It was now only two weeks before her return to Robert. In a stroke of good fortune, John had managed to get a good replacement for Brandon out of the blue, from contacts out of town. She was called Samantha, and was ages with Sally. They both hit it off immediately, and as Samantha already knew most of the job due to her prior experience; it was a joy for Sally to train her up for her replacement – which would now no longer be delayed.
The ringing from her cell-phone awakened her from her revere, and she fumbled with her purse catch to answer before it rung off. The screen told her it was Robert on the other side.
“Hi sweetheart! How are you, Any news on Agnes today?”
She blurted out the two questions as one.
“Hi Honey..Well I’m just fine and I have some good news for a change – Agnes has regained consciousness!”
“WOO HOO! That’s fantastic news - Tell me more!”
“Well, first off all, we are all cautiously optimistic; but at the same time there is a long recovery ahead according to the doctors. The main thing is that they do not think there is any major long-term damage, that will not sort itself out in time.”
“That’s great news Robert. Have you spoken to her at all?”
“Well yes, but although she seems to acknowledge me ok; she is having some difficulty forming the words at the moment – she is still very sick.”
“Oh…I understand. So she is not just going to get up and walk out of the hospital any time soon – is that what you’re saying?”
“Exactly, though the great news is that she will indeed walk out of the hospital in time! It seems that the doctors think she is definitely over the worst, and the latest results show remarkable recovery regarding the physical injury.”
“That’s fantastic news Robert – her church group will be delighted I’m sure; I remember you saying they were holding all-night prayer vigils for her.”
“That’s right, it’s a great relief for everybody – I’ll certainly sleep a lot better tonight than I have for some time!”
They chatted on with a new lightness in the mood, and Sally felt a burden lifting from her. For the first time realising just what a strain it had been, worrying for poor Agnes. Now at least she was on the mend, no matter how slowly, and the future suddenly looked much brighter. Not for the first time now, she considered their wedding plans to get married August 7th of that year. A lot would depend now on Agnes’s recover for neither Robert or herself would consider the wedding going ahead until Agnes could attend it in good health.
She decided not to explore the issue further until she was over in Scotland, and able to see Agnes – her future mother-in-law for herself.
“So are you all set to come over on the 29th still?” Robert asked.
“Yes, I can’t wait. Samantha is a marvel, and is picking up the job easily.” She said, with obvious excitement in her voice.
“Well I can hardly wait – just 13 sleeps by my reckoning!”
“Ha ha, you really are a big kid at heart aren’t you!” She teased him laughingly; though she herself used the ‘kiddies calendar’ to count down the days before something exciting was about to happen.
“Well yes, I suppose I am a little! I think though I am definitely feeling a lot more optimistic about the future, since the news this morning. I’m prepared to believe now that everything will be fine, and we can go ahead with our wedding plans – don’t you?”
Sally suppressed a sniff, as emotion got the better off her.
“Oh Robert, it’s great to hear you talking like that; I’ve been so worried about you – I fear though that this next ’13 sleeps’ are going to drag by!”
“Yes I know what you’re saying! However I’m hoping that Agnes will have made good improvement in that time, and who knows – we might all be sharing wee single malt by our own log fire by the time you get over here!”
“That would be fantastic – I look forward to it more than you can know!”
They said their farewells, promising all the usual things that lovers promise, when their hearts are separated by distance and circumstance; imaginations taking over where physical action is denied.
“So, I take it that was lover-boy on the phone!” Her good friend and confidant Kiera, stood hand on hip with a grin breaking her plump cheeks.
“As a matter of fact – yes it was..Eavesdropper!” Sally retorted good-naturedly.
“Well I’m just so happy for you Sally; seriously. He sounds like a fantastic guy – I can’t wait to meet him at the wedding!”
“Ha ha..I haven’t sent out the invites yet – I can only have a few of my VERY best friends…”
“Ha! Don’t you even dream of not inviting me over, or I’ll smack you down right here and now!” They both laughed out loud as Sally jumped up to give her friend a big hug.
