Suddenly the doctor stopped. He moved the scanner in a small circle, round and round, and Erin thought she could see some kind of shape in outline. It looked like a foot, some bit of a bone. There was complete silence except for Nikki’s sobs.
‘Nicola, you can open your eyes,’ the doctor said gently. ‘I want to show you your baby.’
‘My baby?’
‘Yes, there’s your baby. This is the spine,’ he pointed with his finger, ‘and this is the head, and in here we can just about see the heart. Look – it’s pumping.’
Nikki had stopped crying for a moment, then began all over again, even more violently. The doctor turned up the machine and suddenly they could hear a really fast pumping, beating sound.
‘Listen to that! That’s your baby’s heartbeat. I don’t think this baby is going anywhere for the moment except mum’s tummy,’ he said.
As Erin looked at the screen she realized that she was crying too. It was the most wonderful thing ever, Nikki’s baby there on the screen in front of them.
‘Hello, Snoopy B,’ said Nikki, touching the screen and her tummy.
* * *
They wheeled Nikki back up to her ward. She was going to be kept in for twenty-four hours and then could go home, but she had to promise to take it easy for the next few days.
‘I’m taking it easy until Snoopy B is safe in my arms,’ she insisted furiously.
Erin phoned Claire to tell her the good news and stayed with Nikki till her sister, Hayley, arrived on the train from Limerick where she went to college and Claire came in after she finished work.
‘She really needs to rest,’ bossed Claire, ‘so in ten minutes we are all going home and letting her and the baby have some peace.’
‘Snoopy B,’ murmured Nikki, yawning. ‘I love my Snoopy B.’
‘She had a Snoopy toy when she was young and she loved it,’ explained Hayley.
Erin and Claire made sure Nikki was settled before they left for home. Erin, exhausted herself, just wanted to collapse into bed.
Chapter Thirty-five
GETTING NIKKI HOME from the hospital, claire and Erin vowed to make her relax, try to get her to eat more and finally to enjoy her pregnancy. A print-out of the scan of Snoopy B took pride of position on their kitchen fridge and Nikki kissed it first thing every morning as she marked up on their calendar another day of the countdown to Snoopy B being born.
Conor, the baby’s father, had made a surprise appearance at the hospital with a bunch of roses, but Nikki was adamant that one bunch of roses did not a father-to-be make.
‘I’ve cancelled my work trips to Berlin and to Paolo Alta,’ said Nikki defiantly. ‘I’ve told Fergus that I cannot do it with the baby, and he’s sending that snake-in-the-grass Derek instead. My career is probably fucked, but I don’t care!’
‘What about our holidays?’
The three of them had planned to go to Claire’s auntie’s place in Marbella for a week in July.
‘I’m sorry to let you down, but I don’t want to take any risks after this scare. I’m just going to go to Rosslare and chill out down there in the mobile home with Mum and Dad. I want to be near the hospital.’
Neither of the others could believe what a change there had been, with Nikki now prioritizing the baby’s needs over her own and disappearing off to bed with some pregnancy book or other by ten o’clock most nights. What a change!
Erin was spending as much time as she could with Luke, as soon he would be moving to live in London full time. He kept on and on about her moving, but now with Nikki and the baby, and with her beginning to develop a friendship with Kate, this wasn’t the perfect time. They would just have to do a bit of the commuting thing for a short while.
For his last weekend in Ireland in two weeks’ time they had booked to go to Lough Moyne House, just outside Dublin.
‘I bet he’s going to propose to you,’ teased Claire. ‘It’s fabulous there.’
‘He will not!’
‘He will!’ insisted Nikki. ‘He’s probably got the ring already, and that’s where Ben Murphy, the Irish rugby star, proposed to his girlfriend a few weeks ago.’
‘Shut up, the two of you – it is just a romantic weekend,’ she insisted, embarrassed beyond belief, ‘that’s all!’
Erin didn’t know what to think. What if the girls were right and Luke did propose?
Did she even want him to …?
