to himself  "He'll get his money back with interest ... because when I fade, I've left him the house in my will ... when I shuffle off, I don't want them to think I'm a complete berry hole!!!"  Now I really can't help but laugh out loud with the old man who is now really laughing  "I only wish I could be there to see his face ... because he won't be expecting it!!"

"You don't like your orange son in law very much I take it?"  he stops laughing.

"To be honest, I don't really know him, I've only ever had one run in with him, he took offence to how I was talking to Lilly ... he's very over protective of her apparently ... I only hear what my Granddaughter says about him and Wisty idolizes him, and I know my boys do and he's taking really good care of Lilly from what I hear ... so I suppose he can't be too bad!"  he starts coughing again  "He goes above and beyond for his family apparently, he's a far better man than I could ever dream of being!! ... so both of my sons have thrown at me on more than one occasion."

I can't help but feel that the old man is really down, he thinks he's talking to a stranger so I guess I'm hearing the truth out of him,  if he knew who I was and he was telling me all this stuff I don't think I'd believe it because I would think he is telling me what I want to hear ... but he doesn't know who I am ... he's making me think he's sorry for everything and would change it if he could, but he thinks it's too late.  It could well be for all I know, I don't really know what has gone on between them all, only what Storm has told me.

Now what am I supposed to do with this??!!

"Tapestry ... you know if you want to get off early you can!!"  the landlord shouts me from behind the bar so I turn to look at him  "I'll pay you for a full shift, it's dead in here because of the game, I suppose I should have given you the night off really!!"

I'm not going to argue, especially if he's paying me for a full shift, it will give me the chance to spent some extra time with River, he's been really upset since his babies arrival and he feels like he's a million miles away.

"I'll walk back with you, I only live a few streets away from you ...it's time I headed off anyway, I'm getting tired."  the old man says to me as he stands up.  Great!!  Now I've got to walk home with him!!  I notice he's holding his side and pulling a face as he moans.  I ask him if he's okay  "Just a bit of pain it will pass, I'll just use the toilet ... wait for me."  he says as he hobbles off.

I put the lid down on the piano and lock it and take the key back to the bar.  The landlord has started locking the piano up to stop people messing about with it when me and the other guy aren't here because he's had to replace quite a few of the keys lately because of people messing about on the piano and breaking them. 

While I'm stood at the bar waiting for the old man to come out of the toilet, I'm talking to the landlord, he starts laughing and joking with me asking me who my new friend is.  I roll my eyes at him and tell him I'd much rather he was slaughtered then he might have left me alone for five minutes.

"Well you are highly honoured!!  He likes you, he told me, and Grape Orchid doesn't like many folk especially if they are not purple!!"  he starts laughing at the expression on my face.

"Great!!"  I roll my eyes at him.  I'm am actually now worrying that the old man might attach himself to me ... he's lonely, and I've sat like an idiot talking to him tonight, almost encouraging him, maybe I should have given him some attitude instead of asking questions out of curiosity.

I see the old man stumble out of the toilet so I say goodnight to the landlord and leave the bar with the old man in tow.  As I expected, he walks slowly, like a snail, it is going to take me twice as long to get home at this rate.

"So how is your brother doing?"  he asks "His back mended yet?"  I am actually surprised that he can even remember the amount of alcohol he has drunk since I picked him up off the floor from outside this bar months ago.

"He's getting there, he's back home now, he's just starting to walk around again."  he asks if we will be taking off and going home soon. "Yeah, hopefully in a few weeks we can be off."

"Shame!!  You are okay for an orange!!"  he says which makes me laugh.  Yeah it is a shame, because he has got one of his Grandchildren right under his nose, which he's said tonight that he would be happy about, I'm here and he doesn't even know it ... and he will never know it.

We walk along for a while in silence, I notice he is getting very short of breath and he's holding his side, he starts coughing, then doubles up suddenly and throws up a little in the grass at the side of the pavement.  I think he is a lot sicker than he's making out.

"Are you even up to walking, maybe I should call us a taxi!!"  I say frowning at him as he continues to stand there doubled up and holding his side again.  He tells me he'll be fine in a minute and to stop fussing the pain will pass in a moment.  Even though I can drive now, I always walk to work, now I wish I'd come in the car.

