She’d had numerous chats with Bobby’s principal and teacher and they’d introduced her to other mothers in similar circumstances. It was a comfort to hear their stories and she soon realised that Bobby truly was on the lower end of the scale. She’d taken to counting her blessings. Bobby might be clumsy, detached and prone to violent mood swings, but there was no doubt in her mind that he was smart.
‘Any word on his assessment?’ Keith asked.
‘Nothing. Apparently it could take months or more.’
‘Bloody crazy,’ Keith fumed. ‘Maybe we should go private. And, you know, there are schools for children with special needs. If we have to pay, we’ll pay. I’ll take out a loan if necessary.’
Sharon was touched by his determination, but not every problem could be solved by throwing money at it. ‘I think we should wait,’ she cautioned. ‘I like Bobby’s school and the staff. There are a few autistic children there and, talking to their mums, they seem to be doing well. The teachers are already giving Bobby help, even though they haven’t been allotted the extra resources to cater for him, and Bobby likes them. Besides, I think our children should be in the same school. He shouldn’t ever be made to feel different.’
Keith dropped a kiss on her hair. ‘You’re a great mum, Shaz, you know that?’
She thought back on the time she’d wasted knowing her son was different, but saying nothing because she didn’t want her fears confirmed. That hadn’t been good mothering. She caressed her bump, making a silent promise to do better, regardless of what life presented her with.
Mandy groaned as her phone pinged. She rolled over in bed and opened one eye, sitting up when she saw that it was a text from Douglas.
Taking the morning off, meeting with friends. Latest chapters on your desk. D.
She frowned. Friends? What friends? Douglas didn’t socialise. Douglas didn’t do anything. What had got into him? She’d reckoned that, with Suzie fully occupied with Bobby, things might return to normal but she hardly saw him these days. Still, she thought as she wrapped the soft duvet around her, perhaps Douglas had developed a taste for living and, who knew, maybe Zagreb was back on the cards. She just needed to keep him away from Suzie and find some interesting things to do in Croatia that might surprise and entertain him.
That was it! She had been so fixated on her own pleasures, she hadn’t thought about him. Mandy was weary of parading herself in bars and clubs in the hope of finding a rich man who would give her a good and secure life. Why do it when there was one right under her nose? She didn’t care about the age difference: it meant he’d make few or no demands.
Mandy decided it was time to turn on the charm. She needed to show an interest in his work and be kind and pleasant. Perhaps she’d even cook him lunch. Maybe not, she thought with a wry grin. Her cooking abilities were limited and there was no sense in highlighting the fact. But she could pick up the pâté and chowder he loved from his favourite deli when she was in the village. Her thoughtfulness would surprise him but, might also make him suspicious – Douglas wasn’t stupid. She needed to be subtle about this. As it turned out, she didn’t have long to wait for an opportunity to show him her caring side.
Mandy arrived into work the following morning to find her boss crumpled at the bottom of the stairs, a sickly shade of grey. ‘Douglas, what is it?’
‘I’ve a sick stomach and I’m feeling dizzy,’ he mumbled.
‘Did you fall down the stairs?’
‘Just the last couple, but only because I was groggy. I’ve spent most of the night in the bathroom.’
‘I’ll call the doctor.’ She expected an argument but Douglas directed her to his address book, where she’d find the number of his GP.
‘Gastroenteritis,’ the doctor pronounced, cheerfully, after spending less than five minutes in the bedroom. ‘Give him plenty of fluids, no solids for a couple of days, and he should stay in bed as he’ll feel quite weak.’
‘He fell down the stairs,’ Mandy told him.
‘As a result of the weakness.’ He smiled. ‘Nothing to be concerned about. There’s a lot of this about. I suggest, though, that it would be best to sleep in separate rooms for the duration. It’s very contagious.’
‘Excuse me? I’m not his partner. He’s my boss,’ she exclaimed, disgusted that he thought she looked old enough to be Douglas’s wife.
‘Sorry, I’m new at the surgery. I suggest you contact a relative. Someone should stay with him for a few days, just to keep an eye on him.’
