A New Beginning

by Samantha Hicks

  Amy saw him smirk at Laura, apparently loving the fact he had busted them. He didn’t appear to be angry, more amused than anything. “You’re not upset?” she asked him.

  “Why would I be upset? Mum, I know you like girls, my mama was a girl. I’m not stupid. And Laura is cool.”

  “Oh, well, okay. Are you sure you’re not mad?”

  “Nah.” He waved his hand in the air. He headed out of the room calling over his shoulder, “What’s for dinner?” He didn’t wait for answer.

  Amy flopped down onto the sofa hiding her face in her hands. She felt Laura sit next to her, the heat from her thigh radiating through her jeans and onto Amy’s skin, getting her all worked up again.

  “Are you okay?” Laura asked.

  “Yeah, it was just a shock to have him standing there catching us.”

  Laura laughed. “You did look pretty mortified.”

  “It’s not funny.”

  “Yeah it is.” She grasped Amy’s hand and pulled her off the couch. “Let’s go finish dinner.” She leaned and whispered into her ear, “I’m famished but what I want isn’t on the menu.”

  Amy ran her hands down Laura’s sides and cupped her ass cheeks, teasing her. “No, not tonight, so you’ll have to make do with knowing I want my hands and mouth on you.” She squeezed her cheeks again then spun on her heel and out the room, Laura’s voice sailing over to her.

  “Not cool, Amy.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  A few days later Amy was adding the finishing touches to her father’s new room. Laura, Craig, and Billy had done a great job rearranging Jim’s office so there was now room for a bed, commode, and other essentials he would need. Amy had suggested a stair climber for the stairs so he could still sleep in his own bed, but Martha thought it would be easier for her and the home help to have him downstairs for the near future.

  “Hi, Amy,” Laura said, walking into the office.

  Amy looked up from her task of adding clean linens to the bed. “Hey.” Laura grabbed a pillow case and began helping. She had been helping Billy finish up the wet room and Amy could see tendrils of sweat in her hairline. She looked sexy as hell in her tight jeans and polo shirt, clinging to her body. Amy remembered how good that body felt laying heavily on her as they made out on the couch the other day. If Aaron hadn’t have walked in she very well might have begged Laura to make love to her. Feeling her cheeks heat at the thought she said, “You’ve done an amazing job on the house. Mum hasn’t stopped gushing about all the changes you’ve made.”

  “Thanks. He’s coming home tomorrow, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah.” Amy straightened and stretched her back muscles, feeling her vertebrae crack. “It’s going to be tough, but we have home help coming and Mum has been learning all she can on how to take care of him.” In fact, when her mother wasn’t at the hospital she could be found sitting in front of the computer researching all she could about strokes and the after care. She had even made a few friends in some online forums for families of people with a similar diagnosis as Jim.

  “How is he getting on?” Laura asked as she tucked in her side of the blankets under the edge of the mattress.

  “He still can’t talk. He understands what we’re saying but he gets frustrated if he can’t get across what he wants to say. His motion is still bad. The doctors aren’t sure if he’ll ever recover fully. But he’s a lot better than what he was a few weeks ago so you never know.” She shrugged.

  “What about risk of another stroke?”

  “He’s on blood thinners and his other medications. The surgeons said they got all the clots out, but I guess we will never know if it’ll happen again. I hope not.”

  Laura nodded then came to Amy’s side of the bed, taking her hands in her own. “So, I was thinking.”

  “Yes?”

  “Aaron’s still pretty cut up about the whole thing, and I think he’s nervous to have Jim home. So, I thought maybe I could take him to Craig’s restaurant and then maybe he could have a sleepover at mine. That way you and your mum can pick up Jim and get him settled at home without worrying about Aaron, and it’ll help take his mind off things.”

  Amy felt her heart swell at the kind gesture. Laura truly was one of a kind. She gently ran the back of her fingers down Laura’s cheek. “That’s really sweet of you but I have a feeling you’re only offering so you can play in the ball pit and stay up all night gaming.”

  Laura laughed. “Damn, you caught me.”

