Losing You (57 page)

‘Not to mention someone of the opposite sex who’s very good-looking. It would brighten anyone’s day to have that sort of attention.’

Phyllis’s eyes grew troubled. ‘Yes, he is good-looking, and I suppose he’s doing the right thing now, but I’m afraid I’m still finding it very hard to forgive him for what he did.’

‘It was an accident,’ Emma reminded her, trying not to sound impatient. She didn’t want to bear grudges, or be around anyone who did, because such things were going to serve no purpose now. They needed to move on, to embrace this new phase with open and thankful hearts, and an unshakable determination to put all negative and destructive feelings of bitterness or vengeance behind them. It was what Lauren would want, she felt sure of it. It was what she wanted too.

Phyllis nodded. ‘Yes, of course it was,’ she agreed. ‘How long is he staying for?’

‘I thought I’d give them another ten minutes, or until we’ve finished this tea. It’ll be enough for today. He can always come back tomorrow, if he’s free. And if he wants to.’

Regarding Emma’s worried face, Phyllis said, ‘You’re thinking her inability to speak yet, or move on her own is going to put him off?’

‘It might, which would be a pity when she’s obviously taken a bit of a shine to him, but better now than later, I suppose, considering what he’s facing. We’ve no idea how much longer he’s going to be able to visit. In the meantime, Donna’s asking if she can come at the weekend, and I have to work out a way of letting her down without hurting her feelings.’

Phyllis swirled the teapot around. ‘You’re still determined she shouldn’t come?’

‘Aren’t you?’

‘Of course, I just thought you might change your mind. They’ve known each other for most of their lives.’

Emma looked down at her cup. ‘At the moment Lauren’s saying that the name Donna doesn’t mean anything to her, but seeing her could change that and set off the kind of memories we’d really prefer to stay lost.’

‘I’m not going to disagree with that,’ Phyllis commented, starting to pour, ‘and I’m sure Donna’s mother will understand if you explain it to her. It might be easier than trying to talk to the girl yourself.’

‘You could be right,’ Emma responded, though not much relishing the thought of speaking to Ruth Corrigan either.

Setting down the pot, Phyllis took a sip of tea and asked, ‘So what did this morning’s circus of medical practitioners have to say for themselves?’

Emma’s smile was distant. ‘Much the same as yesterday, but I definitely got the impression that they want Lauren out of the ward and into some sort of rehabilitation facility as soon as possible.’

Phyllis sighed. ‘And still no news from the PCT about whether they’ll fund her going to the centre here?’

Emma shook her head. ‘Dr Hanson’s chasing it up, apparently, so we have to keep our fingers crossed. She lifted her hand just now.’

Phyllis beamed with amazement. ‘She hasn’t done that before. What prompted it?’

‘Oliver, I think. I’m not sure whether she was trying to touch him, or what it was about, but at least we know that some more of her muscles are starting to work ... We’ve come a long way already.’

‘Indeed,’ Phyllis murmured. ‘Before we know it, she’ll be skipping down the garden path and calling for her flute or guitar like nothing had ever happened at all.’

Emma loved the image, and savoured it for a few moments, before the consultant’s voice of caution drove her to say, ‘Remember, we have to prepare ourselves for the fact that it probably isn’t going to happen that way.’

Phyllis put down her cup and gave a small but determined sigh. ‘Perhaps not, but I think we have to try to keep as positive as we were before she came round, don’t you?’

Emma wasn’t going to disagree with that. ‘For some reason I’m not doing such a great job of it at the moment,’ she confessed. ‘I get these great highs, but then ... I think it could be the way Will’s behaving that’s getting to me. It’s almost like he doesn’t want her to get well, and yet I know that can’t be true.’

‘The bottom line?’ Phyllis invited.

Emma nodded.

‘That man can’t handle the thought of having a daughter who might be disabled. I don’t know if that’s because he feels as though it will in some way reflect on him; or if he simply doesn’t have what it takes to deal with the fact that his dreams for her have been derailed.’

‘None of us wants to see her disabled, mentally or physically, but do you see us trying to hide from it?’

‘No, but we’re made of stronger stuff. If you think about it, he’s never had much of a backbone.’