‘Thank you, Doctor.’ Mandy nodded and showed him out, smiling as she closed the door. It looked like she’d have to play Florence Nightingale.
After running back upstairs to check on him, Mandy took Douglas’s prescription to the pharmacy and then stopped off at the deli, delighted to discover that they had clear, homemade chicken soup. She bought a couple of portions and brought them back to the house. When she looked in on him, he was sleeping, so she decided to leave him until he came looking for her. She took his mobile phone from the bedside table and pocketed it. After all, the man needed his rest. It had nothing to do with the fact that this was a perfect opportunity to come between the happy couple.
Rather than wait for Suzie to call him or be discovered reading his texts, Mandy called her sister. She let her drone on about the kids and the dog for a little and then cut in on her.
‘Oops, sorry, Suze, I’d better go. Douglas isn’t well so I’m playing nurse as well as PA at the moment.’
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Suzie asked, her voice full of concern.
‘A bad dose of gastroenteritis. He’s confined to bed, fluids only, with strict instructions not to infect anyone. Apparently it’s dangerous for old folks, babies and pregnant women. I suppose he’ll be housebound for a while. Not that he’s the energy to leave the bedroom at the moment.’
She sat back with a smug grin as she imagined how torn her sister would be. Did she run to her new beloved’s bedside or put her daughter’s and grandchild’s safety first? No contest.
‘Oh, that’s terrible.’
‘He should be okay in a week or ten days, according to the doctor.’
‘But who’ll look after him?’ Suzie fretted.
‘Don’t worry. I’m taking good care of him.’
‘You?’ Mandy bristled at her incredulous snort. ‘Oh, sorry, Mandy, there’s someone at the door. Be sure and give Doug my best.’
‘Will do.’ Amanda lied. Doug? Doug? No one called him that. How could they have got this cosy so quickly? Despite the fact she’d known him for much longer, Mandy felt like the stranger.
She’d never experienced an easy camaraderie with any man. It was always sex-charged, hot and intense at first, and then it burned out faster than a firecracker. She had never remained friends with any of her ex-lovers. Once the desire was gone, she was too. There was only one man she’d ever been interested in hanging on to and, well, he’d got away in every sense of the word.
Hearing a noise upstairs, Mandy quickly dissolved a rehydration sachet in a large glass of water and carried it up to Douglas.
‘Feeling any better?’ she asked.
‘No.’
She put the glass down and helped him into a sitting position. ‘Take this, and then get some more sleep.’
‘I need to check my email.’
‘I’ll take care of all that.’
He glanced at the clock. ‘What are you doing here at this hour?’
‘The doctor said it was a bad idea to leave you alone, so I’m staying over.’
‘You don’t have to do that,’ he protested, but his voice was weak.
‘It’s fine. I don’t mind.’
Douglas sat up, groaning. ‘I need the bathroom.’
Mandy helped him across the hall and groaned in disgust while she waited. When he came out, she forced a sympathetic smile. ‘Let’s get you back into bed.’
‘I owe you,’ he muttered as he slumped weakly back on the pillow.
‘Don’t wo
rry, I’ll collect.’ She smiled. ‘Call if you need anything,’ she added, but he was already drifting back to sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Once the house was tidy and the washing on the line, Suzie put on Percy’s lead and, looking out at the threatening clouds, grabbed a light raincoat, just in case. She wasn’t really a morning person but, if she didn’t walk the dog before Bobby arrived, she was usually too tired to do it afterwards. Maybe she should take Aileen up on her kind offer and let her take Percy out occasionally.
Suzie was just about to let herself out into the side passage when she heard the doorbell. She sighed. ‘Hang on, Percy, I’ll go and get rid of whoever it is.’
‘Hello, Suzie.’
She blinked twice as she looked at the skinny, hunched figure of her brother-in-law on the doorstep. Fuck it! She’d completely forgotten he was arriving today. She opened the door wide and gave him a weak smile. ‘Good to see you, Maurice. How are you?’
‘Not looking forward to seeing this specialist but, I suppose, he wouldn’t have dragged me up here if he didn’t think he could do something to help.’
