And Then There Was You

  I rolled forward onto my stomach and closed my eyes for a second. Maybe I could sleep for a little while, I thought, just as the doorbell rang. Groaning, I rolled over and stood up before switching off the lights and heading downstairs.

  It was Charlie.

  'Hey, Charlie,' I said, kissing her on the cheek. 'How are you?'

  She leaned back with her hand on her lower back, accentuating the baby bump, which was flourishing. 'I'm not too bad, thanks, darlin'. A bit fed up of all this morning sickness, though.'

  'I can imagine,' I said as I moved out of the way so she could come in. 'It's good to see you. We haven't seen much of you, lately. Would you like a cup of tea? I've actually got some ginger tea, if you fancy it?'

  'Ooh, darlin', that'd be lovely, thanks. The doctor recommended I have ginger whenever I feel a bit nauseous.'

  'Come on through,' I said as she followed me into the kitchen and yawned loudly.

  'Ooh, sorry. I've just been so tired lately. I had no idea pregnancy played such havoc.' She smiled sadly. 'Oh Eve, I'm sorry,' she said. 'You must think I'm so insensitive, talking about being pregnant.'

  'Don't be silly, Charlie. I'm delighted for you, and you can talk about being pregnant as much as you like. I came to terms with it a long time ago.'

  'Really?' she asked. 'It's just that you seemed so upset when I told you I was expecting.'

  I stopped for a second, hovering the ginger teabag over the cup before dropping it in. 'Well, occasionally itis hard. But it was more of a shock than anything. What with Adam having adult children, I guess I just wasn't expecting it, that's all.'

  Charlie remained quiet for a while.

  'Here you go. Careful, it's hot,' I said as I handed her the cup. 'Would you like a biscuit?'

  'No thanks.'

  'You sure? I've got Ginger Nuts?' I winked.

  'Oh, if you insist then,' Charlie grinned and I pulled the unopened packet out of the cupboard.

  'I'm surprised they haven't been opened yet, they're Matt's favourite. They don't usually last this long.'

  'Oh really?' Charlie asked.

  'He's not himself at the moment. I don't know what's wrong,' I sighed, taking a sip of my own Rooibos tea.

  'Isn't he? Maybe it's the weather?' she suggested.

  'Funny, he said the same thing. But the weather's perfect. For March, anyway.'

  'Yes, I suppose so,' she said sadly.

  'Are you okay, Charlie? You don't seem your usual perky self?' I smiled.

  She looked out of the window for a moment before she shook her head. 'Oh, it's nothing. Probably just the pregnancy. Your hormones go crazy. It's not very nice,' she said quietly.

  'Well, just a few more months to go, eh?'

  'Just over two,' she muttered.

  'Well not long then, not really.'

  'I'm terrified,' she whispered.

  'Oh Charlie, don't be,' I reassured her and sat down opposite.

  'Adam said he'll be there but...but...'

  'But what?' I asked.

  'I don't really want him to be there.'

  'Why ever not?'

  Charlie shrugged her shoulders and looked a little embarrassed before speaking, 'I've already spoken to my sister, and she's promised to be there. I don't know, Eve. I just don't want him there.'

  'Have you told him?' I asked.

  'No... not yet.'

  'I'm sure he'll understand.'

  'Maybe.' She mused for a moment, and then, all of a sudden, asked, 'Where's Matt gone?'

  'Just out for a ride. He was getting on my nerves, so I suggested it. He hasn't been out for a while. It'll do him good.'

  'Yes it will.' She smiled.

  'I think he misses you,' I said, laughing.

  Charlie's face turned pink and she almost dropped her tea.

  'Oh, careful. It's hot,' I said, going to grab it.

  'Sorry. What do you mean, he misses me?' she whispered, as I wiped the little bit of spilled liquid from the table.

  'Cycling,' I said. 'He likes going riding with you.'

  'Yes, me too,' she replied shyly. 'I miss it too.'

  Suddenly standing up and heading into the hall, she said, 'I'd better go. Thanks for the tea, Eve. Maybe see you soon?'

  Before I had a chance to answer her, she was out the door, closing it behind her.

