The MUGGING

When out walking on a bright balmy summer evening the bird song sounding from every bough my thoughts turn to Karen my beautiful auburn haired wife her bright brown eyes glistening has she looks into mine we kissed a brief touch of our lips when we parted that was two hours ago the sweet taste of her lipstick the aroma of her perfume the feel of that kiss still with me I relive it over and over has I think of her and the love I have for her.
I drifted off into a world of my own totally oblivious of the group of youths who where following me down the tree lined avenue. Karen and her smile, Karen and her warm body, Karen and the impish laughter, which she often displayed when teasing me.
I was jolted from my world when a voice cut through my thoughts that was menacing and demanding. Coupled with many other voices urging the first voice to do it or was it do him?
I turned my head to be greeted with the glint of a blade the shiny steel object was thrust toward my face the gloved hand holding it shaking slightly has the voice came again from behind the bandana give me your wallet and any other stuff you have or I will cut you up
Give me your phone and watch, the chorus of do him go on do him and come on give us your money rang in my ears.
My thoughts of Karen popped out of my head like a bursting balloon brightness of the sun shining on the knife blade my eyes struggling to focus on the form standing in front of me and the others standing behind it. I raised my hand to shield my eyes a cry rang out watch him Ted and another commented he’s got a Rolex get it off him Ted
The voice came at me again this time a little cracked through a heightened level of excitement, fear and loathing hand over the gear and be quick or you will get this.
Again the knife was jabbed toward my face this time making contact with my left cheek. I felt the sharp point like a pin prick followed by a seeping of blood has it trickled from the puncher wound don’t think I wont use this on you give us the gear.
The group appeared to disperse but all the did was take up positions around me a foot pushed me forward I lurched and fell to my right narrowly missing the out thrust blade I lay on the ground not knowing what was going to come next I started to reach into my pocket when a trainer clad foot contacted my head. The searing pain tore through my face as my head snapped backwards no sooner had my mind adjusted to this pain that I felt more kicks raining into my body my brain not able to register the blows or the intensity of the pain quick enough there where so many my ribs stomach back shoulders head chest buttocks genitals legs where all under attack blow after blow I curled up into a foetal ball cradling my head my attackers where relentless the pain mind numbing I fell into unconsciousness.
My first memory has I drifted back into conscious ness was of Karen who was holding my head in her lap stroking my face with tears of anguish in her eyes that rolled down her cheeks and the words why ?why you ? What for? Coming through her heart rending sobs.
Then the sounds of sirens and the flashing blue lights many other images rushed into my brain again forcing me to drop in and out of consciousness due to the amount of information my brain was trying to cope with. Each time I returned my focus shifted flashing lights low distant noises Karen men in uniforms my ears stained to distinguish voices what where they saying who are these people what are they doing I level out into a more stable state of consciousness and awareness I start to remember the events however they again came in a jumbled mess of images undistinguishable and lacking clarity. Karen’s face above me gives me a point of familiarity I reach up to touch her but am prevented by the unbearable pain rushing up my arm into my shoulder and upper torso
Karen’s eyes pleaded with me to stay still she gently guided my arm back down saying lie still darling the ambulance is here you are going to be alright please lie still.
Her voice did not sound the same I began to question who is this talking to me using Karen’s mouth the lips where moving but the voice appeared has in a cheap badly dubbed move out of sink with the movement of the mouth.
I closed my eyes and when I opened them again Karen’s face was replaced by another a man saying Philip Philip can you here me though I could hear this person and thought I had acknowledged him I obviously hadn’t has he proceeded to flash a light into my eyes and feel over my body has though he was conducting a search each movement of his hands across my body renewed the pain in each area re instating it in my brain he moved my legs the pain so intense I screamed out but did not hear it myself but again fell into unctuousness the next time I came round I had been placed in an ambulance and could feel the movement of the vehicle has it sped along the road sirens whaling speeding up slowing down rocking left to right stopping turning sharply picking up speed quickly the ambulance man seen that I had opened my eyes and started asking questions and giving instructions along with phrases of reassurance I asked him where Karen was he did not answer me but stuck to his well rehearsed script the vehicle came to a stop the doors wrenched open a flurry of activity once more with me in the centre of it the names Philip took a beating injuries to his head chest arms and legs one puncture wound to the abdomen blood pressure sixty over forty vital signs stable has been given ten mills morphine and twenty mills of ****** ok came the response from another person lets get him into surgery and deal with the bleeding the stretcher was pulled out of the ambulance the undercarriage clicking into place has it left the vehicle a jolt has it hit the ground and rattled into the building automatic doors swishing open lights in the ceiling flashing by like the white lines on the road caught in a cars head lights.
A sudden stop has we reach the surgery more bright lights more activity around me people scurrying around taking up positions around me all dressed in green smocks wearing green hats sporting masks that covered their noses and mouths the last thing I heard in that room was what are his vital !!!! I woke lying in a bed with the smell of newness about it with the almost inaudible sound of a monitoring machine to which I was hooked up to by various wires and tubes giving off a rhythmic bleep.
