Grounded

by A. E. Radley

  Then there was Olivia. She wished she could say that seeing Olivia again hadn’t affected her. But it had. And while sleep eluded her, everything came pouring back. She lay awake and examined every interaction, every conversation.

  She was still angry at Olivia’s behaviour on the flight back from London. But once the initial rage had subsided, it had become clear to Emily that Olivia’s reactions were rooted in caring for Henry and an overwhelming desire to protect him. Lucy was right; Olivia hadn’t left. Emily had pushed her away, and in her heart she regretted the decision—one she’d made out of fear.

  Now Henry was suffering for it. Henry, who couldn’t understand Olivia’s absence. She felt the heavy burden of allowing him to become so attached to Olivia.

  Going forward she had two choices: continue to avoid Olivia, and hope that Henry would ride out his misery and return to the happy-go-lucky boy she knew and longed for. Or reconnect with Olivia, see if they could somehow mend fences and move beyond the incident. Of course, the latter option ran the risk of upsetting Henry all over again if another falling out was to occur.

  When morning came around, Emily wondered if she’d found a third option, or if she was just sleep-deprived. As she brushed her teeth, she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, hoping for a magical solution to all her problems.

  In the kitchen, she habitually placed two cereal bowls on the table before shaking her head and putting one back. Henry wouldn’t be home for breakfast.

  After eating, Emily picked up her phone and scrolled through to Simon’s number. She took a deep breath, pressed the contact, and waited for the familiar dial tone to sound. She owed it to Henry to try for the third option, no matter how crazy it might sound.

  “Good morning,” Simon answered cheerfully.

  “Good morning,” Emily replied. “How are you both?”

  “One of us is responding to the fact that it is morning better than the other.”

  Emily laughed. “I bet.” She licked her lips nervously. “Is she okay?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine. Hungover, regretting her life choices, swearing off alcohol. You know, the usual. Well, usual for anyone else. I think she believes she’s the first person to ever say these things.”

  Emily was relieved to hear confirmation that this wasn’t normal behaviour for Olivia.

  “Not one for hangovers?” Emily quizzed.

  “Definitely not,” Simon answered. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen her hungover. Don’t think I will again. She wasn’t happy when I unloaded the dishwasher in front of her.”

  “On purpose?”

  “Of course!” Simon chuckled. “I might have been a little heavy-handed with the cutlery.”

  “Cutlery’s the worse.” Emily smiled at the mental picture of Simon noisily slamming knives and forks into the drawer while Olivia held her head in suffering.

  “You should come see us. I’m sure she’ll want to thank you for the chocolate.”

  Emily smiled. “I was going to ask to come over. I know a place that does the best hangover croissants in the world.”

  “Is that a thing?” Simon asked jovially.

  “Hangover croissants? Of course. You don’t have them in Britain?” Emily joked.

  “Nah, we don’t like the French. We’re more a full-cooked-breakfast nation. I offered it to Olivia; she went a bit green. Maybe she should try these croissants.”

  “Agreed. See you in around an hour?”

  * * *

  “She’s coming here?” Olivia asked, knowing full well that blind panic was apparent in her eyes.

  “Yep.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I am telling you,” Simon told her with a puzzled face.

  “When did she call?”

  “An hour ago.” He shrugged. “You were washing your hair. She’s bringing croissants.”

  Olivia was on her feet and reaching for her crutch immediately. “I need to get changed.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m wearing sweatpants, Simon.” She indicated her lower half with a wave of her hand.

  “You have a broken leg,” he replied.

  “I’m well aware of that, but I need to get changed.”

  Simon stood and held his hands up in an effort to calm her. “Look, I know you feel a little scruffy.”

  She bristled—at the word and the suggestion.

  “But she will literally be here in five minutes or less. You don’t have time. And, to be honest, she didn’t exactly see you at your best yesterday, and she’s still coming to see you this morning, so I think you’re okay.”

  Olivia levelled her most forceful glare at him, ready to tell him, for the third time in half an hour, that the previous night was not to be mentioned again. Ever. But a quiet knock resounded, and Olivia knew she was out of time. Emily had arrived. Terror set in, and she looked pleadingly at Simon.

  “I’ll get it,” he told her. “You sit down.”

  She did as she was told, looking down at the pink sweatpants Simon had bought her the week before. She couldn’t decide if her crisp, black blouse elevated the sweatpants or simply made her look utterly ridiculous.

  “Hey,” Simon greeted. “Good to see you. Come in.”

  Emily walked in, and Olivia glanced up. Of course, she looked perfect in blue jeans, a cream sweater, and a fashionable black coat.

  As soon as Emily was in the suite, Simon said, “If you’ll excuse me, I just have to run an errand.”

  “Simon,” Olivia warned.

  “I’ll be back soon.” He grinned at both of them before grabbing his coat from the back of the chair by the door and hurrying out into the hallway.

  The door closed, and Emily turned around to regard Olivia. “It’s almost as if he wants to give us some time alone,” she joked.

  “Yes, smooth, isn’t he?” Olivia replied.

  Emily held up a box. “I brought freshly baked croissants. Not the ones that have sat there since they baked them at five o’clock this morning. These are straight out of the oven; can I tempt you?”