‘Specialist?’ Suzie led the way into the kitchen, shrugging out of her coat and taking the lead off Percy, who, after cocking his head on one side, went to sniff the newcomer. What specialist? She couldn’t for the life of her remember Maurice telling her he had health problems.
‘Didn’t Noel mention it? Bowel trouble. Enough said.’ Maurice waved away the implications. ‘Lovely animal.’ He scratched the dog’s ear.
‘I hope it’s nothing serious.’ Suzie looked at him. He really didn’t look well.
‘It is what it is,’ Maurice said with a shrug of defeat. ‘That’s why I’m delighted Noel is coming home.’
Suzie shook her head in bewilderment as she filled the small teapot, absently adding four teabags. ‘What do you mean, Maurice?’
‘Noel coming to work on the farm.’
Suzie hooted with laughter. ‘Ah, Maurice, what are you talking about? Noel’s going to be an engineer, not a farmhand.’
‘But sure he gave up the engineering course. He’ll be starting a part-time agricultural-science course in October.’ Maurice looked at her, pity in his eyes. ‘Ah, that knock to the head caused more damage than I realised. Sorry for your trouble.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with my bloody head,’ she snapped. ‘I’m telling you, you’ve got it wrong. Noel’s been studying like mad for weeks. He just finished his exams.’
His eyes widened and then slid away from hers. ‘Maybe I have,’ he mumbled.
Suzie watched Maurice tug at his collar, looking flushed and uncomfortable, and knew, in that moment, her son had been lying to her. She abandoned the tea and dropped into a chair. Percy slumped down next to her, resting his head on her feet. Of course Noel had lied. He knew that she’d hate the idea of his going back to Limerick, let alone this mad notion of taking up farming.
Suddenly, she was angry. ‘When did all of this come about, Maurice? When did you and my son get so bloody cosy?’
He looked taken aback at the bitterness in her voice. ‘We always got on well, Suzie, you know that. And we grew closer after John passed.’
‘I thought you were being a caring uncle, not looking for cheap labour.’
Maurice looked as if she’d slapped him. ‘How can you say such a thing? The lad has always had a love of the land. We chatted at Christmas and he told me that he hated his course and couldn’t see a future in it. All he’s ever really wanted is to farm. He only took the engineering course for your sake. But the closer he got to qualifying, the more he realised he couldn’t hack it. He’d made his mind up to tell you but then you had the accident. The poor lad was devastated. And then, thank God, you woke up fine and it seemed everything was back on track. Until Sharon got pregnant and you had to look after her little fella.’
‘Bobby.’ Suzie fondled Percy’s ear and the dog licked her arm.
‘Yes, well, Noel told me that he’d have to hang around for a while and give you a hand, and that’s fine, I’ll manage . . . somehow.’
Suzie trembled with anger. Her son was a fool. She could imagine Noel working his arse off for bed and board and a few lousy quid because Maurice was a tight-fisted bastard. She glared at him, forgetting the sympathy she’d felt for him just minutes earlier. ‘You stupid old fool. Noel loved his dad, which is why he feels some stupid sense of obligation to go back to Limerick. He’s no farmer. You’ll have to find someone else, Maurice. I didn’t put him through university so that he could throw his life away slaving on the Connors’ farm, seven days a week in all weathers.’
Maurice sat up, ramrod straight and glared back at her, his watery blue eyes cold as ice. ‘He would be no farm labourer. He’s my brother’s son. Peggy couldn’t have children, God rest her, and Noel is the nearest I have to a son. He would be learning from me as well as from college and I’d leave the lot to him and die happy, knowing it was in good hands. Noel’s a fine young man with a good heart.’
‘He’s a fool and this is a romantic notion, nothing more. Come the winter months he’ll be on the first bus back to Dublin and looking for a nice cosy office job, mark my words.’
‘It’s not a notion, Mum.’
Suzie spun round to see her son standing in the doorway, his eyes sad and his face ashen. ‘It’s what I want, more than anything.’
She stood up and ran at him, her blood boiling. ‘How could you?’ Suzie slapped his face.
Unprepared, Noel staggered sideways and stared at her in shock.
