New Arrivals at Hedgehog Hollow

by Jessica Redland

  Josh

  I rolled over in bed and frowned, momentarily confused as to where I was and why Sammie wasn’t beside me. I blinked a few times in the dim light. Of course! I was on the sofa bed in the barn.

  ‘Have you been up long?’ I asked, seeing Sammie at the treatment table.

  ‘About half an hour.’

  ‘What time is it?’

  ‘Half seven.’

  I rubbed my eyes. ‘Why’s it so dark?’

  She cocked her head to one side. ‘Listen.’

  Rain.

  ‘It started at about five,’ she said. ‘Hasn’t let up since but I quite like it. I feel all warm and cosy tucked away in here.’

  Adjusting position so I was sat on the side of the sofa bed, I rolled my shoulders. They were aching from all the carrying yesterday. Every spare inch of space in Dad and Beth’s flat had been stowed out with plastic storage crates – under the bed and cot, on top of the wardrobe and kitchen units as well as all the ones I’d spotted in the lounge. And most of them had been heavy. As I stood up, I felt my calves and thighs twinge too from the stairs. I really needed to get back into the habit of going for a run. I’d taken it up after cutting Dad out of my life as a way to alleviate my frustration. Pounding the pavements was a great stress release but, since meeting Sammie, I hadn’t felt that same need to burn off my anger so the running had stopped.

  I ambled over to Sammie and nuzzled her neck. ‘How are the hoglets?’

  ‘The good news is there’s still five of them.’

  ‘And the bad news?’

  She kissed my cheek. ‘There isn’t any. Why don’t you grab a shower? I’m nearly done with the feeds.’

  ‘Then why don’t you come and join me?’ I gently kissed her neck. ‘Very last opportunity to be alone in the house.’

  ‘Give me ten minutes.’

  ‘Best shower I’ve ever had,’ I said as we sat at the kitchen table later with tea and toast.

  She gave me a coy smile. ‘I’d love to say it could be repeated soon but your dad’s about to move in and…’ She gave a shudder.

  I laughed at the face she pulled. ‘At least their bedroom isn’t next to ours.’

  She shuddered again. ‘How are you feeling about everyone moving in?’

  ‘Okay. I think. Spending so much time with Dad at the hospital has broken the ice. We haven’t discussed the incident but we’ve talked about plenty of other stuff and that awkwardness has gone. It’s occasionally felt like old times.’

  ‘That’s encouraging.’ She bit her lip. ‘Are you going to talk to them about the past? Get it all out in the open?’

  I shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I wonder if it would be better for everyone if we just forget about it and move on.’

  She raised her eyebrows doubtfully. ‘I’m all for moving on but this isn’t something you can just forget about, not when it had such big repercussions. I really think you need to talk it through because it’s going to be the elephant in the room and that elephant’s going to keep growing if you don’t pay any attention to it.’

  I smiled at her analogy.

  She brushed the toast crumbs off her fingers and pushed her plate aside. ‘If they were sat at this table right now, what’s the first thing you’d ask them?’

  That was easy. It was the one thing I absolutely couldn’t get my head round. ‘I’d ask why Beth cheated on Dad with me. I’m his son! Who does that? And, for that matter, who accepts that? He knew yet he never stopped it. It turns my stomach when I think about it all.’

  ‘There you go, then. You have to ask them. Living under the same roof for the next few months will be intense. I can pretty much guarantee there’ll be tensions and arguments and I think it would be best for everyone if you get it all on the table in a civilised discussion early on instead of it being blurted out in anger at some point down the line and any progress you’ve made in recovering your relationship being destroyed.’

  ‘You’re right. This isn’t something I can push aside. I need some answers.’

  ‘Once they’re settled in, though. They’ve been through a lot.’

  I nodded. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll pick my moment. I promise. Maybe once they’ve unpacked.’

  57

  Samantha

  I left Josh to clear away after breakfast and run the vacuum cleaner round the house while I dealt with my emails.

  Terry arrived mid-morning to collect Arwen and Dumbledore. The hoglets had just been fed but he had a peek in their crate and looked like a proud father gazing down on them.

