‘You have nothing to apologise for. It’s me who needs to say sorry for being so awkward about things. I know it’s not your fault she’s how she is and I shouldn’t be taking it out on you, especially when I brought Tony into our lives and he’s someone I do regret meeting.’
He kissed me gently. ‘From now on, we won’t let them get us down. We—’
But he was interrupted by his phone ringing. ‘Sorry, Cal… Izzy? What now? No… Because I don’t believe you. I’m taking Callie out for a meal tonight after you ruined our plans last night… Then ask Jess… Seriously, Izzy, stop calling me. If you’re that ill, call an ambulance.’ Then he hung up.
‘She certainly scores ten out of ten for persistence,’ I said. ‘How many times has she called?’
‘Four or five.’ He shrugged. ‘Maybe six times.’
My stomach tightened and alarm bells started ringing in my head. I hadn’t been able to hear the exact words Izzy said but I’d certainly been able to pick up on the tone and she’d sounded quite desperate. Could that have been part of the act? ‘She’s never pestered you that much before.’
‘That’s because I’ve always rushed to her aid. This is obviously the new tactic to keep ringing until I drop everything.’
I nodded slowly. ‘Perhaps. Oh well, I’d best get back to work.’
Rhys kissed me again before I opened the shed door to leave. But something was niggling me. ‘You mentioned tonight. Was she wanting you to babysit?’
‘No. Get this, right. She wanted us to have Megan overnight.’
‘Us as in you and me? Don’t you think that’s a bit strange going from me not being allowed to see Megan to letting me have her overnight?’
‘Very. Maybe it’s part of her latest twisted game.’
‘Or maybe she is genuinely ill this time.’
‘You think so?’
I shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Something about this time feels different. And she doesn’t normally pester you at work either.’
Rhys dialled her back. I could hear the phone ringing out at Izzy’s end but not connecting.
‘Try again,’ I urged when he hung up, but the same thing happened.
‘You’d better go,’ I said. ‘I’ll lock up. Hopefully it’s nothing.’
Forty minutes later Rhys called. ‘I’m at the hospital. She’d collapsed.’
‘On my God. Is she okay?’
‘I hope so. It’s a burst appendix. The paramedic said she was in a bad way but they think they got to her in time.’ There was a pause. ‘What if she hadn’t phoned while you were there? I’d never have gone round. She could have—’
‘Stop it. You can’t think like that. She’s the one who cried wolf too many times. She’s to blame. Not you. You saved her life.’
‘You saved her life.’
‘We saved her life. Where’s Megan?’
‘With me. She was asleep at the time. I’m going to find out how Izzy is, then I’ll go back to the house with Megan.’
‘Do you want me to come round when I’ve finished?’
‘Yes please.’ Rhys sounded exhausted.
‘I can ask to leave now. I’m sure Ian would understand.’
‘No. There’s no point. There’s nothing you can do here but I appreciate it. I love you.’
‘I love you too.’
I hung up and went to find Ruby to put her in the picture. It touched me to hear the musical teddy bear playing when she led me into the lounge area. ‘It’s a beautiful piece,’ I said.
‘If I close my eyes, I’m back in the concert hall listening to Teddy playing it on the piano.’ She shook her head as though trying to dislodge the memory. ‘What can I do for you, darling?’
Sighing, I explained what had been going on with Izzy and her demands on Rhys, culminating in the latest genuine cry for help, which was very nearly ignored.
‘Why didn’t she call anyone else?’ Ruby asked.
‘Rhys said her mum and sister went to Spain on Boxing Day to stay with her grandma who emigrated over there, and her best friend is away too. I’m not sure she has anyone else.’
‘How sad. I always got the impression she had lots of friends but maybe that changed after Megan was born. Well, I hope she gets well soon, but she’s a very silly little girl and I hope this is a terrifying wake-up call for her to grow up and take some responsibility for herself.’
‘Did you see much of her when she and Rhys were together?’
‘Only a couple of times. He brought her round to the house before I moved in here. She seemed like a pleasant enough young woman so I’d never have expected this sort of shenanigans from her. I didn’t think she was right for Rhys, mind.’