A mask over my mouth supplying me with oxygen the room was bright well lit and clinically clean my mind began to race again trying to piece together the events that brought me to this place.
The machines tone changed to a much more rapid louder buzz a nurse came In picking up a board from the bottom of the bed closely followed by another and a man in a white coat who appeared to take command of the situation dishing out orders he came over to me and shone a light into my eyes and adjusted the machine monitoring my condition.
I reached out to get his attention but he just ignored me and reeled off more instructions to which the nurses responded to by removing some of the lines from my arm and changing the angle of the bed. They left the room in much the same way has they had entered it with out saying anything to me at all.
I wondered what the hell is going on here I again tried to move but was unable to due to the excruciating pain that I felt through out my body a few sharp bleeps from the machine and the pain subsided this was due to the automatic injection of morphine administered freely when my vital statistics requested it.
I drifted of to sleep when I awoke some of the bags hanging on the machine had been changed one appeared to contain chocolate sauce another was lime green along side two which where clear white. The machine still bleeped the room was still bright and I was still alone.
Has I became more alert the machine conducted its checks and reported to the out side world that I was awake the nurses and the man in the white coat came back this time they spoke to me hello Mr Craven how are you feeling now good to see you. I muttered that I was feeling sore and where was I there were no responses of any significance just professional well practised actions.
They left the room shortly afterwards in came another woman with auburn hair she approached me with a frightened look in her eye that un nerved me some what she came closer I noted the tears welling up in her eyes has she said ho Philip! Philip darling what happened ? I became even more nervous who? Is she what? Is she doing here? She touched my face her hands trembling and soft. She leaned forward and gently kissed my forehead I received a feeling of déjá vu I had felt that touch before again I asked my self who was she I then asked it of her who are you what do you want? Her tears welled up even more Philip you know me I am your wife Karen she replied my wife I asked questioningly yes she replied Karen we have been married for three years.
I fell back onto the pillows she followed me with her hands on my cheeks again the all familiar sensation infiltrated my confusion my mind racing trying to place her somewhere somewhere in my life but no place came I drew a blank at every turn no brown eyes no auburn hair no soft touch no tender kissing no Karen.
The machine went haywire has it was unable to track the highs and lows of my emotional state at this time causing the nurses to come in and remove this person called Karen and after a few swift adjustments the machine and I settled back into a satisfying rhythm. sleep soon followed when I awoke I was greeted with two uniformed police officers who after introducing themselves proceeded to follow their well rehearsed format of question and answer session.
Did I know my attackers? Would I recognise them again if I saw them? How many where there? Could I give them any thing in the way of a description? Had I antagonised them into attacking me? Et cetera et cetera et cetera my response to every thing they asked was no! I can’t remember anything. After what seemed an age they said that they would come back but in the mean time if anything came back to me to get in touch.
They left the room and again the machine stabilised my system I lay thinking things over racking my brain I closed my eyes briefly that’s when it happened it was has though I was watching a film some bits in colour some bits in a grainy black and white format walking down a tree lined avenue the sounds of people running coming from behind me the glint of sun light on steel the rough handling I received from my assailants the voices where muted but the vision was strong and vivid I sat up right trembling at the point they started to kick me the scene was burnt onto the screen in my mind etched like the face of Jesus in the Turin shroud.
My blood pressure rose my body shuddered with a mixture of fear and anger a nurse came into the room I asked her to call the police has I have started to remember what happened. An hour or so passed when the police arrived well Mr Craven in your own time tell us what you remember.
I told them what I had remembered they wrote it down after which they responded well what you have told us meets with others reports and that of Mrs Craven but we don’t have any descriptions to circulate which will make catching these people more difficult.
I did not register the last part of the sentence my mind stopped at your wife and the image of Karen filled my mind the still picture slowly started to move frame by frame it picked up speed until it was recognisable as a movie the film snapped and it became reality Karen was with me the smell of her perfume the softness of her hair and her skin so smooth. I looked into her brimming eyes and whispered her name the stressed look on her face relaxed and changed to a look of delight has she realised I had recognised her she kissed me on the lips that all familiar sensation came flooding over me we held each other tightly the machine started off on one of its frenzied missions to deal with the increase in my emotions which had impacted on its pre set action levels. My over whelming desire to hold onto Karen was superseded by the pain that surged through my body The machine again signalled this to the nurse who came in and parted us Karen retreated saying sorry darling sorry the nurse took charge again and ushered her out of the room within minuets I and the machine where once again calm I felt a warmth wash over me has I captured the feeling of Karen once more in my mind and settled into the pillows again.
The next days were spent recuperating and talking to the police and talking with Karen re framing the bits in my mind with the bits the police and Karen gave me in order to produce a full picture of the events that left me physically paralysed from the waist down and emotionally numbed from the realisation that Karen and I would not be having the children to which we were so looking forward to raising and all because I was the victim in the right place at the wrong time possessing items of value to which the individuals who took them from me would not own from the fruits of their own labours but possessed the animalistic thought patterns and violent natures to carry out a mugging.