Willow Cottage, Part 3

by Bella Osborne

  ‘Fergus is deaf too,’ said Carly, her voice almost a whisper.

  ‘That’s good to know. We’re taking him to University College Hospital, so if you can make your way there they will be able to tell you more. Okay?’

  ‘Yes, thanks. Bye,’ said Carly and she ended the call, her legs feeling unsteady. Beth instinctively clutched Carly’s arm as she wobbled.

  Carly leaned into the open window of the waiting cab, ‘University College Hospital as quick as you can please.’

  Carly paced the linoleum floor as best she could in heels as Beth sat slumped in a plastic seat. Shortly before one o’clock they had made the decision to operate and now, five hours later, they were still waiting for news. Beth had tried everything the hot drinks machine had to offer with the exception of the chicken soup, having seen someone else walk away with what looked like hot bubbling vomit. She checked the time; it was a bit early to call Petra but she had to update her soon as it was unlikely Beth was going to be on the 11-something train out of Paddington. She couldn’t leave Carly until she knew that Fergus was going to be okay and he had to be okay because anything else was unthinkable.

  She dialed the pub flat. ‘Er, hello,’ came a very sleepy male voice.

  Beth’s eyebrows shot up. Petra was a dark horse and Beth was feeling instantly uneasy about the fact that she was horsing around with Leo nearby.

  ‘Hello, is Petra there please?’ She was tempted to add, ‘She’ll be the dark-haired beauty lying next to you in case you didn’t catch her name?’

  ‘Beth, it’s Jack,’ came the slightly more lucid response. Beth had the sensation of drifting and had to pull herself back to the moment. What the hell was going on? Perhaps it had always been going on? Which would explain why Petra had warned her off. ‘Beth, are you still there?’

  ‘Yes, sorry. Look, I’m going to be delayed. Fergus got hit over the head with a bottle in a bar last night and he’s being operated on now.’ She realized then how matter of fact and callous it sounded but there was no easy way to pass on something so serious. ‘I can’t leave until I know how he is.’

  ‘That’s awful. Is he going to be okay?’ asked Jack tentatively.

  ‘Nobody knows, he’s lost a lot of blood,’ said Beth and she had to quickly get her emotions in check as they risked bubbling to the surface. ‘Is Leo all right?’

  ‘Don’t worry about Leo, he’s fine here with us. You take care of Carly and keep us posted, okay?’

  ‘Okay, thanks,’ said Beth but all she could think was ‘us’. He used the word ‘us’ when he was referring to him and Petra and it suddenly seemed like a very big word indeed.

  As she came off the phone Carly handed her a plastic cup and she stared at the liquid inside. ‘Are we playing guess what the hot drinks dispenser has bestowed upon us this time?’

  ‘It’s meant to be tea,’ said Carly, ‘but it’s like no tea I’ve tasted before.’ They both took a sip and winced. Whatever it was, it was the colour of old lady tights, lukewarm and frothy.

  They sat down and gave each other reassuring looks. They had run out of conversation hours ago. When they had first seen Fergus, his bloodied clothes and unconscious state had been a shock but the doctors and nurses had been reassuring as he had been whipped away for a series of tests. The initial panic had been replaced by practical activity as Beth had called the restaurant where the engagement party was going to be and they had told the guests the situation. It was a blessing that the party was only a small group of friends and that no family had been invited as Fergus had rightly assumed that it would be best to tell them the good news face to face. He also didn’t want them to know before Carly.

  Carly had been forced to call Fergus’s parents to explain what had happened and advise them about the operation. Carly didn’t know too much, only that he had lost a lot of blood and there was also further bleeding that was putting pressure on the brain and needed releasing. The doctor had made it all sound straightforward but Fergus had been in theatre a while now. They’d had very little information about what exactly had occurred at the bar as neither of Fergus’s two friends had actually seen what had happened. They had only been involved in the aftermath and now Carly was keeping them updated by text.

  The door release clicked, automatically opened and an unsmiling doctor came through. Carly reached out and clutched Beth’s hand in hers, spilling her drink, but Beth didn’t care.