  ‘Can’t tell you how happy I am to see them all still alive,’ he said. ‘When that first one went…’

  ‘I know. I was worried too but we did it and they’re doing brilliantly thanks to you bringing them in so quickly. You’ll have to give Wilbur a hug from me because, if he hadn’t barked and alerted you, it would have been a different story.’

  ‘I’ll kill the stupid bugger who left them on my doorstep.’

  I shook my head. ‘I wouldn’t even try to find out who it was, Terry. They probably thought they were doing the right thing. Focus on the fact that a combination of their actions and yours mean there are five hoglets alive right now who wouldn’t be otherwise. Promise me you’ll do that?’

  He stared at me, brow furrowed, then his face softened. ‘Aye, lass. I’ll do it for you.’

  ‘And I’m meeting Jeanette Kingston on Thursday so I’ll be talking to her about the goalpost netting and other things that can be done around the village to help hedgehogs. Elastic bands will be my priority after that.’

  Terry smiled. ‘You’re a good lass. Gwendoline would have been proud of you.’

  ‘You knew her?

  ‘I went to school with her. One day this little bird flew into the classroom window. Knocked itself out. She ignored the teacher telling her to sit down and went outside to rescue it. I can still picture her, sat cross-legged in the middle of the yard, stroking this bird until it came round and could fly off again. Magical, it were.’

  ‘That’s such a lovely story.’

  ‘She always had animals with her. I called her Snow White. Have you seen the film when the animals help her clean up? I told her I imagined her house was like that. She said that was really funny, especially because it was true.’

  When Terry left, I couldn’t stop smiling. The thought of Gwendoline as Snow White filled my heart with so much joy. As I got to know more people in the community, there’d hopefully be more stories about her. Clearly she was known and loved by many of the locals. I already adored her from the brief encounters I remembered from childhood and how lovingly Thomas had spoken about her but these memories from Fizz’s grandparents and now from Terry were extra special.

  Shortly before lunchtime, Hannah rang.

  ‘Hi Mrs Full-Time Hedgehog Whisperer Guest House Owner. Have they moved in yet?’

  I laughed. ‘We’ve just heard from Paul. The hospital has confirmed Lottie will get discharged today so we’re expecting them this afternoon.’

  ‘Wow! Good luck with that. Look, I know things are hectic so I won’t keep you long. We’re on our way to Toby’s parents’ for lunch and he’s just been filling me in on his catch-up with James last night. Have you spoken to Chloe recently?’ Toby and James were best mates; it was through Hannah and Toby that we’d been introduced and it was at their wedding that he admitted that he didn’t see me as his future wife.

  ‘No. I tried to FaceTime her yesterday but couldn’t get hold of her. Why? What’s happened?’

  ‘Maybe nothing but Toby said James looked knackered which isn’t surprising. The guy’s in remission and he’s got a new baby. James told him that Chloe’s always biting his head off and he feels he can’t do anything right. When he gets home from work, she’s usually still in her PJs and looks like she’s been crying. You know she’s not exactly my favourite person so I can’t help feeling that, if she’s having a nightmare with Samuel, it’s a spot of karma, but I know you still care so I t
hought you’d want to know.’

  My stomach churned. Staying in her PJs didn’t sound alarm bells – new mums on their own often struggled for time to shower and change – but the crying part did sound worrying. I thought about how dishevelled she’d looked when I visited – very unlike Chloe – and how unfriendly she’d been. Was it all getting on top of her?

  ‘I’ll try her again now. Thanks for the heads up.’

  ‘You’re welcome. I’ll give you a shout tomorrow and arrange to come across one day in the week.’

  ‘Brilliant. Enjoy your lunch.’

  As soon as I’d hung up, I tried Chloe on FaceTime. It rang several times and I thought it wasn’t going to connect but, just as I was about to give up, Chloe’s make-up free face appeared on the screen.

  ‘Hi, Chloe! How’s it going?’

  She didn’t smile. ‘Oh. So you’ve remembered I exist. How kind of you.’

