Jiraporn's Story

Chapter 3: 'Hope and Consent' 

Hua Hin Hospital, March 2008.

The sun was going down at its usual slow pace behind Jiraporn as she turned east off the dual carriageway toward Hua Hin. The orange sky filled her rear view and wing mirrors causing her to squint her eyes slightly. This annoying and distracting phenomenon was more than compensated by the richness of the view ahead and to the sides. For about ten minutes the colours surrounding her were intense, reflecting off the many varieties of flora this stretch of road had on either side. Before Jiraporn’s time, during the early to mid 1960’s there had been a frenzy of development by the government and military to create horticultural and botanical research establishments here. The frenzy had died down, but the places were still in use, albeit with only a few people staffing whatever it was they did. 

What had also remained was this road, a handy short-cut to the north of Hua Hin for Jiraporn and people like her who used it. Very little traffic, well made and maintained roads, quite sensational scenery and it almost halved the journey time – what wasn’t there to like about it? If Jiraporn hadn’t been focused on more pressing matters, she would no doubt have enjoyed the journey a lot more. As it was, she approached the main coast road and turned right towards the town, which then took her through the airport runway tunnel and after another kilometre or two into the hospital front car park. What, she wondered, was she going to discover over the next couple of hours, she was apprehensive, no, she was scared.

Police Corporal Tonsai Buathong was sat at a small desk close to the hospital reception area, he was talking to a woman in a white coat sat next to him. The area they were in, usually crowded, had become much quieter over the past hour and Tonsai had noticed a young woman arrive looking as though she should be meeting someone. As Jiraporn's eyes met his, he started to stand and she walked towards him. 'Ajarn Jiraporn?' he asked, using her academic title as he had done during their phone call, 'Yes, and you are Corporal Buathong?'. 'That is correct, thank you for coming so quickly. This is Dr. Sakda who has been liaising on behalf of the hospital'. All three exchanged Wai's and Jiraporn accepted the offer of a seat.

'Perhaps, Dr. Sakda, you could briefly bring Ajarn Jiraporn up to speed and repeat what you have just told me?'. 'Certainly, your colleague, Mr. Nick Pearson, was brought into A & E at approximately 4.45pm this afternoon, after he had been in an accident, he was unconscious and suffering from, what we think at this time, to be three main areas of concern, a blow to the head causing concussion, damaged rib cage with a least one fractured rib and a severe blow to his upper mid left leg, causing a compound fracture of the femur, or thigh bone. This last injury had caused significant blood loss, although this has now been stemmed. He has come back into consciousness twice, the second time, as I was just saying to the Corporal, he was quite lucid and had a short conversation for about ten minutes before drifting back again. He has been here now for just over two hours. He is in the intensive care unit and will remain under observation for the next few hours, during which the medical team will assess what procedures we feel are necessary. I should say that while he is in a critical but stable state, the fact he has regained consciousness twice gives me a more positive view than I had an hour ago.'   

Jiraporn felt numb, she had heard and understood every word the doctor had said, and thanked her as soon as she had stopped. But her head was still grappling with what she was hearing. 'You will both have to excuse me, I am not familiar with situations like this, but I do appreciate that both of you know what you are doing and that you have Nick's best interests at the forefront of your minds. Can you answer two questions for me? Firstly, "How can I help?" and secondly, "Has anyone contacted Nick's friends, or his family?"'. The Policeman then spoke 'I think it would be best if Dr. Sakda goes first with regard to the medical situation, she is expected elsewhere soon, then you and I can talk - is that okay doctor?'. 'Thank you' said the doctor 'As you might be aware, hospitals are required to get a 'consent' form signed by an appropriate person, usually the patient themselves, before any invasive treatment is undertaken. However, this is not always possible if the patient is deemed not to be fully aware of their situation. This is the case with Mr. Pearson, although he and I did speak for a few minutes earlier, that would not qualify as being fully aware in the eyes of a judge, should there be any postoperative legal problems. Mr. Pearson and I did speak of this, and he suggested that you become the 'appropriate' person on his behalf, if you were willing. This conversation was witnessed by other medical staff, and along with the contact card Corporal Tonsai found in Mr. Pearson's wallet, and your professional standing, I feel sure a judge would be satisfied of your suitability. I should emphasise that at this time, we are not intending to perform any surgery that needs this consent, but there is always a possibility that a condition can deteriorate rapidly, and having this form signed allows us to proceed without any delay. In addition to that, as soon as Mr. Pearson can maintain consciousness to an extent that his judgement is not in question, he will resume his own consent. Have I made myself clear? and are you prepared to sign the consent form on behalf of Mr. Pearson? 