  Weird.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  I'd whipped up a chicken madras – Matt's favourite – for dinner, but by half past seven I was starting to get worried. He rarely stayed out on the motorbike this long. I paced up and down the hallway, trying to get him on the mobile – knowing full well that he wouldn't answer it if he was driving. Cursing him under my breath, I decided I'd just go ahead and eat before him. Sod him. If he was this late then he'd just have to re-heat it when he eventually got home.

  I was just plating up when the doorbell went. Did he forget his keys? He never forgot his keys.

  I put the saucepan of rice back on the side and headed to the front door. My heart did a flip as I opened it. A policeman stood staring back at me.

  'Mrs. Brooke?' he asked, holding his hat in his hands and turning it around and around. 'I'm afraid there's been an accident,' was all I heard before I fell to the floor.

  oOo

  'Eve? Eve?' said a worried voice I recognised.

  'Charlie? Wh...what happened?” I asked before I spotted the same police officer standing behind her in the hallway.

  'You collapsed,' she said with tears in her eyes.

  'What's happening? Where's Matt?' I asked. 'What happened to Matt?'

  'I'm afraid he was involved in a crash, Mrs. Brooke.'

  'Is he... is he...' Charlie whispered, holding on to the stairs.

  'He's alive,' was all the police officer said, as Charlie and I both burst into tears.

  'He's at the Royal United Hospital...'

  'Eve! Eve!' shouted a voice from the driveway before Adam rushed in past the policeman, his face a mask of fear.

  'Charlie? What's happened? Eve? Are you alright?' he said as he rushed to my side and kneeled beside me.

  'It's Matt,' Charlie whispered, trying to hold back more tears from falling. 'He's been in an accident.'

  'How bad is it? Where is he?' he asked, standing and turning to look at the police officer.

  'He's at A&E at the Royal United Hospital, sir. I'm afraid I can't tell you anything else. That's all I know.'

  'Thank you, officer. We'll go right away. Thank you.'

  'Are you alright?' he asked, and I nodded.

  'Yes, thank you,' I said, in shock as he nodded and turned to leave, closing the door behind him.

  'Come on, put some shoes on. I'll drive,' Adam said as he helped me to my feet.

  'I'm coming too,' Charlie cried, stumbling behind us.

  oOo

  'I'm sorry, but only Mrs. Brooke is permitted to enter the room at the moment,' said a young male nurse.

  Adam nodded as Charlie wailed beside him, sobbing into her handkerchief.

  'Charlie, for goodness’ sake,' he said to her. 'Pull yourself together, and go and sit down, would you?'

  She wiped her tear-stained face and looked away from him in disgust.

  He sighed as he took her arm and helped her to the nearest seat, where she struggled to get comfortable; big wet tears continued to stream down her face.

  I followed the nurse into the room where Matt was being treated. Unprepared for what I was about to see, I almost collapsed at the sight of him.

  He hadn't yet been cleaned of the blood, and his head was being supported by a neck brace.

  'Matt? Matt?' I cried, 'Can you hear me?'

  'Eve,' said a little voice from beyond the brace.

  'Oh, thank God,' I whispered, as I approached his head.

  'I don't know what's happening, I can't see,' his voice was broken and tears slid down the sides of his face.

  I'd never seen him cry before, apart from a couple of really sad movies, but that didn't really count. My hear
t broke in that very instant.

  'Oh, Matt. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?' I asked, as one of the nurses cleaning the blood from his limbs smiled at me.

  'He shouldn't be, now that he has some morphine in his system,' she offered.

  'What's wrong with him? Do you know what happened?' I asked.

  'Apparently he T-boned a car. I think he was going quite fast. He's lucky to be alive. There are a couple of obvious broken bones, but we're just waiting to take him for a scan to determine the extent of his injuries. Don't worry, my love, we'll take care of him.'

  I smiled gratefully. 'Thank you. Matt, did you hear that? You're being well looked after,' I said, trying to be strong.

  'Don't nod, keep your head straight. Until we can rule out a neck or spinal injury, you must stay straight. Do you understand, Matt?' asked another nurse who had appeared with an orderly behind him. 'We're taking him for the scan right now, love,' he said to me. 'Why don't you go back to the waiting room and we'll come and get you when he's back?'

  I nodded.

  'Don't worry, he's in very good hands.' He smiled.

  'I'll be right here when you get back, okay, Matt? I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere.'