But he isn't fine ... he's clutching his side and moaning

Then collapses into a heap on the grass.

I kneel down beside him, he's out cold ... not again!!

Only this time I think it is a lot more serious!!  I'm guessing it is probably something to do with his liver.  I pull my phone out and phone for an ambulance.

When we arrive at the hospital they rush him straight into A&E, luckily he has told me about his Liver problem so they see to him straight away and rush him straight into a cubical.

While they are examining and accessing him I slip out to phone River, to let him know I am at the hospital.  He wanted me to come straight home and just leave him too it ... he thought he was just drunk again, so when I told him about his liver cirrhosis he changed his mind and was okay when  I said I wanted to wait to make sure he is going to be alright ... he's on his own.

They take him into a side room and they let me sit with him even though they won't tell me what is wrong with him or how he is ... because I am not family ... what a joke!!  Even if I did tell them the truth I doubt they would believe me with him being purple and me being orange.

I really don't like the machines that they have him hooked up to and all the tubes and wires running up underneath the bed sheets.

I get a really horrible feeling he is on his way out.

I sit in the chair watching him and replaying over everything he has said to me tonight.  Even though it's not yet midnight and I would still be at work now, I am now feeling mentally tired, I lean back in the seat stretch my legs out and close my eyes while I'm thinking and I must have fallen straight off to sleep.

I wake up with a start because the door bangs and I can hear talking.

"Who's that?"  I hear a familiar voice ask

"He says he's a friend of your Fathers ... he came in the ambulance with him, I think he was with him when he collapsed."  a woman says

When I've sat myself up in the chair properly and open my eyes I have to blink a few times at the person stood in front of me to make sure I'm not seeing things.  The nurse checks the old mans machines and I watch her as Mulberry studies me with a frown on his face.  I wait until the nurse walks out of the room before I can react.

"Mulberry!!"  I dive up off the chair and throw myself at him  "Where did you come from?"

"Fudge!!  Tapestry!! ... I hardly recognized you ... Look at you!! my little nephew all grown up!!"  he starts hugging me and laughing  "What no hat?! and what's with the glasses?!"  he reminds me that when I was a child I used to spend hours screaming the house down because of having to wear glasses and I played up something chronic until my parents let me start using contact lenses. 

"Part of my disguise, exactly what you wouldn't be expecting ... and it worked ... you didn't recognize me did you!!"  I laugh at him

"No I didn't!!"  he grins at me as he holds me at arms length looking at me, then he hugs me again.  "So now I am guessing you are the one responsible for giving them my name and address!! ... what are you even doing with your Granddad Tap?!"

They had asked me when I arrived with the old man if I knew who his next of kin is, I gave them Mulberry's name and address ... I didn't know what else to do ... I couldn't have told them that I am his Grandson ... but after everything that the old man had said earlier I never in a million years would have expected Mulberry to actually turn up to the hospital ... I guessed they would just leave him here to rot ... but then I suppose I should have known better.

He explained that they've told him the old man is critical and needs a liver transplant straight away or he isn't going to make it ... so he jumped on the first plane out here, Prelude is too hammered to even understand so he hasn't even told him and my Mom doesn't even remember him.  Not that either of them could have come out to Rainbow Valley with me being in town anyway.

I'm a little surprised that its now 2am in the morning and I've been asleep for more than four hours.  I had to explain to him what had happened tonight because he couldn't understand why I was here with the old man, he started to get a little cross with me at first, thinking I'd been hanging about with him when I've been told not to, but he was sort of okay when I explained I'd been at work and he decided to park his backside by me and natter all night ... it's not like I could have got up and walked away from him.

"How's Mom?"  he says she's not good, she is spending most of her time blacked out since they found Honey and not me.  "Mulberry when can we come home, we are both getting seriously sick of this!!  We just want to come home!!"  I can't stop the tears, just seeing him has upset me.

"Don't worry Tap, its not long now!!  Just one more week."  he grins at me as he wipes the tears off my face  "Since when did you do crying without kicking off first?!"  he laughs as he hugs me again.  He is very shocked when I tell him that I haven't actually had an outburst since our first few weeks on the road.

