Ember Flowers (12 page)

Her phone
buzzed on the dashboard, she hoped it was Jo. Instead, Ellie’s
number was displayed on the screen. Her brow crinkled, wondering
what was up.

“Hi Ellie.”

“Jean..” She
was panting softly, sounding flustered.

“Ellie,
something up?” She sat upright in the driver’s seat.

“Jean..I’m..I’m
at the hospital, can you come down?”

“Ellie, what’s
wrong? You aren’t due for another few months?”

“Not for me,
Scott..Scott had an accident. He almost drowned.”

She was already
turning the key in the ignition. “Which hospital?”

***

By the time she
arrived almost an hour had passed. Late afternoon traffic leading
into peak hour. Ellie was waiting for her down stairs with a weary
Alex in her arms. Jean hurried over, keys still in hand, pulling
her gently into a one armed hug around her young friend’s
protruding stomach.

“What happened?
Is he OK?” She wasn’t just his boss, they were like family.

Ellie looked
calmer than she felt, she brushed her dark bangs away from her
eyes, her petite features looking strained. “Alex got dumped by a
wave, Scott went in after him and got dragged out by a rip. He
exhausted himself got rolled and almost drowned. Alex is OK, but
they want to hold Scottie for observation.” She sniffled. “Life
savers dragged him out, they said he was lucky, really lucky..”

Relief and
worry in one breath. Jean had sped across town, the old ute humming
along impatiently. Other things could wait. Jean squeezed her
shoulder, offering support. “Can I go up to see him?”

Ellie wiped her
eyes. “I’ll go with you.”

***

A couple of
hours later they were still by his bedside. Scott looked ragged, an
abrasion from the reef over his eyebrow, his features pale despite
his sunburn. He was still sleeping, they’d given him something to
relax.

The ocean was
both beautiful and a somber reminder for Jean. It was difficult to
look out onto the waves and not imagine a sailboat bobbing in the
surf. She had put the past behind her, she’d had to. Occasions like
this brought everything back. Six years without her wife, pain
replaced by a gradual quiet peace and faded memories.

Jean sighed
softly, Ellie clasped her husband’s hand, chiding him under her
breath as he slept. Alex was colouring in on the floor. Her phone
rang softly in her pocket. Ellie looked up at her with the
sound.

“Mind if I take
this?”

Her friend
nodded, watching her get up and walk out into the hall. Jean left
the room and stood on the sanitised floor, a dull tap under her
workbooks. She smiled, at least this call was welcome.

“Hi
Joanne.”

The blonde
paused, the brunette could feel her smiling. “Jean, hello. How are
you?”

“Mm. Dramatic
day. I’m at the hospital. Yourself?”

“Hospital? Is
something wrong? Are you all right?”

The concern was
endearing. “I’m fine, Scott got himself into trouble but he’ll be
OK.”


She could hear
the little sigh of relief, along with the sound of traffic and the
crackle and bleep of a CB radio. “Well..I was calling to see if you
wanted to meet up after work tomorrow?”

The brunette
smiled. “Sure, love to. Listen, I’ll be here a while, want to make
sure his family are OK. What time do you clock off?”

Jo looked down
at the luminous strokes of her dashboard clock. “Oh?, I have a late
one Jean, I finish around ten.” She was usually awake well
afterwards, especially if she’d been out on a sweep.

She currently
sat in her patrol car, talking on her hands free unit affixed to
the visor. She pulled up at the lights, sweeping the road with a
diligent glance of grey eyes. “But..I can come by afterwards if
you’re still there?”


“If you’re
feeling up to it I’d like that. Seeing you would brighten up my
day.”

Chapter
19

Jo could hear
soft talking as she entered the room. Dimmed lights mounted above
the headboard. A weary figure in the nearby chair, a pregnant woman
standing on the balcony with the connecting glass door open. Scott
was sleeping soundly, unaware of the two women worried about him at
this late hour.

The Officer
stood in the doorway, not sure if she should have come, concerned
she was intruding on something private. The cup of vending machine
coffee in hand.

The pregnant
woman with the swollen eyes smiled at her as she stood in the
doorway, which made the figure in the chair turn to look.

There was a
warmth in her voice, Jean was glad to see her.

