The Bubble Boy Read online

  ‘Beth does.’ I also don’t think Greg is right, but maybe Katie doesn’t like superheroes, so he isn’t to know that not all girls are like that.

  Greg laughs again.

  I look back at my screen. Now that Greg has said that, I don’t know what else to write. I hold my finger over the keyboard and think of pressing the delete key. Greg checks the readings on the monitors –

  Room temp.: 19

  Air purity: 98.2%

  Heart rate: 77

  ‘Ask her something,’ he says. ‘Sounds like she’s stuck in a room, too.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Anything, mate.’

  I’m glad you like my room and the planes. What can you see out of your window?

  Greg glances at my screen. ‘Yeah, that’s good.’ He walks towards the door.

  ‘Are you going already?’

  ‘Yeah, mate, I’m sorry. I’ve got to get back.’

  ‘Back where?’

  ‘What’s that?’ He puts his hand on the door.

  ‘Where have you got to go back to?’

  ‘Just the other wards. That’s all.’

  ‘Is it the norovirus again?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The reason everyone’s so busy. Is it the norovirus?’

  ‘No, mate, where did that come from?’

  ‘It’s just you’re busy, and so was Amir.’

  ‘We all are, but don’t worry. Hey,’ he nods at my laptop, ‘maybe ask her what music she likes too . . . I’ll try and get back to you later.’

  I look back at my laptop.

  What music do you like?

  I press Send and lie down. The last time Greg was this busy was when the norovirus was here two years ago. He didn’t tell me what was happening then, but every day all the nurses were running around looking after people and cleaning and there were TV crews and reporters outside. I watched it on the news. Loads of people were being sick – patients, nurses and the doctors. Four hundred people caught it. It was so bad they sent some patients home while they closed down six wards for two weeks and sprayed them with disinfectant. I thought I was going to have to move too, but they told me that would never happen because I was in the safest place in the whole hospital. I haven’t seen any TV crews outside but maybe this time it’s so dangerous everybody thinks they will catch it.

  I open a new tab and type in Norovirus.

  938,400 results.

  Symptoms, vomiting and diarrhoea.

  I can’t see anything about the norovirus here.

  My laptop beeps. I glance at the corner of the screen.

  Hey Joe what are you doing?

  14:00

  Looking up Norovirus.

  14:00

  Crap! Have you got it there?

  14:01

  No.

  14:01

  I scroll down.

  But 300 people have got it in South Wales

  14:02

  How far’s that?

  14:02

  Hang on . . . 220 miles

  14:02

  That’s close!

  14:02

  Is it?!

  14:03

  Well, it is over here.

  14:03

  It’s got to go over a bridge to get here.

  Would that stop it?

  14:03

  Think it travels in the air not by road. Ha.

  14:03

  Pigeons!

  14:04

  No, don’t think so. What does it say?

  14:04

  It spreads from person to person

  by the faecal-oral route.

  14:04

  Sounds like a toothpaste.

  14:04

  This is serious.

  I don’t want to go outside if it’s here.

  14:05

  Sorry. I’m sure it’s not.

  So you’re definitely going?

  14:05

  Yes, I think so. Tomorrow.

  14:06

  Amir left me loads of instructions.

  I’ve got to memorize them.

  Cool. What time are you going?

  14:06

  4 o’clock.

  14:07

  Same time as me.

  14:07

  Really?!

  14:07

  Yeah, NASA just told me. Countdown to 4pm!!!

  14:07

  No, I’m going at 4 in the morning!

  14:08

  What! That means you get to go before me!

  14:08

  I know.

  14:08

  You can tell me about it before I go . . .

  14:08

  No, don’t tell me.

  14:08

  Might spoil it?

  14:09

  Yeah, you won’t be able to get me anyway.

  14:09

  I’m on news black-out, like it’s top secret.

  Only people who can get me will be Mum and Dad.

  14:09

  OK. Chat after. Can’t wait.

  14:10

  Me neither.

  14:10

  I smile. After worrying about everything, I can’t wait to go. I tell Henry what’s written in Amir’s notes, how much air I’ve got and that he’s worked out I can take 4,576 breaths in three hours and still have some air left. Henry tells me NASA worked that out for him too but he hasn’t seen the data because all the scientists have it protected on their laptops and they all need to scan their fingerprints to access it. I tell him that I still don’t know where I’m going, only that I won’t be able to see much at first but it will get light while I’m out.

  Hey, Joe.

  14:12

  Maybe he’s taking you out for breakfast at McDonalds.

  14:12

  Ha.

  14:12

  That’s what I’m looking forward to most.

  14:12

  Burgers and chips at McDonald’s.

  NASA told me they’re getting special

  sterilizing units in to cook it.

  Really?

  14:13

  No. I made that bit up. Ha.

  14:13

  What are you taking with you?

