Almost Perfect (47 page)

‘How was the shower?' he asked.

‘Glorious.'

‘Well, if you're finished with the bathroom . . .'

‘Sure, go right ahead.'

Georgie tossed her things on top of her bag and fell backwards onto the bed, sighing loudly.

‘Are you okay?' Liam asked, dropping his bag in the corner.

‘I'm exhausted,' said Georgie, ‘in a good way. Except for my feet, they're killing me,' she groaned, levering herself up to sit.

Liam came around to her side and propped the pillows against the bedhead for her. Georgie was settling herself back when, unexpectedly, he scooped up her feet and sat down, resting them on his lap.

‘What are you doing?' Georgie asked.

‘I was going to give you a foot rub,' he faltered, looking at her. ‘You don't want me to?'

‘Oh, no, I love having my feet rubbed. I just don't have anyone to do it.'

‘You do tonight,' he said as he began to gently massage one foot. Georgie felt the relief almost instantly. He was good. He must have had a lot of practice.

‘Did you do this for Anna?'

He grunted. ‘No, she hated anyone touching her feet. But I used to do it for Mum. I was only a kid, but she was always pregnant and her feet used to swell up. She used to lie back in her recliner chair and watch the news after tea, and I'd sit at the end and rub her feet,' he smiled faintly.

‘Your mother's wonderful,' said Georgie. ‘The whole family is.'

He shrugged. ‘You fit right in, Georgie. I don't know how you do it so easily. I've never felt like I fitted in.'

‘That's only because you put yourself above them.'

Liam looked a little abashed. ‘I don't mean to.'

‘Oh, don't worry, they all love you–'

‘Love to pay me out. Danny and Bren think I'm a wanker.'

Georgie laughed lazily. The foot rub was almost putting her to sleep.

‘Bridget's your favourite?'

‘You worked that out?' he smiled. ‘Danny and Bren came straight after me, and they've always been the same, loud and wild. Bridge was the first one I could actually relate to. We've always been close.' He paused. ‘She thinks you're great.'

‘Then it's mutual.'

Liam turned his head to look at her and smiled. Georgie left her body for a second, seeing herself lying there, pregnant with his child, on the bed they were going to share that night, while he rubbed her feet. It felt like déjà vu. She must have dreamed this once. Tears suddenly rose up in her throat and she sighed tremulously as they spilled into her eyes.

‘What's the matter?' Liam asked, concerned. He stopped massaging. ‘Did I hurt you?'

She shook her head, she couldn't speak.

He lifted her feet off his lap and came closer, watching her with a worried frown on his face. ‘What's wrong, Georgie?' he said tenderly.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.
‘Nothing, really, I told you I cry at the drop of a hat. I think I'm just exhausted.'

‘Come on then, lie down properly, under the covers.'

‘But I haven't said goodnight–'

‘I'll say goodnight for you,' he said, helping her into bed. He drew the covers back over her and paused for a moment, stroking her hair. ‘Are you sure you're all right? Do you want me to stay with you?'

‘No, really, I'm fine,' Georgie murmured, her eyes drooping.

‘Okay,' he said, his voice soft. ‘Sleep tight.' He stood up and switched off the light, closing the door behind him as he left the room.

About five minutes later Georgie blinked, squinted, then closed her eyes again. The room was light, Liam must have come back from the shower. She opened her eyes again slowly and realised it was daylight. The baby was doing his morning callisthenics, she should have realised. Liam was lying beside her, but his head was lowered so she couldn't see his face. She yawned, stretching one arm above her head, and he looked up at her. He must have already been awake.

‘Hi,' he said in a hushed voice, his eyes wide. ‘The baby's moving, can't you feel it?

She nodded. ‘He's most active while I'm sleeping,' she said, almost miming the words. ‘If I move or speak, he stops.'

‘So don't move or speak,' whispered Liam urgently. ‘Will he stop if I speak?'

She shook her head.

