Times of Our Lives

by Jane Waterton

  Looking down at Meg, Allie nodded. “Thank you for letting me see her.” Giving Meg a gentle kiss on the forehead, Allie turned to the nurse. “If she wakes up, will you tell her I’ll be here in five minutes?”

  Laughing, the nurse slowly walked Allie out of the ICU. “I’ll write it on her chart to make sure. Now, let your friends take you home. I dare say I’ll be seeing you tomorrow.”

  Back in the waiting room, Allie joined Caro and Louise.

  “Are you OK?” Caro asked.

  Allie nodded, exhaustion overtaking her.

  Louise took her arm. “Come on then, let’s get you home.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Sparrow woke slowly, allowing her other senses to take in her surroundings before she opened her eyes. The chorus of birds outside told her that it was a little later than she normally awoke. She was aware of the faint smell of fresh coffee and wondered if Daphne was up and making breakfast. Eager to find out, Sparrow threw on a light robe and hurried to the kitchen. A sliver of disappointment ran through her on finding the cottage empty, but a note propped up against the coffee pot caught her eye.

  Honey,

  I didn’t want to wake you. I’ve gone to see if there is any news regarding Meg. I should be home about nine, but if I am going to be later, I’ll ring you.

  Daphne xx

  Sparrow poured herself a cup of coffee and placed it in the microwave to reheat. It had been after midnight when Pat had arrived at Sparrow’s door with the news of Meg’s heart attack. Daphne had immediately dressed and gone with Pat to see if there was anything they could do to help. Returning within the hour with very little news, Sparrow knew that she was genuinely concerned about both Meg and Allie.

  As she reread the note, Sparrow sincerely hoped that Meg would pull through. Their friendship was still relatively new, but Sparrow liked what she knew of the feisty woman a great deal. She also wondered about the relationship between Allie and Meg. Daphne said they were just friends, but Sparrow saw something else, something deeper, and wondered if either woman was aware of the undercurrent.

  Hearing a key in the lock, Sparrow turned. Seeing Daphne walk through her front door still gave Sparrow a thrill and made her feel inexplicably shy.

  “Good morning, my darling.” Daphne gently lifted her face and kissed her on the lips.

  Hearing the tenderness in Daphne’s voice, Sparrow instinctively leant in to return the kiss, deepening it a fraction. She felt Daphne’s arms go around her and leant further into her lover’s arms, absorbing her warmth and strength.

  Finally, Daphne surfaced, breathing heavily. Sparrow smiled mischievously, delighted at her reaction, and stepped away.

  “Coffee?” she asked innocently, holding up a mug and grinning at the woman who now firmly held her heart.

  Daphne took a deep breath. “Just what I need, more stimulation,” she said ruefully, shaking her head.

  Sparrow gave her a brief hug. “So, what did you find out about Meg?” she asked.

  “We’ll know more when Allie has had a chance to talk to the hospital and Dr Wilcox later today. She knew very little when I saw her before she left this morning. I guess we just have to wait and see.”

  Sparrow shook her head. “All that uncertainty doesn’t make it easy, does it?” Finishing the last of her coffee, she placed the mug in the sink. “Well, hopefully the doctor will have good news. Poor Allie, she must be exhausted. Is there anything she needs?”

  Putting her arms around Sparrow again, Daphne sighed. “Allie has asked me to let people know what’s happening regarding Meg so I thought I’d pick up Pat and we could make a couple of house calls. I’m not even sure who knows Meg’s in hospital. Do you mind if we postpone our plans until later?” she asked tentatively.

  “Of course not. It’s really important that you let people know,” Sparrow agreed. “Keep me in the loop, won’t you? If there is anything I can do…”

  Daphne bent and brushed her lips against Sparrow’s.

  “Of course I will. Why don’t I give you a ring in a few hours when I have a better idea of what the situation is?”

  “OK, in the meantime I will make you something special for dinner.” Sparrow offered with a smile.