  Olivia slowly nodded. “I’d like that.”

  “I’ll grab a plate.” Emily headed into the kitchen. Olivia could hear the sound of plates and then Emily calling, “Coffee?”

  “Y-yes.” Olivia cursed her awkward tone. “Please,” she added.

  She attempted to fluff up her hair, glad that she’d washed it that morning after her comb had come to a stuttering halt in some green mess. Her memory of the previous night was absent, and the small amount of information she did have had come from Simon. He’d only mentioned a few selected highlights, no doubt with the intention of drip-feeding the rest at a later date to ensure maximum embarrassment.

  She looked at the cartoon picture of a Harley Davidson on her cast and assumed it had been drawn by her new friends with the terrifying names. Apparently, she was now a card-holding member of the bar where she had disgraced herself. And at some point, she had been undressed for bed by Emily White. Not just some random person, or even Simon. No, Emily White—the one she wanted to be her Emily—had seen her embarrass herself. When she’d learnt that, she’d been somewhat pleased with her failed memory.

  “Here you go. Coffee and croissants.” Emily placed a tray on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa opposite. “How are you feeling?”

  “Why are you here?”

  Emily laughed, smiling as she shook her head. “I missed your bluntness.”

  “You’re here because you missed my bluntness?”

  “No.” Emily poured herself coffee from the pot on the tray. “I’m here because I was worried about you last night and wanted to check how you’re feeling.”

  “I feel as if I drank too much and made a fool of myself.”

  “You rocked the nacho hat.”

  “The what?”

  Emily picked up her mug. “Never mind. Probably best you don’t remember.”

  Olivia took a croissant from the box and placed it on a side p
late. “I-I hear you helped to get me to bed?”

  “I did.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I didn’t think either you or Simon would want him to do it.”

  Olivia prickled at the notion. “True.” She bit into the croissant. It was delicious: flaky, warm, buttery—everything a croissant was supposed to be. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Emily drinking coffee while she ate. Olivia’s mind raced with questions, scenarios, and, mainly, fear. She wondered if this was a second chance or just a friendly gesture. Completely unprepared for Emily’s presence or conversation, she found herself floundering.

  “I’m sorry,” Olivia blurted out.

  Emily looked surprised.

  “For what I did, the things I said on the plane,” Olivia clarified. “I wanted to tell you before, but I assumed that you didn’t want to hear from me.”

  Emily lowered her mug to the coaster on the table and bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes down as she thought.

  “I’m still angry,” she finally said. “I don’t know if I’m ready to forgive what happened. And that’s my fault; I struggle to let go of anger. I understand that you are sorry, and I accept your apology. But it doesn’t fix everything.”

  “So, you’re just here to enquire about my health?” Olivia questioned, but it was more of a statement. Unable to read the situation, she wanted to be certain so she didn’t make a bigger fool of herself.

  “Not just that.” Emily looked up. “I have a favour to ask. And I have no right to ask you this, but I’m hoping you’ll—”

  “Yes, anything,” she replied quickly.

  Emily chuckled softly, and Olivia realised how much she had missed that sound. “You don’t even know what it is.”

  “What is it?” Olivia didn’t really care what it was. She knew there and then that she’d do anything to fix her mess. Or, more precisely, anything for Emily.

  Emily let out a small sigh. “It’s…well, it’s Henry.”

  Fear rushed through her. “What about Henry? Is he ill?”

  “No, no. He’s fine,” Emily reassured her quickly. “Well, physically he’s fine. But…” She swallowed. “He misses you. Desperately.”

  Olivia knew she was staring, but she couldn’t help it. “Me?”

  “Yes. Like I feared, he took to you very quickly, and now he misses you a lot. He’s not been talking much, and when he does, he talks through Tiny. I know things didn’t end well between us, but—”

  “What can I do?”

  Emily’s relief was palpable. “I’ve been telling him that you’ve been busy with work. But he doesn’t believe me. Maybe you could call him? Tell him you’re very busy, but that you miss him too, maybe? I don’t want to put words into your mouth, but I know that he would—”

  “I do miss him. Even though it’s quite impossible to have a proper conversation with him.” The truth was that their bizarre conversations were what she missed the most. Henry came up with the most random topics and never judged Olivia on her responses.

  Emily’s eyes met hers for a moment before she stood up and ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t want this to mean anything, and I know this is really shitty of me. I just…for Henry. You know?”

  Olivia’s eyes flicked around the room, and she swallowed the lump of disappointment in her throat.

  “I understand,” Olivia assured her. “He’s a child, and there were a lot of things happening, a lot of things for him to try and process. I’m happy to help.”

  “Are you sure? I feel as if I’m taking advantage of you.”

  Olivia’s hands drew together, and she nervously pinched the skin between her thumb and forefinger. “How about, and feel free to reject this idea, but how about a trip to the park? I need to get out of this suite, and I’m supposed to be walking to exercise my leg. Maybe seeing him face-to-face will have more effect?”

  “You’d do that?”

  “It’s the least I can do. Think of it as an apology.”