‘I was lying facing the other way this morning,' he said, his voice low, ‘and, well, your stomach was pressed right up against my back, I guess there's not a lot of room in here. Anyway, I thought you were poking me, and I kept asking you what you wanted. You didn't answer so I turned over and you were sound asleep. And then I saw the baby move, through your clothes and everything. It's amazing . . .'

Georgie smiled. ‘Then get a load of this.' She lifted her top up slowly, exposing her belly. The surface of her skin quivered and quaked, lumps and bumps protruding and retreating again. Liam watched in awe.

‘What's that saying? Something about pigs wrestling under a blanket?'

Georgie had to hold her hand over her mouth. ‘Don't make me laugh,' she breathed emphatically.

‘Sorry,' he grinned at her, before returning his gaze to her performing belly.

Georgie watched him watching her, so full of emotion it almost overwhelmed her. She reached for his hand and drew it over onto her stomach, right at the site of a nice, rhythmic kick. Liam looked up at her again, his eyes glassy. Georgie left her hand on his, and they lay very still, very close while their baby wriggled and jiggled around, oblivious to the outside world. And for a brief moment so were his parents.

Suddenly a knock at the door made Georgie jump. Liam removed his hand abruptly and turned over, swinging his feet off the bed as he sat up. Georgie pulled her top back down over her stomach.

‘Yeah?' he called.

‘It's only me,' came his mother's voice. ‘Are you decent?'

‘Come in, Mum,' Liam sighed.

The door opened and Moira poked her head through. ‘I thought Georgie might like a nice cup of tea.'

‘Thank you, Moira,' said Georgie, struggling to sit up with all the aplomb of a beached whale.

‘Help her, Liam!'

He turned around and took hold of Georgie under the arm, hoisting her up the bed.

‘That's better,' said Moira. ‘Here you go, love,' she added, handing Georgie the cup.

‘What about me?' Liam asked.

‘I'm sure you can find your way to the kitchen, son.' She turned back to Georgie. ‘How did you sleep, pet?'

‘You know when you close your eyes and open them again and it's morning?'

‘I'm so glad,' Moira smiled. ‘That means there's nothing to put you off coming again.'

‘Mum–'

‘You're still here, Liam?'

‘Well, I would like to get dressed before I leave the room.'

‘Oh for heaven's sake, Liam, Dymphna won't be up for hours yet, and as if your father could care less about seeing you in your pyjamas.'

Liam sighed, standing up. He was reluctant to leave them alone. He didn't know what his mother was going to come out with next.

Moira smiled warmly at Georgie after Liam had left the room. ‘It's been such a treat having you here, pet. I feel like you're part of the family already.'

‘You've all been so lovely and welcoming.'

‘Well, it's a big deal. Liam's never brought a girl home before.'

Georgie was aghast. ‘But he was married!'

Moira shrugged. ‘Oh, he and Anna took us out for dinner a couple of times before the wedding, then they asked us over to their house after that . . . on occasion.'

Georgie was barely able to comprehend what she was hearing. How could he never have brought Anna to the house? And what was more unsettling, why had he invited her?

‘Liam's always been a little, I don't know, set apart,' Moira went on. ‘Probably because he's so smart, he's got more brains than the rest of us put together, I reckon. Not that he didn't work hard, mind you. He was so determined to pull himself up by the bootstraps, and maybe he got a little above himself with Anna, who's to say? But see, now I'm gossiping and I didn't come in here to gossip. I just wanted you to know that it's been lovely to meet you. I have the best feeling about you two.'

Georgie felt uncomfortable. Moira had been so kind, opening her home and her heart to her, and Georgie was deceiving her.

‘You're probably thinking I'm a silly old thing–'

Georgie grabbed her hand. ‘I don't, I promise you, I don't think that at all.'

‘Thank you, dear,' said Moira, patting her hand. ‘I
know everything's not quite right between the two of you, but I really believe you'll work it out. Liam loves you with all his heart, that much I know for sure.'

‘You planned all this so I'd feel obliged or something, didn't you?'

Georgie was addled by her conversation with Moira, and she brought it up with Liam the minute they were alone in the car on the way to the airport.

‘What are you talking about, Georgie?'