  14:13

  I don’t know. Thinking.

  14:14

  I look around my room. When people go on a trip they usually know where they are going. They take sandwiches and drinks and eat them in the car or get out and sit on a blanket in a field. Greg told me that whenever he goes away with Katie he always takes a rucksack with important things like a torch, a penknife and a coat in case it gets cold or rains. I don’t know if I’m going to a beach, to a river, or a park, or if it’s going to be cold or hot but even if I did, I don’t have anything to take with me. I don’t have any walking boots. I don’t have a coat. I don’t even have a rucksack for drinks or food. All I’ve got are my trainers and clothes.

  Henry

  14:20

  Yeah

  14:20

  I haven’t got anything to take.

  14:21

  Yeah, I was just looking, too.

  14:21

  Least we don’t have to carry anything.

  14:22

  True.

  14:22

  I’m gonna have to go. Big NASA meeting soon.

  14:23

  Ok.

  People pointing at charts and stuff.

  14:23

  Like a military mission.

  The Expendables

  14:24

  Ha. Yeah. Catch you soon.

  14:25

  The Skype light goes out. I think of messaging Hannah again but she hasn’t replied yet. I pick up my controllers and play FIFA. I’m Arsenal and we’re playing Barcelona. I play all afternoon, ten games. Lionel Messi is too good. He scores twenty-two goals. I keep trying but I still can’t get Arsenal to win.

  The sky begins to turn black outside and the lights in the glass building are dim. I turn Spotify on and listen to music while I’m in the shower. I close my eye
s and let the water fall on my head. It soaks my hair and drips down my body. Is this what rain feels like? I screw my eyes tight and try to imagine what it would be like but all I can see are purple circles on the inside of my eyelids. I take a deep breath. I can’t see the rain, I can’t see mine and Beth’s house – it’s like all the pictures in my head have gone. I open my eyes and smile. It doesn’t matter that the pictures have gone because tomorrow I’m going outside and I’ll see the world for real.

  I hear the door slide open. Greg shouts out and asks me if I’m okay. I tell him I am. I want to tell him what’s going to happen. I want him to feel as excited as me but I know if I do he won’t let me go.

  ‘Mate, you okay? You’re taking a while.’

  ‘Sorry, I’m fine. Just checking for bruises.’

  I dry myself and check my skin. There’s a small bruise on my elbow where I leaned on the window sill, but it’s more red than brown. I don’t think it’s worth telling Greg about. I don’t want the doctors coming round and getting in the way.

  When I go back into the room, Greg is sitting in the chair by the side of my bed. His head is back and his eyes are half closed. I put my dirty clothes in the basket by the door and get into bed.

  ‘Everything okay, mate?’ Greg asks softly.

  I nod.

  ‘Did you send the message?’

  ‘Message?’

  ‘You forgotten already? The girl.’

  ‘Oh, yes. Sorry.’

  I pull my sheet up over me. Greg puts his hand on my shoulder.

  ‘Mate, you sure you’re all right. You look a bit worried.’

  ‘I’m fine, I’m just a bit tired.’

  Greg looks at me for a long time like he’s trying to work out what I’m thinking.

  I reach over for my laptop. ‘I’ll just check my messages,’ I say.

  ‘You just said you were tired!’

  ‘It’s not just hers.’

  ‘I know, mate. She’s probably asleep anyway. Like you should be.’ I look at my laptop. Greg shakes his head. ‘Go on then, but just make it the one.’

  I look at the screen. My last conversation with Henry is still there. I click off it and look at Greg. I don’t think he saw. He’s got his head rested against the chair like he’s really tired. That was close. I take a deep breath and click on my messages.

  BBC Bubble Boy Forum

  Fri 27th August, 21:45

  Dear Bubble Boy

  Thank you for replying. I was really worried after I sent my message. I don’t know why, but I worry a lot. It’s late but I just wanted to tell you what I can see from my window. When it’s raining all I can see is rain, but when it’s sunny I can see across loads of fields. The land is really flat and it goes on for miles and miles until there’s suddenly a big hill with Glastonbury Tor on the top. It’s made of stone but sometimes it shines like glass. I wish I could look at it all the time but at night when I look out all I can see is black. I’ve got to go. It’s nearly ten and I haven’t been to the bathroom yet. I said I wouldn’t write much. Did I write too much?

  Hannah

  PS I like Wolverine too.

  I smile and turn my laptop towards Greg. He’s leant forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

  ‘You were wrong.’

  Greg doesn’t move. I tap him on the shoulder.

  ‘What’s that, mate?’ He looks up and pulls his hair out of his eyes.

  ‘You were wrong about girls not liking superheroes. Hannah likes Wolverine.’

  ‘That’s good, mate.’ Greg puts his head back against the chair. His eyes are watering like he’s just yawned. I ask him if he’s okay.