  I winced at the sharp edge in her voice but tried not to let my smile slip. ‘I’m sorry. I have no idea where the past three weeks have gone.’

  There was a stony silence and I panicked. ‘How’s the gorgeous Samuel?’ Argh! Why did you ask about him instead of her?

  ‘Do you want me to put him on so you can talk to him instead?’

  ‘Chloe! Don’t be like that.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘All sarcastic. Can we start again? How are you?’

  ‘I’m just peachy, thanks. How are you?’ She said it in a sickly sweet voice and flashed me a fake smile at the end. ‘Is that better for you?’

  My thumb twitched with a strong urge to disconnect the call. Deep breath. Try again. But my mind went blank. I had so much to tell her but everything seemed so huge and I couldn’t think where to start without eliciting accusations of keeping her out the loop. I wanted to quiz her about what Hannah had said but couldn’t think of a lead-in without dropping James in it. She’d probably be mad that he’d spoken to Toby about her. I glanced towards the window and blurted out the first thing that came into my head – the most stupid typically British thing I could possibly say – ‘It’s bucketing it down here. They say it’s meant to stop by lunchtime but I can’t see it myself. What’s the weather like over there?’

  She shook her head, her expression conveying unmistakable disgust, then the screen went blank.

  Josh laughed when he joined me in the barn and I told him about my pitiful attempt at a conversation with Chloe.

  ‘Don’t laugh!’ I gently shoved him. ‘It’s not funny!’

  ‘Believe me, it is! I’d love to have seen Chloe’s face.’

  ‘I did and she wasn’t impressed. Epic fail. I should try again later but I don’t know if I can face it.’

  ‘Then don’t. Why don’t you send her one of those “HOT TIP” texts the two of you used to send each other instead?’

  I smiled at him. ‘Genius. I’ll do it now.’

  ‘But don’t get upset if she doesn’t respond. She probably won’t. Far more high-maintenance that way.’

  ‘If she doesn’t respond, it says more about her than it does about me.’

  ‘Too right! And remember staying in touch works both ways. She could have called you at any point after your visit and, let’s face it, she should have done to say sorry. I know she’s a new mum but so are you – to eleven hoglets and…’ He glanced towards the Happy Hog Board, ‘…twenty-three adults. It’s not fair of her to throw a strop. Again.’

  In the past, if anyone said anything against Chloe, I would bristle and jump to her defence, but Hannah had made a dig earlier and Josh had just now and I hadn’t reacted to either. It could be that I had bigger things on my mind or it could be that I was just tired of all the drama that surrounded my cousin. I’d send her a text and put the ball in her court. As Josh said, I had thirty-four hedgehogs in my care now, we were moving into the height of babies’ season, and I was about to add two human babies and two adults into the mix. Life was not about to slow down any time soon and I didn’t have time to keep calling Chloe and apologising when I wasn’t the one who’d done anything wrong.

  ✉︎ To Chloe

  HOT TIP! There’s a woman on a farm in the Wolds who sometimes asks silly questions but she’s a good listener. You know where to find her if you want to talk … about something other than the weather! She still loves you and is always here for you xx

  The rain did stop around lunchtime, as predicted and Chloe didn’t respond to my text, as predicted.

  58

  Josh

  ✉︎ From Beth

  Leaving the hospital now. Thank you doesn’t seem big enough to express how grateful we are to you and Samantha for everything you’ve done and continue to do for us but THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

  It was mid-afternoon and we were sitting on Thomas’s bench having a break from feeding hoglets when Beth’s text came through. I showed Sammie and she smiled. ‘I think they might be grateful.’

  I took her hand in mine. ‘And so am I. Have I told you lately how amazing you are?’

  ‘Yes, but you can tell me again.’

  I cupped her face and gently kissed her. ‘You, Samantha Wishaw, are amazing. Looking after poorly hedgehogs is impressive enough but I don’t think many people would also take in a poorly ex-girlfriend, an estranged dad about to undergo chemo and a couple of babies.’

  ‘What can I say? I’m a sucker for the needy and damaged. Which is probably why I can’t seem to let go of Mum or Chloe. I have this inherent need to make things better.’

