A Proper Family Christmas (38 page)

‘And you.’

Annabel turned to head back to her car. As she did so, she exhaled painfully.

‘Are you all right?’ Jacqui asked, rushing to her eldest daughter’s side.

Annabel winced.

‘The baby has been lying on a nerve. Sometimes it gets me. Do you mind if I sit down for a minute?’

With Jacqui’s help, Annabel lowered herself on to Ronnie’s doorstep. Jacqui glared at Ronnie. Then everyone was glaring at Ronnie.

‘Oh for goodness’ sake. You can’t sit on the step,’ said Ronnie. ‘It’s freezing. Come inside.’

‘I don’t want to be any trouble,’ said Annabel.

‘Just come in,’ said Ronnie.

‘Before the neighbours see!’ Sophie chimed.

‘Shut up, you,’ said Ronnie.

It was already too late for that. The neighbours, who’d all been aware that Jack and Bill had been missing, had been watching everything from behind their curtains. Ronnie offered Annabel her hand and pulled her back to her feet.

‘How long have you got to go now?’ Jacqui asked as she and Ronnie helped Annabel inside.

‘Another month. I don’t know how I’m going to stand it. I don’t remember getting anywhere near this big with Izzy.’

‘I was as big as a house both times,’ said Ronnie. ‘Second time I stayed that way too.’

Annabel opened her mouth to protest automatically.

‘If men had to get pregnant, the human race would die out in a single generation,’ Ronnie continued. ‘Come on. Come through into the living room. Do you want a mince pie?’

‘You know what,’ said Annabel. ‘That would be lovely.’

Jack led the way into the living room. The Christmas tree, which had been dark while Jack and his great-granddad were missing, blazed into life when Jack flicked the switch at the skirting board.

Annabel was settled on to the sofa with a cushion at the small of her back. The community police officers took their leave (and a couple of mince pies). Dave and Jacqui loaded Granddad Bill into the car and drove him back to their house. It was well past Bill’s bedtime. Annabel promised she would text Jacqui to say that she’d made it back to Little Bissingden safely when she drove home later on. Meanwhile, Mark put the kettle on. Sophie helped him lay out some more mince pies on a tray. Jack gave Annabel the rundown on all the baubles on the Benson-Edwards’ tree.

‘This one is from when I was born,’ he said, showing her a blue bauble marked ‘Baby’s first Christmas’. Sophie had the same bauble in pink.

Ronnie sat at the other end of the sofa, picking at a hangnail. Though Annabel was back in her home, the frost between them had yet to entirely be thawed.

‘Jack,’ said Ronnie suddenly. ‘Why don’t you go upstairs and find that picture of Father Christmas you did last week?’

It was an excuse for the two sisters to be alone.

‘I’m sorry for what Jack did,’ Ronnie began. ‘Turning up with a kidney like that. Izzy must have been upset.’

‘Actually,’ said Annabel. ‘I think she was quite touched. Your son is a very special young man. He wanted to help. It’s not his fault he didn’t understand quite how. He’s thoughtful.’

‘I don’t know where he gets that from,’ said Ronnie.

‘He gets it from the same place Sophie does. You and Mark. You know, Sophie told Izzy that she’d give her a kidney if she could. We won’t let her of course. She’s much too young.’

‘When did she say that?’

‘A week or so ago. Izzy and Sophie talk on Skype all the time.’

Ronnie had no idea.

‘Look, Ronnie, I want to apologise for what happened in November. I was stupid and arrogant. I could only see the situation with the transplant from our point of view. I didn’t think about how it might affect your children. And the money thing. I’m so embarrassed about that day. What I said to you and about you was vile. But I was desperate. I still am desperate if I’m honest.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ said Ronnie. ‘About the money thing. I think I seized on it because I was scared. And I wanted to make it your fault I wasn’t going to go ahead. I’m still scared.’

‘It’s all right. We’ll find another way. After the baby is born, I’ll be tested again myself. Even if the pregnancy has changed my HLA profile, I’m sure we can still go ahead. They can transplant unmatched kidneys much more easily now. Izzy will be fine.’

Annabel winced again.

‘It’s really giving you trouble tonight,’ Ronnie observed. ‘The baby.’

‘Obviously takes after its father.’

‘You still don’t know what it is then?’

Annabel shook her head. She was in too much pain to talk. She blew out her cheeks as though she had been winded by a punch to the stomach from an invisible assailant. And then her waters broke, all over Ronnie’s sofa.

