The Braille Club (The Braille Club #1)

by J. A. Kerr

  Abbey: Olivia sorry to text but my phone is almost out of charge. I am at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Steve has been admitted with a brain haemorrhage. I am in Neurology Ward 3A room 7. It happened last night; he is stable but poorly. Could I ask a favour? I need to contact his parents, but his iPhone is flat. Can you arrange for a charger to be sent to the ward? I will keep you updated, please tell no one. XXX

  Despite the early hour, Olivia’s response was instantaneous.

  Olivia: I am on my way. X

  Olivia arrived in record time, and although not allowed into the room, Nurse Claire came and got Abbey, telling her to go down to the canteen with her. Abbey hesitated; she didn’t want to leave Steve.

  “We know where you are if there is any change, which I’m sure there won’t be, I’m sure. Go ahead.” Again the reassuring smile. “You need a break, just for a bit.”

  Abbey gave her another weak smile. “Okay.”

  Olivia was waiting beside the nurse’s station. She embraced her, but her body was stiff and unyielding.

  “Did you bring the charger?”

  “Of course. Do you want it now?”

  “Yes, be back in a minute.”

  Abbey spun round and hurried back to Steve’s room, her heart thumping, holding her breath, convinced he would have noticed she was missing. As she rushed to his bedside, she could see immediately that nothing had changed. Relief and despair moved through her. Leaning over Steve, she gently kissed his forehead before plugging his mobile in and leaving it charging on the bedside cabinet. She walked slowly back towards Olivia, her thoughts jumbled and her body leaden. Olivia wrapped her arm around her and they walked out of the ward. She had asked the nurse where the canteen was located and had been given directions. It seemed to take forever for them to find it and even longer to get served and seated. Abbey looked even worse now that Olivia was sitting opposite her. She seemed almost broken as she slumped down exhausted on the plastic chair. Olivia squeezed her hand and sipped her revolting coffee, the bitter liquid making her wince.

  “What happened, Abbey?” she asked softly.

  Tears welled up in Abbey’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “Steve met me last night, we were staying at Harrison’s. He was late…” Abbey couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice as the image of Lucy flashed through her mind once again. “I was getting worried.” Another lie, thought Abbey. “Anyway, when he did turn up he seemed okay at first, then when we got into the elevator he started to complain of a headache, and he could barely stand. God knows how I managed to get him into the room, but I did. Steve collapsed on the bed and then he was sick. I thought he’d had too much to drink or was unwell but when I couldn’t bring him round, I started to get frightened. I called an ambulance, and thankfully it arrived quickly. They admitted Steve to hospital, and I just had to wait. It’s his brain…they’re not sure…” Abbey’s voice cracked, and it was several minutes before she could continue. “They said he’d had a brain haemorrhage. That’s why he’s unconscious, but that’s good apparently, as it will give the brain time to recover but I’m so scared…”

  Abbey had begun to shake as she relived the horror of the previous night’s events, her guilt and disgust weighing heavily on her conscience.

  “Hey…hey.”

  Olivia was out of her seat and wrapping her arms around Abbey’s tiny frame, holding her close as her body continued to shake and she sobbed uncontrollably, all composure gone. Olivia rocked her like a child until her sobs subsided.

  “Better?” asked Olivia gently.

  Abbey nodded, pressing the sodden tissue against her nose and eyes.

  “Abbey, I can handle the media.”

  “What? Do they know? Who told them?” Abbey’s voice had a tinge of hysteria now.

  “Abbey, Abbey, listen to me,” said Olivia sternly. “You know how this works, I wish it was different, but this is the world you live in.”

  “I’m not speaking to anyone, Olivia. I don’t care what you say; I won’t do it,” Abbey said angrily.

  “Of course not, Abbey. No one expects you to, but the story will get out, you know it will, so it’s best it comes from us first.”

  “Okay,” Abbey said dully. “Do what you need to do…and thanks, Olivia…thanks for everything.”

  “Who have you called?” Olivia asked.