  If Carly and Beth had been expecting a conclusive report from the doctor they were disappointed. He explained in detail what they had done and Carly grew paler by the second; she was more than a bit squeamish. They had performed a craniotomy, which he explained was when a section of the skull is temporarily removed so the surgeon can access and remove the haematoma, and he believed the operation to have been successful but time would prove that theory right or wrong.

  ‘He’ll be in recovery for a while yet but once he’s regained consciousness we’ll move him and you’ll be able to see him. Any questions?’ he asked.

  ‘Definitely no brain damage?’ asked Carly.

  ‘The MRI was clear with the exception of the subdural haematoma which we’ve removed, so it’s a matter of waiting for the brain to settle itself now. A nurse will be up once he’s awake.’

  ‘Thank you, Doctor,’ said Carly and he disappeared.

  As the automatic doors clicked shut Carly burst into tears and Beth pulled her into a hug. ‘He’s going to be okay,’ she whispered into Carly’s hair.

  ‘I know … that’s why I’m crying,’ she sobbed as a strangled laugh escaped too.

  ‘You silly bugger,’ said Beth, blinking back her own tears. Their elation kept them going for the next hour but when a glum-faced nurse walked in they knew something was awry.

  ‘Miss Wilson?’ asked the nurse as she sat down opposite Carly and Beth. ‘We’re about to move Fergus from recovery.’

  ‘So he’s awake?’ asked Carly.

  The nurse shook her head. ‘His vital signs are stable but he hasn’t regained consciousness as yet.’

  ‘Why not?’ asked Beth.

  ‘It’s difficult to tell with head trauma and after an anaesthetic sometimes the brain takes a little longer to right itself.’

  ‘Should I be worried? Because I am,’ said Carly.

  ‘Some people take longer than others to come round. He’s being moved to intensive care where he’ll be closely monitored and you can sit with him.’

  Carly gave Beth a fleeting look and Beth gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

  ‘Is he in a coma?’ asked Carly.

  ‘He’s just taking his time to come round,’ said the nurse and Beth got the feeling she was choosing her words carefully. She put a hand on Carly’s shoulder and guided her out of the room. ‘Come and sit with him in ICU and talk to him. It helps for patients to hear their loved ones’ voices, they are often still aware although not awake but the brain takes it all in so …’

  Silent tears were rolling down Carly’s face and Beth gripped her hand. When they spoke they spoke together. ‘He’s deaf.’

  ICU was quiet, serene almost. Carly lifted Fergus’s hand from the white sheets and gently arranged his fingers, flattening down his ring and middle fingers into his palm to make the sign for ‘I love you’. She moved her plastic chair nearer to the bed and it scraped on the floor, the sound cutting jaggedly through the peace of the small bay of hospital beds. Fergus’s heart monitor beeped reassuringly behind her as the ventilator for the man opposite burred at a different pace. She watched as Fergus’s chest rose and fell. He was breathing on his own, a good sign. He could be sleeping if it weren’t for the wires and the tubes attached to him.

  Carly took a slow deep breath and eyed the clock. It had been hours since she’d had a cup of coloured water from the inappropriately named ‘hot’ drinks machine. It was odd how it tasted of nothing but scorched creamer when you drank it but it left a harsh metallic taste that lingered for hours. She’d kill for a proper cup of tea right
now.

  She took his hand in hers again and made his fingers flat and then repeated the arranging of his fingers again. She knew in her heart he was aware that she was there, his deaf super sense would tell him that, she thought. The door opened almost silently and Beth came in. A shower and change of clothes had perked her up but she still looked tired around the eyes.

  ‘Come on, relay,’ she said, handing Carly the flat keys.

  Carly shook her head. ‘I can’t leave him.’

  ‘Carls, look at you. When he wakes up you’re going to scare him. Your make-up has run and smudged and your up do, well it’s no longer on the top of your head and, I say this as a friend, generally you look like shite.’

  It had the desired effect and raised a smirk from Carly. ‘Tell it how it is, why don’t you?’

  ‘The doctor said he’s not in danger. He’s just taking his time to come round. You go and get freshened up and I’ll stay with him. I promise I won’t even go for a wee, I’ll get them to fit a catheter if necessary.’