Emma’s eyes widened in surprise.

Phyllis waved a dismissive hand. ‘He’s a very likeable chap, there’s no doubt about that, at least when he wants to be, but frankly I’ve always thought you were wasted on him. I couldn’t have said so back when you first met him, obviously, it was the last thing you’d have wanted to hear then, especially from me, so I did my best to get along with him.’

‘And succeeded.’

‘To a point where I apparently made you feel shut out again, but I can assure you it wasn’t intentional.’

Emma shook her head in dismay. ‘I’ve misread a lot of things about you over the years, haven’t I?’

‘Possibly, probably, but it often happens between a parent and child, especially if the parent’s as mixed up and uncommunicative as I was. I’d like to think that from here on we’re going to work a bit harder at understanding one another. I know I’m certainly going to try.’

Emma’s eyes softened. ‘So am I,’ she assured her.

Phyllis smiled. ‘That’s good, because the way things are going I think you’re going to need me around quite a lot for the foreseeable future, which brings me very neatly to something Mrs Dempster mentioned earlier. Apparently her next-door neighbours are going to Australia for a year to try it out before making the big commitment, so their house is going to be up for rent starting from the beginning of June.’

Emma was puzzled.

‘I think I should take it,’ Phyllis explained. ‘Your house
isn’t big enough for all three of us once Lauren comes home, and I can hardly commute between my place and yours, it’s much too far. So, if I put mine up for rent and take the one next to Mrs Dempster, that shouldn’t only work out for me helping you with Lauren, but it should also allow you to take the job at the hotel.’

Emma could only blink; she hadn’t seen this coming at all.

‘I’ve been thinking it over,’ Phyllis continued unabashed, ‘and you really can’t let the opportunity of this summer festival pass you by. If you make a success of it, and I’m sure you will, it’ll put you in good stead with the hotel for future events, which you’re going to need. You have to earn money somehow, so why not earn it doing what you enjoy and you’re good at?’

Finding her voice at last, Emma said, ‘This is wonderful of you, Mum, it really is, but I can’t let you take responsibility for Lauren when ...’

‘Why ever not? She’s my granddaughter, so if that doesn’t make her my responsibility I don’t know what does. And I won’t be doing it alone; Berry will come to stay whenever she can, and you’ll be working from home some of the time, and I’m sure physios and carers will be coming and going until she’s able to move herself around ...’

‘We don’t know yet what she’s going to be able to do, and besides, there’s still the small matter of my job at the vet’s. I can’t just let them down.’

‘Polly’s already on to that. She’s sure she can find someone to step in and fill the place until the girl comes back from maternity leave, which ... You’d better answer that,’ she said as Emma’s phone started to ring.

Tearing her eyes from her mother, Emma checked the number, and clicked on. ‘Hello, Emma Scott speaking,’ she said, still dazed by the way Phyllis was taking over, and finding she really liked it.

‘Mrs Scott, I hope you don’t mind me calling,’ the voice at the other end said. ‘I got your number from when you rang here last week. It’s Russell Lomax, Oliver’s father.’

Feeling a quick catch of surprise, Emma stared hard at her mother as she said, ‘Hello Mr Lomax.’

Phyllis’s eyes widened.

‘Would now be a convenient time to talk?’ he asked.

‘I guess it’s as good as any,’ she replied. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘Well, first I’d like to thank you for what you’re doing for Oliver. It means a great deal to him to see Lauren. I hadn’t actually realised it was happening until you found him there and he told me about it afterwards. Frankly, I’m not sure what I’d have done in your shoes, but the fact that you’ve treated him as kindly as you have ... It’s a great deal more than we deserve in the circumstances.’

‘I don’t imagine it’s been easy for him either,’ Emma responded. ‘Certainly, when I spoke to him, I got the impression he’s been finding it difficult.’

‘Yes, he has, and he’s been getting himself quite worked up about coming to see her. I think he was terrified you were going to put him off altogether. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had, I don’t think he would either, but we were both very glad that you didn’t. I just hope it’s going well.’

‘Well, it seemed to be when I left them together. In fact, I can tell you that your son managed to put a smile on her face, which is the first one we’ve seen since she came round.’