‘Shit,’ said Ronnie.

‘Oh Ronnie! I’m so sorry,’ said Annabel. ‘I’ll pay for the cleaning but right now I should just go home.’

‘You can’t go home. We need to get you to hospital. You’re having a flipping baby.’

‘No, I’m not. It’s too early,’ said Annabel. ‘The baby can’t be coming now. After my waters broke with Izzy, I had two days.’

‘I don’t care. I can’t let you go anywhere on your own in this state,’ said Ronnie. ‘What’s Richard’s number? I deleted it off my phone.’

Annabel puffed the number out.

‘Which hospital are you supposed to go to?’

Annabel told her.

‘That’s too far away. You’re going to have to go to the one where I had my two. Will that be OK?’

‘I’ll go anywhere,’ said Annabel.

She tried to get up but she was thrown back on to the sofa by another contraction.

‘This doesn’t feel right,’ she said. ‘It all feels much quicker. Is it meant to be happening like this?’

‘I can’t remember. I had so much gas and air I didn’t come down for a week after Jack. Mark! Mark! Phone an ambulance.’

‘Wouldn’t it be quicker for one of you to drive me?’

‘We’ve both had too much to drink. After you called to say you found Jack, we both had a couple to calm ourselves down. Mark! Mark!’

Sophie appeared at the sitting-room door. ‘The ambulance is coming. Dad says he’s staying in the kitchen in case he faints.’

Jack peeped from behind Sophie’s legs.

‘What’s wrong with Auntie Annabel?’

Annabel grasped Ronnie’s hand.

‘You’re breaking my fingers,’ Ronnie complained.

‘I need an epidural,’ said Annabel. ‘I’ve got to have one.’

‘No chance of that here,’ said Ronnie.

‘Shall I get my sonic screwdriver?’ asked Jack.

Baby Humfrey Buchanan was born in the front room of Ronnie and Mark’s house. He shot out with such speed that Ronnie almost dropped him. She ended up on her backside beneath the Christmas tree with Humfrey in her lap.

Sophie described instructions for dealing with the placenta and umbilical cord from a video on YouTube. Fortunately, the paramedics arrived before anything actually needed to be done. Richard arrived shortly afterwards with Izzy.

Jack was beside himself.

‘I asked for a boy cousin and Father Christmas sent me one. Early!’ he announced to Richard.

‘It’s a boy?’

‘It most certainly is,’ said Mark.

‘Oh wow,’ said Izzy. ‘I’ve got a brother.’

‘Welcome to my world,’ said Sophie.

The paramedics took Annabel and Humfrey directly from Ronnie’s house to the hospital. The following day, Annabel and the new baby had plenty of visitors, starting with Sarah, who had set out from home at six in the morning. Sarah was delighted to meet her grandson. She was over the moon to hear that he was to be named after her late husband, Annabel’s dad.

Ronnie and Mark came a little later with Sophie and Jack. Jack brought a drawing. It looked rather bloody. Annabel assumed that it was something to do with Doctor Who.

‘No,’ said Jack. ‘It’s you having the baby in our living room.’

She promised she would have it framed.

Jacqui and Dave came in the afternoon. Jacqui was carrying an enormous pink teddy bear.

‘I was sure he was going to be a girl.’

Annabel accepted the bear gratefully.

‘He’s already got one pink bear,’ she said. ‘Well, grey. But it used to be pink.’

Jacqui peered into the cot. Suddenly she straightened up again. She gasped as though she’d seen something rather shocking.

‘What is it?’ Annabel straightened up in bed. ‘Is everything all right with the baby?’

‘Yes,’ said Jacqui. She reached into the cot and pulled out the bear that Richard had tucked in there earlier that morning. ‘Where did you get this?’

‘Oh, it’s mine. Looks a bit shabby now but it was mine when I was a baby. Then Izzy had it. It’s the family bear. At this time of the year it’s normally on top of the Christmas tree instead of a fairy.’

‘But I gave it to you,’ said Jacqui.

‘You did?’

‘I sent it for your first Christmas.’

‘I thought it was from one of my godparents.’

‘No,’ said Jacqui. ‘It was from me. And you kept it all this time?’

‘It was my favourite. I loved it to bits.’

‘Did you give it a name?’

‘I called it Jane.’

‘I can’t believe they gave it to you. I told myself they wouldn’t.’

While Jacqui was marvelling at the scruffy stuffed toy that had stayed by Annabel’s side during all those years when Jacqui didn’t know what had become of the baby she called Daisy, Sarah returned, bringing Izzy.