“Jo.”

She entered the
room, and stood beside Jean’s shoulder. It was then that she
noticed the child sleeping sprawled over Jean’s lap and chest.

“Here. Brought
you this.” She handed the older woman the cup, which was taken
graciously with one free hand. A soft thanks as they exchanged
looks.

Jo looked down
at her, still in uniform, her sunglasses perched as usual on top of
her golden hair.

Jean took a sip
and made introductions while keeping her voice down.

“Jo, this is
Ellie, Scott’s wife..” A nod between them as Jo tucked the
sunglasses into her pocket. “And this is Alex. Who has decided he’s
seen too much excitement for one day.”

The policewoman
gazed down at the boy with a smile.
A few years older than her
Annabelle, but with similar fair hair, he must take after his
father as his mother had darker features.
The gardener smiled
as the child shifted in his sleep. Sprawled quite comfortably. Jean
looked quite at ease holding him.
Perhaps she spent a lot of
time with the family?

Joanne looked
over at Scott’s wife. Ellie was petite, jet black hair and hazel
eyes, her skin a golden tan from loving the sun. The policewoman
asked her how her husband was doing, fortunately he was just under
observation for now.

The gardener
nodded along with their conversation, looking down as Alex murmured
in his sleep, grabbing a fistful of her polo. “Ellie is just
getting a little air.”

Scott’s wife
rubbed a hand over her belly. “I get so tired, and nauseous. Lucky
we have Jean, Alex never leaves her alone. Means I get a break ever
so often.”

Jo nodded,
speaking softly. “My little girl is almost two. I know what you
mean, when I hit half way I felt like I could barely move.”

Ellie walked
over to her husband’s bedside, placing a hand over his
affectionately. “Yes, Jean mentioned you have a little girl.”

Joanne gave her
a careful look. She was a little surprised Jean had mentioned her
to them. She wondered what had been said.

Jean looked up
at her. “Finished for the day?”

A nod as she
shifted her feet, crossing her arms over her fluorescent vested
chest and blue shirt. “Thankfully yeah. Just wanted to stop by, see
if you needed anything.”

A gravelled
voice from the bed got their attention. “Ooh. I must have gone to
heaven. I wake up..surrounded by women.”

Jean rolled her
eyes. Scott looked up at the policewoman who was still standing by
the foot of the bed.

“Whatever it
was Officer..I didn’t do it.” A cheeky smile on his chapped lips as
he coughed. Ellie slapped his arm gently.

“Hello
Scott.”

“Hi Joanne.
Come by to keep Jean in line?”

The blonde
looked down at her friend, who was smirking despite herself.
“Something like that.”

Alex moved
sleepily in Jean’s lap, the older woman looked down before her eyes
settled on her friend. “How are you feeling Scottie?”

“Water logged
and fuzzy, but OK.”

The two shared
a smile.
Jean was a good friend, they’d been there for each
other through good times and bad.
Ellie looked up at the
policewoman, it seemed she felt out of place.

“Joanne?”

The blonde
turned toward her and raised her chin, listening.

“Why don’t you
and Jean go and get a bite to eat? You must both be tired. I can
keep an eye on this one. We will give Jean a call in the morning if
there’s any news.”

Scottie was
giving her a wink and a suggestive eyebrow. She looked up at Jo.
The blonde was giving her a droll look, she must have seen it
too.

“I don’t know,
are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Jean observed Scott with a
look of concern.

Both Ellie and
Scott gave nodding assurances. Jo shrugged her shoulders. “Been a
long day, maybe a late dinner would be nice?”

Ellie collected
her unconscious son from the gardener’s lap. Jean stood, Jo picked
up her things, handing them to her once she’d straightened her
clothes.

As they left
the room, Scott was making the ‘call me’ gesture with one hand, and
winking.

***

A few blocks
away, catering to the late night visitors of the hospital, a cosy
cafe sat inconspicuously on a street corner. At a small table by
the window, the two women perused the menu, casting the occasional
glance at each other. Soft lighting and warm colour made the
atmosphere both casual and intimate.

They had
ordered, Jo picked the healthiest thing on the menu with chamomile
tea, and Jean selected something light too. It was already eleven
o’clock, her appetite was waning.

