My Darling Friend Steve

Friday the 18th November started like most normal Fridays. Kev took the kids to breakfast club, I got up and started the day with some Governor business with Saf, Suzanna and Peter, and then got all dressed up to take my lovely Mummy out for a special birthday lunch. We drove off to Bluebells in Sunningdale and had a fab time, lovely food and wine followed by a potter around the shops. Later that evening Kev went out for a bike ride, I opened some fizz and got the kids ready for bed so that we could settle down in front of the fire to watch Children in Need. At 6.50pm I received a private message via FB, it was Dave Johnson, Steve's younger brother, asking me to call him on his mobile. My blood ran cold. I picked up the phone, dialled and what ensued was an incredibly emotional and devastating conversation. At 6.45 that morning Steve had been travelling to work on his motorbike when he was involved in a head on collision with a lorry. He was in a terribly bad way, he had lost a kidney, his spleen, broken both legs, pelvis, arms, ribs and also his back. Thank god it didn't look as though his head or spinal cord had been damaged but that it was too early to tell exactly what lasting damage there was. He was on a ventilator and heavily sedated in the Basingstoke ITU. Words can't really describe how it felt hearing all of that about our best friend, our lovely friend whom we had only spoken to a couple of days before. I was desperate to get down to the hospital but we were told that it was immediate family only for now. So all we could do was wait. Kev and I cried our eyes out, terrified at what might be to come and what might have been.

Saturday morning after no sleep and feeling like hell we travelled to see him, I was determined that we would no matter what. Happily the staff were wonderful and his parents were already there so we got to go in. The shock of seeing Steve lying there covered in tubes and wires and hooked up to so many machines was incredibly tough, and the fact that we were talking to him but not with him was so very hard, and devastating. We hadn't expected his cheekbones to have been shattered either so that was really awful, the only place I could kiss him without fear of hurting him was on his forehead. It was however a relief to see him, to be able to tell him that we were there, that we love him and that we would do all that we can to be there for him and help with his recovery. The staff were pretty sure that he could hear us, despite the huge amounts of sedative coursing through his poor broken body. He is due for surgery any time now to try and pin some of his bones in to the right place and I pray that all goes well and that he can be brought round soon. We are off back to the hospital tonight to see him and are hoping for some good news then but in the meantime it is a waiting game, a painful and distressing time for everyone who cares for him and something that none of us have any control over. So, for now I am sending up my prayers and just hoping that we will be laughing and joking with our wonderful friend very soon. We love you Steve, stay strong and we will see you soon xxxx