  Abbey hesitated. “Well, no one yet.”

  “Abbey you can’t do this on your own. Call Mark at least, he’ll take charge.”

  “I will; my phone was flat as well, and I didn’t want to leave Steve…but I don’t want to tell my parents, not yet.”

  “Okay, I understand, but you must tell Mark.” Olivia paused and the expression on her face changed, hardened.

  “Have you called Liz and Kenny?”

  Abbey stared straight at Olivia, her eyes pleading. “No, could you do it, Olivia? I’d be so grateful; I’m not sure I could deal with them right now.”

  Olivia grimaced but then was all business; she too disliked Steve’s parents intensely and had, in fact, had quite a few run-ins with Liz regarding leaked stories.

  “Okay, it’s probably better coming from me; I’ll handle it and anything else that comes up.”

  Abbey looked at her watch, shocked to see she had been gone for over an hour. “I need to get back.” She stood up on shaky legs.

  “Take these; they’ll help,” said Olivia, pushing a packet of capsules at Abbey. “No more than two a day. Let me know if you need anything.”

  Abbey pushed them into her bag, once again grateful to Olivia; she thought of everything. They walked back to the nurse’s station where they said their goodbyes, Abbey promising to text Steve’s parents’ number as soon as she got it from his phone. Olivia hung back until she saw Abbey disappear into Steve’s room, then she approached the nurse’s station. She spent the next twenty minutes explaining to the nurses exactly what she wanted before handing out her card, and then she was gone.

  Abbey checked on Steve before unplugging his mobile and swapping it for hers. She sat down in the chair beside him and put her head on the bed, feeling the warmth of her husband beneath the covers and wishing she could crawl in there with him. Her mind wandered; she read about celebrity tragedy all the time. The articles hadn’t seemed real. Somehow she doubted the stories, because it was easier to believe they were made up than face the reality that it could happen to anyone. She had read about footballers suffering heart attacks, TV personalities fighting cancer and actors with brain tumours. She had been shocked and deeply moved by their stories. They were susceptible to tragedy like everyone else, but she had never once thought it would happen to her. She tried to remember the brain tumour story, did it end well? Did they recover? She drifted off into a restless sleep, tormented by these stories. She came to when she felt a hand on her shoulder and groaned.

  Dr. Lewis smiled at her apologetically. “Mrs. Marshall, so sorry to wake you, but we’re taking Steve for more tests.”

  “Oh, of course, of course, sorry,” stammered Abbey, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

  “They’ll last most of the afternoon. Go home if you need to,” he said kindly.

  “Yes, thank you. I’ll do that.”

  She stood up, aware she was getting in the way as they made to move Steve. Hurriedly she picked up both mobiles and her bag. She turned and touched Steve’s hand, conscious of the people around her, then kissed him quickly before leaving the room. Dazed, she walked out of the hospital, relieved to see a line of taxis waiting outside. She gratefully got in and gave her address, staring blindly out of the window, surprised when the driver pulled up at her home; she had been miles away. Reaching for her purse, she paid the cabbie and searched her bag for her keys. The house seemed cold and empty when she let herself inside. Switching on the kettle, she slipped on an old robe that she kept downstairs. Finally, coffee in hand, she pulled the mobiles from her bag and switched then on.

  She gasped; she had over fifty text messages and over twenty vo
ice mails. Putting her phone down, she picked up Steve’s instead and to her surprise she saw he had only a couple of texts. She had worried his mobile would have a password, but it didn’t, so she clicked into his text messages first and began to read:

  L: I’m sick of this, I’ve told you it’s over! Your little act with her these last few days; was that meant to make me jealous? Too little, too late. Don’t contact me again.

  Steve’s reply chilled her even further.

  Steve: No, don’t do this please, I love you, I’m leaving Abbey. Meet me tonight, our place, usual time. X

  She opened the next text with shaking fingers.

  L: Okay.

