"If Only"

By Noel Carroll

`IF ONLY`
Synopsis
Liverpool 1990
Debbie Murphy is driving to work in the city of Liverpool, when she is involved in a serious car crash. She suffers major injuries including some brain damage.
She is transferred to Addenbrokes Hospital in Cambridge as she is in need of specialist care for her brain injuries. She remains in a deep coma for a year. When she wakes up she is astonished to find that she is back in the year of 1980.
Her grasp of reality is confusing with so many conflicting messages of when and where she is. She soon realises that 1980 has significant memories for her.
The main memory which is going round and round her head, is the assassination of
John Lennon who gets killed by Mark Chapman on the 8th December 1980.
She believes that she has been sent back in time to save him.
No matter what it takes or costs her determination alone has convinced her that she must do it, why else is she in this time zone if not for that reason?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Aug 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664116276

Noel Carroll

About The Authors For years the husband-and-wife team, Noel Carroll*, has published novels and short stories in two genres: thrillers and science fiction. A third genre, humor/satire, permitted them moments of fun and mischief. Although unwilling to abandon fiction, they steadily gravitated toward political commentary, first in opinion editorials and then in a full-length non-fiction work (“If You Can Keep It”). All their novels, short stories and essays have received highly favorable reviews, many being awarded five-stars. They currently make their home in Ponce Inlet, Florida. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEErCnUycaE) *a nom de plume (Noel and Carol also write under the names John Barr and N.C. Munson.)

Book preview

IF ONLY

Noel Carroll

Copyright © 2021 by Noel Carroll.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 08/21/2021

Xlibris

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CONTENTS

The background to the story

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

IF ONLY

About the Author

THE BACKGROUND

TO THE STORY

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The year is 1990.

Main characters:

• Eddie Clarke - Debbie’s father, aged sixty, journalist for a national newspaper

• Debbie Murphy (nee Clarke) - born 1950, office assistant at Liverpool FC

• Richard Murphy - husband to Debbie, born 1948, bus driver

• Gary Webb - reporter for the Cambridge Herald

• Cynthia Webb - wife of Gary, ward sister at Cambridge Hospital

• Malcolm Kilbride, editor of the newspaper

Debbie Murphy was born on the 21 July 1950 into the family of Eddie and Grace Clarke who were both in their early twenties at the time.

Her mother Grace died in 1966. Her father lives alone in the family house. They live in the suburb of Formby on the outskirts of Liverpool.

She left school with few qualifications but was thought to be a clever girl. She works in the season ticket department for Liverpool FC.

Her upbringing in the ’60s meant that she was a music fanatic and, of course, an ardent Beatles fan. She was secretary of The Beatles Fan Club at the height of their fame.

She got married to Richard Murphy in 1970. Richard qualified as a bus driver in 1982. His parents left their home city of Waterford, Ireland, to move to England. Richard is their only child. They both died in the late ’70s.

On 2 January 1990, Debbie was driving to work when she was involved in a serious road traffic accident. She suffered severe head and chest injuries plus multiple fractures. She remained in the hospital for approximately one year in a permanent coma. The severity of her brain injuries required expert care, and she was transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge, where she received excellent health care and the family rallied round day after day.

On 10 October 1990, she miraculously awoke from her comatose state. The health professionals were amazed, and the family were ecstatic. She remained in the hospital whilst she fully recuperated and regular tests were carried out.

As her condition began to slowly improve, it became clear to the medics that all was not well. During her period of recovery, it became apparent that her responses were not quite what they expected. She complained of severe headaches. Her memory was causing her problems, and she would constantly ask numerous questions of the medical staff, questions like, Where am I? What happened to me? and When can I go home?

The medics noted her increasing state of confusion regarding her immediate environment. She did not recognise her family and other things around her.

Following one briefing session at her bedside, she decided to check out her medical notes on the bed chart after the nurses had left.

Then something remarkable happened. What she saw on the chart, she could not believe. The date on the chart clearly read as 10 October 1980. She looked at it again and again. On the TV, she saw Jimmy Carter, the president of the USA, being interviewed. Last she knew was that George Bush was president.

For some unexplained reason, Debbie had gone back in time by ten years; the era when President Reagan was shot and John Lennon was killed by Mark Chapman on 8 December 1980.

