Fairytale Come Alive (28 page)

Oh, he minded. A great deal.

And it
was
mad.

As mad as it was when Annie finagled his last reunion with Elle which, incidentally, ended very badly.

At that moment, Prentice wanted to spend time with Elle only slightly less than he wanted his daughter to be in a coma.

Annie leaned in. “Please, Prentice. I wouldn’t ask if –”

Unfortunately, he was too tired to fight it.

“Aye, I’ll take her to Fergus’s before I go get Jason.”

Annie squeezed his bicep and walked to Elle. She leaned into her friend, Elle’s head turned from Sally to listen and Annie whispered in her ear.

Prentice watched as Elle’s wan face grew ashen and her eyes flew to Prentice.

She tore her gaze from Prentice, looked at Annie and he watched her lips form the word, “Annie –”

“It’s only a ride.” He heard Annie reply before she squeezed Elle’s shoulder.

Without hesitation, Annie hurried out the door not giving Elle time to protest or Prentice time to change his mind.

Yes, Prentice decided, Annie was mad.

“I’m sorry,” Elle said again and his eyes went from the closing door to her.

He didn’t reply to her words.

Instead he said, “I’m getting coffee. Do you want one?”

She shook her head.

Prentice left.

When he returned, her head was back to her arm on the bed but this time it was her temple not her chin resting on them. And this time one arm was slightly extended, the fingers of her hand curled lightly around Sally’s cast.

Prentice walked up behind her and was about to speak when he saw her eyes were closed.

She was asleep.

He studied her tired face for a long moment and then went back to the window. Looking out, he sipped his coffee, wishing it was whisky.

He stood there a long time.

Too long.

It came to the point where he needed to pick his son up from school.

But, God help him, he didn’t have the fucking heart to wake Elle.

* * * * *

Isabella

The ride from the hospital to the school was silent.

They were late.

Isabella was horrified she’d fallen asleep.

Now they were late picking up Jason so Prentice couldn’t drop her off at Fergus’s first. And Jason would be waiting for Prentice and likely worried. And Isabella hadn’t given herself time to think about what she would do or say when she saw Prentice again (or Jason). Even though it took ages to get there, all her thoughts had been centered on getting to Sally. She hadn’t let herself think of Prentice or, she knew, she would have lost what little courage she had and she would never have come.

And more, she was sleep-deprived, jetlagged, her short nap had exacerbated that and she felt muddled.

Not muddled enough not to want to push Annie off the nearest cliff for getting Isabella stuck in a car with a weary, unhappy Prentice who hated her again though.

On this thought, the school came in sight.

Jason was outside with some boys, unenthusiastically kicking around a soccer ball.

One of his friends saw Prentice’s Range Rover and jerked his chin to Jason.

Jason’s head turned, he caught sight of his father’s car, started to wave to his friends and then his eyes locked on Isabella.

His arm dropped and he started running to the car.

Oh dear.

She didn’t know what to expect.

Whatever it was, she had no choice but to tough it out and she had Annie to thank for that too.

When Prentice stopped the car, Isabella got out.

Jason skidded to a halt in front of her and shouted, “You came back!”

This was an interesting greeting, one, in her muddled state, she couldn’t quite decipher.

“Jason,” she said softly.

He dashed forward and threw his arms around her, giving her a fierce hug right in front of his friends.

This was a far better greeting.

Isabella relaxed, let his hug warm away some of the coldness that had imprisoned her heart since she drove away from Jason’s father three weeks ago, put a hand to the back of his neck and closed her eyes.

She opened them when he pulled away and proclaimed, “I knew you’d come back. I knew it when you sent me that book.”

“Jason,” she repeated, wanting to say something. She had no earthly clue
what
but she knew she should say something.

Jason interrupted her by jerking his head to the side and announcing, “Dad, she’s back!”

“I know, Jace,” Prentice’s deep voice answered and Isabella looked toward the sound to see he’d joined them.

The happiness in Jason’s face faded and he looked back at Isabella.

“Do you know about Sally?”

She nodded. “Yes, honey, we’ve just been at the hospital.”

“Did you come to see her?” Jason asked.

Isabella nodded.

“She’ll be happy to see you when she wakes up,” Jason declared and Isabella swallowed and forced herself not to look at Prentice.

“I hope so,” Isabella replied.

“Get in the car, Jace. We’ve got to take Elle to Fergus’s before we get tea.”

Prentice started to move back around the car and Isabella began to turn to get in but both of them noticed that Jason didn’t move.

They both turned to Jason.

“Jace, mate, in the car,” Prentice reiterated.

“Why’s Miss Bella going to Fergus’s?” Jason asked, looking confused and, for some reason, borderline angry.

“She’s staying there,” Prentice answered.

“Why?” Jason asked, now borderline belligerent.

“Because the last time I was here I didn’t get to spend any time with him,” Isabella explained.

“But… you stay with us,” he replied as if she’d been a frequent visitor since the time of his infancy and regularly was their guest.

Isabella’s heart started racing.

“Pardon?” she asked.

“When you’re here,” he answered. “You stay with us when you’re here.”

“Jace –” Prentice began.

Jason was not to be denied.

Definitely belligerent, he asked Isabella, “Are you here to see Fergus or are you here to see Sally and Dad and me?”

“Jason –” she began.

