Jim defended

“Um this is Mary Beth. She’s a nurse. She was helping me walk a bit. Mary Beth this is my mother”.

“Hrumph. This is the third young lady I have seen you with Jim. My boy, you drive your father and I to distraction because you never brought home any girls, then you meet this girl on the internet and have some sort of “cyber relationship” Her nose crinkled with distaste. ”That ends, you decide you’re going to toss in your job and get this exchange and here you are and in three days I have seen you with as I say three different young ladies”.

Mary Beth turned “ I guess you’re Mrs Hawkins. Did you ever think you and your husband might have made it hard for Jim to bring girls home? Did you ever think that he might have felt uncomfortable? Did you ever think perhaps that you kept pushing him to study and to do well in his course so he never had time to find a girl who he might want to bring home?”

“Hey Mary Beth cool it please” Jim called.

“No Jim I wont. I have seen a lot of domineering parents who hamstring their sons and I guess your mother might be one too. So Mrs Hawkins did you ever think that you might have been the problem and that as soon as Jim got from under your feet, he would find some one. Did you ever think you almost castrated him?”

“Mary Beth don’t talk to my mum like that even if your no lady she is”

“No Jim, you have probably been too nice for too long. Your mom should hear the truth.”

“Well Mary Beth, quite the tiger aren’t you. I don’t know that you’re the girl for my son. But that is his decision not mine” She sat down.

“That’s right Mrs Hawkins. Mary Beth snapped.

“Wait on please. You’re right, you know.” She turned to Jim “Your father and I worried that we did push you too hard with school and university and that you might have felt uncomfortable. It’s hard. By the time you were at Uni Susan had had Sarah and we were trying to help her. Remember all those weeks with Sarah in hospital when Susan stayed at our home. And its hard being Susan’s step mother too. Perhaps young lady,” she turned back to Mary Beth who was sitting on the end of Jim’s bed “you are right and we didn’t do enough for Jim or his brother either. And so Jim I am rather glad to see you making up for lost time. Maybe I will have a daughter in law soon. I can only hope. I am already a step grand mother it would be nice to have my own grandkids one day”

Mary Beth smiled “Anyway I guess the girls were all nurses like me. So you got to expect Jim to be seen to by nurses. Bit unfair of you Mrs Hawkins isnt it?”

“My my, you are a determined tigress. But well you’re wrong there. The first girl we saw on Friday wasn’t a nurse. She was um …”

“Colleen Mum, I teach her sister English. She’s a friend of mine.”

“I hoped I wasn’t going to hear that. Every girl you ever seem to meet is a “friend” never went any further except that girl in Sydney over the net. Are you afraid of commitment?”

“Oh mum” Jim groaned.

“Look Mrs Hawkins your son has had a bad injury. I think he had a seizure a few minutes ago. He might be left with epilepsy. Can you let him be?” Once more Mary Beth sprang to his defence.

“Yes OK Jim. I only came to bring you some books to read” She reached in her bag and put some books on the bedside table “Susan and I will come back later. We thought we might go to that supper that you tell us you and Davie have on Sunday nights and meet some of your friends. Susan has to leave tomorrow. Peter and your father have been holding the fort back there.”

“OK Mum I ll see you then. Thanks for the books. Oh gee Mum Barchester Towers thanks you know I love that”

“Yes might be a bit tiring for you if that head injury is as bad as Mary Beth says it is. Bye son.” She leant and kissed him “Bye Mary Beth it was an education meeting you” She stood up and walked out.

“Now Jim who is Colleen” asked Mary Beth

“She’s a friend of mine”

“Is that all?”

“Yes that’s all”

“You still say that you have no commitments”

“Yes”

“And we have a date when you are discharged?”

“Yes”

“And you don’t have any other dates with any other girls?”

“No “.

“That’s ok then.” She bent, slid her arms under his, so drawing him up to sit in the bed and kissed him her arms wrapped round him. “Got to go. I do have other patients to see to. Jim I do like you a lot” She kissed him again and left.