  ‘Yeah, mate. I’m just knackered.’

  He reaches behind him, turns the switch and dims the lights. I rest back down on my pillow. Greg does look tired but I don’t think it’s just that. I roll over on my side.

  ‘Is Katie, okay?’

  Greg sighs. ‘Yeah, she’s fine, mate.’

  ‘What about everyone else in here?’

  He sniffs and wipes his nose on his hand. ‘Sorry, mate. I think I need to go.’ He stands up. ‘I’ll catch you the day after tomorrow.’

  I don’t know what to do or what to say. The only person I’ve ever seen cry is Beth; all the others have been on TV. I swing my legs over the side of my bed.

  ‘Can you tell me what it is?’

  Greg shakes his head. ‘No, mate. We’re not supposed to.’

  I look down at the floor then back up at him.

  ‘I think I know.’

  ‘Yeah. I think you do.’

  My throat throbs and my eyes begin to water. Greg puts his hand on my head.

  ‘Get some sleep, mate. Big day for your friend tomorrow.’

  I close my eyes, lie down and hear the click of the door as Greg goes out. I roll over onto my side. It’s a big day for both me and Henry tomorrow but I don’t care about it any more. A tear falls down the side of my face onto my pillow. I never got to meet him but it feels like I did. I close my eyes tight. I think the snooker-ball kid has died.

  11 years, 3 months and 11 days

  The nurses smile and talk in whispers.

  ‘Hi, Joe, how are you doing? Just checking in on you. Nothing to worry about.’

  The doctors smile and tell jokes and talk about football.

  ‘Shame about Arsenal, they always run out of steam. Hey, was that Theo Walcott I just saw limping down the road?’

  I smile and talk about superheroes.

  ‘I just watched Guardians of the Galaxy, Quill’s on the run from Ronan and he made a truce with Rocket, who’s a gun-toting racoon.’

  Dr Moore ruffles my hair. ‘Good lad, catch you tomorrow.’

  The nurses smile. ‘Goodbye, Joe. Be back later.’

  ‘Okay?’

  I nod. ‘Okay.’

  Everything is okay.

  ‘We just have to keep going.’

  Jim the security guard leaves.

  Keith the security guard arrives.

  Everyone keeps going.

  And I keep watching my screens, the morning after the snooker-ball kid has died. I feel bad about that. It’s not because I don’t care about him, it’s that I can’t stop thinking about the most exciting thing in my life. Going outside. I check my phone every ten minutes but Amir doesn’t send me a message. Where’s he going to take me? It’ll be too late to go and see a movie and we can’t go to the shops because they’ll be closed too. But even if they were open I don’t think I’d want to go there anyway. I want to go outside and see real things. I don’t want to get out of this room and swap it for another one.

  In the middle of the morning some nurses and doctors I don’t know gather by reception. They stand in little groups, talking and laughing. The lift door opens. A girl in a wheelchair is being pushed out of a ward. Her mum and dad are walking behind her smiling. She’s got an oxygen tank by the side of her, white tape on her lip and a tube going up her nose. The doctors and nurses gather around her, then shake hands with her mum and dad. Keith walks over to them. I think maybe he’s going to tell them to move on, that they’re all in the way. He puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out his phone. The nurses and doctors stand up and stand either side of the girl. Keith holds up his phone.

  I think he says ‘Say cheese’.

  They all smile.

  Keith takes a picture.

  A nurse hugs the girl. Dr Hussein shakes her dad’s hand. Her mum wipes her eyes. They walk towards the doors. An ambulance pulls up outside. The girl and her parents get in the back and the ambulance pulls away. She’s gone home. I glance up at the clock. There’s only sixteen hours left until I go outside but I still haven’t heard from Amir. I glance at my phone again.

  My heart jumps when the Skype light flashes on my laptop. I look at the screen. It’s a message from Henry.

  Hey, Joe. How are you doing?

  12:00

  Jeez, I can’t keep still! Like I got worms in my belly!
/>
  12:00

  I laugh and go to reply but Henry’s pen is still scribbling away.

  Gonna be huge. Dad just called.

  12:01

  He’s gonna watch it on TV with the guys on the rig.

  12:01

  Joe, you there?

  12:02

  Sounds great!

  12:02

  Ah, there you are! You gonna watch me too?

  12:02

  Of course. Amir’s left me instructions.

  12:03

  Are you getting ready?

  12:04

  No, Amir’s not here. Not heard anything.

  12:04

  So what have you been doing? Watching the screens?

  12:04

  Yes.

  12:04

  Much happened?

  12:05

  A girl just went home.

  12:05

  Great!

  12:05

  I look at the screen and think of telling Henry about the snooker-ball kid, but he seems too excited to tell him that someone has died. The pencil scribbles again.

  Joe, you okay?

  12:06

  Yes. Why?

  12:06