  “I’m sure he’d love to spend the night at yours.” Amy leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips, pulling back before it could deepen. “It’s hard for him because he doesn’t know how to act with my dad anymore. And I know it upsets my dad he can’t do the things he used to with him.”

  “Let’s just hope he improves, and I’m sure they’ll still find things to do together, it’ll just be different.”

  “Yeah.” Amy glanced around the room once more, checking everything would be ready for her dad’s arrival tomorrow. Satisfied with her efforts she pulled Laura out of the office and into the kitchen. “So, am I invited to this sleepover?” she asked as she opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice.

  “Of course, but I assumed you’d want to be with Martha.”

  “You’re right, I do.” She grabbed three glasses from the cabinet and poured a generous amount into each. “But I’ll take a rain check.”

  “Definitely.”

  She took a quick swig from her glass and then passed the two other glasses to Laura, one each for Laura and Billy. “I’ll go find Aaron while you finish up. Are you sure your guys don’t want paying for the work they’ve done?”

  Laura dismissed the comment with a wave in the air. “No, it’s fine. Craig and Billy are mates and I’m sure they’ll want me to return the favor at some point.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  “Positive.”

  She left Laura to go find Billy while she headed upstairs to Aaron’s room, finding him on his bed building his Lego’s. “Hey, sweetie.”

  “Hi, Mum,” he said without looking up.

  She settled next to him and placed her hand on his knee, giving it a squeeze. “How are you feeling about your grandpa coming home tomorrow?”

  “Dunno,” he said as he shrugged. “He’s not the same.”

  “No, he’s not. But he is still your grandpa and he’ll need lots of hugs and kisses from you until he’s better.”

  He finally looked up at her, his eyes gleaming with tears. “I’m sorry I didn’t want to see him in the hospital.”

  “Oh, Aaron.”

  She scooped him up and hugged him close. He looked so heartbroken. She hated that he felt so distraught. He probably thought everyone hated him for his refusal to see his grandpa but that wasn’t the case. No child would want to see their hero in a hospital bed unable to communicate. She didn’t blame him in the least for not wanting to go. This was all incredibly hard for him. “You have nothing to be sorry for. He understands how difficult this is for you. He wouldn’t want you to be upset over this.”

  “I can’t help it,” he mumbled into her shoulder where his head rested.

  “I know.” She smoothed his back, trying to comfort him. “I’m sorry this summer hasn’t been the best for you.”

  “It’s okay,” he replied as he pulled back a few inches to look at her. “I’ve enjoyed hanging out with Laura. She let me drive the boat once.”

  Laura really had been a star the last few weeks. If she wasn’t working on the house she was with Aaron spending time with him and making sure he at least tried to enjoy his summer holidays. “Speaking of Laura, she wants to take you out tonight and then have a sleep over at her house. Would you like that?”

  “That’ll be cool. Can I take my gaming system?”

  “She’s counting on it.”

  “Will you be coming?”

  She shook her head. “Not this time. I’m going to be staying with Grandma, making sure everything
is ready for Grandpa tomorrow.”

  “Are you getting rid of me so I won’t be in the way?” he asked in a quiet voice.

  “No, honey. Laura wants to spend time with you and we thought you might not want to be here while we settle Grandpa in. He’ll be frustrated and tired and he wouldn’t want you to see him like that.”

  “It’s okay, I understand. I don’t really want to be here anyway.” He looked away as if admitting that was something to be ashamed of. “Is that okay?”

  “You don’t need to explain, it’s fine.” And it really was. He was only seven years old after all and tomorrow was going to be stressful getting Jim settled in his new room. She didn’t want Aaron getting upset seeing him like that. It would be better if Jim was all in place before Aaron saw him for the first time. She knew it would be emotional for Aaron and her father.

  “Could I have my pocket money early so I can get Grandpa a present?”

  Amy smiled. Her son was one of the sweetest kids she’d ever met. She may be just a little bit biased, but it was still true. “On one condition. You tidy your room before you go with Laura. And I don’t mean stuffing it all under the bed.”