Chapter Thirty-six
NINA DROVE DOWN to the fern house café in Avoca to meet her friends for lunch. She’d been so engrossed working on a cover illustration for a new collection of children’s rhymes and poetry that she hadn’t even realized the time.
‘Nina!’ She could see Mags waving madly at her from a table near the back of the restaurant, overlooking the garden. Avoca’s fabulous shop, garden centre and restaurants were busy as ever with a mixture of locals and visitors.
‘Sorry I’m late, but I was working on something and lost track of the time,’ she explained as she grabbed a menu and ordered the fish cakes and a salad. She and Mags and Dee and Carole met about once every three weeks for lunch or dinner, which was a chance for them to catch up with each other. The venues might change, but the talk was always good. They’d all been friends for years.
‘Did I tell you that Dylan finally got a job?’ beamed Dee. ‘He was so nervous about the interview and I still can’t believe he got it. But he starts next Monday, working in Newstalk, the big radio station.’
‘Newstalk – that’s wonderful!’ exclaimed Nina. Dee’s son was one of those serious political types, always campaigning for a cause, and she and her husband Billy had begun to despair of him ever finding anyone to employ him.
‘What will he do there?’ asked Carole.
‘Hopefully he’ll get to use some of what he learned in that expensive post grad journalism course he did last year,’ replied Dee. ‘He’ll be working as a researcher on the news team.’
Everyone knew just how hard it was for graduates of every discipline to get a job or start of any kind nowadays. Un-employment figures were through the roof, so getting anyone off the family payroll was an achievement. Nina wondered how Jack would fare once he finished his degree in animation.
Mags’s eldest daughter, Jess, had just moved in with her boyfriend, Andy.
‘I’m just a bit worried about what will happen when he discovers the real Jess … They’ll probably break up!’
‘Don’t be so pessimistic,’ laughed Nina. ‘He loves her and probably knows all her little foibles already.’
‘That’s just it – Andy hasn’t a clue, the poor sod. He has no idea of how difficult she really is; the mess, the craziness, and the way she is such a grump in the morning. Poor Dan says that she’ll be back home annoying us within the month!’
They all burst out laughing. Mags had five kids and Jess was the first to leave the family nest. Their house was always full of drama and action and chaos, and they all enjoyed hearing about long-suffering Dan’s efforts to maintain some sort of balance in the Clinton household.
Carole told them about her husband Mike’s upcoming knee replacement. ‘I’m dreading it,’ she admitted. ‘I know that he really needs it and should have had it done ages ago, but he’s such a bad patient and it’s going to take months for him to get over it. He’ll be out of work for weeks, but since there is so little work for architects going at the moment, that’s fine with him. So I’ll have him stuck at home annoying me.’
‘Mike’s not that bad,’ they teased. ‘Maybe it will be nice for the two of you to get some time together, and hopefully by the time his knee is better things will have improved a bit.’
‘I had plenty of time with him last year when he got the flu. I was up and down the stairs like a skivvy with cups of coffee and hot lemon drinks and tissues and meals and newspapers. This time it will be a whole lot worse!’
Nina smiled. The girls were such fun to be around and knew they could unburden themselves with each other and not wor
ry about it. They all loved their husbands and their kids, but nobody was perfect.
‘What about you Nina? Anything going on in your life?’ quizzed Mags as the waitress arrived with their food and passed around the plates.
‘Tom’s busy in work, away a lot travelling. Jack’s got a cute new girlfriend called Pixie – isn’t that some name! Erin and Luke are still going out, and thank heaven she still has her job, and believe it or not Mum hasn’t caused any problems for weeks. And …’
She could sense them all watching her.
‘And?’
‘And …’ She just couldn’t hold it in any more. ‘Erin has made contact with her birth mother. They’ve met twice already.’
‘Shit!’ burst out Mags. ‘What are you going to do?’
‘There’s nothing much that I can do,’ she sighed. ‘Tom and I always knew that this day would come; that one day our children would want to find out about their backgrounds and perhaps want to meet or reunite with their birth mothers.’