'Once again you have made yourself very clear, thank you and yes, I will sign the form, but what is the contact card you mentioned?' asked Jiraporn, still reeling with this mass of information. 'Here', said Tonsai, 'I found this while going through Mr. Pearson's personal effects, this was in his wallet, and there is another in his passport'. He handed a laminated business card on which, in Thai, were the words "In the event of an accident, please contact Ajarn Jiraporn Anchali" and included her phone number and work email address. 'Oh' said Jiraporn, 'I didn't know he had done that! - it's a good job he did'. She handed it back and received a form from the doctor. 

Jiraporn opened her shoulder-bag, took out a pen and her purse from which she withdrew a Thai ID card and her driving licence, and signed the paper. 'Is this okay? she asked the other two. The policeman had given a cursory glace at the two cards and nodded, 'Fine for me', he said, and the doctor read through the consent form, 'Perfect, thank you' she said. In return, she gave Jiraporn a business card with her details, 'At the moment I am on ward duty from 8.00am to 2.00pm, then A&E admin from 4.00pm to 10.00pm and will be until at least the end of the month, so you can get me at those times on either of those numbers. Outside of those times I am only available on this, and she took back her card and scribbled her mobile number on the back. 'I am relieved you have been able to get here and sign this form, and want to thank you for your help and understanding - I am sure we will see each other again soon, hopefully in improved circumstances. I really have to go now, thanks again' and she stood to depart. 'It is me who should be thanking you for the care and effort you and your team are doing, but sorry – one last quick question, can I see Nick? ', said Jiraporn. The doctor smiled, ‘Of course, but it will be through a glass door and he has a lot of tubes and connections to monitoring machines, and as you know, he is likely to be unconscious. After you have spoken with the Corporal, just come through to A & E’. ‘I’ll bring her’ said Tonsai, and with that the doctor nodded to the policeman and then turned and left.

‘How are you feeling?’ ask Tonsai, ‘It’s a lot to absorb in a very short time’. ‘Yes’, replied Jiraporn, and with that she took deep breath, ‘He’s taken a massive series of blows, or one huge one, do you know much about what happened?’. It was the policeman’s turn to draw his breath, ‘Not much at the moment, but there are no signs of a collision, he may have had to swerve quickly, or there may have been a mechanical problem. The bike has been recovered and is in the compound at the station. It will be examined closely tomorrow by our boys’. ‘Is there a lot of damage to Jezebel?’, Jiraporn realised how stupid that sounded as soon as the words left her mouth, ‘Sorry, that’s Nick’s name for the bike, and it’s a she!’. Tonsai’s face cracked slightly with just the beginnings of a smile, ‘I understand perfectly, mine is called “Anong”, Jiraporn too smiled, Tonsai’s bike was called “Beautiful Woman”. ‘The bike’s quite probably a write off, but we will know more about that tomorrow when the accident investigation team have looked her over. How well do you know Mr. Pearson? how long have you worked together?’. Jiraporn nodded, ‘We started at the Rajabhat at the same time, 8 years ago, and have worked in the same department for almost all of that time,’ replied Jiraporn, ‘For the past year I have been responsible for the development of a training restaurant and kitchen, and Nick has had a big input into that. Nick was travelling back to Hua Hin from a meeting with me at the Rajabhat this afternoon – that seems a very long time ago!’. ‘By the way, I think you can rule out mechanical failure, Nick was almost obsessive about checking Jezebel before a journey, the brakes, tyre pressure, chain slack, he did that every trip’. Tonsai looked at Jiraporn, ‘Thank you, that is useful to know, he sounds like a conscientious biker, not many of us around. Now, shall we carry on with what I think you can help me with?’. ‘Of course,’ said Jiraporn.

‘Actually, it’s quite straightforward for me now that Nick is showing positive signs, my main problem was going to be contacting either the next of kin directly or notifying the foreigners embassy in Bangkok, this only has to happen in the event of death or a long period of incapacity of the patient, but out of courtesy we try to contact the family if it is appropriate even if the patient appears not to be in a critical state. My English is very poor, your English is fluent and you know Nick, so the primary request I have is that you do this, it has to be better coming from a friend than from a police officer who can’t speak their language! Can you do this?'. Jiraporn nodded her head, ‘Yes, I know Nick has a brother, Luke if I remember correctly, and I guess his number is on Nick’s phone, or he is on his Facebook page’, Jiraporn said, ‘Can I access Nick’s phone?’. ‘More than that’, responded Tonsai, ‘I will be giving it to you, along with his other personal effects I have here, and you are correct, Luke Pearson is the next of kin in the back of Nick’s passport, along with his number, email and address’. 

