A Mummy for Christmas (10 page)

“My wife and I adopted her. She's my daughter now.” He showed her the photo. “I took this in the summer. Her name's Haley-Jo. She loves playing on the beach and building sandcastles. She also loves singing and dancing and has an amazing sense of humor.”

“She looks like Carly.”

Carly smiled slightly. “Fortunately, she looks nothing like Tony. Actually, she's a lot like Stan.” She caught the look he gave her. “Seriously. Something she said last night came out exactly the way you say it. And she rolls her eyes the same way you do.” She laughed. “Yeah, just like that.”

She sipped her coffee. “But what about you, Mam? How are you now?”

Mam shook her head. “First, I want to know about my granddaughter. Tell me everything.”

Carly filled her mother in on how she'd met Stan and Haley-Jo's request to Father Christmas.

“What are you going to do about her?”

“I've been thinking and praying about that all night.” Carly ignored the way Stan's head shot around towards her and the way he almost fell out of his seat. “She's happy where she is. I'm not going to take her away from the only family she's ever known. Stan is a great father. I'll settle for visiting occasionally.”

“Will you tell her?”

“When she's eighteen, it'll be her choice whether she finds me or not. The problem is, the agency thinks I'm dead because that's what they were told.” She sucked in a deep breath. “So we'll have to do a DNA test at some point, but maybe…”

Stan touched her arm. “You can see her whenever you want, you know that. I don't need a DNA test to tell me she's your daughter.”

“Thanks.” Carly turned back to her mother. Even to her untrained eyes, the fragile lady had deteriorated in the few minutes they'd been talking. “Now I want to talk about you.”

“What…about me?”

“The COPD. What they are doing, how are the treating it and so on.”

Mam shook her head. “They think this will be my last Christmas, but they've been saying that for years. The lady behind is one of my nurses. I'm in a hospice.”

Carly sucked in a deep breath. And here she was demanding a meeting in public. What kind of a woman was she? Tears burned her eyes. “You should have called, or said yesterday. I could have come to you. I would have done.”

“You made your feelings clear.”

“I was wrong. I should have let you explain.” Tears fell unrestrained and her heart ached as she struggled for control. “I wasted so many years being angry at you and now I'm going to lose you.”

“Not yet you're not.” Mam reached out and took Carly's hand. “I'd like to see my granddaughter if that's all right.”

“That has to be Stan's choice. She's his daughter.”

Stan looked at Carly, emotion shining in his eyes. “School finishes on Friday, and I'll check my schedule, see what I can do.”

Carly nodded. “I'll take Mam home with me.”

The old lady shook her head. “No, pet. This is my home now. I have my things—” She broke off and coughed hard.

The nurse stood and came over. “I should be getting Mamgu Rose back now.”

Carly frowned. “What did you call her?”

The nurse smiled. “She's our oldest resident. Everyone calls her that.”

“Can I have a quick word, in private?”

“Sure. I'm Vicky, by the way.”

“Carly.” They took three steps away from the table. “Be honest with me. How long does she have? I mean, she said Christmas and I know that's only next week, but look at her.”

“The doctor didn't want her to come, but she insisted. She's been getting weaker and weaker over the last few days. It really isn't looking good this time.”

The bottom dropped out of Carly's world and grief crashed over her like a tsunami. Her knees buckled and she grabbed the back of a chair for support. “Oh…”

Stan was at her side instantly, his arm sliding around hers.

Vicky held out a card. “She's in Cartref Nefol on King George V Drive North. I should get her back.”

“I know where it is.” Carly handed Vicky one of her cards, then kissed Mam goodbye. She clung to Stan and sobbed as the wheelchair was pushed across the concourse. Why had she left it so long? Now it was too late.

10

Stan made several phone calls while Carly huddled in his arms. He didn't care if his shirt and jacket were now wet and crumpled. Once she'd calmed down, he explained what he'd arranged. “So I'll fly back and pick Haley-Jo up. It's almost eleven now. I'll be back in two hours, max, because it'll be a swift turnaround at Heathrow. I'm flying one plane in and a different one back, so there will be no messing around, and it's a forty-five minute flight. You go on to the hospice, and we'll meet you there.”

“Are you sure?” Carly asked.

