Barry and Ralph didn’t say anything for a few minutes as they began to read the three-page document. Eventually, they looked at each other and excused themselves from the room. Molly couldn’t read their reactions to the contract, she had no idea if they would agree or not, but really, if they wanted the land, they wouldn’t have a choice but to sign. They came back in a few minutes later and sat down. Ralph was the one to speak.
“I have just phoned my client and he had agreed the time constraints are a little long. That being said, if you can take it down to July first, we’ll be happy to sign.”
“Do you have any idea how long it’ll take to relocate the butterflies and larvae etcetera?” Molly said, her voice coloured with frustration. “It’s not a quick process.”
“Why can’t you just let them go?” Barry asked.
“I’m losing my business here, I have debts to pay. I need as much money as we can get.” She didn’t like telling them how desperate she was for the cash, but at this point, they already knew the farm was failing. If she wanted to she could close the business and still keep her lease in place for the next five years. She could keep Barry waiting all that time. She didn’t think one month should be a problem. “You know the deal. It’s this or you’ll not be seeing your property for years.” Barry and Ralph exchanged glances, Barry nodded imperceptibly.
Turning to Molly he said, “I had no idea you were such a shrewd businesswoman. It seems we don’t have a choice.” He reached into his pocket and signed three copies of the contract, Ralph followed suit. “You’ll have your ten-grand transferred to your account by the end of the month.”
Molly was glad he kept to his word and was paying her the amount he offered her the other week to break the lease. She’d spit it with Tiffany and hopefully, that would help in paying any bills Tiffany was behind on. Her half would be used toward moving costs to a new home when the time came. She took the pen Jac offered her and signed her name, Tiffany doing the same. Jac passed back two copies for Barry and Ralph to keep and put the other one back in her file.
“Now that’s sorted, Molly needs her rest,” Jac said. The two men rose and walked out without saying goodbye. Molly slumped back into the cushion, not realizing how tense she was during the whole exchange, her thighs burned with the effort it took to not move her legs out of frustration.
“I’m ready to see Doc Miles and get out of here.” At the mention of his name Tiffany’s eyes lit up.
“I’ll come with you,” Tiffany said. “You know, just to find out your care instructions in case Jac forgets anything.”
“Of course,” Molly replied, smiling at Tiffany’s blush. Now the contracts were signed she could relax and concentrate on getting better. She wanted to heal as fast as possible, or at least enough so she could help out at the farm. She didn’t relish the thought of her business being disbanded without her overseeing it all, but she also knew her recovery came first. The sooner she got home, the quicker she could get better.
***
The ambulance ride was pure torture for Molly. Although they had strapped her in tightly, the rocking motion of the vehicle still caused her legs to move. She could feel every bump in the road and she desperately wanted to get to her cottage, take her pain meds, and sleep. Forty minutes after leaving the hospital the vehicle slowed, the crunch of gravel under the tires clueing Molly in that she was at the farm. Slowly the ambulance made its way up the long driveway through the property and finally stopped. A minute later the back doors were opened, and she was being wheeled down the ramp. A shadow fell over her eyes and Molly couldn’t help but smile at Jac’s anxious face leaning over her.
“Are you okay?” Jac asked, taking her hand in her own.
“Yeah, just can’t wait to get inside and settled.” Jac let her go as the ambulance crew pushed Molly up the path. Molly tried lifting her head to glance at the greenhouse that wasn’t far away, but the strap over her forehead stopped her moving. She would have liked to see them, having missed them terribly over the last four weeks. She closed her eyes as tears threatened to fall. She wasn’t sure if it was the joy of being home causing them or knowing she had lost her business.
The front door opened, and she felt a shift in temperature as they maneuvered inside. Her ceiling came into view, the errant thought of repainting flashed through her mind before she remembered she would be leaving in a few months. She frowned when the crew steered her to left into the lounge instead of straight through to her bedroom. When the forward movement stopped, and they released the strap around her head, she tipped her chin forward. What she saw astounded her. In the middle of the lounge stood a brand-new adjustable bed facing the lounge windows, a huge ‘welcome home’ sign above it. There was even a smattering of balloons tied to the bedposts. She searched for Jac, finding her stood by the doorway. Molly lifted her eyes in question.