  'Charlie?' he asked suddenly.

  'No, it's me, Eve,' I said. 'Charlie's here though, with Adam. He drove me here, Charlie came with us.'

  'Charlie,' he whispered again, as he was rolled out of the room.

  'Yes, Charlie,' I said.

  I didn't think anything about it. He'd just had a really nasty accident, he was bound to be confused. I followed him out and then walked back into the waiting room, where Adam was sitting beside his wife, who was still crying. Hormones really do make you emotional, I figured.

  She tried to stand up when she spotted me.

  'Well?' she almost demanded. 'Is he okay? Is he going to be okay? Tell me, Eve. Tell me.'

  I sat down and nodded. 'He's in good hands. He's got a couple of broken bones, but they won’t know the extent of his injuries until he's had the scan. They just took him for it now. I don't know how long it'll take, but they're going to come and get me when he's finished,' I said, as I began to cry again.

  Adam stood up and pulled me towards him. 'He'll be alright, Eve,' he said, tenderly rubbing my back. 'Don't worry.'

  'It was my idea he go for a ride,' I sobbed into his shoulder. 'He wouldn't be in this state now if it wasn't for me.'

  'You can't blame yourself, silly. Shhhh,' he reassured.

  His touch was like a hot bath, and my muscles began to relax beneath his fingers. I sighed and then suddenly stepped away from him, looking around for Charlie, but she wasn't there.

  Adam gently took hold of my arm and led me to a chair. 'Sit down. I'll go and get us a sweet tea. Charlie? Do you want some tea...? Oh, she must've gone to the loo,' he said as he wandered off in search of a cafeteria.

  It seemed like ages after we'd drunk a cup of tea that Charlie finally appeared, with dark rings under her eyes.

  'Charlie, where on Earth have you been? You're seven months pregnant, you can't just disappear like that. We were worried,' he said, standing up and helping her to a seat.

  'I just went for a walk,' she whispered. 'I couldn't just stay here and do nothing. I found where they do the scans...'

  'Charlie, why would you do that?' he asked.

  'I want answers, Adam. I want to know if he's going to be okay.'

  'And?'

  'They wouldn't tell me anything, because I'm not a...not a...relative. I'm not his...his... w-wife.'

  'Exactly why you should have just stayed here and relaxed. It can't be good for the baby to be pacing up and down hospital corridors,' he scolded.

  I zoned out and closed my eyes, hoping I might drop off to sleep, but it was useless, there was too much noise. People coming and going, machines bleeping, phones ringing, and so on. And that smell... it was horrible. The stench of sickness and extreme cleanliness combined. It wasn't doing my stomach any good. Maybe it was good that I hadn’t had any dinner, otherwise I might just have thrown up all over the floor.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose; my head was starting to hurt and my shoulders were so tense that the ache was threatening to run down my entire back. God, listen to yourself. Your husband is lying there half dead and you're moaning about a little headache. Pull yourself together, woman.

  I opened my eyes and looked around, just as the nurse appeared with a smile. 'Mrs. Brooke?' he asked, and I nodded.

  Charlie stood up, 'Can I see him?' she begged.

  Adam shook his head and looked away, embarrassed.

  'I'm sorry, only Mrs. Brooke can see him at the moment. ' He turned back to me. 'Follow me.'

  I followed him through into a different room and this time Matt had been cleaned up. His bike gear was gone and he was wearing one of those awful hospital gowns. A brace of a different kind was wrapped around his neck, and another nurse was busy treating some of his other injuries.

  'He's going to be just fine,' she said. 'The scan showed nothing we should worry about.'

  'But why the neck brace?' I asked, as I sat down in the chair they'd kindly placed beside him. I carefully took his non-bandaged hand in mine.

  'Whiplash,' she said. 'A broken wrist, a small break in his ankle, and plenty of bruises. I'm afraid you'll be unable to, erm, partake in any sexual activity for a few weeks though.' She smiled apologetically.

  'What?' said Matt, suddenly perking up a little.

  'You have quite a lot of swelling in the nether regions. It's very common in motorbike accidents, unfortunately.'

  'Bruised bollocks?' he asked, and I cringed.

  'Very bruised,' she grinned at me. 'Don't worry though, most men heal quite quickly and can usually resume full sexual function in no time. You'll be fine. You need to be careful with your neck, wrist and ankle for a while, though.'