  “Or we could skip straight to dessert if you didn’t feel like cooking,” Daphne grinned cheekily.

  “You are one bad woman,” murmured Sparrow, “and I am so very lucky.”

  Pat was making Bella a light breakfast when there was a knock at the door. She hurried down the hall and opened it, greeting Daphne with an anxious look.

  “Have you heard anything new?”

  Shaking her head, Daphne followed Pat back to the kitchen where the delicious smell of frying bacon reminded her that she had missed breakfast. Looking longingly at the bacon, she told Pat the only thing she knew, that Meg had suffered a heart attack.

  “Damn, at least she is still fighting. How’s Allie holding up?” Pat asked, handing her a coffee.

  Just as Daphne was about to answer, Bella came into the kitchen, keen to hear the news. Daphne repeated what she knew for Bella’s benefit. While they listened, Pat went to the fridge and pulled out more bacon and another two eggs as Bella reset the coffee pot.

  “So what do we do now?” Pat asked as she put on more toast.

  “Well, Allie’s asked if we could just let some of their friends know what’s happening. I imagine the jungle drums have already carried the story to most people, but because it all happened so late last night, there may be some that don’t know. At least if we tell people it will keep them off Allie’s back,” she added, leaning against the kitchen bench.

  “Funny, isn’t it?” mused Bella, setting another place at the table for Daphne. “It’s as if those two are a couple. I swear, I have never understood why they don’t just admit they love each other and get on with it.”

  Pat raised an eyebrow at Daphne. “My ever practical spouse.”

  “Well, you know, Bella’s right. I have to admit that I’ve often wondered about their friendship and Sparrow is positive that there is something going on under the surface.”

  Pat and Bella exchanged a smile. “So, how is Sparrow?” Bella asked casually, handing Pat a plate of toast. “We haven’t seen much of her over the last couple of days.”

  “She’s wonderful,” Daphne replied happily, unable to stop the smile that spread across her face.

  “So it’s all going well then?” asked Pat.

  “I can’t believe how well it’s going. I have to keep pinching myself.”

  Motioning Daphne to the table, Pat placed plates of eggs and bacon in front of her and Bella. “It’s about time you found someone to share your life with.”

  Daphne looked at her two friends, then drew in a deep breath, her happiness receding. “To be honest, I am trying so hard not to let my fear take over. I really didn’t want another relationship; there was so much pain from the last one. But somehow Sparrow just marched through every barrier I had without me even realising.”

  Pat refilled Daphne’s mug and then took a seat at the table next to Bella.

  “I’ve told Sparrow things about my life that almost no-one else knows.” Shaking her head, Daphne picked up her cutlery. “Sometimes it feels too good to be true; I worry that someone or something is going to come along and rip it all away.”

  “Well, the only one that can do that is you,” Bella said gently. “You need to trust yourself and trust Sparrow as well.”

  “I’m not very good at trusting, Bella. I seem to lurch from being ecstatically happy to being almost frozen in fear. I had forgotten how exhausting a new relationship can be.”

  Bella glanced at Pat. “Yes, it can be,” she agreed, “but when you find the right person, nothing else matters.”

  Daphne smiled at them both and attacked her food with enthusiasm. Before Bella’s illness, they had br
eakfasted regularly together, and the three slipped easily into their old routine. As they finished eating, Pat rose to take the empty plates to the sink.

  “Leave those, darling,” Bella said. “I’ll put them into the dishwasher later. Why don’t you and Daphne go and give everyone the news.”

  Pat seemed as if she was about to disagree, but after a moment’s thought, went over and kissed Bella gently.

  “Thank you, cara,” Bella whispered quietly, stroking Pat’s face.

  When they parted, Daphne gave Bella a hug. “It was wonderful to share breakfast with you again. Just like old times.”

  “Well, I hope you won’t leave it so long next time,” Bella said, returning the hug. “You know you are always welcome and we would love for you to bring Sparrow as well.”