CHAPTER 1

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"Yes, listeners, it’s time for Blast from the Past from BBC Radio 2. And the choice for this morning is an iconic song from The Beatles going back to 1970, their last no. 1 and, in fact, their twentieth no. 1. Yes, it is, of course ‘The Long and Winding Road.’ Stay tuned for weather and traffic updates.

Debbie loves listening to the radio first thing every morning and loves to sing along to this particular tune as she is and always has been a Beatles fanatic. John Lennon is her Idol.

She has finished her breakfast and is clearing up in the kitchen when her husband Richard enters. Debbie, have you seen my car keys?

They are on the TV in the front room, replies Debbie.

Cheers, got them. Bye, love. See you later, have a good day.

Bye, honey, Debbie replies. Oh, by the way, don’t be late home. Remember, we are going out tonight with Dad for a meal. It’s his favourite, chicken curry.

I won’t, replies Richard.

Her hours at Liverpool FC are good. She starts at 10:00 a.m. and leaves at 3:00 p.m. She has worked there for many years and considers herself lucky that she works for the family’s favourite football team.

She leaves the house. It’s pouring down with rain. She gets in her car, which is a very smart Ford Focus 1.6 cc engine. Her husband bought it for her as an anniversary present.

Debbie and Richard have been married for fifteen years. There are no children; Debbie is infertile. She was born in Liverpool in 1950. Her mother died from cancer two years ago. Her dad, Eddie Clarke, is a journalist for the Liverpool Echo but is coming up to retirement soon. Richard is from an Irish family. His parents were from Waterford City, famous for its crystal glass worldwide. His parents have been dead for several years now. It was a car crash that proved fatal.

They live in Formby, about 12 miles away from Anfield Stadium, which usually takes about a half hour, depending on the traffic.

Monday morning traffic is unusually heavy, which allows for the delay.

Further on, all is explained; road works causing a major diversion and visibility limited because of the heavy rain. Her windows are misting up. She wonders why the demister on the windscreen is not working very well, which causes a distraction for her.

Debbie follows the temporary signs, not sure of the new direction she is being taken. As she approaches a T junction, impatient drivers from behind her car are honking their horns at her to get her to speed up.

When she gets to the junction, she has to make a right turn and is becoming flustered because of the drivers behind her.

As she turns quickly, her car skids into oncoming traffic and collides head on with a double-decker bus and a motorcyclist.

The car is severely damaged, and Debbie is unconscious and bleeding from a serious head wound and multiple injuries, slumped in the driver’s seat.

The front of the car is a mangled mess.

The bus driver rushes to help and is shocked when he discovers the driver of the car is his wife who is in a serious condition.

Oh no! he screams. Help! Help me! That’s my wife in the car. Help! Please help!

By now, people are rushing to the scene but are unable to help in any way.

An ambulance, fire brigade, and police arrive on the scene.

After an hour, Debbie is freed from the mangled car and placed into the ambulance. The police talk to Richard to get some details. They agree to contact her father Eddie.

Her husband is distraught and is in a bad state. He goes with her in the ambulance. The ambulance crew speed through the city, with sirens blaring, and contact the hospital with details of the accident and Debbie’s deteriorating physical condition.

They arrive at the hospital after twenty minutes and straight to the A+E department.

Richard is taken aside and examined for any injuries, but he is clearly in a state of shock. He asks the staff to contact his wife’s father, Eddie Clarke.

Debbie’s dad Eddie arrives and begins to ask questions.

Hi, Richard, are you okay? Can you recall what happened?

I can’t remember. It happened so quick. Visibility was very poor because of the heavy rain. I was driving along when this car crashed into my bus. I had no time to avoid the crash.

You can’t start to blame yourself for what happened, Eddie said.

But I am to blame. When I realised that it was Debbie in the smashed car, I just could not believe it. Oh my god, what have I done?

They all sit in a small room and are updated with news of Debbie on a regular basis by the nursing staff. Two hours later, the doctor emerges from the operating theatre to speak to the family.

Good morning. My name is Dr James Wilson.

Richard interrupts, asking very anxiously, Will she be okay, doctor? What are her injuries? Is she awake yet?

The doctor replied in a reassuring manner, Mrs. Murphy is still alive but unconscious. She has suffered multiple injuries, including fractures to both her legs. Her right leg has three fractures: the femur, tibia, and fibula. Her left leg has two fractures: the tibia and fibula. What concerns me most is her skull, which took a sharp blow on impact with the bus, and we have detected several hairline fractures and a possible depressed fracture of the skull. There are also symptoms of traumatic brain injury.