‘Why?’
‘Something about how they were together. They were awkward in each other’s company, like two people with very little in common who’d been set up on a blind date. I was always surprised it lasted a couple of months instead of a couple of weeks.’
‘Having met her twice now, I can’t see why it even lasted a couple of hours, although I’m sure Rhys probably thinks the same about Tony. Each to their own, eh?’
‘Don’t keep punishing yourself about Tony. He was a charming man. He had everyone fooled.’
‘Except you.’
‘That’s because I recognised him from where I used to live, darling. That Iris Davies thought he was wonderful and many of the others who met him did too.’
Ruby stood up and wandered over to the window. She had an amazing view over the gardens and North Bay beyond. Looking out the window, with her back to me, she said, ‘Before I moved to Devon, dear George’s sister, Frances, challenged me about walking out of Teddy’s life. She’d seen Teddy and Gabriella together once and had been astonished when somebody told her they were married. She described them as “uncomfortable strangers” just like Rhys and Izzy. She said George and I were “extremely comfortable companions” and that Teddy and I were “two halves of the same person”.’ She turned to me. ‘I’m not sure where I’d classify you and Tony because, other than that horrible day when you found out about his wife, I never saw you together outside of work. You and Rhys, though, are definitely two halves of the same person.’
‘Like you and Teddy.’
She nodded.
‘Then why don’t you make contact with him? Gabriella’s dead and…’ I stopped when I saw Ruby’s eyes widen. Crap! I’d given myself away.
‘You looked him up?’
‘I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist. He’s still pretty yummy.’
I thought Ruby was going to tell me off, but her expression softened. ‘Yes, he still has it.’ She sat down in her chair again. ‘Gabriella’s dead?’
‘Eight years ago. But they’d divorced long before that. She married three more times after Teddy.’
‘And Teddy? He remarried?’
‘Not as far as I could tell.’
Ruby leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She breathed in deeply, exhaled, then repeated that before opening her eyes again. ‘I keep saying it’s too late and our time has passed, but you don’t think it’s too late, do you, darling?’
I took her hand in mine and squeezed it. ‘It’s never too late.’
She squeezed my hand back. ‘Let’s get this New Year’s Eve party out of the way and then I’ll think about it.’
‘For Teddy and for Ed?’
‘Goodness me, you are persistent.’
I stood up and smiled at her. ‘What do I always say is my number one priority?’
‘Making the residents happy.’
‘And I know that getting in touch with your soulmate and your son will ultimately make you happy so I’m going to keep nagging.’
45
‘Izzy wants to see you,’ Rhys said when I arrived at the hospital after my shift.
‘Me? Why?’
He shrugged as he took over from me, gently pushing Megan’s buggy back and forth in the hospital corridor.
Taking a deep breath, I headed do
wn the corridor towards Chestnut Ward. Looking so pale that her face appeared almost transparent, Izzy was dozing as I approached her bed. I hesitated. Should I wake her? We weren’t friends so it didn’t seem appropriate to sit beside her while she was sleeping. The decision was taken out of my hands when a patient on another bed coughed loudly. Izzy opened her eyes, looked momentarily disorientated, then spotted me hovering near the end of her bed. Her lips were dry and cracked and she started coughing as soon as she tried to speak. Dashing forward, I grabbed the jug of water on her bedside cabinet and poured her a cup as she pressed the button to raise the top half of her bed. I held the drink to her mouth and she took a few sips.
‘Thank you.’
‘How are you feeling?’ I asked, lowering myself onto the bedside chair.
‘Sore and tired.’
‘I’m not surprised. Sounds nasty.’
‘It was… I was lucky… Have you to thank.’ She was clearly exhausted, struggling to speak in full sentences. ‘Rhys told me… He wouldn’t have…’
‘It wasn’t his fault, though.’ I grimaced. I’d just implied that it was her fault. Although it was.
‘Been stupid… So sorry…’ A tear ran down her cheek. ‘Could’ve left my baby with no mum.’