  Outside, Daphne and Pat headed off to their first duty call. As they walked, Daphne glanced over at her friend. “Is it my imagination, or is Bella looking better?”

  Pat smiled. “No, it’s not your imagination; we are both feeling so much more positive. Now that she’s adjusting to the chemo, her appetite has increased, she’s feeling stronger and her nausea is completely under control. I’m trying so hard not to get ahead of myself, but for the first time in almost a year, I am beginning to feel like we might be getting on top of it all. We still have a couple of months of chemo, but for now, we are both just enjoying her feeling almost normal.”

  Daphne slung an arm around Pat’s shoulders. “That’s fantastic news, my friend. I can’t tell you how happy I am for you both. I know you were having an awful time of it there for a while.”

  “Well, I had to learn to let go…of everything. You know we have both been seeing a counsellor?”

  Daphne nodded without comment.

  “Yeah, well, as much as I dreaded the thought, once I started, I found it to be the best thing I could have done. I had no idea how much…stuff I had locked away in my head. Finding someone to talk to, who understood the situation, lifted a huge weight off me that I hadn’t even realised was there. I began to understand that I was suffocating Bella with kindness and building up huge resentment in the process. Once I saw that, I was able to step back a little. It’s still difficult at times, but I’m getting much better.”

  “You mean, like wanting to stay and wash the dishes this morning?” Daphne asked.

  Pat shook her head and smiled. “You don’t miss a trick, do you? But here I am, out with you, making house calls and not driving Bella mad by wrapping her up in cotton wool.”

  Most of the people they spoke to about Meg asked when they could visit, leaving both women touched at the level of caring. After more than two hours, the pair were exhausted. As they neared her cottage, Pat turned to Daphne.

  “Want to call in and have coffee? Bella’s out and I’ve got the Tigers game from last night if you want to watch it with me.”

  Daphne hesitated, looking at her watch. “Thanks for the offer, but I should get back to Sparrow’s. I promised her we’d spend some time together this afternoon.”

  Pat grinned, “Uh huh…you do that a lot in a new relationship.” Dodging the playful slap she knew was coming, Pat turned towards her front gate. “If you hear anything from Allie later this afternoon, let me know. Thanks for the company.”

  Waving, Daphne laughed. “You too. Call you later.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Allie let herself into Meg’s cottage, exhausted but reluctant to go back to her own place, choosing instead to surround herself with the familiarity of Meg’s. She couldn’t quite believe that less than twenty-four hours had passed since the heart attack. Pat and Bella had rung and invited her to stay with them, but after spending most of the day at the hospital, she just wanted to be alone, to not have to talk to anyone. That morning she and Dr Wilcox had discussed what Allie now understood were very likely symptoms leading up to Meg’s attack. Jenny had promised to let Allie know as soon as she had spoken to the specialist.

  Walking into the living room, she was relieved to see that it had been tidied and the assorted medical detritus disposed of. Placing her bag on the sofa, Allie went into the kitchen. As usual, everything shone—it was the one room in the house that was always tidy. Meg quite simply refused to cook, and Allie had long since given up trying to encourage her.

  Allie prepared a cup of tea, worried, despite Dr Wilcox’s assurances, that Meg was still unconscious. It had been nearly twenty-four hours; surely she would wake up soon.

  “Stop it,” Allie admonished herself out loud, pushing the tendrils of panic away. “Meg’s going to be fine.”

  Gathering her tea, she made her way through the cottage, turning off lights and closing blinds. In Meg’s room, she stopped suddenly. Meg’s scent overwhelmed her, causing her to almost drop the cup from her trembling hands. Placing it carefully on Meg’s dressing table, she entered the room slowly. The scarf Meg had bought at the markets was draped over the bedroom chair, a splash of vibrant gold and orange. Shoes, bags, newspapers and various clothing items were scattered around the room. Allie sat on the bed, running her hands over the luxurious coverlet before getting back up to fetch her tea.