‘Oh Nina!’ Dee grabbed her hand and squeezed it consolingly. ‘It’s not going to change anything! You and Tom are wonderful parents – far better than the rest of us.’
‘Erin’s twenty-six now and totally entitled to do this,’ Nina tried to explain and seem somewhat rational. ‘She met the social worker in the adoption agency, and a counsellor, and went through things with them and then she wrote a letter to her mother.’
‘Fecking hell!’ burst out Mags.
Nina tried not to be critical or to appear too negative towards this other woman. ‘At first her mother didn’t want to meet her, but now they have met twice and seem to get on very well, and they have things in common and even seem to be a little bit alike. So now we have to wait and see what happens …’
They all were silent and Nina knew that they totally understood how she felt. It was stupid and irrational, but she couldn’t help herself feeling betrayed and wounded by what Erin was doing.
‘Erin’s a good kid, Nina,’ Dee said soothingly. ‘You’re her mum, so you know that. She’s probably just curious and once she’s satisfied her need to know, then she’ll be fine.’
‘But what happens if she and this other mother really bond and become part of each other’s lives?’ Nina asked despairingly.
‘That mightn’t happen!’ said Mags firmly. ‘Just wait and see!’
‘But if it does?’
‘Then you will have to learn to accept it,’ said Carole, ‘if you don’t want to lose Erin.’
Nina nodded. She already knew that. At night she lay awake thinking about it, making sense of it. This woman had given Nina her child years ago, and now it might be time for her to claim that child back.
They lingered over cappuccinos and cake before heading out for a tour of the shop. Nina bought some home-made brown bread and a leek and cheese bake to take home.
‘How about having lunch in that new place near me in Dalkey next time?’ she suggested as they arranged a date to meet again.
‘Nina, if you hear anything about Erin’s mother, let us know,’ begged Carole and Dee.
‘And remember, when Mike is up for visitors, Tom and I will call in to see him in the hospital,’ she offered.
Driving home, Nina was glad that she had told her friends. The whole situation was weighing her down, and poor Tom was getting fed up talking about it, saying that it was something that they couldn’t control and they both just had to learn to accept it.
Chapter Thirty-seven
ERIN HAD PACKED her bag the night before, all ready for her romantic night away with Luke in Lough Moyne. She’d checked the place out on the internet and it looked absolutely gorgeous, a real big old Irish country house overlooking a lake, with acres of grounds and a plush swimming pool and spa area, and a restaurant run by a famous, award-winning chef.
They drove down on Saturday morning and even going up its rhododendron-lined driveway she had to admit it was beautiful. Two stone lions guarded the entrance and within minutes of checking in they were in their first-floor room with its lake view, massive bed, walk-in dressing room and luxurious bathroom. It was heaven!
‘Let’s go for a walk up round the lake,’ she suggested, ‘and then come back and grab lunch in the bar.’
Luke was fully agreeable and, holding hands, they walked past the rose garden and the area known as the Lady Moyne Walk, which brought them down the steps in front of the house to a part of the garden where the herbaceous borders were in full bloom.
‘My mum would love this!’ exclaimed Erin admiringly, taking a photo of the most amazing display of tall blue delphiniums. ‘We have them in the garden at home. Does your mum like the garden?’
‘Not really. She hasn’t the time, what with playing golf and bridge – they keep her busy.’
‘Look how close the lake seems, and it’s so peaceful.’
Luke spotted a small jetty with three boats moored. ‘Maybe one of the boats belongs to the house and guests are let use them. I’ll check it out with reception later.’
Tall reeds bordered the rest of the lake and, taking another path, they found themselves walking through a wooded area which brought them in a circle to the other side of the house, where a gardener was working in a kitchen garden filled with onions and carrots, runner beans, lettuce and chives, plums and strawberries, and old-fashioned gooseberries.
‘Probably nearly everything we eat here will come from the gardens.’ Erin thought that it was wonderful to know the produce was so healthy and fresh.
‘Come on,’ demanded Luke. ‘I’m starving!’