Stan nodded and kissed her cheek. “Yes.”

She sucked in a deep breath. “We can't tell her all of it, not yet. Tell her part of it. That my mam is sick, and she can call her Mamgu Rose like everyone else.”

“OK. I better run. See you soon.” He kissed her gently and then stood, putting his hat on. He ran to the gate, barely making it before it closed.

Jerry grinned as he reached the cockpit. “Wasn't sure you'd make it, buddy.”

Stan hung up his jacket. “You know me. Thanks for this.”

“No problem.” Jerry rose. “So I'm flying your plane back?”

Stan nodded. “The thirteen thirty to Heathrow, and then the sixteen thirty-five back here. We just bring our scheduled planes back this evening.”

“Is everything all right? I was told a family emergency.”

Stan opted for the truth. “Haley-Jo's grandmother is dying. She wants to see her granddaughter one last time. I'm hoping we're going to be in time.”

“I'm sorry to hear that. I won't hold you up any longer. You just need clearance—the preflight and so on are done.”

~*~

All the way in the taxi Carly worried she'd be too late. She rang the bell of the hospice and waited impatiently until someone opened the door. “Hi, I've come to see Rose Jefferson.”

“I'm afraid Mamgu Rose is too sick for visitors right now. She's in bed.”

“I have to see her. I'm her daughter.”

“She has no family, not as long as I've been here, and that's years.”

“Carly,” called a voice. Vicky came running down the stairs. “I've been trying to call you. I'm so glad you're here.”

“My phone is probably still on aircraft mode,” Carly said, her worry ramping up several notches. “Sorry.”

“Come on up. We've got her into bed and made her comfortable. It's almost as if now things are fine with you, there's no need for her to hang on any longer. She says she's tired and wants to sleep. Her breathing is somewhat irregular now, too.”

Carly's heart sank as she followed Vicky swiftly up a flight of stairs and down a corridor. “She can't go just yet. Stan's bringing her granddaughter over. She wanted to see her. Will you make sure they can come up when they arrive?”

Vicky nodded. “I'll leave word on the door.”

Mam's eyes opened. “Carly? Is that you?”

“Yes. I'm here, Mam.” Carly sat and took her mother's hand. She was so cold.

“Did you bring her?”

“Stan's gone to fetch her. They won't be long.”
Please, God, let them get here in time.

~*~

Once in London, Stan did the post flight check as fast as he could and ran into the terminal. He'd got precisely five minutes to pick up his daughter and make his next flight. Fortunately, Mum had Haley-Jo at the gate. “Hi, thank you.”

“I wasn't sure whether to board her without you or not.”

Stan hugged her. “Thanks for bringing her. I'll see you later. Say bye to Gramma, wombat.”

“Am I going on a plane?”

“Yes, come on, or we'll make it late.”

“Bye, Gramma.” Haley-Jo took his hand. “I'm missing the school carol service. I was meant to be doing one of the readings.”

“I'm sorry, honey, but this is really important.” He led her down the ramp to the plane. “I promise I'll explain everything once we get there.” He nodded to the chief flight attendant. “Sophie, this is Haley-Jo. Sweetheart, Sophie is going to take good care of you until we get to Cardiff.”

“I thought I was going to be with you, as I've never been on a plane before.”

Sophie took her hand. “Daddy has to fly the plane.”

Haley-Jo's eyes widened. “Really?”

Stan nodded. “Yep, and now I have to go sit up the front. Tell you what, once we're in the air, you can come up to the cockpit for a few minutes. How's that?”

“Cool.”

“OK. I'll see you later. Thanks, Sophie.”

“No problem, Captain.”

~*~

Having made Cardiff in record time, Stan led Haley-Jo off the plane and into the crew area so he could sign out. “What did you think?”

“Loved it. We went so high the ground vanished, and I got a drink and a sandwich. And Sophie gave me one of these little planes for show and tell at school tomorrow. Melissa is gonna be sick with jealousy when I tell her.”

Stan signed the paperwork. “I'll be back in time to take my normal flight home. Can you double check that Haley-Jo is booked on it?”

“No problem, Stan.”

He took Haley-Jo's hand again. “OK, now we have to go find a taxi.”