  Allie took it back to the bed, wrapping her hands around the delicate porcelain for warmth. Her eyes wandered around the room until they settled on a framed photo of herself and Meg. Putting her cup down, she stretched across the bed to pick it up from the side table. Smiling, she remembered the day the photograph had been taken. They’d been invited by friends to spend New Year’s Eve in Banff, and had spent the day skiing a particularly tricky pass. Flushed with their success, they had treated themselves to a hot chocolate by the fire in the hotel. A roving photographer, selling photographs to visitors at the resort, offered to take their picture.

  Running her thumb along the image of Meg’s laughing face, Allie was engulfed by distress so thick she could almost taste it. Suddenly the prospect of losing Meg hit her, taking her breath away. Curling up in a ball on Meg’s bed, Allie held the photo close to her chest and let the tears take over.

  CHAPTER 17

  “Allie.”

  She turned to see Dr Wilcox getting out of her car opposite Meg’s cottage. Surprised, Allie fumbled with her car keys.

  “Hello, Jenny. I was just going to the hospital to see Meg. I was there briefly last night when she regained consciousness, but she fell back asleep almost immediately. The nurses told me she’d probably be more alert today. I am so relieved she’s okay.”

  Jenny looked hesitant. “I was planning on catching up with you at the hospital, but had to see a patient here, so I thought I’d call by on the off chance you were still here.”

  Allie looked steadily at the woman in front of her. “Should we talk inside?” she asked slowly, concern edging her voice.

  Jenny nodded. “Do you mind? I need to bring you up to date with Meg’s condition.”

  Allie turned and relocked her vehicle then walked across to Meg’s cottage and opened the door, inviting Jenny through to the living room.

  Refusing the offer of tea or coffee, Jenny sat on the sofa and clasped her hands in front of her. She looked at Allie, standing against the mantle. “Firstly, I’m really glad that Meg has come round. Two days is a long time to be unconscious and we were becoming concerned. However, the staff have spoken to her and she is coherent and responding well, and we are confident there are no neurological side effects.”

  Allie waited, arms crossed, for the rest.

  “The full results of the tests have come through and the specialist has advised that we need to urgently operate. Meg has a serious problem with a heart valve and we’re going to have to replace it. Normally, we would have tried to fix it with a relatively minor procedure, but it has gone too far and we have no choice but to do a much more invasive operation. The specialist is seeing Meg this morning and advising her, but I wanted to let you know personally.”

  Allie walked ov
er to the sofa and sat next to Jenny. “So, how risky is this operation?”

  “No operation is without risk, but Meg is in good condition for her age and that’s a huge plus. The other great news is that we have a wonderful cardiac surgeon who specialises in this operation, so she is in the best hands.”

  Allie had a million questions. “So, when would she have it? Does she need to go to Sydney?”

  “Well, as far as time frame, the sooner the better. The surgeon is looking at the next couple of days and because we have him here we don’t need to transfer her to Sydney. He’ll bring another doctor with him and our local staff are more than capable of assisting him.”

  “OK, well, that sounds positive.” Allie paused and looked at Jenny, frowning. “You said something about fixing it with a simple operation. Why can’t you do that?”

  Jenny took a deep breath, choosing her words with care. “Remember when we talked a few days ago about whether Meg had been displaying symptoms in the lead-up to the attack?”

  Allie nodded.

  “Well, the surgeon believes that if she had come to us six to eight months ago when the symptoms first began, we could have identified the problem and likely been able to fix it with a minor operation.”

  Allie felt the shock of Jenny’s words hit her, leaving her stunned. Shaking her head, she gazed incredulously at the doctor.

  “Wait, so, so, what you’re saying,” she stuttered, as the import began to sink in, “is that if Meg had admitted to the symptoms at the beginning, it could have been fixed and she wouldn’t have had the heart attack or needed this operation?”