“Nothing, I’m just trying to tidy up.”
“Sophie, this place is spotless,” I tell her. I take the cloth from her hand and put it down. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her close. “Come on, let’s go and sit down and relax. Lucy is sleeping and there’s nothing to clean.” I lead her back into the living room and we sit down on the couch. She seems out of sorts.
“I’m nervous about tonight,” she tells me, settling in tight to my side.
“I’m with you through every step. So please try and relax.”
“Okay, so let’s talk about this new house of yours.”
“Ours. It will be our house. Our home together, you, me and Lucy. We will be a family. I’m sure I still have the plans Alex sent me by email. We can have a look at the designs together and pick out what we both want. This has to be a home that we both want.”
“Is this really what you want?” she asks.
“Of course it is, we’ve talked about this. I need you in my life. Lucy and I both want and need you.” Her face twitches and I can just feel the slight frown. I move to face her; I need her to be looking at me when I speak. “Sophie, I want you in my life permanently, I don’t have any doubts about how I feel about you. I love you and I can promise you this will never change. This is all I can offer you at the moment, I hope and pray it’s enough.”
“It’s more than enough, I love you.” She wraps her arms around my neck and her lips meet mine fiercely. We were made to be together. Her tongue searches out mine. I could kiss her all fucking day. The ringing of Sophie’s phone distracts us. “Leave it,” she says breathlessly, before her lips find mine again. This time the pace is slower, not as demanding. Both giving and receiving.
This time it’s my phone that halts the proceedings. I stand picking it up.
“Richard.” Sophie stops and looks worried. I’m glad she doesn’t hear his voice, because by the sound of it she is right to be concerned.
“Ethan, son, how quickly can the three of you be ready to fly back home to Scotland?”
“Why? What’s wrong?” I ask, my voice shaky with panic. My thoughts go straight to Libby and the babies. Something has happened. Sophie sits up straight hearing my words. I pace the floor.
“There has been a car accident,” he tells me. I stop and sink back onto the couch, my eyes fill with tears. No, I can’t hear about a car accident. So many memories flood through my brain. Memories I had pushed away. Not Libby, surely not. My breathing quickens. Sophie takes my hand and holds eye contact with me.
“Is it Libby?” I question him although I’m not sure I’m ready for the answer. Sophie squeezes my hand a bit tighter.
“No Ethan, it’s Alex.” Christ, not what I was expecting.
“And Libby and the babies?”
“They are all fine, she wasn’t in the car. When you tell Sophie, you need her to be calm we have a long journey ahead of us.”
“Do we know anything yet?” I ask.
“Only that he is unconscious and in a bad way. I’m going to book us the first flights I can get us.”
“It won’t take me long to pack. We will be ready soon.” I hang up and face a very concerned Sophie.
“Ethan, please just tell me what’s happened?”
“We need to pack and leave, there has been an accident. We need to go home. Alex isn’t in a good way.”
“No!” she cries. I take her in my arms, comforting her as she lets her tears fall. We stay like this for a few minutes, until she is calm. “When do we need to leave?” she asks.
“Your dad will call us back, as soon as he’s booked the flights. Are you going to be able to help me pack?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s get this done whilst Lucy is still sleeping.” I kiss her. “Alex is tough, he will get through this,” I tell her. I hope he is because I don’t know if Libby would get through this.
The two of us make quick work of packing the cases and gathering up Lucy’s toys. I go from room to room making sure we haven’t forgotten anything. Right now I’m so glad we’ve kept the apartment clean and tidy. I’ve tried calling Libby a few times but she doesn’t answer. She might be with the doctor. I decide to call my dad; he answers straight away.
“Dad.”
“Ethan.”
“I’ve been trying to get through to Libby. Is everything ok?” I ask him.
“Yes, we are here with her now.”
“Can I speak to her?”
“Hold on, son. Your brother wants to speak to you.”
“Ethan.” I can hear the distress in her voice.
“Libby, I’ve been trying to get you since Richard called. Is there any news yet? How are you?”
“No news yet. Still waiting in this bloody private room. I’m okay I guess.” She answers each of my questions individually. She doesn’t sound so good.
“We are all trying to get flights home to you. I am just about packed,” I tell her.
“Don’t be silly; stay with Sophie.”
“Libby, I swear to God. Do you really think I could stay here knowing you need me? And anyway, Sophie wants to be there too. Richard will be in touch with Michael as soon as we have flights, but if there is any news, can someone let us know?”
“Yes, of course,” she says. “Love you.”
“Love you too, sis.” I hate hearing the worry and concern in Libby’s voice. I might be thousands of miles away from her, but my heart aches for her. For what she is going through. No one should need to face this, especially not Libby.
Richard calls; they are on their way to pick us up we just need to wake up Lucy. Sophie has prepared a bottle of milk we can give her it on the way to the airport if she gets grumpy.
Sophie picks Lucy up and she’s not very happy about being woken up. She starts screaming in her arms. Why do I get the feeling this trip home is going to take forever? Sophie gets a very tired and upset Lucy all changed and ready to leave. We are going to need that bottle of milk sooner rather than later. As soon as we ready, we make our way down in the lift to wait for Richard and Sarah hoping it will save us some time.