The bar was housed in the old library, with a feature wall of glass that overlooked the rose garden. The menu was very tempting, but Erin was conscious that they would be eating a big meal later, so she opted for the lettuce and garden herb soup and the fish cakes on a bed of rocket, which the table beside them were having and looked lovely.
After lunch Luke was determined to take her out on the lake. It was so romantic that she couldn’t help thinking of Nikki and Claire’s predictions and was nervous as hell.
Luke wasn’t used to boats or rowing, and after about twenty minutes Erin was in stitches laughing as he got them stuck in a bed of reeds. Instead of laughing too, Luke was annoyed and the more he tried to right the boat the worse he made it!
‘Here, let me, Luke,’ she offered, trying to take the oars. ‘I’ve spent half my childhood messing about in boats. I’ll get us out of here.’
‘I can do this,’ he insisted. ‘I’ll get us out of here.’ But Luke’s frantic efforts at rowing and trying to push off made absolutely no difference; the small boat wouldn’t budge – they were totally marooned.
‘Just let me have a try?’ she begged, sensing that his pride had been dented. She could tell he was annoyed as he reluctantly agreed to swap places and let her have a go.
A few minutes later, with a little bit of manoeuvring and getting a good pull on one oar, Erin had managed to turn them around so they were free.
Luke was not impressed. Not even a cheer!
She gave him one oar while she took the other, hoping to try to retrieve the romantic occasion, but Luke was in no mood to row and didn’t want to explore the lake any further.
‘Luke, come on – it’s fun! Please stay out on the lake for a bit longer. It’s such a beautiful day and it’s so stunning here,’ she pleaded, trying to get him to change his mind.
‘I’ve a few calls to make back in the room,’ he said importantly as they moored the boat, and he took off.
Erin stayed sitting on the wooden deck, her feet dangling in the water, watching a busy moorhen. She hated when Luke got like this; he couldn’t take any teasing, or any slight criticism. She’d give him time to cool down before she went back to the room. They had booked some treatments in the spa and she knew Luke would love them …
* * *
Luke, thank heaven, had lightened up as they enjoyed a swim in the luxurious pool and then went to sit in the bubbling, romantic outd
oor jacuzzi. It was paradise here. Then, to top it all, they had both opted for a de-stress relaxing massage and pedicure. What a treat! Erin was so relaxed and tired that, back in their room, she fell asleep in Luke’s arms.
Waking up, she studied his sleeping face and wondered how she was going to survive without seeing him as much. She would miss their being able to just call in on each other and being able to do things spontaneously together. Luke had really surprised her by booking such a romantic retreat for his last weekend officially at home.
Forty-five minutes later she was dressed in a navy lace dress and her open-toed LK Bennett shoes, sipping Prosecco in the bar and studying the dinner menu when she heard a familiar voice.
‘Hey guys!’ It was Luke’s friend Ronan, from Hibernian. What was he doing here?
He was with Michelle, and before she knew it they had joined them and the waiter was leading them to a table for four in the dining room.
‘Bit of a double celebration!’ joked Ronan. ‘With Luke and I moving to the London office, it makes sense for us to share a place together until you girls move over. And take the two of you off here for the night.’
‘Sure does,’ smiled Erin. She’d kill Luke! He hadn’t said a word to her about meeting Ronan here or about him being transferred over to London too. She couldn’t believe it. So much for a romantic dinner à deux!
At least Michelle was nice, and the four of them soon began to chat as they ordered their meal and wine. The dining room was full, mostly with couples her parents’ age and one or two engaged couples who were probably checking out its potential for hosting their weddings. The waiters danced attendance on them as they worked their way through the fabulous menu and ordered another bottle of red wine.
Luke and Ronan were all excited about the move, boasting about their new jobs and their bonuses and the kind of work they would be doing instead of the more humdrum stuff they handled in the Dublin office. As the meal progressed the talk got louder and wilder and Erin wished that Luke would just shut up for a bit. Excusing herself, she fled to the ladies cloakroom and Michelle joined her there.
Three Women Page 14