  Abbey felt sick to her stomach, her heart beating wildly as she went on to read all the texts in her husband’s phone, before moving on to his contact list, ignoring her phone, which was vibrating with an incoming call. Her land line began to ring as well, until she pulled the plug from the wall. She quickly understood this was not Steve’s usual mobile. That must still be at the hospital; this phone was for contacting his…what? Her mind stumbled over the all too familiar list…lover, mistress…whore! Shock and rage raced through her. He’d been cautious; there was no name on the contact, just a letter L. There were only texts going back till the night of Steve’s collapse. He had deleted anything before that, but she’d read enough to know it was serious, and that he had been planning on leaving her.

  Forgetting everything else, she carefully noted down the contact number before picking up her mobile and punching in the number. She held her breath, but nothing came up. Her phone had not picked up the number from her contact list. Relief surged through her, thank God it wasn’t one of their friends was her first reaction before saving the number under divorce, as this time she knew there was no way back. She jumped when she heard the doorbell ring, followed by banging on the door. She thought about ignoring it but could hear Olivia shouting through the letterbox. As she opened up reluctantly, Olivia burst into the house.

  “Oh my God, why are you not answering your phone? Steve’s…” Olivia voice trailed away as she saw Abbey’s fury.

  “I hope that fucking cheating bastard does the right thing for once and dies,” Abbey spat.

  Olivia was clearly taken aback and just stood with her mouth open.

  “Do you know what I’ve just found? His whore phone! I fucking don’t believe this. I’m such an idiot, searching his phone for his parents’ number. Of course it isn’t fucking on his shag phone; it’s on his real phone, which is back at the fucking hospital.”

  “Abbey, oh my God,” exclaimed Olivia.

  “Stop saying that, for fuck’s sake. It’s not like it’s the first time, Olivia. He was planning to leave me…I still can’t believe it. The little bitch obviously had her claws well into him. I’ve got her number and I’m going to find out who she is…and then I’m going to destroy her.”

  Abbey had worked herself into a frenzy.

  Olivia recovered; the affair didn’t surprise her; as Abbey had said, that wasn’t new, but the timing was disastrous.

  “Christ, Abbey, I need a drink,” exclaimed Olivia.

  She marched through to the kitchen and put the kettle on while rummaging through the booze cabinet to locate the brandy. She poured generous measures into both mugs and topped them up with coffee and milk.

  “Sip that and shut up, I’ve got to think,” she ordered. Abbey picked up her mug sulkily as her phone started to vibrate.

  “You should answer that in case it’s the hospital,” said Olivia automatically.

  “I don’t give a shit if it is the hospital,” snarled Abbey. “Tell them to call her, his tart. I can give them her number,” she said bitterly.

  “Abbey, I know this is hard, but these circumstances are extreme. Steve’s life is hanging by a thread right now; you need to deal with this. Put the other stuff aside for a moment. That’s why I’m here; the hospital staff have been trying to ring you. When they couldn’t get you, they called me instead. They wouldn’t discuss anything with me but asked if I could get you to contact them as soon as possible.”

  Abbey expression was conflicted by fear and anger as her mobile began to vibrate again, and she reluctantly took the call.

  “Hello yes…” She listened. “I’m on my way.”

  Leaving their coffees, they hurriedly locked the house and got into Olivia’s car. The only word she said to Olivia was “Hurry.”

  Chapter 34

  THE BRAILLE CLUB

  Braille Club, London, Present Day: The celebrities arrive one by one and are booked in and given their time slots and keys. Many of them choose a different zone experience from the last. Well, what is the point of having a choice and not exercising it? Unlike Caligo, the booths offer privacy if desired and allow different zones to operate at the same time. The most popular choice this evening is CHANCE, where the roles, times, and zones are randomly selected and loaded onto your Braille Key.

  London, 2012

  Siena

  Siena had not been sleeping, her mind was constantly racing between Benedict, Nick, and lastly her parents. Round and round her mind whirled, pushing her anxiety levels higher and higher until sleep was impossible. She felt exhausted and unwell and had taken a few days off work, mainly to spend time with her parents, but she hoped the rest would restore her.

