‘I loved every minute,’ Auntie Louise said. ‘And I’m so proud of this one.’ She put her arm round Chloe’s shoulders. ‘It was a lovely insight into what she’s like at work.’
‘How has it been without Samuel?’ I asked Chloe. She was currently on maternity leave having given birth to Samuel nearly eleven weeks ago but she’d left him at home in Whitsborough Bay with James today.
She scowled. ‘Weird. I wanted to bring him with me.’
‘And I told her it would do her good to have a break,’ Auntie Louise said. ‘It’s hard work being with a new baby 24/7.’
‘Yeah, but James is—'
‘Samuel’s dad and perfectly capable of looking after his son.’ Auntie Louise squeezed Chloe’s shoulder. ‘And he knows that your Auntie Debs is round the corner if he needs help.’
I nearly snorted with laughter at that one. Mum being helpful in a baby crisis? I couldn’t imagine it.
Leaving Auntie Louise and Chloe in the barn, packing away the craft supplies, I helped Dad and Uncle Simon take the gazebos down.
‘Are you pleased with how it went?’ Dad asked as we stuffed one of the gazebos into its bag.
‘Very pleased. I think we might have raised quite a bit.’
‘Did you see the donation crates are full?’
‘Really? That’s brilliant.’ I’d put out several large wheeled crates for donations of dog and cat food, disinfectant wipes, fleecy blankets and cleaning products. I genuinely hadn’t expected them to get filled.
‘I’ll help you wheel them inside then I’ll head off home,’ Dad said.
‘You don’t want to stop for a drink or something to eat?’
He shook his head. ‘I’m sure you and Josh could do with some peace and quiet after being invaded for two days. Besides, I’m going out for dinner with Lauren and Connie.’
‘Anywhere nice?’
‘We’re going to try The Tortoise and Hare in Fimberley now that it’s been refurbished.’
It was fabulous to see how settled Dad was, getting to know the area and building friendships. I’d worried about him making so many major life changes in such a short space of time – filing for divorce from Mum, selling the family home in Whitsborough Bay, starting work at Josh’s practice, and moving into Lauren’s spare room – but I’d never seen him so happy or relaxed. The move to the Yorkshire Wolds had been exactly what we’d both needed.
‘Sam! Help!’ yelled Chloe from the barn door, panic in her voice.
Heart racing, I dropped the gazebo pole and sprinted over to the barn with Dad right behind me.
‘What’s wrong?’ There were a few people milling around but I couldn’t see anything amiss. From Chloe’s shrill tone, I’d expected to find someone had keeled over with a heart attack.
‘Patient.’ She pointed at a tall, silver-haired man, probably in his seventies, holding a cardboard box.
Heartrate slowing as I realised it was case of Chloe being overly dramatic as usual rather than a major crisis, I smiled at the man. ‘Hi, I’m Samantha.’
‘I’m Terry,’ he said, his voice low and gruff. ‘I’ve got a hedgehog for you.’
‘Do you want to bring the box over to the table so I can take a look?’
Terry followed me to the treatment table and placed the box down. I pulled on a pair of gloves and peeled back the strips of newspaper inside it.
‘What have we got here, then?’ I said, lifting out the hog. ‘Oh dear. Have we got ourselves tangled?’ Thick black netting was wrapped round the hedgehog’s spines and front legs.
Chloe joined us. ‘Oh no! The poor little thing.’
Terry shook his head. ‘Stupid community group fundraised for nets for the goalposts on the playing fields in our village. I told them nets are bad for wildlife but would they listen to me? Told me I was making up problems. I’m out walking our Wilbur this afternoon when he starts bouncing up and down and barking by the goalposts. Then I find this little fella all tangled up in them, just like I warned them. I cut a chunk out the net and managed to get it off his face but some of it’s too knotted and I didn’t want to hurt him.’
I carefully unfurled the hog to see how deeply the net was wrapped and whether it had cut into the skin.
