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Ray

He says, 'If it wasn't for my mate Lucky there.'

It's that dark-haired nurse, the tasty one, Nurse Kelly. She's come to change his drip. She holds the glucose pack like it's something you throw in a game. Here, catch this. She has this gleam in her eye like she's used to warding off remarks.

He pulls the bed-shirt back over his shoulder where he's shown her the old scar. He says, (I aint ever introduced you proper to my mate Lucky, have I?'

She shoots me a smile.

'We calls him Lucky but his real name's Ray. Ray Johnson.'

She says, 'Hello Ray, hello Lucky. I've seen you around.'

'Hear that, Ray? And, Ray, this is Joy. Joy Kelly.'

It's like we're in his home and we're his guests.

'Joy by name and Joy by nature.'

She smiles, like she hasn't heard it a hundred times before.

'Me and Raysy go back donkey's, before you was a twinkle. Fighting Rommel. Lucky here saved my life, more than once.'

'Aint true,' I say. 'Other way round.'

'Owe my life to Lucky,' he says.

She reaches up to change the drip.

'We calls him Lucky because he's lucky to be with, and on account of if you want to put a bet on, he's your man.'

She hangs up the new drip.

'It's like me and Ray have got this bet on that them's stockings you're wearing, not tights.'

She don't say nothing, fiddling with the drip. Then she says, 'That'd be telling, wouldn't it?'

'Wasn't telling I was thinking of.'

'How are your pillows? Want propping?'

She leans over him again and he says, 'You must get some suggestions, working in this place,' as though he hasn't just made one.

She says, 'A girl knows when she's safe.'

'And a man knows when he aint no danger.' He lifts the arm with the tubes going in it, like he's surrendering. 'But that don't apply to Ray here, now. You'd be okay with Ray, Ray's lucky. And he aint attached, like me.' He lifts the arm again. 'Nice pair of names that, nice pair. Ray and Joy.'

She straightens herself up.

'He's a little man but—'

'That's you done,' she says. Til take this.'

It's his bottle of piss. It's all dark and bloody.

'You see, Ray. All she does is take the piss.'

Til see you later,' she says, moving off. She gives me another, head-shaking smile.

He says, 'I reckon you're on there, Raysy, I reckon you're on. Don't say I don't know how to fix you up.'