“So how long
have you known Scott?” A sip of her drink as she leant back in her
chair.

Jean smiled at
her, even so late, after a long day she looked gorgeous. “Hmm, a
long time. He started as an apprentice with me when he came out of
school.”

“Seems like you
get along well? Do you all spend time together out of work?” A sip
of the water provided when they were seated.

She nodded as
their food came, Jo laid the paper napkin over lap. 


“Yes, I baby
sit for them, and we spend holidays together. He’s been a good
friend, great support. Despite his macho attitude sometimes.”

Jo nodded,
chewing as she thought to herself.
She had friends like that
too, but not many that she would rely on like that.

“Did Scott know
your wife? Or was that before then?”

Jean’s brows
drew together.
‘Tash. Six years without her.
Loss, followed
by the ache of loneliness, aimlessness. “They got along really
well. Scott was my rock for a while. I was kinda a wreck.”

Grey eyes
softened. “I can imagine. I lost my dad when I was twelve. I wish I
had more good friends around back then.”

She nodded
slowly. “I’m sorry Jo. What happened?”

The policewoman
moved the salad around on her plate. “Car accident. Drunk idiot hit
him driving to work.”

Jean nodded,
taking a bite out of her sandwich. “Makes you realise how quickly
it can all change, doesn’t it?”

Jo sighed,
suddenly remembering what it was like to have her mother came to
her during class, and ask to speak to her in the hall.

They were both
silent for a while, each lost in their own memories. Jean looked at
her with dark eyes, a tinge of regret, reflecting. “I have a
love-hate relationship with the ocean. I was so glad Scott was
OK.”

She shook her
head. Jo chewed and set down her fork. “He was lucky..I was sorry
to hear about your wife. It must have taken you by surprise? How
old?”

Hazelnut eyes
regarded her, clear and honest. “She was thirty two, I was thirty
six. I have so many regrets Jo. So many.”

The blonde
folded her napkin. “Why? Did something happen before? Or?”

Jean sighed.
Don’t scare her away with your baggage.
“All that time,
building the business. It was all for her, but in the end, it
wasn’t worth anything. I wanted to build a nest egg, so I could
take her nice places, buy her expensive things, look after her. In
the end, I should have been spending the time with her instead, she
was my life. I..just can’t be sure she knew that.”

“I’m sure she
knew. It sounds like you were good to her?”

A subtle shrug
of Jean’s shoulders. The air conditioning fluttered her pixie cut
hair, she studied the table. “I spent all my time working. I’m sure
she felt lonely. It’s not the way to treat someone, not someone you
love.”

Jo brushed a
blonde strand out of her face, it had come undone from her tail. “I
hardly saw my Dad. But we used to get along so well. Kindred
spirits. My mother and I are nothing alike, well, aside from looks
anyway.”

It would be
good to change the subject, she leant back in her chair with a soft
squeak. “Tell me about your family Jo?”

The blonde
sighed. “My mother took it upon herself to be a hard disciplinarian
after Dad died. Both mother and father. She was always concerned
about money, holds onto every dime..I grew up without any siblings,
so I had to put up with a lot, and I’m sure I gave a lot back.”

“Rebellious?”

“In my own way
I guess. At least she was happy when I got married. She loves
Annabelle, they get along well.” A small smile.

Jean looked at
the cracked veneer of the table. She wanted to comment, but wasn’t
sure if it would be taken badly.

“..And yes, she
approves of the divorce, once I can get him to sign the
papers.”

The older woman
nodded, Jo was looking at her thoughtfully. .

“Do you have
any family Jean?” Jean was good to talk to, something about her put
her at ease.

Jean smiled
sadly. “My Dad, but he’s in a home, he hasn’t been quite the same
after my mother died a few years ago. Can’t look after
himself.”

Jo nodded,
finding the words. “Did he..approve of your marriage?”

It made her
friend laugh softly.
Her father had been so embarrassed, but
least he’d taken it well.
“By the time he’d recovered from me
telling him I wasn’t going to date any of those boys they kept
trying to set me up with, the marriage wasn’t so much of a shock.
‘Tash and I were together for a couple years before I proposed. Dad
kept telling me I’d look terrible in a suit.”