‘Our little friend is a girl.’ I lifted some of her spines to check for dehydration but she seemed fine, suggesting she probably hadn’t been caught in the net for too long. ‘You were right to bring her here. It looks like the netting has cut into her a bit but it isn’t wrapped round any vital organs or restricting her breathing. I won’t know if there’s any damage to her legs until I remove it.’
‘She’ll live then?’ Terry asked, obvious relief in his voice.
‘She should be okay.’ I’d vowed never to give false hope to anyone bringing a hedgehog in if it was in a bad way, but I was confident that this one would make a full recovery. She was a good size and an initial visual once-over suggested she didn’t have any other health problems. ‘I’ll cut it all off, clean her wounds and keep her here until she’s fully healed. Would you like to leave your details so I can contact you when she’s ready to be released or would you prefer me to release her here at the farm?’
‘I’ll take her home when she’s better.’
‘If you could get me a phone number or email address for the person in charge of the community group, I can let them know that nets like that do pose a huge risk to our wildlife, especially hedgehogs, and they need to lift them off the ground on evenings. I’ll take photos of our little friend here so they can see the problem for themselves.’
For the first time, Terry smiled. ‘You’d do that? That’d be right good.’
‘It’s the least I can do. We’re here to help sick and injured hedgehogs but the best way to help them is to spread the word about how to prevent unnecessary injuries like this.’
I gently placed the hog back in the box so I could prepare the equipment needed to cut her free.
‘Chloe, would you mind getting Terry’s details for me? It’s that clipboard there.’ I smiled at Terry. ‘Thanks for bringing her in.’
‘How much do I owe you?’
‘We’re a charity so there’s no charge but donations are always welcome.’
I wiped down the treatment table, placed a small fleecy blanket on it, added scissors and tweezers on a metal tray, then weighed the hog so that I could prepare the right quantity of painkiller and antibiotics.
‘Can I watch?’ Terry asked.
‘If you’d like.’
Suddenly I was surrounded by a sea of curious faces. There’d been a few people in the barn already but Chloe’s cries had obviously brought others running.
‘I’ll need everyone to step back to give me some space to work.’ I looked round the group. ‘And can I ask you to stay nice and quiet to avoid stressing the hedgehog any further?’
I handed Chloe my mobile. ‘Will you be photographer? If you can get some close-ups of our patient and then some of the treatment, that would be great. And please forgive my croaky voice, everyone. Hopefully it will hold out.’ I cleared my throat. ‘I’m going to inject our hedgehog with painkillers and antibiotics before I cut the netting away. I’ve weighed her to see how much I need so I’m going to prepare my syringes now.’
I was used to speaking to groups of people thanks to my teaching role. I was also used to undertaking medical procedures, having been a district nurse for eight years before that. What I wasn’t used to was combining the two. Another learning experience.
‘We need to give our hedgehog a name.’ I placed a smaller tray of syringes on the table. ‘We’ve already gone through all the hedgehog-related names we can think of so Josh and I picked a new theme which is movie and/or book characters. One of last night’s patients was a male hog and we named him Frodo from Lord of the Rings so can anyone suggest a female character from that series for this little lady? My mind’s gone blank.’
‘Arwen,’ came a few whispered responses.
I smiled. ‘P
erfect. So, are you ready to meet Arwen?’
An hour later, Arwen was patched up, fed, watered and nestled in a crate which would be her home until she was fully healed. Outside, all the borrowed gazebos, tables and chairs had been packed away and everyone had gone home.
‘Perfect timing,’ Josh called from the kitchen when I opened the farmhouse door. ‘Kettle’s just boiled and there’s a hot blackcurrant with your name on it in your favourite hedgehog mug.’
‘Ooh, you star.’ I eased off my wellies and went into the kitchen to hug him. ‘Feeling more human after a shower?’
‘Definitely. I’m no longer half-hedgehog, half-perspiration. Has everyone gone now?’
‘Yes and we have a new patient.’
We took our drinks through to the lounge and, between grateful sips on soothing hot blackcurrant, I told Josh about Arwen.
