Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 119548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119548 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Afternoon?
I went to reach for my phone, only to realise it wasn’t there. It wasn’t anywhere. My watch was out of battery, too, and the bedroom clock had no batteries.
Why hadn’t they been replaced?
“Afternoon?” I asked, turning around to face Mel. “What time is it?”
“Just past twelve,” she answered. “Don’t you have your phone with you?”
“N—no. It’s… I don’t know where it is.”
“In the car.” Fred sat on the bed, his back to his sister. “I was more focused on getting you to bed, and you wouldn’t let me leave once I had.”
I blushed.
Mel’s gaze flickered between us. “Right. Makes sense. Anyway, I’m here because Lucy called.”
My heart pounded.
A small smile crept onto her face. “Nana’s awake.”
I brought my hands to my face and crouched down, relief washing through me. “She’s awake?”
“Yeah,” Mel said softly. “But, Deli… She isn’t doing great.”
I knew that.
I knew she wasn’t coming home.
There was just something inside that was telling me that was the case.
“I know,” I whispered, dragging my hands away from my face and sitting on the floor. “I know. She’s…”
“Shh.” Fred wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing the top of my head. “Go and shower. You’ll feel better. Meet me downstairs when you’re done and we’ll go and see her, all right?”
“I want to go right now.”
“No, you need to look after yourself. Go and shower or I’ll wash you myself.”
“I… Fine,” I said, sagging against him. “I’ll do that.”
He released me with another kiss to the top of the head. “Get out, Mel.”
“Blimey, you could say thank you.” She sniffed, then glanced at me. “Where are your keys, Fred? I’ll grab your stuff from the car and charge your phones for you.”
He smiled softly at her. “Here.” He grabbed them from the pocket of yesterday’s trousers and tossed them across the room at her. “Thanks.”
She caught them easily. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll boil the kettle, too.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
She hesitated, then ran over and bent down, hugging me tightly. It was the biggest squeeze, but she released me a mere few seconds later before running out of the room.
The door clicked shut behind her, and Fred crouched down in front of me.
I dragged my gaze up from the floor, gliding it up his body until our eyes met. “If you want me to stop looking at your cock, don’t put it in my line of sight.”
He fought back a laugh. “Is that something you should be saying right now?”
“Probably not,” I admitted. “But it’s all I’ve got.”
Fred took a deep breath and cradled my face. He drew me in, pressing his lips against my forehead. They lingered against my skin, wrapping me in a blanket of warmth. “We’ll come back to this another time, all right?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Right. Go shower. I’ll take care of everything else, all right?”
“I need my phone. I need to call Si and—”
He pulled back, and his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. “Done. You’ve got the next two days off. I told him I’d call again when we know more.”
“When did you do that?”
“On my way back here last night.” He booped my nose with his fingertip and stood up. “Just focus on Nana, Deli. I’ve got everything else—you included.”
“Fred.”
He grabbed my hands and helped me to my feet. “Yes, wife?”
I softened a little. “You’re the best.”
“I know.” He spun me around with another kiss to my forehead and pushed me in the direction of the bathroom. “I’ll take care of everything. Just go.”
27
* * *
FRED
Deli insisted on going back to work after those first two days off.
She wanted ‘normal,’ she said. She wanted consistency. She wanted something to do with her mind that wasn’t overthinking.
Nobody argued with her. I was the only one who suggested reducing her hours. Si agreed with me, but with one sharp, “Absolutely not,” from Deli, we’d dropped it.
I knew her, and I knew what she was doing.
She was coping the only way she knew how.
We all knew the truth. The doctors had told us. Nana, in one of her more lucid awake moments, had told us to get our shit together because she was ready to go. That she was tired. That she couldn’t fight anymore.
Now, all we could do was wait. Wait until Nana decided it was time to say goodbye.
The next three weeks were a mix of misguided hope and devastating acceptance. Aunt Bonnie temporarily moved into Hawthorne House so she and Granny could easily go back and forth from the hospital. Mum had suggested it, and I’d been quick to agree—Aunt Bonnie was just like Deli, and if we didn’t look after her, nobody would.
Besides, she’d been Mum’s pillar of strength after Dad died. It was our turn to step into that role for her.
Lucy was working from home because everyone was worried about what effect the stress would have on her pregnancy, and I’d sent her to a private clinic so she could get some fancy 3D pictures of the baby for Nana. With that, she’d finally shared the name she’d been holding onto—Olivia Judith.