“Where are we going?”

“We're going to go and see Carly's mummy. Carly told her all about you, and she wants to meet you. The thing is she's very sick, so we can't stay long. Just a few minutes, then we'll go shopping before I fly us all home later.”

“OK. What's her name?”

“Mamgu Rose.”

“What's a mam-key?”

“Welsh for Gramma. It's what everyone calls her.”

~*~

Carly sat by her mother's bedside, just talking aimlessly about anything and everything. The nurses insisted her mother was fading fast, but all Carly could see was the peace in Mam's eyes.

The door opened and Stan peeked around. “Hi. Can we come in?”

Carly nodded and held out a hand. “Sure. Mam, they're here. This is Haley-Jo.”

Mam opened her eyes slowly. “Hello.”

“Hello,” Haley-Jo said. “Daddy said I should call you Manky Rose, but…”

“Mam-key not manky,” Stan corrected.

Mam smiled. “It's all…right. Carly used to say it like that. Only my mother wasn't as forgiving.”

“Did I?” Carly asked.

Mam nodded. “You called her Manky Annie in front of the pastor. She was mortified when he laughed.”

Carly shook her head. “She never did have a sense of humor.”

“Haley-Jo, your dad tells me you like singing.”

Haley-Jo beamed. “Oh, I do. I want to be in a choir when I grow up. Or a vet. Or I could do both. I sing hymns mostly. My bestest one is “Amazing Grace” with the chorus.”

“Sing it to me.”

Not needing to be asked twice, Haley-Jo took hold of Mam's hand and launched into a perfect rendition of the hymn.

Mam smiled as she listened and she turned to Carly. “It'll be OK.”

“Don't you leave me now.”

“I'm just really tired,
bach
, and need to sleep. I can't expect you to wait here all night. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Mam looked at Haley-Jo. “Sing me another?”

Haley-Jo nodded. She began to sing a medley of “On the Victory Side,” “On the Telephone to Glory,” and “Prayer Changes Things.”

Mam's eyes closed, and her head slid to one side. Her hand in Carly's went limp.

Carly bit her lip and looked at Stan, through rapidly filling eyes.

Stan held her gaze for a moment and stepped from the room, coming back an instant later with Vicky.

Haley-Jo looked at Carly. “Is she sleeping now? Did I sing her to sleep like Mummy used to do with me when I was little?”

Carly managed to nod.

Vicky put a hand on Mam's neck. “She's fine, Carly. She's sleeping, but the doctor is on his way up to see her.” She looked at Haley-Jo. “How about you and I go and find some juice and a biscuit in the kitchen and give Carly and your dad a few minutes alone with Mamgu Rose before the doctor comes?”

“OK.”

Stan put his arms around Carly as the door shut softly. “I've got you,” he whispered.

Carly clung to him as she cried. The only thing consoling her was she'd made things good between her and Mam. But there were so many wasted years.

11

Stan put the plate of roast dinner in front of Haley-Jo. “Eat up.” It wasn't the party he'd hoped for. His father-in-law had been snowed in up north and been unable to come down. His brother had the flu and had stayed away as well. So it had turned into a normal Sunday dinner with just him, Mum, and Haley-Jo. She'd already opened her present and the blue plush unicorn sat on the table beside her.

Haley-Jo shook her head. “Is Carly coming tonight? She promised she'd come to my party today, and she hasn't come.”

Stan looked over at her. “She said she'd come if she weren't busy,” he corrected. “And I don't know if she'll be there tonight either. She's very sad right now.”

“Because her mummy is really sick?”

“Yes.” He glanced over at his mother. He'd told her about Carly being Haley-Jo's birth mother and asked her not to say anything to anyone until he and Carly had worked out what to do. “She isn't answering her phone. I tried calling several times.”

“Give her time.” Mum looked at him. “She's got a lot on her mind right now with everything that happened over the past few days.”

Stan nodded. He turned his attention to his meal. Haley-Jo ate silently, which usually meant she was plotting something. But Stan's thoughts were elsewhere. He spent the entire meal praying for Carly and a resolution to the current dilemma. He was in love with her, he knew that, but doubted she'd see his motives for what they were. Even if she hadn't been Haley-Jo's mum, he'd want her.