Noticing a box of tissues by the water jug, I pulled one out and passed it to her.
‘Don’t think like that,’ I assured her. ‘Consider it a tough lesson learned. It happens to all of us. Maybe not with such a dramatic outcome, but we all make mistakes. It’s what makes us human.’
Izzy wiped her eyes and blew her nose. Lying back on her pillow, she stared at the ceiling. ‘Thought I had it all worked out. Perfect life planned… baby… house. Only needed the man.’ She coughed. ‘Saw Rhys and it had to be him.’ She smiled as though fondly recalling the evening they’d met. ‘That hair… those eyes… He’s gorgeous. Our baby would be too.’
My jaw tightened, listening to her talking about my fiancé in that way. I dreaded to know where this was going, but I stayed quiet and let her continue.
Izzy sighed. ‘Never thought of the impact on him. Changed his life because it suited me.’ She shook her head. ‘Had no right to make that decision. Can’t regret it cos I love Megan. Don’t love Rhys. Lovely guy. Gorgeous. Doesn’t do it for me, though.’
‘Just as well you’re not engaged to him, then, isn’t it?’ I bit my lip again. Why couldn’t I just think things?
Izzy turned her head towards me again. ‘You’re funny. You say what you think. My sister does that.’
‘I sometimes wish I didn’t.’
‘Not trying to steal Rhys. Not that I could, even if I wanted to.’
‘Then why did you kiss him? Why did you keep calling him round on nights you knew he was with me? It doesn’t make sense.’
She coughed and I handed her some water to sip again.
‘Thought I’d be happy,’ she continued. ‘Thought this was the life I wanted but…’ She paused. ‘It’s hard work on my own. Most friends ditched me… Go out drinking, but I’m the boring one with the baby. My best mate, Jess, loves Megan but she’s with Lee. Barely see her. Got jealous of Rhys and his freedom. Didn’t want to be with him but didn’t want anyone else to be. Wanted Megan and me to be his main priority.’ She looked at me again and another tear rolled down her cheek. ‘I panicked when you were serious. What if you had babies and he didn’t want Megan anymore?’
‘You must know that he’d never abandon Megan, even if he had a dozen kids with me.’
She seemed to sink further into the mattress. ‘I do. But when you’re alone with a crying baby at three in the morning… Too much thinking time.’
Izzy’s eyelids kept flickering and I could tell she was struggling to stay awake. ‘You’d better get some sleep.’
‘I’m a nice person really… I’ll show you I am. So sorry…’ And then she was gone.
I pressed the button to lower the bed and tucked her arms under the covers. However selfish and misguided her actions with Rhys had been around Megan’s conception, the result had been a gorgeous little girl and nobody could ever regret that happening. Everything since then had been the actions of a lonely young woman who clearly hadn’t considered the consequences. It was time to draw a line in the sand and move on.
‘I keep thinking about Maria,’ I said as I snuggled up to Rhys on the sofa at Izzy’s house late that evening. Megan was settled in her cot, although for how long was anyone’s guess. Apparently she was going through a particularly unsettled period, tending to wake in the early hours.
Rhys shifted position so he could look at me. ‘I thought you’d decided that she wasn’t worth it.’
‘I had, but what Izzy said got me thinking. I reckon Maria’s lonely too. I told you about her family, didn’t I? She never seemed to have many friends, either. Pete and I were the only ones she was close to at work. I know Pete still sees her but I don’t think she has anyone else.’
‘She’s got Tony.’
I nudged him. ‘That’s probably worse than having nobody.’
We fell silent for a while. ‘Why don’t you call her?’ Rhys suggested eventually. ‘Not now, obviously, but maybe in the New Year? Give her one more chance. But if she gives you a mouthful again, can you promise me you’ll let it go? I hate seeing you so worried about it all. You can’t keep pushing against a closed door, you know. Sometimes it’ll never open.’
I laughed. ‘That sounds very wise and profound, Mr Michaels.’
‘I’d like to take credit, but it’s something Mum used to say about me trying to convince Dad to meet with Ruby.’