Eddie asks, What is the prognosis, doctor?

It’s too early to say at this point. We have many more tests to carry out, in particular her skull fracture. We will keep you both informed of any changes.

Debbie’s dad Eddie suggests to Richard that they take turns staying at the hospital in case there are any developments.

Richard is reluctant but agrees. Okay, he replies. I have to sort out the state of the bus with my employers. God knows what trouble I’m in.

I’m sure they will understand, replies Eddie. I will call you if there is any news. They hug each other, and Richard leaves.

Mr. John Mills is the manager of the bus company Richard works for.

Sit down, Richard. As you know, we are investigating the reasons for the recent crash that you were involved in. I have examined your written statement providing us with your view of the cause of the accident. How is your wife by the way?

Richard is visibly upset and responds by saying, Well, it’s not looking too good. The doctors are carrying out all sorts of tests, but she still remains in a deep coma and on life support.

Mr. Mills continues, We have decided that under the circumstances and given your current situation that you be placed under suspension on full pay. The reason for your suspension is to allow the company to carry out a full investigation into the cause of the crash. Suspension does not imply any guilt on your part. You are required to surrender your bus driver’s licence and barred from the depot until further notice in accordance with company rules.

Richard turns to his union representative and asks him, Can they do this?

The rep replies, Yes, they can, but at least you will receive full salary.

Have you any questions, Richard?

No, sir, not at the moment.

Very well, said Mr. Mills, we will contact you in due course.

As they leave the bus depot office, Richard seeks reassurance from the union rep. Does this mean that I might lose my job?

Well, it’s difficult to say . . .

Richard receives a phone call from Eddie. Hi, Richard, the surgeon needs to speak to us later today. Are you able to come to the hospital?

Of course, replies Richard. Is everything okay? Has something happened to Debbie?

Eddie reassures him, No change, but he wants to give us an update, that’s all.

Richard gets a taxi to the hospital. On arrival on the ward, he sees Eddie in the small visitor’s waiting room. Hello, Eddie, any idea of what’s happening?

No, Eddie replies, not yet. It won’t be too long now, the surgeon will be here shortly.

Eddie can see that Richard is now in a very bad place and struggling to cope. He looks dishevelled and unshaven as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Eddie offers to get him a cup of coffee from the vending machine. Yeah, that would be nice, said Richard, sitting in the chair, with his head in his hands.

Richard begins to become very agitated and angry, as if his world has collapsed around him, which, to some extent, is true.

They drink their coffee, but Eddie understands how Richard must be feeling and maintains a silence that seems more appropriate than small talk.

After a long wait, the surgeon arrives. They jump to their feet, anxiously looking at the surgeon.

Please sit down, says the surgeon. Mr. Murphy, your wife has had a serious accident that has resulted in a number of severe injuries. Her legs are broken as you know. We have treated her broken legs by way of open reduction and immobilization. Both legs are now in a plaster cast.

Eddie asks, Will she walk again, doctor?

The doctor answers, It will be a long process, but she is of a good age, and the prospects are generally good, but it will take some considerable time.

What about her head injury? asks Richard.

Well, I have serious concerns regarding her head injury. There are complications, such as bleeding, brain damage, leaking of cerebrospinal fluid infection, and seizures. In addition to what I have already told you, she has a depressed fracture of the brain, which will require surgery under general anaesthetic. She remains in a coma and is currently on a ventilator and is not responding to stimuli. We will also carry out a brain scan to determine the seriousness of the impact of the accident. Your wife will be transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge, where she will receive expert care. They are specialists in treating traumatic brain injury.

Can we see her, doctor?

Yes, of course, but I must warn you, she is not a pretty sight with various tubes essential for life support.

They enter the room. A nurse is recording vital signs and logging the charts. Richard walks to the bedside and looks at his wife. He can hardly believe that she is still alive as she lies in the bed motionless and unresponsive. He can’t cope. He rushes past Eddie into the corridor. Eddie is also upset, wondering if his only daughter will ever recover.

CHAPTER 2

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The arrangements for the hospital transfer are now in place. She will be transferred by ambulance to Cambridge. The 195-mile journey will