He smiled at me when I’d finished, his dark eyes twinkling in that way I loved. ‘Check you out, educating your audience with a live case.’
‘I know! Not quite what I was expecting but I’m hoping everyone who watched will tell others and they’ll think twice about leaving netting out.’
‘Hopefully. And I have great news. I counted the money in the cashbox while you were out. Nearly £400.’
‘Oh my gosh! That’s amazing. With the tombola, raffle and barbeque, I think we might have passed a grand. And the donation crates were full.’
‘I’m so proud of you.’ He took my hand in his and squeezed it. ‘So many people were singing your praises today. You’re a local hero.’
‘I don’t know about that but I do feel like what we’re doing here is making a difference already.’
‘It definitely is. We’ve only officially been open for two days but we’ve already had twenty patients and released four of them.’
‘And lost one,’ I said, thinking about poor Quilly. I knew I was never going to be being able to save all the hedgehogs but Quilly’s death would always hurt that bit more with him being the first loss and with it being so unnecessary. Fortunately, they’d caught and charged the Grimes boys. Sentencing would be imminent and then it would all be over.
‘Focus on how many you’ve saved,’ he said gently.
I put my empty mug down and Josh lifted his arm up so that I could change position and snuggle up to him. He gently kissed me then pulled me closer and slowly ran his fingers up and down my arm as I relaxed against his chest. He always seemed to say the right things to comfort me and I adored moments like this where we could just be together, holding each other. He made me feel so loved which was refreshing after my previous two relationships. I shuddered at the thought of them.
‘Are you cold?’ Josh asked, wrapping his arms more tightly round me.
‘No. Just thinking about how lovely this is and how it was never like this with James or Harry. I feel a bit stupid for putting up with such rubbish relationships.’
‘It’s easy to see the bad stuff when you’ve moved on. Not so easy when you’re in the midst of it.’
I wasn’t sure if Josh would want to talk about Beth tonight but what he’d just said was clearly referencing her and it was too good a lead-in to ignore. ‘Beth turning up earlier was a bit of a surprise.’
His body tensed. ‘Yeah, and not a pleasant one.’
I adjusted my position so I could see his face.
‘I don’t know what part of “not interested” she doesn’t understand. She had no right to come here.’ He sighed and added in a gentler tone, ‘I’m sorry she put a dampener on your special day.’
‘Our special day. And she didn’t put a dampener on it for me. I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about. I can tell she’s upset you.’
Josh was quiet for a moment then shook his head. ‘I’m not upset. I’m angry. I thought – hoped – the pair of them were out of my life for good.’
‘If you’re ready to talk about it, I’m listening.’
4
Josh
I looked down at Sam’s earnest expression and sighed. Bloody Beth. I hadn’t wanted to drag Sam into our mess. She’d been through too much crap already with her own dysfunctional family and then the arson attack so she didn’t need the burden of my past adding to that. But there was no way Beth would give up. She’d be back and I wouldn’t put it past her to try and catch Sam alone so she could manipulate her. She’d turn on the waterworks and plead her case: I’m so sorry. I was so confused. I didn’t realise anyone would get hurt. Yeah, right. She’d known exactly what she was doing and I’d been the sucker who fell for her games.
‘Josh…?’ Sam gently squeezed my arm.
I shrugged. ‘I’m not sure what else there is to tell.’ I’d given her the basic facts – how Beth and I got together after her long-term relationship with a married man ended. Except it hadn’t really ended. When she fell pregnant, I discovered her married man was actually my dad and the baby was his. Classy. ‘What else do you want to know?’
‘How you’re feeling about it. Cutting a parent out of your life is huge. You know how hard I’ve found it severing ties with Mum but we always had a toxic relationship. You said you were close to your dad before.’