  They were staying in the same hotel as the fundraiser, arriving a few days beforehand and remaining for the rest of the week until flying home. Her parents sometimes combined the long journey with other European destinations and Siena hoped she hadn’t messed up their plans. Marbella had been two months ago now. She had seen Benedict twice, and her body ached for his touch. Her lips tingled as she thought of his kiss, of what it did to her, and her need to see him again. It had taken every piece of her willpower to push him away, when all she wanted was to be with him. How much longer could she keep Nick away? His patience was running out; she could sense his need for her, making her shudder. She could not touch him, she realized; not now, not ever. It was like a bubble had burst and she was no longer under his spell. She felt utterly alone.

  Explaining her parents’ early arrival to Nick had been easier than she thought. She simply told him they wanted to catch the opening of a new west end show. Nick had said his usual piece; that he was working flat out at the clinic. He always said this to Siena whenever her parents came to visit, but he would be around at the weekends unless any emergencies came up. Siena nodded, telling him she understood.

  Things were strained between them. Nick was furious that Siena would not see a doctor. She said that it was rest she needed and that a few days off would be the best medicine; that and spending time with her parents. Nick sulked and banged out of the house, leaving Siena nervy and upset. She booked her cab for one p.m.; she was meeting her parents for lunch in their hotel. They had arrived yesterday but always insisted on meeting the following day so they could deal with their jet lag and catch up on sleep. Siena felt torn; she was desperate to share her troubles with her parents, but also wanted to protect them. Nick had done nothing wrong, after all. What would they think of her behaviour? She had cheated on her husband with a stranger, because that’s what Benedict was. How could she explain it to her parents when she couldn’t explain it to herself?

  When Siena started to analyse her marriage, she found herself facing reality for the first time. She had been so young when she met and married Nick. He had seemed so different from everyone she knew and best of all, he’d understood her. She hadn’t been interested in any boys of her own age; they had seemed so immature and boring to her, plus they could never understand what she’d been through, unlike Nick.

  Maybe it had been a father figure complex, looking for an older man who would look after her and keep her safe. Looking back now, Nick had been good at both. Her introduction to those parties had caught her imagination just when she was perhaps a little bored. It had breathed excitement into their marriage. He had encouraged her career, never minding whe
n she worked late, always supportive. They hadn’t had the distraction of children, so their lives and careers were never disrupted, and they had socialized with Nick’s friends rather than hers; not that she’d had any, really. She’d got used to an older crowd, indulgent holidays, and an exciting fast-paced career.

  Her bond with her father had gone from strength to strength, and as she’d got older, she could see he hadn’t been obsessed with having a son, he had just wanted her mother to be happy, and to give her what she wanted: another child. It had eclipsed their lives, pushing Siena into the shadows in the process. Her parents had admitted this to her much later, when they’d attended therapy as a family, and it had helped with her demons. Of course, she’d missed working with her father but never regretted the sale; it had been too good an offer. Although she had moved on, setting up her investment company, she had felt a restlessness growing inside her.

  Did she have an ulterior motive with the villa? Had he always been there, in the back of her mind? Their connection had taken her breath away all those years ago. She’d never forgotten him…or was Fate intervening?

  She thought of the tarot card reader and froze; she hadn’t understood her reading at the time. Passion, unhappiness, new beginnings, and what…? She couldn’t remember now. It tugged at the corner of her mind but wouldn’t reveal itself and she sighed with frustration.

  Now she was being ridiculous, believing in such nonsense. Lucy had taken her, laughing when Siena had voiced her concerns and doubts about her reading.

  “She’s the best in the business, Siena, deadly accurate in my experience.”

  Lucy had gone in after Siena and was unusually quiet over lunch afterwards.

  “Soooo,” said Siena teasingly. “What did she say to you?”

  Lucy was preoccupied. “Oh, just the usual, that I’d find true love but at a cost,” she snorted.