  'Can I go home?' he asked.

  'That's up to the doctor to say, but you'll probably be here for a couple of days. Don't worry, it's just a precautionary measure.'

  I nodded. 'Thank you,' I said as she finished up and walked out, leaving me alone with him.

  'Oh Matt. What happened?' I asked, peering at his eyes, which were quite bloodshot.

  'A car pulled out on me.'

  'So it was his fault?'

  'Of course,' he said.

  'But you were speeding?' I assumed.

  When he said nothing I knew the answer, but there was no point arguing about that now. What was done, was done.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I drove myself to the hospital the next day, taking Matt's favourite chocolates and a couple of cycling magazines with me. I almost bought a motorbike magazine as well, but then thought better of it.

  As I entered the room where he had been moved to, I was surprised to see a woman I didn't recognise. In her arms was a baby.

  'Oh, sorry,' I said, 'I must've got the wrong room.' But as I went to turn away I noticed that it was Matt sitting upright in the bed. 'Oh.'

  'Hey, Eve,' he said. 'This is Kristen, Charlie's sister.'

  'Oh, hi Kristen. It's nice to meet you.'

  'Eve,' said a voice behind me.

  I turned to see Charlie, smiling at me.

  'My sister came to take me baby clothes shopping, so we thought we'd pop in to see the patient. I'm so happy to see him doing okay.' She grinned.

  'I know, it's such a relief, isn't it?' I said, turning to Matt and smiling, pecking him briefly on the lips. 'How are you feeling?'

  'Like I've been run over by a bus,' he said. I was just about to put the magazines on his bed when I noticed the very same ones were already there.

  'Oh,' I said, a little disappointed. I just handed him the chocolates instead. 'I was going to get you a biker magazine but thought better of it.' I smiled.

  'I doubt I'll be biking for a while. Besides, the R1's been written off.'

  'Oh, I'm sorry, babe.'

  'I'll buy a new one when the insurance comes through
.'

  I shook my head and turned back to Kristen and Charlie. 'And who is this little one?'

  Kristen smiled. 'Johnny.'

  'He's gorgeous,' I said.

  'Thank you. Well, Charlie,' she said through gritted teeth, elbowing her sister, 'we should go.

  'Yes, we should,' Charlie replied, but didn't move from Matt's side.

  'Sis,' Kristen insisted.

  'Oh, yeah, right, yes. Let's make a move. Matt, it's so good to see you, babe. Take care. Hope to see you home soon enough,' she said, lingering over him a little.

  Matt looked at her and smiled. 'Hopefully we can get back in the saddle soon?'

  I laughed, looking at the heavily pregnant woman and the man in several casts and a neck brace. 'Something tells me that isn't going to happen anytime soon.'

  Charlie laughed a little too hard. 'No, no, probably not,' she said before she kissed him gently on on cheek and then swiftly on the other one.

  Turning to me, she kissed both my cheeks and walked out.

  'Nice to meet you, Eve. Matt,' said Kristen. who quickly followed her sister out into the corridor.

  I breathed a long sigh and went to sit beside my husband, who shifted his weight in the bed.

  'Are you uncomfortable? Can I help to re-arrange your pillows or something?'

  'No, no, Charlie fluffed them up for me. I'm fine. Just fed up of lying down. that's all.'

  'Hopefully you'll be able to come home soon. Have you spoken to the doctor?'

  'Yes, Dr. Johnson was here just before you arrived. He said I can leave tomorrow, so will you come and pick me up first thing? I can't wait to get out of here.'

  'Of course.'

  'Will you bring my car? I don't think I'll be very comfortable in yours.'

  I nodded. 'No problem. Is there anything you need in the meantime?'

  He tried to shake his head and winced. 'I keep forgetting I can't move my head. No, I'm fine. Have you spoken to the guys at work?'

  'I actually forgot until Howard rang earlier this morning.'

  Matt tensed for a second. 'What did he say?'

  'Nothing. I just told him what happened. He said he'd stop by around half past ten. Oh, it's almost ten thirty now. He'll probably be here any second. And talk of the devil,' I said, as Howard appeared in the doorway carrying a balloon and a little blue teddy bear that said Get Well Soon on it.