The two most significant women in Annabel’s life met for the first time over their shared grandson’s crib.

‘I know who you are,’ said Sarah to Jacqui. ‘You’ve got my daughter’s eyes.’

Without stopping to think about it, the two women embraced.

‘Thank you,’ said Jacqui. ‘Thank you for loving my baby.’

‘Thank you,’ said Sarah. ‘For giving me the chance.’

Annabel and Humfrey remained in hospital for two nights, coming out on Christmas Eve. The weather had turned. It was cold and crisp. Humfrey was wrapped up in two blankets: one from Sarah and one from Jacqui.

Izzy and Richard had done their best to finish setting up the nursery but Humfrey had taken everyone by surprise. The pram that Annabel had so carefully researched and ordered had yet to arrive. Richard had to make an emergency dash to the shops for Babygros and Pampers.

Ronnie dropped round with a pram that had belonged to Jack. She had presents for the new baby too.

‘But you just gave us a whole load of gifts at the hospital,’ said Annabel.

‘Those were for his birthday. These are for Christmas. The poor little thing is going to miss out his whole life because people will lump his Christmas and birthday presents in together but he’s always going to get separate pressies from me and his Uncle Mark.’

Annabel put the gifts under the tree.

‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ Ronnie asked. ‘I mean, are you still doing Christmas this year?’

‘I suppose so. Though it won’t be like normal. I’d forgotten what hard work new babies are.’

‘I’m sure the last thing you feel like doing is making the dinner. You can come to my place if you like?’

Annabel hesitated.

‘I know it’s not what you’re used to …’ Ronnie started.

‘No, it’s not that. But …’ Annabel imagined Richard’s reaction. And then she knew that he wouldn’t be horrified by the offer at all. He would be pleased. He would say ‘yes’, Annabel knew it.

‘Mum and Dad are coming to mine. And Granddad Bill of course,’ Ronnie continued. ‘And Chelsea, with a bit of luck.’

Annabel totted up the numbers in her head. She added in Sarah.

‘My mum is coming here.’

‘She can come to ours too. If she doesn’t mind, that is. Twelve,’ Ronnie said. ‘I can do that with my eyes closed.’

‘Really? Without a caterer?’

‘I’ll have my sisters there to help me, won’t I? Bring your turkey over. Mum’s got devils on horseback from Sainsbury’s. I’ve got enough veg to feed an army. Do you usually have a Christmas pudding? None of my lot like Christmas pudding except for Granddad Bill so we only get a small one just for him.’

‘Richard loves it. He buys one from Fortnum’s every year.’

‘Then bring that too. Mum will have done a Christmas cake. She’s pretty good at it.’

‘I remember your wedding cake,’ said Annabel. ‘Or cakes.’

Indeed, though they had looked awful, with their purple and orange icing, they had tasted delicious.

‘Crackers,’ said Ronnie then.

‘It is a bit. I mean, lunch for twelve.’

‘No. I’m talking about Christmas crackers. Have you got any?’

‘We’ve got something better,’ said Annabel. ‘We’ve got a table bomb. Mum always gets one. Dad started the tradition when Izzy was about six.’

‘I’m not going to ask what that is but I know that Jack will love it.’

And so, everything was set. The Buchanans would be having Christmas with the Benson-Edwards. It was a wonderful solution all round. Annabel wouldn’t have to worry about anything but the baby. Mark rubbed his hands in glee at the thought of Richard’s likely contribution to the booze.

‘Are you sure this is OK, Mum?’ Annabel asked Sarah, when she arrived at the Great House that evening.

‘It will be lovely,’ she said.

‘And you don’t mind sharing the day with Jacqui?’

‘No,’ said Sarah. ‘After all, I’ve had you to myself for forty-three years.’

‘Then it’s sorted.’

Baby Humfrey gurgled with what seemed like approval. Of course it was probably wind.

It was five o’clock in the afternoon on Christmas Eve.

Chelsea had been asleep for a couple of hours. Her sleep patterns were completely shot. Since breaking up with Adam, she had been unable to sleep most nights but during the afternoons she could barely stay awake.

‘Chelsea! Chelsea! Open the flippin’ door.’

Chelsea stirred. She had been in such a deep sleep it took her a while to wake up and stagger to the door. She wasn’t expecting anyone so she was surprised and cautiously delighted to find Adam on the doorstep, with Lily.