“I thought it would be nicer in here for you to recover. You can see the farm and it has better lighting.”
“Thank you.” The pain in Molly’s legs was forgotten for a moment at Jac’s thoughtful gesture. It thrilled her to know that Jac understood how much the farm meant to her. The throbbing came back tenfold though when the ambulance crew hoisted her off the stretcher and placed her on the bed. She cried out when her right leg hit the mattress. Even though the crew was gentle, the cage surrounding her legs caused the pins inside to shift, causing the pain. Jac pressed a button on a hand controller, lifting the head of the bed, and then she placed a pain pill in Molly’s hand with a glass of water. Molly gulped it down greedily. It would only take ten minutes for the effects of the medication to work and Molly tried desperately not to count down the time in her head. She took no notice as the ambulance crew packed up their stretcher and left, she didn’t even hear the door close behind them. All she could concentrate on was the horrendous agony radiating up her leg and into her spine. Her eyes were screwed shut, keeping the tears inside, when she felt Jac sit next to her on the queen-size bed and pull her into her arms. The solid presence and warmth of Jac’s body penetrated the pain and Molly clung to her as gradually the torment became a dull ache. She felt her body go limp in Jac’s arms as the medication beckoned her to the abyss. Within minutes the pain was gone and Molly was asleep.
Chapter Thirteen
Jac held on to Molly long after Molly had fallen asleep. It was a guilty pleasure and she relished it; she didn’t know when, or if, she would ever get to hold her again. After thirty minutes she shifted to the side and off the bed, careful to lay Molly down gently so she didn’t disturb her. She watched her for a few moments to make sure she was settled and then headed into the kitchen to start making dinner. It had been a long day and she knew Molly would be hungry once she woke up. Gathering the ingredients to make Molly’s favourite, chicken pasta alfredo, she couldn’t help but think how weird it felt to be in the home she once shared with her. It was something she never dreamed would happen again. Her only wish being that she didn’t have to pack up all her belongings before Molly came home. It would have been nice to be back here with all her stuff around her, hers and Molly’s. It would have been as if she had never left. But of course they couldn’t erase the last five years, as much as Jac wanted to. They had bridges to build and Jac hoped now Molly was home, and Jac was staying with her, they could begin rebuilding the connection they once had.
She hummed quietly to herself as she cooked, her mind firmly on Molly. Being back here brought a happiness to herself she didn’t know she had missed. She had been so lonely without Molly and the regret of staying away so long still lingered in her soul.
Before long the food was cooked. She plated the dishes up and then went to wake Molly. As she entered the lounge, Molly was already awake, staring at her mobile. Her forehead was creased, her lips set in a frown.
“What’s the matter,” Jac asked.
Molly glanced up and smiled quickly. She held up her phone. “The smell of food woke me and I went to check the time on my phone. My dad texted, asking
how I was. I think he thinks I’m still in the hospital.” She dropped the phone back in her lap. It was clear to Jac that regardless of what Molly said in the hospital, about being okay with him going back to the States, she was clearly upset over it.
“Do you want to give him a call?”
Molly shook her head. “No, I can’t deal with him today. I’m still exhausted from the move home.”
“Do you want to eat later?”
“Now’s fine. I’m starving.”
Jac nodded and smiled. She went into the hall closet and pulled out the foldable lap tray she had purchased the other day. She placed it over Molly’s thighs, careful of her leg cage and then went to fetch Molly’s plate. Bringing it back into the lounge with her, she said, “The home care nurse will be here in about an hour to see how you’re doing. I think she’s going to show me how to help you use the bedpan.” Jac didn’t miss the blush that worked its way up Molly’s neck and face. She wanted to tease her for it but knew Molly wouldn’t find it funny, so she refrained from commenting. Instead she said, “The physio will be coming in the morning about ten o’clock.” She went back to the kitchen and grabbed cutlery and her plate.