‘Won’t the hospital want to keep Nick’s things? enquired Jiraporn, ‘I am happy to take them, but I am not sure what the protocol is about this’. Tonsai answered, ‘The hospital has no real interest in Nick’s belongings as long as they know they’re with a responsible person, which you have already shown to be by signing his consent form, they also don’t want the possible problems of things going missing, so this is common procedure’. He continued, ‘I have already made a list of the items recovered, and once you and I have signed it, I will get a copy made – one for you and one for me.’ ‘Okay that sounds fine, and if you don’t mind me saying, very organised’ said Jiraporn, ‘What else can I help with?’. ‘Well’, continued Tonsai, ‘we’ve covered family, really now it’s about friends and although there is no formal requirement to notify them of the situation, they are often the ones that can prove to be awkward. Some get quite annoyed if they are not the first to know or the first to be seen visiting a person who probably doesn’t want to be seen.’ 

Jiraporn nodded her head ‘I met a few, but only a few, of Nick’s friends in Hua Hin, but that was quite a number of years ago, other than Solly Doukas, who, by chance I saw again a couple of months ago in Bangkok. He runs a place called the Blue Parrot in the bar’s area, Soi Selakam, I think. Solly is a clever guy and will know how to get in touch with most of Nick’s friends, and make it very clear not to bother him until it’s a good time to do so.’ Tonsai looked up in amazement, ‘You know Solly? – so do I, and I think your assessment of him is totally correct, he would be the perfect person to help with this. Being a policeman in Hua Hin, it could be expected that I know him, but how does a Thai Rajabhat English teacher know a Greek Aussie bar owner on Soi Selakam? - maybe I shouldn’t ask’, he smiled again. ‘Only through Nick, and as I said, that was a long time ago’, replied Jiraporn. 

The policeman looked at Jiraporn and said ‘I think we have gone through all I wanted to cover, are you okay about everything we have spoken about? If you still have my number from when I called you earlier, then that is how to get in touch if you need to’. Jiraporn paused, then said ‘Yes, I have, and as I said to the doctor, thank you for making this as clear as you both have – I was dreading this and it still isn’t a good situation, but you have made it as easy as it could be under the circumstances, thanks again’. 

The policeman looked at her and spoke, ‘You are making my job simpler and I know Dr. Sakda will think the same. We should speak often over the next few days, and if you have anything to ask, or to put forward, just call – I will be doing the same’. ‘Okay’, replied Jiraporn, ‘now can you show me where Nick is?’. ‘Yes’, said Tonsai, ‘but first let’s sign this list of Mr Pearson's belongings and get it copied.’ Jiraporn nodded, and she took the sheet of paper and signed it, then Tonsai did the same and as they passed the reception desk, he passed it to a member of staff who took it to the copier. 

As they waited Tonsai turned to Jiraporn and said ‘Tell me something, nothing to do with this situation, did you go to Pa La U Academy?’. Jiraporn looked at him open mouthed and slowly it dawned on her – ‘Aikido’, she said, still with a look of total surprise. ‘Yes’, said Tonsai, ‘it has been nagging me for a couple of minutes, but when you spoke about Solly, for some reason I remembered. I think I was about 3 years above you in the Academy, and you and I were paired together for a bout in a mixed Aikido class, I think I may have just managed to get the better of you that time.’ By now Jiraporn had a big smile on her face, ‘This is incredible, what happened to you? We had that one bout, which you were very lucky with, and then you disappeared, I don’t think you ever came to another class after that’. ‘I didn’t’, said Tonsai, I left Pa La U shortly after that and started at the Police Academy – I was 16, you must have been about 14’. ‘I was 13', Jiraporn said, 'I was an early starter when I was 10, so all my classmates were a year older, but I still remember that bout, you were huge’.

The receptionist had copied the paper and Tonsai handed Jiraporn a copy. ‘I learnt a couple of very valuable lessons from that bout with you’, he said, ‘never to judge people by their appearances and that a smaller person with skill can usually overcome a larger one with brute force. I was too sure of myself and you almost took me. I think you impressed a few people, not only me! - now let’s check these items’. This only took about a minute to do, there was a wallet with about 2,000 Baht, a debit and ATM card, and Nick’s UK Drivers license (out of date!) plus his Rajabhat ID card and the contact card he had made naming Jiraporn. His Passport, a packet of cigarettes and a lighter, his phone and his beloved Netbook – Jiraporn didn’t think he was ever without it! ‘Is this still okay, do you know?’ she asked the policeman. ‘I don’t, I haven’t switched it on, but it doesn’t even look scratched, the case must have protected it if it is’.