‘You could have told me what a big deal it would be,' she said. ‘You never even took Anna home.'

Liam glanced across at her. ‘Mum told you that?'

‘Yes, she did. And I could hardly believe it.'

‘Look, I didn't think Anna would . . . understand them,' Liam tried to explain.

‘So she was as big a snob as you are,' Georgie said bluntly.

He didn't say anything.

‘You've got this wonderful, big, loud, happy family. How can you be ashamed of them?'

‘I'm not ashamed. But we weren't that happy.'

‘Look, Liam, I know you didn't have much money and your dad drank a bit, you told me all that before. But everyone seems to have pulled through all right. Except for you with the big chip on your shoulder.'

He sighed loudly. ‘Well, you don't know everything about everyone, so maybe you should keep your opinions to yourself until you have the facts.'

Georgie just looked at him.

‘Yeah, Dad used to drink “a bit”, and he also used to hit Mum “a bit”. She coped with it by having more and more babies, tying herself down so completely she could never get out. I suppose he seemed harmless to you, but truth is he's old and tired and I don't think he can be bothered any more. He just drinks himself into oblivion every night, which you conveniently missed because you fell asleep. And Bridget's husband's a dickhead. He abuses her, but she won't leave him either, like mother like daughter. I've offered to give her money, set her up on her own, she won't take it. Then there's Kevin, he's the one who lives up in the mountains. He's had a drug problem since he was a kid, he's on the methadone program till the next time he flips out. He doesn't want to be helped, I've tried. Angela's in Queensland, she's had three kids to three different blokes and now she's with another one. I've offered her money too, she never has any trouble taking it. Kathleen was working in Alice Springs last anyone heard, but she tries not to have too much contact with the family, probably for good reason. And finally there's Sean, who, thank Christ, seems to be pretty level-headed. He's talking about taking some classes at uni when he gets back from overseas. I told him to be sure to let me know and I'll help him out.'

Georgie didn't know what to say. She felt like crying. ‘I'm sorry,' was all she could come up with.

‘It's all right,' he said. ‘You weren't to know. It's just . . . things aren't always as they seem, Georgie.'

She looked across at him. ‘No, they're not.'

They spent most of the trip caught up in their own thoughts. Georgie was tired and bewildered, but mostly sad. Her mind was churning, thinking about his mother, and Bridget, the lives they were leading. And Liam, trying to look after everybody.

She slept on the plane and felt a bit vague and woozy when they landed in Sydney. Liam made her sit for a while and sip orange juice while he collected their bags. She didn't argue with him.

As they left the airport and headed north, he looked across at her.

‘How are you feeling now?'

‘I'm okay, fine, really,' she assured him.

He took a breath. ‘There's something I've been meaning to ask you, Georgie.'

‘What is it?'

‘Do you have some kind of plan for when you go into labour?'

‘You mean like a birth plan?' she asked. ‘I don't know about them, to be honest. I think they're one of those things that only sound good on paper. Louise drew up a birth plan when she was having Molly, but she tore it up halfway through. She was going to make Nick eat it, because he was reading it out to her at the time.'

Liam smiled. He seemed more relaxed now. ‘I was only wondering what you had organised for getting to the hospital, that kind of thing.'

‘Oh, that's all fine, I'm covered. Louise is going to be my support person. I was hers when she had the girls.'

‘Oh, not Nick?'

‘He was there, of course, he's just a bit useless. Can't stand to see Louise in pain. Any of us, really. He falls apart.'

Liam nodded thoughtfully. ‘So, what, you'll have to phone Louise to come and get you?'

‘I guess.'

‘Isn't that a bit risky?'

‘Risky? How?'

‘Well, you're on your own. What if you can't get on to Louise? Or what if the pain is so bad you can't even get to a phone?'

Georgie was smiling at him, shaking her head. ‘What do you think's going to happen? It's not like in the movies, Liam. Bang, one contraction and you're off to hospital. It's much slower than that. With Louise we were hanging around the house for hours before she got going. And then we were hanging around the hospital for even longer.'

‘But you might go quicker, you never know. You should have back-up.'