“This looks amazing,” Molly said. “You remembered.” Her gaze softened as she look at her and Jac could see the lingering love Molly still had for her held in their depths. She took the proffered cutlery and dug in, her eyes closing at the first mouthful. “God, I’ve missed proper food whilst I was in the hospital.”
“As you know, I’m not the best cook, but I always make this the way you like it.” She took a seat on the footstool, balancing her plate on her legs, and together they ate in silence for a few minutes.
“Um, Jac?”
“Yes?” Jac looked up seeing Molly staring at her food, twirling her fork in the pasta.
“When are you going home?”
The question was asked so quietly Jac thought she misheard, but from the way Molly avoided looking at her she knew she heard right. She wasn’t sure if Molly wanted her gone or not, so decided to be truthful. Even if Molly didn’t want her in her life she would still be staying in The Midlands. “I’m not. I told you I was going to stay in Wolverhampton. This is where I belong.”
“Yeah?” Molly glanced at her then back to her plate. Jac couldn’t tell if she was happy with her answer or not, but the quick smile that flashed over her gave Jac some hope Molly might be open to revisiting their relationship. “What about all your stuff in London?”
Jac wanted to say that all she needed was in this room but knew that Molly wouldn’t be pleased with the soppy remark, so she said, “I don’t really have anything in London. I left all my stuff here.” Molly’s eyes went wide but didn’t comment about Jac’s belongings being in the shed out back, so she continued. “I can drive up there in a week or two and end my tenancy and collect what I need, but it’s not urgent.” Truth be told, she didn’t really have anything there worth saving, just work clothes, pots and pans, and her flat screen TV. She could leave it all there and it wouldn’t be missed.
Molly nodded and started eating again. After a few mouthfuls, she asked, “Will you see your mother while you’re here?”
What is it with all these difficult questions all of a sudden? Jac hadn’t really seen or spoken to her mother since her dad passed away. There was no big drama, her mother simply closed in on herself when her husband died and gradually they had drifted apart. Jac couldn’t even remember when she had last called her. Maybe it was time for a visit?
“I guess. It’s been too long since I saw her last. I’m not even sure if she still lives in the same house.”
“She does.”
Jac’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’ve seen her?”
“Occasionally, she likes to come and see the butterfly garden. She doesn’t talk much, we just sit together and let them fly around us. I think she finds it peaceful.”
Jac was a little jealous that Molly had been spending time with her mother, but she quickly squashed the ugly emotion. She was pleased her mum and Molly both had someone they could be with. Molly had known Jac’s mother for nearly two decades. Just because they had broken up didn’t mean Molly wouldn’t want to keep that friendship going. It was one more thing to add to the list of things Jac loved about Molly. She was kind and compassionate and it warmed Jac’s heart to know her mother had a place she could go to find peace when she needed it to help deal with the loss of her husband.
With dinner finished Jac took the plates back to the kitchen and removed the lap tray from Molly just as a knock sounded at the door. “I’ll get it,” Jac called, hearing Molly laugh at her joke. An older woman stood on the other side of the door dressed in a nurse’s tunic, medical bag in one hand and a folder in the other. Jac guessed her to be about fifty, with slightly greying blonde hair and the richest sea-green eyes Jac had ever seen, momentarily mesmerised by the colour.
“Good evening, I’m here to see Molly Fisher.”
“Right this way.” Jac stepped aside and allowed the nurse to enter, then led her to the lounge where Molly waited.
***
Jac tried not to hover whilst Sally, the nurse, checked over Molly’s legs. The sites where the pins went through Molly’s skin and into the bone all looked fine to Jac, but she was no doctor. Her stomach twisted as Sally frowned as she worked her way around each location. Jac didn’t miss the grimace of pain in Molly’s features either as she was poked and prodded. Sally was very efficient and worked quickly. When she had finished she glanced at Jac.