"Well the silly old bugger has gone and done it this time!!"  he says as he stares down at the old man lying in the bed  "He's gone and drunk himself into an early grave!!  I had hoped he would try and put things right with his family before he shuffled off ... but obviously that's not happening!!"

"He'll be okay when he gets a transplant won't he?"

"It's not happening Tap ... his age and he's an alcoholic ... it's not ethical apparently for them to waste a perfectly good liver on an old drunk when someone younger could have it who wouldn't abuse it like he would."  he says as he continues to stare down at the old man  "He could have another 20 years in him for all they know ... but they recon it's time to pull the plug!!"  I'm not sure I quite understood that right.

"Are you trying to tell me, he can not have a transplant?"

"They say not ... but your Dads on the case!!"  he starts laughing

"Dad?"

When I frown at Mulberry that is when I hear his voice as he walks into the room with a doctor, I look up quickly thinking I'm imagining it ... but I'm not.  I can't believe he's here, why hadn't Mulberry said he was here!?

Dad is holding a load of papers in his hand and he's having a go at the doctor, he is spouting a load of medical jargon that I don't understand.  I stand staring at him, he hasn't noticed me yet.  I look at Mulberry wide eyed.  He starts laughing at me.

"Thought I'd surprise you!"  he smiles at me

Dad looks up quickly to see who Mulberry is talking too, he glances at me for a moment then back down at the paperwork and carries on talking to the doctor. 

He seriously hasn't recognized me ... it upsets me for a moment then I realize, it's quite possible ... I've changed a lot since I've been away, I'm not wearing a hat and I've got glasses on which he would never expect and my hair is twice as long as it was, I've had my ears pierced and I've got a beard.  The last time he saw me I was a teenager and a lot different ... and Mulberry said he could hardly recognize me, Dad being colourblind can't see I'm orange, if he could then he probably would have looked at me a little harder.

Dad suddenly loses his temper at something the doctor has just said to him.

"I don't care what you are saying ... you can't just pick and chose who's life you save, he's not an animal and you can't just decide to put him down because it suits you, you're a doctor not a vet ... I want to see his consultant!! ... what kind of hospital is this ... it's a joke!!"

"I'm sorry but the decision has been made ..."

"I don't care what decision you THINK you have made ... I want to see his consultant"  Dad snaps at the doctor who frowns at him

"He's deteriorating fast and we probably won't have time to find him a compatible purple donor liver it could take longer than the time he's got left."

"DON'T TALK SHIT!!!  I might have known this would all be about colour!!  You can't pull the wool over my eyes ... I'm a surgeon - I've probably done more transplants than you've had hot dinners ... I could get him a replacement liver here within 24 hours ... compatible purple donor liver ... my arse!!!  Do you people still work in the dark ages they don't match transplant organs these days, not that they have ever matched them by colour anyway ... have you people never heard of anti rejection medication ... or don't you use anti rejection because berry forbid you might just be colour mixing!!!"  he starts really laughing then  "Purple donor liver ... oh berry!! ... that's the best I've heard yet!!"

The doctor just stands there gawking at Dad I don't think he knows what to say.  I struggling to take it in, I can't understand why Dad would be fighting for the old man like this when there is supposed to be so much bad feeling between them and him ... he's always the doctor!! 

"Just fetch me his consultant before I really lose my temper and I use your liver and do the transplant surgery myself!!"  I can't help but laugh ... I've never seen Dad like this before.  "I don't think I'd trust you with him now anyway so I'm having him transferred to Sugar Valley where we run a hospital not a colour coded veterinary practise!!"  the doctor huffs and walks out of the room.

"Purple donor liver ... oh berry!!"  he starts laughing really hard  "wait til Forrest hears this one - oh fudge!! - the colour coded twats are brainwashed!!!"  it really seems to have ticked him  "Who's your friend Mulberry?"  he asks as he starts looking at the paperwork again and carries on laughing.

Me and Mulberry look at each other and both burst out laughing ... he glances up from the paperwork again, this time he looks really irritated, probably by our laughing, he frowns at me for a moment while he's watching me laugh.

"TAPESTRY?!"  he says as the papers fall out of his hand.  "Oh Berry!!  

He recognizes me ... finally!!

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Part two will follow in a few days!

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