  “Okay.”

  He jumped off the bed and began frantically shoving his toys in boxes they didn’t belong to and throwing any clothes he saw into the hamper whether they were dirty or not. Amy laughed at his antics knowing she’d be up here later sorting it all out again but in the proper way. She didn’t mind though, at least he was trying.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The following evening Amy sat on the couch nursing a glass of wine. Her father’s homecoming had gone better than she had expected. An ambulance had brought him home and it hadn’t taken much effort to move him into the office which was now his bedroom. A nurse had been by an hour ago to oversee Martha changing the bandage on his head and showing her how to do a proper sponge bath. Amy hadn’t wanted to be there for that and she knew Jim wouldn’t want her to see him like that either. He was a proud man and his dignity meant a lot to him. If she needed to help she would, but until then she was happy to let her mother take control in that department.

  Martha’s weight settled next to her on the couch, letting out a groan, the day’s events seeming to wear her out.

  “Is he asleep?” Amy asked.

  “Yeah, finally.”

  Amy regarded her mother. The dark circles under her eyes were prominent and Amy thought she saw more lines marring her features. She looked exhausted. “You okay, Mum?”

  “Of course, I’m fine.” Her mother smiled but Amy’s pointed look made her admit the truth. “No, that’s a lie.” She blew out a breath. “I’m not sure if I can cope looking after him full-time. Even with the home help it’s going to be a struggle.”

  “I’ll help all I can.”

  “You have too much going on yourself. You’ll be starting your new job in a couple of weeks and you have Aaron to look after. Not to mention your relationship with Laura.” Martha took Amy’s glass from her hand and finished off the remaining wine in one large gulp. “You can’t be trying to look after us too.”

  “Mum, we’re family. I’m not going to leave you to deal with all this on your own. You would do the same. And besides, Laura knows the score. She wants to help as well.”

  “She’s already done so much. Her and her friends did an amazing job on the house, and Aaron absolutely adores her.”

  Amy felt heat rise to her cheeks. “I do too.” She never imagined feeling happy again but finally her future looked bright and she had Laura to thank for that.

  “Yes, I can see that. I heard Aaron mention it’s her birthday next week.”

  “Yeah, she’ll be forty.” Amy stood and grabbed the open bottle of wine from the coffee table, filling her glass once more. Without asking she handed the glass to Martha.

  “Have you thought about what you’re going to get her?” Martha asked after taking a sip.

  Amy sat back down, resting her head on the back of the couch. “I have no clue.”

  “Well, I can think of something,” Martha said whilst waggling her eyebrows.

  “Mum!” It was good to see Martha playing around. It had been too long since Amy had seen her smile and laugh, she hadn’t realised how much she had missed her mother’s bantering.

  “Just kidding. Will you be going out?”

  “I thought about taking her somewhere but with Dad and Aaron, it probably isn’t the wisest thing to do.”

  “Nonsense,” her mother said, waving her free hand in the air. “Your father will probably be asleep all night and I’m more than capable of spoiling my grandson. It’ll be nice to spend some time with him as I’ve hardly seen him since your father’s stroke.”

  Amy gave her a side glance, scrutinising her. The last thing she wanted was to add even more pressure onto her mother. But then again, it would be nice if Amy could spend some alone time with Laura. It seemed that just as their relationship was finding ground her dad had fell ill and every moment since then had been about making sure he survived and getting the house ready. Sure, Laura had taken Amy and Aaron out a few times, and it had been fun, but Amy wanted to do something romantic for her birthday.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “It would be nice to go out just the two of us. Don’t get me wrong, we love taking Aaron out, but we can’t really talk, and you know, do other things, with him with us.”

  Martha smirked. “And what other things are they, hmm, Amy?”

  Amy refused to let the blush cover her skin, but it was no use. “You damn well know what I’m talking about.”