“It all looks good. No damage from the trip over from the hospital. I’m going to give her a sponge bath now. Will you be the one doing this when I’m not here?” She lifted her eyebrows.
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Sally set about gathering the things she needed while Molly looked everywhere but at Jac. It was easy to tell she was uncomfortable with all this. Jac’s heart went out to her. It couldn’t be easy having someone bathe you while you were so helpless. She didn’t want Molly to be ashamed, so while Sally was filling a bucket in the bathroom Jac approached Molly.
“Would you rather I didn’t do this?” Molly still wouldn’t look at her. Jac took her hand. “Molly. It’s okay if you don’t.” A lone tear fell down Molly’s cheek. Jac wiped it away with her thumb. “We can ask Sally or get another nurse to do it if you prefer.”
“No, it’s okay.” Molly’s hand tightened in her own. “It’s not like you haven’t washed me before.”
Jac smiled at the reference of them sharing multiple showers while they were married. However, this was different. This wasn’t two lovers sharing intimacy, this was Molly’s dignity they were talking about and Jac would never want to do anything to make her feel less than human.
“Those were some great times.” She smiled. “I won’t be mad if you choose someone else.”
“No. I’d rather it was someone I know, not some stranger.” Molly looked at her, her intense gaze warming Jac’s skin. “I want it to be you. It’s just difficult not being able to do this for myself.”
“Well, hopefully, it won’t be long before you get better mobility and you’ll be able to take care of it yourself.”
Molly squeezed her hand once more before letting go. Sally came back into the room and, over the next twenty minutes, she showed Jac how to bathe the wounds and manoeuvre Molly without hurting her. Molly kept her eyes closed while Sally taught Jac how to roll her to use the bedpan, she kept a clinical mind while she did so, not seeing this as Molly, the woman she loved, but more of a task that needed to be completed, methodical and without emotion. Before long Sally was packed up and heading out the door, promising to return in a few days to check Molly’s wounds again. Jac showed her out and when she came back into the lounge, Molly was crying softly, her hands covering her face.
“Hey, come on now. It’s over.” Jac sat on the mattress, pulling Molly close, kissing her damp hair. “It wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“I don’t think I can take
months of this.” Molly sniffed, then swiped her hand across her nose. “Just laying here being looked after like a baby.”
“I know it’s hard, but I promise, you’ll be okay in no time.”
Molly pushed Jac away, her eyes flashing with anger. “You don’t know that, Jac. We don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to use my leg properly again.”
Jac stared at Molly, her words sinking in. Molly was right, they didn’t know, but that didn’t mean they should give up hope. Having a positive outlook was always better than doom and gloom. Why spend your time worrying about things that haven’t happened yet? She refrained from saying that, knowing it wouldn’t be helpful to Molly right now. She racked her brain for something to say that might make her feel better but couldn’t come up with anything. She looked away from the anguish on Molly’s face, and glared out the window, seeing the butterfly garden in the distance. An idea formed in her mind, her lips stretching into a smile. She turned back to Molly, who sat with arms folded across her chest, frowning.
“When I was helping Gabe pack up the visitors centre, I noticed you have some wooden boards around the back. How about after the physiotherapist comes, and he shows us how to get into the wheelchair, I lay them out on the gravel track and we go visit the butterflies?” Molly’s gaze flicked up to Jac, hope shining from her iris’s.
“You think there’s enough to reach it?”
Jac shrugged. “I can always move the ones you’ve been over and line them up in front again. It might take us a while to get there, but, yeah, it’s doable.”
“That would be awesome.” Molly turned her head to see out the window. “I’ve missed them.” For the first time in an hour, Molly smiled widely, all traces of her earlier frustration gone.
“I’ll head out now and start laying them down.” She glanced at the clock. It was six-thirty. “Maybe Gabe or Jay are still hanging around and will be able to give me a hand. Will you be okay?”
Butterfly Kisses Page 9