  Carly shook her head and chuckled. ‘Okay, but if he so much as blinks an eyelid you call me. Got it?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ said Beth, giving a feeble salute.

  Carly stood up. ‘Oh, and I’ve been …’ She lifted Fergus’s hand gently to show Beth how she had been moving his fingers into a sign.

  ‘Oh, great, I’ll see how many swear words I can spell out on his fingers!’ said Beth, sitting down in the newly vacated seat.

  Despite everything Carly felt herself laughing. Perhaps it was a release valve because it wasn’t that funny but as Beth set to work in spelling out ‘fart’ on Fergus’s hand Carly turned to leave. She pressed the door release button and waited for the slow doors to open. She gave one last look over her shoulder and walked through.

  Despite rushing round the flat like an escaped balloon she felt she was away too long and the relief to see Fergus and Beth exactly as she’d left them almost started her crying again. Beth was right, she did feel better for a shower and a change of clothes and she’d brought a few things from home for Fergus too which made her feel hopeful.

  Beth gave Carly a brief hug before shuffling into the next seat so Carly could sit down. They both breathed in and slowly let out synchronized sighs. This was going to be a waiting game.

  Fergus’s parents could be heard bickering long before the doors opened and they rushed into the Intensive Care Unit. Carly was grateful for the few moments’ notice as she slipped the engagement ring off her finger and slid it into her jeans pocket before she intercepted Cormac and Rosemary and guided them to Fergus’s bed where all but his head, shoulders and pale chest were covered by a white sheet.

  ‘Dear God, what have they done to my baby boy?’ said Rosemary as she tried to embrace Fergus and set off an alarm as one of his monitoring wires was disconnected. A nurse was quick to intercept and the alarm was reset.

  Cormac greeted Carly and put his arm around her. ‘How are you bearing up?’

  ‘I’ve been better. But really I’m fine,’ said Carly.

  ‘She’s exhausted,’ butted in Beth.

  ‘Cormac and Rosemary, this is my friend Beth, she’s been here the whole time,’ said Carly, as her voiced cracked a little. Beth gave her hand a squeeze.

  ‘Nice to meet you both, I’ll grab some fresh air and be back in a while,’ said Beth and she disappeared to give them a chance to get up to speed and for her to search for a proper coffee shop that did a decent takeaway coffee.

  ‘He’s a strong one, you know he’ll be fine, so he will,’ said Cormac. Rosemary was clutching at Fergus’s hand and talking to him and Cormac stepped forward to pull her into a hug. She broke down completely and sobbed into his shoulder. ‘Ahh, now come on. You’re making a mess of your face there. Remember he’s a Dooley, he loves to sleep, sure we’re world-famous for it,’ said Cormac with a wise tilt of his head. He sounded relaxed and together but his face was etched with pain and Carly’s heart went out to them both. There was an odd sense of comfort in someone else hurting the same as you did because you cared for the same individual, but it didn’t make it feel any better. If anything it highlighted the feelings Carly had been fighting to keep under wraps for hours.

  Cormac gave a half-smile. ‘Now, I have another arm so if you were wanting to have a wee sob too, that would be fine,’ he said, his voice a deeper version of his son’s. Carly felt something dissolve inside her and she stepped into Cormac’s hug. ‘There, we’re all in this together, so we are. And we’re all here for the boy.’ He held the women as he watched his son lying motionless apart from his slow rhythmic breathing. ‘We’re all here for the boy,’ he said as his eyes swam with tears.

  When Beth returned with four quality brand hot drinks she could see that tears had been shed, which was quite a relief as Carly had spent too long being brave.

  Beth had returned with a selection of coffees that would hopefully cover most people’s preferences. Cormac and Rosemary took a drink each as Beth pulled up a chair next to Carly and squeezed her free hand.

  ‘You need to get back to Leo,’ said Carly without moving her gaze from Fergus.

  ‘I know and now you have company I feel a bit better about leaving you but I’ll stop a bit longer,’ said Beth, feeling the emotions rise up in her; she swallowed hard. They all sat in silence and watched Fergus breathe, his chest rising and falling at a steady pace. His mother kept patting his hand as if trying to stir him from his deep slumber, but Fergus didn’t respond.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The lead-grey sky was weighing heavy when the train pulled in. Leo ran across the platform to meet Beth and she was warmed by his open show of affection. Jack gave a forlorn smile in greeting. Her mind was filled with images of him and Petra together and she had to work hard to force them away. She knew she should be pleased for them both but right now she was struggling.