As everything was in order, Jiraporn signed the form and took Nick’s shoulder bag with everything in it. She would look at the items in more detail later. Now was the time that she feared the most, ‘Let’s go’, she said to Tonsai, ‘which way to the ICU?’. ‘Follow me’, he said ‘when we get to ICU 4, I will leave you at the door, please don’t go in, the staff have a lot on their minds and need to focus as I am sure you will appreciate. I will return to the desk we were just at and stay for about ten minutes making a couple of calls, after that, if you haven’t returned, I will come and find you. You are going to see a man with tubes and wires attached, which isn’t normal for anyone, and there are likely to be nurses monitoring the machines around him, this is normal and shouldn’t frighten you. The best thing for Mr Pearson now is to get rest, to allow his brain to acclimatise to his body's condition, the more rest he gets, the quicker he should recover. I’m sorry to scare you with this, but as harrowing as his situation is, it is normal in an ICU ward. He is getting the best possible care. Here we are’.

They both looked through the glass door and saw a room with six beds, three of which were empty. ‘That is Mr Pearson’ said Tonsai, indicating the bed almost directly ahead of them. Jiraporn couldn’t help a short intake of breath, she paused, looked at the person she believed was Nick and tried to focus her eyes on his face. Very little of it was visible, he had a mask over his mouth and nose, and some covering over his left check. A lot of what was left was discoloured due to bruising, but she recognised him. His eyes were closed and there were the tubes and wires Tonsai had told her about, there was also a tent type structure with a sheet which gave his waist and upper legs some cover. ‘Thank you’, she said, ‘I’m not going to be here long, but I want to think for a moment while I can see him, I’ll see you back at the desk in a couple of minutes. ‘Take your time’ said Tonsai, and he returned the way they had come.

Jiraporn stood looking, not knowing how to react. She had no feelings of rage or sadness, certainly no thoughts of anything pleasant either, but almost a numbness, maybe helplessness, but strangely a calmness which surprised her. She looked at Nick, but she spoke to Buddha, thinking this wasn’t the typical way that Thai’s address their Lord, but also thinking this is the way that Nick would. ‘Hi Buddha, you probably know about what’s happened here so I won’t trouble you with the details, but can I ask you to keep an eye on Nick for a while. I know you’ll be doing this anyway, but right now he could use as much help as possible. He might not show it in the way most people do, but he really has a lot of time for you and he is someone who lives a respectful life more than he talks about living a respectful life, please make sure he gets any opportunities there might be to recover, thank you’. And then looking again at Nick she said ‘Hi Friend, you keep at it, fight like you’ve never fought before, this time for you. You’ll be out of this in no time and then you and I are going to have a serious chat about a few things, but don’t worry about that right now, just get better. I'll be back again soon, probably tomorrow morning and I want you to be spilling your coffee and making me smile. Take care, we are going to work out what’s happened and we are going to sort this out’.

Corporal Buathong was just ending a call when Jiraporn approached. ‘Are you okay?’, he asked, ‘Yes’, said Jiraporn, ‘I think it must have been the way you prepared me for that, but I actually feel quite calm. He is in a terrible state, but as you said, there isn’t much anyone other than Nick and the medical people can do about it, so I want to leave them to make it happen. I can make myself most useful by notifying others, and that’s what I’m going to do. I will return tomorrow morning to see how things are’. 

Tonsai smiled and spoke, ‘This evening you have impressed both the Doctor and I with your level headedness, and we are both grateful, but now I am not as surprised as I was before. Knowing you are the girl who showed so much courage when facing a lump of a boy twice your size nearly 20 years ago answers a few questions. What level did you achieve back then? Did you carry on with Aikido?’. Jiraporn smiled modestly, ‘I stopped when I went to university, just after turning 17’ said Jiraporn, ‘but got my junior black belt, a first grade Shodan. Maybe one day I will take it back up, but not right now’ she smiled. ‘Thank very much, Corporal, you are a credit to the Royal Thai Police in the way you have conducted yourself this evening, I really would have been very scared without your support’. Tonsai almost blushed, ‘It is all part of the job, and it is a part where I get a sense of achieving something most of the time, even under these circumstances. May I say that I would feel a lot more comfortable if you would address me as ‘Tonsai’, I think we have enough history to justify the breach in formality, especially as there are not that many people around!’. This time, a real smile reached Jiraporn’s face, ‘Of course, and I hope you will drop the ‘Ajarn’ with me as well’. 

The pair shook hands and said their farewells. Reaching the car, Jiraporn stood taking in a few good deep breaths and looked at her watch – it still wasn’t 8pm, she had been in the hospital for just less than an hour. It then dawned on her that it had only been a little over 4 hours since she had laughed at Nick’s encounter with a scorpion, if only that had been the worse thing to happen to him today. She opened the car door and got behind the wheel, ‘So what’s the plan, Shodan?’, she thought, but she already knew, ‘let’s go and see Solly’.