He cut her off by demanding, “Well?”

“Mate, she’s staying at Fergus’s,” Prentice said firmly.

“No, she’s not. She stays with us. She’s here because Sally’s hurt. She’s here to take care of us. She can’t take care of us at
Fergus’s
.”

Isabella took a step forward, saying, “Yes, I can, I’ll rent a car and –”

Jason took a step back, locked his ten year old boy’s body and shouted, “
You’re staying with us!
”

Isabella stopped moving.

Then she drew in a breath.

Then she chanced a glance at Prentice.

His jaw was tight and she saw a muscle tick there. She’d never seen Prentice’s jaw do that but she figured it was probably not good.

Prentice’s eyes sliced to her and he shocked her to her core when he jerked his chin and ordered, “Call Fergus.”

“I don’t –” Isabella started but stopped when Prentice’s head slanted sharply to the side and his face went hard.

Now, she decided, staring into his hard face, was
not
the time to defy Prentice Cameron.

Therefore she whispered, “I’ll call Fergus.”

* * * * *

Fiona

Fiona was plucking at her guitar in the children’s playroom when she sensed their return.

Quick as a flash, she dematerialized and materialized in the great room.

The hospital was outside the village limits.

Fiona couldn’t get there, no matter how hard she tried (and she’d tried
hard
).

She wanted news of Sally.

She watched the door open and stared at Prentice holding four carrier bags of groceries, two in each hand.

Fiona continued to stare.

Groceries?

Prentice had been to the grocery store once since Bella left mainly because it took that long to eat through the abundant provisions Bella had purchased when she’d been there.

Fiona watched as he stopped, jerked his head at something behind him and then her ghostly mouth dropped open when Bella walked through the door, carrying a bag in each hand.

Fiona would have been surprised that Bella was even there but she was too busy being
more
surprised that Bella looked like hell.

Bella always looked good.

Once, way back in the day, Bella got a summer cold that took her out of commission for a few days. When Fiona and her ex-boyfriend Scott had come ‘round to Prentice’s Mum’s place to see her, Bella had been lounging on the couch, nestled in Prentice’s arms. She’d been, reportedly, sick as a dog but she’d looked fabulous.

Now she didn’t look good. She didn’t even look bad. She looked
awful
.

Such was Fiona’s shock, she just floated in the great room while Bella and Prentice walked in, Jason following (also carrying three carrier bags). All of them were silent as they dumped the bags on the kitchen counter.

Bella and Jason got busy unpacking the groceries while Prentice walked away.

Bella saw him going.

She started toward him, saying, “Prentice, please don’t. I’ll get my bags.”

She stopped talking when Prentice sent her a look that would turn a gaily running creek into an ice rink in a blink.

Prentice turned away and walked back out of the house.

Bella bit her lip and walked back into the kitchen.

“Dad’s been in kind of a bad mood for a few weeks,” Jason muttered, Bella sighed and Fiona laughed for the first time since Bella left (except for when the kids got their boxes from Bella, firstly she laughed then because the children had been so happy and secondly because Prentice had looked so cross and then he’d brooded (more) for entire
days
and Fiona, for some reason, found that hilarious).

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Why don’t you take your books upstairs and I’ll deal with this?” Bella replied.

“I’ll help,” Jason was still muttering and he was also putting groceries away with a determination that both Fiona and Bella noted when they glanced at Jason no one could undermine.

Intelligently, Bella didn’t try.

Fiona watched (again with surprise) as Prentice brought in Bella’s two suitcases and carried them down the hall to the guest suite while Jason and Bella unpacked groceries.

What in bloody hell was going on?

She could have shouted it but, of course, no one would answer.

She’d just have to watch and see.

Prentice returned and disappeared in his study.

Bella immediately began making tea once the groceries were unpacked and Jason ran his book bag upstairs.

Fiona took her opportunity and zoomed close to Bella.

How’s Sally?
she shouted.

All right, so Bella was there out of the blue after the whole fiasco at the wedding. She looked like death warmed over and she was staying with Prentice and Jason.

But… priorities.

Bella could hear her, even once spoke directly to her and Fiona needed news of her daughter.

Bella didn’t answer. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t even twitch.

Bella! How’s Sally? Please tell me,
Fiona shouted again, this time, louder (but still silent, of course).

Fiona waited.

Bella kept rubbing butter into the skin of the chicken, giving no indication she heard one single word Fiona said.

Fiona groaned in frustration.

Before she could ask again, Jason returned and Fiona was astounded to see her son immediately began to help Bella with tea (something he
never
did for his mother unless threatened with certain death). All the while they worked Bella quietly gave Jason directions that he followed to the letter.

Bella had the chicken in the oven (stuffed with delicious-looking stuffing), Jason had cleaned and carefully chopped the broccoli and carrots under Bella’s relentlessly vigilant eye at Jason wielding a knife and was cutting up the potatoes that Bella had peeled when Prentice walked into the kitchen.

He stopped and stood for awhile, watching this activity, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

And Fiona knew what he saw that made him so annoyed.

Firstly, Jason was helping with dinner. That was worth putting in your journal (if you had one, which Prentice did not). But, more to the point, he was helping
Bella
with dinner.

Secondly, Bella looked ready to drop. You could actually
see
that the woman had no energy. How she was remaining upright and cooking was a mystery.