‘Close?’ My fists clenched and I could feel the anger welling inside me. ‘I idolised that man. He was everything to me. He wasn’t just my dad. He was my friend, my business partner and my mentor…’
It was obvious from a young age how lucky I was to have a dad like mine. My best mate Lewis’s dad had jumped ship before his brother, Danny, was born. He intermittently turned up over the years demanding to see them then letting them down. Their mum remarried twice. Stepdad number one belittled and yelled at them and stepdad number two used them as his personal punchbags.
My dad became the father-figure they never had and they were like my brothers. They’d join us for family walks, bike rides, camping and fishing trips. When Mum began working weekends, we continued boys-only outings.
Dad always managed to strike what must be a tricky balance between being a father – including to two surrogate sons – and being a friend. Time with him was full of fun and laughter but we were always clear on where the lines were and never took the mickey with our behaviour. I’d had such respect for him back then. Turns out he had none for me or he wouldn’t have done what he did.
It was inevitable that I’d follow in Dad’s and Granddad’s footsteps and become a vet. I’d always loved animals and, when I turned fourteen, I started working on the practice reception every Saturday morning and helping out Dad or Granddad during school holidays. They were such inspiring role models in the way they embraced new thinking and ran an efficient, caring practice. I lapped up every bit of knowledge I could.
Granddad couldn’t wait for me to graduate as a vet and join them full-time. He loved the idea of three generations of qualified vets working together at the practice he’d set up but it never happened. The morning after my final exam at university, Mum phoned to tell me that Grandma had died during the night. The heart attack was a hell of a shock to everyone as she’d always been so fit and healthy.
Together since they were sixteen and devoted to each other, Granddad never got over the loss. The day after I graduated, we lost him in exactly the same way. Mum was convinced he’d died from a broken heart and, despite being a man of science, I was inclined to agree.
Granddad’s share of the practice passed to me, along with their home, Alder Lea. It didn’t feel right accepting such a generous bequest, especially as Granddad’s share of the practice was the majority 60 per cent stake. I wanted to swap with Dad or at least make the partnership an equal split but he wouldn’t hear of it. He insisted that he could learn as much from me as I could from him. He encouraged me to ask questions and challenge the way things were done and together we expanded the practice. There was never a need for me to play the ‘I’m the biggest shareholder’ card because our relationship was based on a true partnership.
I shrugged as I looked at Sam. ‘I trusted him, I respected him
and I loved them both. What did I get in return? They lied to me and nearly destroyed my entire world.’
‘I’m so sorry. I still can’t believe she was seeing you both. That’s not right.’
‘It’s sick and it’s twisted.’ I exhaled loudly. ‘Eighteen months on and I still cannot get my head round any of it. My parents had a happy marriage so why did he hook up with Beth in the first place? That makes no sense. Then when it ended – if it really did end – why did Beth make a play for me? Who goes out with the dad then moves onto the son? And what about him? He knew I was seeing Beth. Not at first because we didn’t want anyone at work to know but he knew for well over a year yet he was still carrying on with her. What sort of man does that?’
My voice had risen in volume and pitch. I shook my head. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound so angry but I can’t help it. I’m still furious with them both and I can’t see that ever going away.’
‘Have they ever explained why they did it?’ Sam visibly winced. ‘Not that I can think of any acceptable excuse for behaving like that.’
‘He tried to placate me the day it all came out but I wasn’t interested in his excuses. I was more worried about Mum. She needed to know. The affair was bad enough but the baby news was horrendous. Mum and Dad both wanted a big family but it never happened. She miscarried five times, three after having me and twice more after my sister, Kayleigh, was stillborn.’
‘Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry.’ Sam hugged me tightly. ‘That must have been tough for you all.’
‘Dad never really talked about it although I think that’s why he was so devoted to Lewis and Danny,’ I said when she pulled away. ‘Mum talked about it quite a lot and was always upbeat and optimistic. Obviously she was devastated but she used to call me her miracle baby and said she was grateful I’d stayed when the others couldn’t.’ I gave her a weak smile. ‘I never really missed out on siblings thanks to Lewis and Danny being my honorary brothers.’
New Arrivals at Hedgehog Hollow Page 3