  ‘Well, I love you for it.’

  I cuddled her against my side and we sat there together, watching Misty-Blue pouncing across the lawn. The grass and flowers smelled so fresh after the storm and the colours of the meadow were so vibrant but I couldn’t help thinking that we were relaxing in the calm before our own personal storm.

  An hour later, they arrived and the peace was shattered. She might be tiny but Lottie could make a hell of a racket. Beth looked exhausted after the journey and Sammie instantly jumped into nurse mode, ordering her upstairs for bed rest and telling her that we could look after Lottie between us. With Beth being on strong painkillers, Lottie was being bottle-fed which made it easier for us to help.

  We’d arranged for Mum to bring Archie across for early evening to give them a chance to settle in first. She hadn’t seen Beth since the incident and, although she’d expressed sympathy for her, I was a little apprehensive about them seeing each other again. It would take impressive dignity and strength for her not to show any sort of hostility. Yet, when she stopped by that evening, she managed it.

  Beth tried to get to her feet as I stepped into the lounge with Mum, Archie snuggled into her shoulder.

  ‘Please don’t try to get up,’ Mum said gently.

  Beth nodded and stayed put, worry lines creasing her forehead.

  ‘There’s your mummy!’ Mum exclaimed, turning Archie round in her arms. ‘You’ve missed her, haven’t you?’

  Archie’s face lit up as he spotted Beth. He bounced up and down excitedly in Mum’s arms and dropped Waddles the penguin.

  ‘Somebody wants a cuddle.’ Mum gently settled Archie onto Beth’s lap.

  ‘Thank you,’ Beth whispered, cuddling him tightly with her good arm.

  Mum smiled. ‘I’m glad you’re okay. We were all worried about you.’

  Beth promptly burst into tears and whispered ‘sorry’ over and over.

  ‘It’s done,’ Mum said. ‘It’s in the past and you’ve got an exciting future ahead of you with your lovely family. Focus on that. And speaking of family, where’s that little princess? I have gifts.’

  Dad appeared from upstairs with Lottie. Mum hugged him then took Lottie from him and cooed over her before handing over a bag of presents then settling into an armchair for Lottie hugs.

  When Mum left an hour later, Beth turned to me. ‘Your mum’s amazing.’ She then looked up at Dad. ‘No wonder you struggled to leave her. I didn’t realise she…’ She sighed. ‘
I’m feeling sleepy again but do you think we could talk tomorrow, Josh, when you and Paul are back from work? The three of us probably need to discuss what happened and clear the air, don’t you think?’

  I looked across at Sammie and she gave me an encouraging nod.

  ‘That would be a good idea.’ And even better that she wanted to get it out of the way sooner rather than later.

  59

  Josh

  ‘Good luck.’ Sammie gave me a tight squeeze on Monday evening. ‘I might not be with you in body but I will be in spirit.’ She stepped out the front door onto the gravel. ‘Remember to stay calm and listen.’

  ‘I will. See you in the barn later.’

  I took a deep breath of fresh countryside air then closed the door. Truth time.

  Beth had said that Sammie was welcome to join us but Sammie was unsure. She wondered if, despite the invite, Beth and Dad might feel more comfortable if it was just the three of us. A surprise arrival of hoglets late last night made the decision for her. Trinity – the emaciated hog who’d been dropped off on Saturday by the couple on their way to a wedding – gave birth to healthy triplets. Two girls and a boy. None of us could have called that! How those little ones survived when she was in such a bad way herself was one of nature’s many miracles.

  I grabbed my mug of tea from the kitchen and pushed open the lounge door. Beth was half-lying on the sofa with a throw over her legs, Lottie asleep on her lap, and Dad was on the floor playing with Archie. It was the perfect scene of family bliss. I had a fleeting moment of regret that I might never have that with Sammie, which swiftly passed at the thought of having that scene of family life but without Sammie in it. She hadn’t said anything to me about finishing her homework and, as promised, I hadn’t chased. I had wondered whether she’d done it and what she’d concluded but I’d pushed the thought out of my mind. She’d talk to me about it when the time was right.