Lucy hasn’t let up with the crying and Sophie looks flustered with her; I take her and she instantly stops.
“She hates me,” Sophie says sounding disappointed.
“She doesn’t hate you. If I had been the one to wake her up, she would be just the same with me and it would be you she was settling with.”
I’m watching outside from the entrance when a car stops and Richard steps out. “They are here,” I say. We take our cases, with the help of the doorman outside. I hand Sophie Lucy so I can help load the cases into the boot of the car, but she starts screaming again.
“Thank you,” I say to the doorman handing him a tip before I get in the car as well.
The ride to the airport doesn’t take long and before I know it we are checked in and on our way to the departure lounge.
“Does anyone want anything to eat?” Richard asks.
Sophie and Sarah both answer no at the same time, but do ask for coffees. I leave Lucy with them and help Richard. I decide to get a bowl of soup for Lucy, see if it helps settle her.
“Ethan, are you alright?” Richard asks as we wait to be served.
“Yes,” I reply hesitantly.
“You don’t have to pretend with any of us.”
“If I’m honest, I just want to be home for Libby.”
“I understand.” He smiles. “This must be hard for you.” I can only nod because I’m trying not to think about possible outcomes. We don’t even know how bad he is yet. “If when we get there, you don’t want to go to the hospital, we will understand.”
“I’ll be fine, but thank you.”
We get our drinks and the soup and make our way back to the table. Sarah has Lucy now and she seems to be settling down, or she was until she saw me. This is just going to be one of those days. I manage to feed her the soup then Sarah takes her to the nearest changing room to change her nappy, before we
board the plane.
I decide to call Tom and Moria and it’s Tom I get. I explain everything that’s happened and ask if he could come to the airport to take Lucy for me. He tells me to consider it done and also asks if there is anything else they can do for me. I tell him I won’t know anything until I’ve been to the hospital, so the only thing is if they could keep Lucy at theirs for a day or so. I tell him I want to be there if Libby needs me. He understands, probably better than anyone.
We all make our way to the departure gate. Before boarding, I decide to give Libby a quick call.
“Hi, Ethan,” she says.
“Glad I got you, any news yet?”
“I’ve just seen him, only for a few minutes though.”
“And?”
“He’s unconscious and has been since he was brought into the hospital. He has suffered a severe brain trauma, but at the moment he is stable but critical,” she tells me.
“Shit. Libby, we are all at the airport, about to board the plane home.”
There’s a long pause before she speaks. “So, we can expect you to land at what, two thirty in the morning?” she asks.
“Yeah about then. Look I had better go; Lucy has decided today of all days to act up. She won’t go anywhere near Sophie. I will text you our flight number, if Murphy could pick us up?”
“Of course, but there won’t be enough room for everyone,” she says.
“It’s alright, I’ve arranged for Lindsay’s parents to come to the airport and take Lucy. When I told them why, they were so understanding,” I tell her. “I love you, Libby.”
“Love you too.”
I end the call just as we are boarding the plane. Lucy has been so grumpy since we woke her, I’m hoping she will sleep for at least some of our journey home. As soon as we take our seats and Lucy is securely strapped to my lap, I take Sophie’s hand in mine.
“Everything will be fine,” I tell her. “Alex will pull through this. I’m sure of it.”
“I hope so, Ethan. He has to be.” I lean over and give her a kiss.
WELL, THE FLIGHT FELT A lot longer than it actually was, thanks to my daughter for that. She did sleep for some of it but the time she was awake, she let everyone on the plane know. I can bet the other passengers where so pleased when we landed. She was definitely vocal and still refused to settle with anyone but me. Which has left me feeling exhausted and Sophie feeling helpless. She told me over and over, that’s how she felt.
Tom was waiting inside the arrivals to take Lucy. After brief introductions to Sophie’s parents, I told him how unsettled she has been. He told me not to worry about her, that he and Moria would take care of her. And for me to go and take care of Libby. I know Lucy will be fine with them. I just hope she settles quickly for them both.
So now we are in Alex’s car with Murphy driving.
“How is Libby, Murphy?” I ask him. I know the others will be thinking about Alex, but my mind races to what Libby will be going through. Probably because I’ve been in a similar situation.
“She’s putting on a brave face, but I don’t think she’s coping very well. Michael will tell you more. I should mention Alex has come round, Michael had called whilst I was waiting for you.”
“Thank heavens for that,” Sarah says and I can hear the relief in her voice.
“It’s not all good news I’m afraid.”
“What’s wrong?” The question comes from Richard.
“Well, Alex has no memory of Libby at all. And from what I can gather Libby is in shock. But things could have changed by the time you get to the hospital.”
The rest of our journey into the city centre is quiet and subdued. I’m more than a little worried about Libby now, given her condition. She didn’t have an easy time at the beginning of her pregnancy, and now she is going to be more stressed.
I hope she is okay.
Arriving at the hospitals main reception we make enquires about Alex. The staff aren’t very helpful; telling us we should come back tomorrow during visiting hours. That is until Richard tells them that we have flown from New York and not leaving until we speak to someone or see him. We are shown to a private waiting room, where a doctor will come and give us an update about Alex and hopefully we can get to see him and Libby.