  “If you want you can stay out all night,” Martha said as she passed the glass back to Amy to have a sip. “We’ll be fine. I can always call you if there is a problem.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” Martha slapped her thighs and stood quickly. “Right, I’m going to wash up and get ready for bed. It’s been a very long few days and I’m exhausted.” She bent over and kissed Amy on the cheek. “Goodnight, honey.”

  “Goodnight, Mum. Sleep well.”

  Amy stared off into the distance, cradling the wine glass loosely in her grasp. Would it really be feasible to spend the night at Laura’s house, away from everything here? Her mother looked ready to break any minute, and Aaron struggled being around Jim in the condition he was in. It was a selfish idea. No way would she be able to enjoy the evening knowing her family was back here suffering.

  She took a sip of wine, her mind imagining what it would be like to sleep with Laura. Her pulse quickened, and she shifted on the couch to relive the pressure that seemed to have sprung up between her legs. She tried reasoning with herself. She would have her mobile with her and so would Laura. Laura only lived half hour away. If there were any problems at home, Amy could be back here in no time. Her mother wouldn’t have offered if she didn’t mean it. Maybe a night away would be doable. She would speak to Martha again tomorrow and check she would be okay looking after Jim and Aaron.

  #

  The following morning Amy had managed to escape the house for a couple of hours to do some shopping for Laura’s birthday. She still had no idea on what to get her. Amy had always sucked at gift giving, she usually ended up buying gift certificates for everyone. Even after ten years with Julia she still got her vouchers for her favorite shop. She wanted to do something different with Laura. Laura had done so much for her family recently, she wanted to get her something special. But just the urge to get something special so far hadn’t transformed in to anything of substance. She had been all over the town centre and all she had manage to get was a birthday card. This was turning into a disaster.

  She turned down a side road and a shop caught her eye. Stopping to look in the display window she took note of the quality of goods that were for sale. Before her eyes were high quality art materials; pencils, brushes, paper, paint, and everything in between. She thought maybe she could get Laura some new things she could use at work. Deciding that’s what she would do, she gra
sped the handle to enter the shop, but a familiar voice stopped her.

  “Amy?”

  She briefly closed her eyes in defeat. “Jessica, hi,” she said as she turned around to greet her. Amy had done a pretty good job of avoiding her since the day in the cafe. When she had dropped Aaron off at Diana’s she made sure she didn’t get out of the car. She’d watched him walk up to her house and once he was safely inside she pulled away before Jessica had a chance to corner her. No such luck today though.

  “You never called me,” Jessica said, leaning against the door frame of the shop.

  “Did you really think I would?” Jessica was standing too close for her liking, so Amy backed up a step. She tried not to look at Jessica’s face, the resemblance to Julia still shaking her up. She doubted that would ever change.

  “I hoped.”

  “Look, I don’t know what you expected to happen between us, but I told you that night that I didn’t have feelings for you.”

  “I know. I just thought that maybe after some time, we could maybe see if anything is there between us.”

  “You’re Julia’s sister for God sake,” she replied, her anger bubbling in her veins. How could Jessica even think Amy would want a relationship with her? “Don’t you have any respect for that?”

  “She’s dead.” Jessica shrugged one shoulder. “I doubt she has an opinion one way or the other.”

  “That’s cruel,” she seethed. Amy wasn’t one for violence but at this very moment she wanted nothing more than to smack her in the face. How dare she talk about Julia that way.

  “Shit, I know, I’m sorry. It’s just all my life I was in her shadow. We might have been twins but she was always the one who excelled at everything. She had a great job, a beautiful wife, and a new son. I guess I was jealous, and now she’s gone I still have nothing. Mum can’t even look at me without her eyes dimming when she realises I’m not Julia. I thought maybe one day it would get better, but it hasn’t.” She glanced away for a moment, her sadness and guilt about not being Julia palpable. “I should have stayed in the States.”

  Amy’s heart went out to her. It was true that Julia was successful, but she had to work hard for all that she achieved. Jessica was always the lazy one, never bothering to finish university, preferring to hang around with her buddies. It wasn’t Julia’s fault Jessica never tried. It wasn’t until her death that Jessica finally got her act together and started a new job in America.