  “I usually wouldn’t ask, but Henry has been so despondent. I just want to make him happy, and this was the best I could come up with.”

  “I’m offering,” Olivia said seriously.

  Emily regarded her for a few moments before nodding. “The park sounds great.”

  A beep from Olivia’s mobile phone sounded, and she picked up the device from the coffee table and swiped the screen before wincing.

  “Everything okay?” Emily enquired.

  “My actions from last night are making themselves known.”

  “Drunk call?”

  “Drunk purchase,” Olivia corrected.

  “Anything nice?”

  “A ten-series box set of something called Friends.”

  Emily laughed and sat back down. “Well, that’ll keep you busy.”

  “Indeed it will.” Olivia sighed. “I am sorry that my actions caused Henry pain.”

  “They were my actions as much as yours,” Emily confessed. “I’m sorry, for how we left things.”

  “So am I,” Olivia added readily.

  Emily hesitated. “You were out of order. But so was I.”

  “I know. Really, I do.” Olivia placed her phone back on the table, lining it up so it was parallel to the edge of the table. “I became panicked, and I wanted to fix things, but I know I acted appallingly. I saw that straight after the event. I don’t respond well when my schedule is changed, or when something is out of my control. I’m working on it. I wanted to apologise, but, as I said, I assumed you didn’t wish to hear from me.”

  “It was a very stressful time for both of us,” Emily explained. “Our entire relationship had been built on, well, exceptional circumstances. Henry’s illness, the hotel suite, the travel, my job, your position. It was all heading for disaster.”

  “I suppose it was,” Olivia agreed sadly; she focused on the table and hoped Emily couldn’t see through her insincere words. “I’m sorry for it. All of it.”

  “Well, as I said, it was exceptional circumstances. Maybe we should start over?”

  Olivia looked up as Emily walked towards her and held out her hand.

  “I’m Emily White. Pleased to meet you.”

  Olivia smiled. She shook Emily’s hand. “Olivia Lewis.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Henry was subdued when his grandparents dropped him off, and Emily was glad to be able to suggest going to the park that afternoon. Any mention of a trip to the park would usually bring a spark to Henry’s eyes, but this time he’d simply nodded before going to his room and silently playing. Even now, she watched him as he sat in the wooden fort with Tiny tucked under his arm, watching the other children play. She hadn’t mentioned Olivia joining them in case she didn’t show. She couldn’t stomach the thought of Henry being even more miserable than he already was.

  She remembered the days before the operation, when Henry would run around the playground with boundless energy and she would have to race after him and remind him to take things slowly. Trying to slow down a five-year-old sometimes was like trying to push syrup uphill with a stick. But it was the only way Emily could be certain of his safety, no matter how much he’d complained. Hopefully, those days were now well behind them. Even though he was technically still in recovery, the doctor had assured Emily that he would be able to play as other children his age did.

  “Miss White.”

  Emily smiled as she turned around to see Olivia standing behind the park bench, leaning on her crutch and looking over towards Henry.

  “Miss Lewis.” Emily grinned as relief flooded her.

  “Why isn’t Henry playing?” Olivia made her way to the side of the bench.

  “He’s been very quiet today. He got back from his grandparents this morning.”

  Olivia looked down at Emily. “Grandparents?”

  “Olivia!”

  Both women looked up to see Henry running towards them with a surprised expression and an enormous grin on his face. Before Emily had a chance to tell him to
be careful, he launched himself into Olivia’s arms and held her tight.

  “Olivia, you’re here,” Henry yelled breathlessly.

  “I am,” Olivia whispered as she placed a hand on his back and held him tightly.

  Henry pulled back to look at her foot. “You have a funny shoe,” he announced before turning to his mother. “You didn’t tell me Olivia was coming. Is this a surprise?”

  Emily nodded. “Yes, this was a surprise. Do you like it?”

  “I love it!” Henry said and grabbed Olivia’s hand. “Olivia, come and play with me.”

  Emily quickly reached out and disconnected Henry’s hand from Olivia’s before he pulled her over. “Henry, Olivia can’t play right now because she’s hurt her foot.”

  “How?” Henry frowned at the cast.

  “I brok—”

  “She tripped and hurt her foot,” Emily interrupted before Olivia could explain about the plane crash and scar Henry for life. “It means we have to be very careful around her foot and we can’t be rough with her, okay?”

  “Okay, you can watch me play,” Henry told them as if granting a lifelong aspiration.

  “We will,” Emily said, but he was already gone.

  Olivia sat on the bench beside Emily and looked after Henry thoughtfully. “So, I just sit here and watch him play?”

  Emily chuckled. “Yes. It’s his way of connecting with you. He wants to show you all the things he can do.”

  “Well, he’s full of energy.” Olivia watched him race back towards the play area.

  “Yes.” Emily could hear the relief in her own voice.

  Olivia smothered a yawn with her hand, and Emily giggled. “Are we keeping you awake?”

  Olivia blushed. “Sorry. It’s been a few years since I last had to deal with a hangover. And work has been so stressful lately. I’ve not been sleeping well.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it?” Emily offered.

  “No, I’d rather not think about it.”

  “Ah.”

  “Ah?” Olivia questioned.