Maurice was on his feet and had her by the arm. ‘Holy Mother of God, Suzie, what are you doing?’
Suzie stared at her son, horrified, as his cheek turned an angry red. She opened her mouth to apologise, to beg him to reconsider, to persuade him to stay, but nothing came out. He was watching her, his eyes begging her to understand, but she couldn’t say the words he wanted to hear. Blinded by tears, Suzie turned on her heel and picked up the lead. ‘Percy,’ she called, and walked out of the door.
Jess hesitated when the phone rang and she saw it was Cal. She was torn between curiosity and anger. Curiosity won out.
‘Yes?’
‘Jess, I know what’s wrong with Noel.’
Immediately she forgot her plan to be cool. ‘What is it?’
‘Nothing serious. I’ll fill you in later. But he and your mum had words and she’s walked out. That was a couple of hours ago. Noel can’t find her in any of her usual haunts and now he has to go and pick up Bobby.’
So Cal was calling her only because Noel had asked him to, Jess thought, but shook off her disappointment. It was more important to find Mum. She was so unpredictable at the moment and she might be wandering round upset too. Jess sighed as she remembered she’d no car and would have to walk to her mother’s.
‘What is it?’ Cal asked.
‘My car’s in for a service.’
‘I’ll pick you up.’
As she waited for Cal, Jess tried to phone her brother but he wasn’t answering his mobile and the house phone was ringing out. What the hell was going on?
She was watching for Cal and was out of the door before he’d even pulled up. It had started to rain quite heavily and she quickly jumped in beside him. ‘Why did Noel call you and not me?’ she asked, not bothering to say hello.
He raised an eyebrow at her curt tone. ‘I called him. He was in a rush, so I offered to call you and fill you in.’
‘Thanks,’ she mumbled, chastened. ‘What did Noel say to send Mum off the deep end?’
‘From what I can gather, it was your uncle Maurice who spilled the beans.’
‘What beans?’ Jess asked. ‘And what has Maurice got to do with it?’
Cal glanced over at her. ‘Noel didn’t sit his exams.’
‘What?’ Jess gaped at him.
‘Yup. Apparently he wants to be a farmer and work with your uncle.’
‘He’s going back to Limerick? For good?’
&
nbsp; ‘It looks that way.’
Jess sighed. ‘No wonder Mum’s upset. That’s a double whammy that’ll have knocked her for six.’
Cal glanced over at her, eyebrows raised. ‘He was bound to fly the nest sooner or later.’
‘That’s not what bothers her. It’s the fact that he’s chosen Limerick and Dad’s family over her. Also, Dad died on a farm,’ she reminded Cal.
‘She’s in shock. She’ll get used to the idea. To be honest, I’m relieved that there was such an innocent reason for your brother’s strange behaviour.’
‘Me too. I wonder where the hell he’s been spending his time. All that moaning about studying for his exams.’ Jess shook her head. ‘He should go into acting. He’s probably been sitting in Internet cafés all day, playing games.’
‘Actually, he’s been taking some part-time courses and working in the bar at the yacht club to finance them.’
‘He’s a dark horse,’ she mumbled, but was glad that there was nothing more sinister going on. Poor Noel. He must have been a nervous wreck wondering how to break this to their mother. Jess was hurt that he didn’t feel he could confide in her. Had he talked to Sharon? she wondered.
Cal pulled up outside her mum’s house. ‘Let’s check the house in case she’s come back.’ Does she have the dog with her?’ Jess asked him.
‘Yes, I think so.’
Well, that was something. If these assistance dogs were all they were cracked up to be, Percy should keep Mum safe. Jess let herself in and called out, but the place was deserted. There was a note on the kitchen table from Noel saying that he’d gone to collect Bobby and would come home via the park, in the hope of finding Suzie there. Maurice had gone to his appointment at the hospital and wasn’t sure what time he’d be back. Jess tossed it back on the table. ‘I wouldn’t expect dinner on the table if I were you, Maurice,’ she muttered.
She went back outside, shaking her head at Cal’s questioning look.
Second Time Around Page 28