  She sat in Jack’s car as the rain streaked across the passenger window in a wind-driven formation. Droplets making good their escape, some being caught up in a merge of drips to create a rapid stream. All jumping slightly like Fergus’s heart monitor when the car hit a pothole. Beth didn’t feel like talking so it was handy that Leo was keen to share everything he had been doing as well as all the plans he and Denis had made for the rest of the school Easter holidays. It was good to see Leo so positive, she thought whilst she tuned in and out of what he was saying as Jack drove them home.

  ‘… and we got to play darts in the bar before the pub opened and I got it on the board every time. Denis says I can be in the darts team when I’m bigger and Jack is letting Doris sleep at ours for a while to keep us safe and there’s an Easter egg hunt in the village …’

  Beth twisted in the passenger seat to direct her response at Jack. ‘Why do we need Doris to keep us safe?’

  ‘Nick was in the pub,’ said Leo. ‘Can I do the Easter egg hunt, Mum?’

  Beth knew it was true when she saw the expression on Jack’s face as his eyes darted in her direction. ‘Nick was here?’ she asked, her voice weak.

  ‘He came in the pub yesterday, said he was looking for a friend. Leo saw him but he didn’t see Leo. He left none the wiser,’ said Jack.

  Beth felt like she was having a hot flush as heat rushed through her body. ‘How do you know he didn’t see Leo?’

  ‘He didn’t, Mum. I was playing behind the crisp boxes in the hallway.’

  ‘He spoke to Chloe and because he asked if she knew someone called Elizabeth she didn’t make the connection so I think we put him off the scent,’ said Jack. ‘I thought having Doris about might make you feel …’

  Beth turned back to face the road. ‘Why didn’t Petra tell me?’ asked Beth, her voice hushed.

  ‘Because we talked about it and decided there was nothing you could do. Leo wasn’t in any danger and it was best to wait until you came home,’ said Jack.

  Beth was jerking her head about as her expressions mocked his explanation. ‘What do you mean, not in any danger? Yo
u have no idea. It wasn’t your decision to make, Jack. You should have called me.’ She was seething and couldn’t let rip because Leo was in the car and the last thing she wanted was for Leo to see how scared she was. Her brain was whirring. Dumbleford was no longer safe but the cottage wasn’t ready to sell.

  ‘He’s not been back. If he thought you were there he would have come back,’ added Jack.

  ‘Let’s not discuss this now,’ said Beth, with a twitch in Leo’s direction, and Jack pursed his lips firmly together and nodded. The rest of the journey was filled with a tense silence. As they crossed the ford into the village the ducks quacked in annoyance. Jack pulled up outside Willow Cottage and they all got out. Jack lifted Beth’s bag from the boot and she took it from him with a firm grasp.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said. She let Leo in and stopped Jack, who was attempting to follow them inside. ‘I need to pack some things, so …’

  ‘Pack?’ said Jack, running a hand through his hair. ‘You can’t keep running away, Beth.’

  Beth was annoyed at his assumption and arrogance. ‘I can do what the hell I like and I will do what I think is right for my child!’

  ‘Er, Muuuuuum!’ shouted Leo and both Beth and Jack lurched inside. A few steps into the kitchen and they were splashing through water; Beth instinctively lifted Leo into her arms as she scanned the room for any signs of a break-in.

  ‘You’ve been flooded,’ said Jack. ‘Sorry to state the obvious.’

  ‘Flooded?’ Beth was standing in a giant puddle of water that was gently lapping over her ballet pumps. She swallowed hard: could this weekend get any worse?

  ‘It’s the brook, if we get a record amount of rain, like we have in the last few weeks, it can’t cope and this happens.’

  ‘It’s a regular thing?’ said Beth, looking around and realizing that her beautiful floor was ruined and most likely the cabinets too. She felt her mood slide even lower.

  ‘No, not exactly. Once every ten years or so, maybe,’ said Jack with a shrug.