‘I suppose you’re both right. Although sometimes it does just take that one final push for the door to open.’ I kissed him. ‘Thank you for understanding about Maria and I promise I’ll let it go after this final push.’
I woke up, heart thumping. What the hell was that noise? Then I registered where I was.
‘I’ll go,’ Rhys mumbled.
Pressing my phone beside the bed, I frowned. 1.18 a.m. Urgh. We’d only been asleep for about an hour. A streetlight outside Izzy’s house cast a faint glow into the room so I lay back in the semi-darkness, cringing as I listened to Megan squawking. She’d cried a little when we’d been out with her on Boxing Day, but this was something else. How could something so small create such a hideous racket? I picked up my phone again and Googled ‘How to stop a baby from crying’.
Fifteen minutes later, Rhys reappeared, with a screaming Megan squirming in his arms, all red cheeks and flailing fists. ‘I’m out of ideas.’ He looked at me helplessly. ‘I’ve changed her and tried her with a bottle but nothing works.’
‘I’ve Googled it and it’s a minefield. The only sensible suggestion I can find for now is to take her for a drive. Worth a try?’
‘I’m up for anything.’
Rhys disappeared to start the engine and get the heating going as we didn’t want to add freezing van to her list of woes, which left me to wrestle her into a fleecy sleepsuit. And I mean wrestle. I actually had sweat trickling into my eyes by the time I’d finished.
The drive from Izzy’s to North Bay was fraught. Megan’s fists continued to flail and her legs kicked as she let the whole world know about her displeasure. The roads were deserted and rightly so. Who in their right mind would be driving around in the early hours of a Thursday morning?
North Bay and South Bay are connected by The Headland – a road that runs the entire two-and-a-half miles from Hearnshaw Park in the north to the site of the old lido in the south, passing over the river and harbour below Whitsborough Bay Castle roughly halfway. With roundabouts at either end, it provided the ideal loop to hopefully lull Megan back to sleep.
Megan’s sobs started to decrease in intensity as we approached the roundabout at South Bay on our first pass along the seafront. By the time we’d made it to the castle on the return journey, she was sound asleep.
‘You’re a genius, Cal,’ Rhys said, glancing down at his peaceful daughter.
‘That was the worst noise in the world.’
‘I know! I thought my ears were going to start bleeding. Respect to Izzy if she’s been putting up with that.’
‘I need to give her more help. I had no idea.’
‘Why would you?’ I said. ‘She never told you. And it hasn’t always been like this, has it?’
‘True. Izzy doesn’t have a car, though. I wonder how the hell she settles her.’
After rounding The Headland, we passed a small car park; a popular spot for couples. I gasped as I clocked the unmistakable private registration plate of one of the cars parked there.
‘That’s Tony’s car,’ I said. ‘Why would he bring Maria here now that he’s living with her?’ Even as I said the words, I knew the answer, and Rhys’s sympathetic sideways glance confirmed it. ‘Except that won’t be Maria he’s with, will it? God, Rhys, will that man ever learn to keep it in his pants?’
‘Maybe you should make that final push on the door tomorrow?’ he suggested.
‘And tell her about this?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe. Wouldn’t you rather have known?’
We completed the lap and set off on our second one, then our third. My stomach churned each time we passed the car park and Tony’s car was still there. The streetlights were too dim for me to see inside the car. I hoped that it was my imagination that had it rocking, but suspected it wasn’t.
On our fourth lap, with Megan completely zonked out beside me, I whispered to Rhys to slow down. A couple were leaning against Tony’s car. The headlights from Rhys’s van briefly illuminated his face and the back of her hair. Her auburn hair. Definitely not Maria, then.
46
We’d been worried that Megan wouldn’t settle in her nursery and we’d have to strap her back into the van and drive up and down the seafront all morning. Thankfully it seemed that the drive had soothed her into a deep sleep because she didn’t even stir as I slipped her out of her sleepsuit and laid her back in her cot.
Making Wishes at Bay View Page 24