There was a note of relief, and maybe pride in his voice as he said, ‘I’m very glad to hear that. The last thing I want is him upsetting her, or causing you any unnecessary distress ...’

‘It’s really not happening, so please don’t worry. I think him being here is good for her. My only fear is that she’ll become attached to him, and with the charges he’s facing, if he should find himself ... unable to come any more ...’

‘Actually, that’s my other reason for calling, but it’s something I’d rather not discuss on the phone, if you don’t mind. I can meet you, at your convenience of course, maybe somewhere close to the hospital, or perhaps in town.’

This was so unexpected that Emma couldn’t immediately think what to say.

‘I understand I’m asking a lot,’ he went on, ‘but if you could spare the time ...’

‘I’m sure I can, but ... I’m just trying to think ... when would be best.’

‘Please don’t feel rushed into giving me an answer. You have my number, so you can give me a call when you’re ready.’

‘OK, I will,’ she replied, feeling certain she’d want to ask more as soon as she rang off. However, for the moment, she could think of nothing, so she simply responded to his goodbye and disconnected.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

IT WAS ANOTHER
ten days before Emma and Russ were finally able to meet, the delay being caused by Dr Hanson’s success in getting the funding for Lauren to be transferred to the Brain Injury Rehab Centre. The hospital, in need of the bed, had wasted no time in discharging her, so she was now settling into her own room on Maple Corridor, with posters and photographs on the walls, a bird feeder outside the window, her clothes hanging in the wardrobe and her guitar and flute propped in a corner. Her first week’s schedule of therapy had already been drawn up, and though she was understandably disoriented, and seemed a little scared whenever Emma left, she’d just these last two days started to show signs of relating to Lizzie, her key worker. Lucy, her speech and language therapist, was highly encouraging in her first assessment of how well she was managing to communicate at such an early stage. She was still not speaking, but she was nodding and shaking her head with what seemed to be growing ease, and over the past week or so she’d begun uttering various sounds that, though not intelligible, were at least proving that the muscles in her throat were strengthening. She was also managing to swallow puréed foods, and was able to raise her left hand as well as her right, though she was hardly waving, or even reaching her own face without a certain degree of difficulty, but it was all progress.

The other really good news was that her leg was now receiving proper attention, and though it would still be quite some time before she’d be able to stand, much less walk on it, the size of her splint had already been reduced and she was starting to learn how to flex the muscles that hadn’t moved for too long.

Throughout almost all of her small triumphs Oliver had been there, either sitting with her and encouraging her to engage with her specialist team, or just keeping her company after the others had gone. When the doctors did their rounds, or other visitors came to see her, he waited across the corridor from her room, giving her a droll sort of wave if he spotted her looking for him, and returning to her side as soon as he could. Occasionally he even sat with her when she slept, holding her hand, and sometimes dozing off himself. Seeing them together never failed to warm Emma’s heart; and she knew the staff at the centre were equally moved by the image these two youngsters created. Having found out who he was, doctors, nurses and therapists alike were as touched by the bond developing in front of their eyes as they were entranced by the effect this dedicated young man was having on their new charge.

While Emma hadn’t broached the subject of Oliver’s looming trial with Oliver himself, she’d learned from Clive Andrews just over a week ago that the preliminary hearing had been postponed. Andrews hadn’t said why, or until when, only that he’d be in touch again as soon as a new date had been set. She guessed that must have happened now, since she’d received a message from him this morning asking if he could come to see her sometime today or tomorrow. She presumed he wanted to discuss the case with her before it began; prepare her for what might happen, and possibly even try to dissuade her from attending. He wouldn’t have a problem with the latter, because she had no intention of going. In fact she wished it wasn’t happening at all, because she was dreading having to explain to Lauren why Oliver had stopped coming to see her.

Spotting Russ Lomax waiting in a secluded banquette at Graze, a large, friendly cafe on the corner of Queen’s Square in the centre of town, Emma tucked her mobile in her bag and hurried across to join him. How strange it seemed, to be meeting this man whom she’d only ever seen on TV until now. She’d never even dreamt that their paths might one day cross, and certainly not in the way that they had.