I text Libby; In the hospital see you soon x.
We’ve been sitting here waiting for ten minutes, when the door finally opens and I have taken note that Libby hasn’t yet got back to me.
Something is wrong. I know it.
“I’m Doctor McCann, I have been treating Mr. Mathews. I will tell you where we are with his treatment and I will answer any questions you all have. But I have to be quick, I have another patient to look in on before I go and see how Mrs. Mathews is doing.”
We all look at each other, puzzled. She starts talking about Alex and tells us everything that is wrong with him. She tells us about his memory loss and his behaviour since he came round. But I can’t seem to take it in, I’m more concerned about my sister and giving what the good doctor has just told us, I’m right to be concerned.
“What’s wrong with my sister?” I ask her, stopping her in mid-sentence. Everyone looks at me.
“Mr. Stewart, I presume.” I nod. “Mrs. Mathews has been admitted to the ward and is under the care of her consultant. She fainted earlier. You must understand she is being kept in as a precaution and her reaction to Mr. Mathews is understandable. Her blood pressure is a little on the high side and she will go for a scan in the morning.” I stand and fidget. I need to see Libby. “As I have said, this is a precaution and she is in the best place should she need medical care.”
“I need to see her,” I say. “Do you mind?”
“Of course, on you go. I will go see Alex first and then come find you,” says Sophie. The doctor tells me where Libby is and that Michael is with her. He’s not left her side since she fainted. I’m glad he is with her and she’s not alone. Nothing worse than being left alone with your own thoughts. I know that better than anyone. I just hope Libby isn’t like me and doesn’t push everyone away.
I leave the room and walk the length of many corridors until I reach the right department. A nurse tells me to wait and she will see if I’m allowed into see Libby. After what seems an age, she comes back out to me and shows me into Libby’s room. Michael is sitting in the chair at the side of the bed. He nods his head as I enter.
“Seriously, are you alright?” I ask, looking at all the wires that are coming from her.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will because you always are, but sometimes you have to let me in to help you. As for Alex, I might . . .”
“Ethan, stop. I don’t need this right now. I’m tired, it’s been a hell of a day.” I know she’s right but it doesn’t make it any easier.
The doctor comes in wanting to speak with her. I tell her I will see her tomorrow, before kissing her and leaving with Michael. He tells her he will see her tomorrow too.
“How is she taking this? And don’t keep it from me,” I ask Michael as soon as we are out the room.
“I’m worried about her. Alex is an ass. I know it’s not his fault he can’t remember, but he could try and rein the way he’s acting in. Libby should never have heard the things he was saying or seen the way he was acting.”
“What about his memory, will it return?”
“It should, the doctor has said and when it does and he realises what he’s done and said, he’s going to fucking hate himself.”
We walk toward Alex’s room quietly, not much to say between us. I notice Sophie is outside leaning against the wall. I look at Michael; he shrugs his shoulders. I rush toward her and I can hear she is crying the closer I get.
“Sophie, what’s wrong?” I ask. She stands and leans into my chest; I wrap my arms around her.
“Please take me home? I don’t want to be here.”
“Of course I can take you home. But I thought you would want to spend time with Alex.”
> “I can’t see him when he’s like this. That’s not the brother I know and love.” Her whole body trembles. Michael’s eyes meet mine, ‘I’m sorry,’ he mouths.
“Take her home, I’ll give you a call in the morning,” says Michael.
“What about you?” I ask him.
“I will make sure Sarah and Richard get checked into the hotel, then I’ll go back to the flat. I’m in no hurry to spend more time with Alex; he should be resting and who knows maybe things will be different when we come back here.”
“If you need us for anything, give me a call.”
“Will do. Take care of her,” he says.
I call a taxi before taking Sophie’s hand and walking through the hospital, back toward the main entrance. We are in luck as we step outside, our taxi pulls up. We don’t speak the whole journey home; I just keep my hand in hers. The taxi stops outside the house. I pay the driver and we both get out.
“Ethan, I’m sorry I didn’t even ask how Libby was,” she says turning to face me.
“She will be fine. Hopefully Alex’s memory returns sooner rather than later, and he doesn’t put her under any more stress. She doesn’t need this. She has to stay fit and healthy for the babies.”
“I know, I could kick my brother’s ass.”
“Come on, let’s get inside. It’s freezing out here.”
We go inside and the house is cold. I need to go and switch the heating on. Sophie goes into the kitchen and I hear the kettle being switched on. She should be going to bed, not drinking tea or coffee. It’s been one hell of a day. I just want to lie with her in my arms.
“Ethan, what about our suitcases?” she shouts.
“I’ll send Murphy a text and ask him to drop them off later on,” I say entering the kitchen. “What are you making?”
“Hot chocolate. Do you want some? We could take it upstairs with us.”
“That sounds like a plan. A good way to keep warm.”
“Oh, I want to do a lot more than just keep warm.” Her grin is infectious and I think I might just like the way the rest of the night or morning is heading.
She's Captured my Love (Captured #4) Page 21