“Kiera, rest assured you are the first on the wedding list – I only hope that it is still going as planned. A lot will depend on Agnes’s recovery.”
“Of course. How is she doing?”
“Well that’s the good news – she has regained consciousness!”
Sally went on to recount all the news to her friend, at the same time, mentally counting down the days to the flight over to her lovers embrace.
******
Chapter 6
Robert was driving up from Aviemore to visit his mum in Inverness hospital. For the first week of her hospital incarceration, he had simply stayed at a local bed and breakfast; however now that she was on the mend – albeit slowly – he took the decision to drive up and down every second day. This allowed him to put in some time at work, and not use up all his holiday allowance; which he would need for the wedding and honeymoon to come.
Sally would be arriving in just 7 days’ time, and he wanted to be sure that everything was ready for her – including the spare room.
Strangely to him, she had insisted that they would stay celibate until the wedding, and she would sleep in the spare room until then. Despite his protestations to the contrary, she would not be shifted.
“But Sally; the weddings 3 months away!” He had howled trying his best to dissuade her – and finally persuaded her not to make any definite decisions, until they were re-united.
He chuckled to himself at the memory of that conversation. Truth was that he found the whole idea rather quaint, though he could of course never admit it. “There’s more to a relationship than just sex, no matter how hot and steamy it is!” He thought to himself, thinking of their love-making in the stable – and several other places around the estate. There was a new chapter beginning in both their lives, and Robert could not help the smile creasing his face as he envisioned the new life that lay ahead.
Agnes was sitting up in bed, looking alert and pleased to see him, as he walked into the private room at the front of the ward.
He quickly walked over to the bed and planted a quick peck on her cheek.
“Hi mum, how are you feeling today then?”
Agnes struggled to find the words.
“I’m ff..fine son. I’ll soon bbb be mmmaking your dinner at home!” She finally blurted out, pleased that she had gotten that far.
“That’s fantastic mum. You’re really coming along in leaps and bounds! Sally was asking for you – she is really looking forward to seeing you at last.”
“Neeed to gggett out of hhhear first though RRobert!”
“Don’t you fret now mum. The doc says that you are making great improvement and if things continue as they are, you could be out in a few days! Then you will have to do some practical physio and stuff – but it’s all looking good.”
Robert rattled on about his work, and Sally and everything else he could think off; just to keep Agnes’s mind of things – and because she was hungry for any news.
The wedding was of course on her mind, and they spent ages talking about all the possibilities for the venue and the guests; but of course without Sally, nothing could be definitely planned anyway – but it was good to go over the o
ptions..
Agnes waved her arm feebly. “So have yyou fixed the bbblesssed stepp Robert?”
Robert looked a little sheepishly at his mum, for the fact was that she had been complaining for some time, that the wooden steps up to the chalet had grown a little slippy when wet. It was always on his to-do list; the one that never got done.
“Rest assured mum that was the first thing I done when I got back home – just to hide the incriminating evidence you understand!” He said cheekily.
Agnes managed a wry smile; she could not be angry with the son she absolutely adored, and the fact was that he was obviously devastated by the whole incident.
“That’s jjjust…. as well, otherwwise I might have to inform.. Sally when she gets home about your tttotal lack of care for your elderly… mmmother!”
“Easy! She would kill me if she found out! I’ll make it up to you I promise. Anyway I’ve cleaned off the moss and fixed some non-slip material on the treads, so that even doddery old women won’t slip on them now!”
“You cheeky bbegger!” She laughed at him. “I’m still yyyoung… enough to give you a ccclip… around the earhole – just bring it down hhhere where I can reach it!”
They both laughed at the joke. Laughter being better than a whole mountain of tablets, when it comes to healing body and soul.
Robert looked on proudly at his mum. Her recovery had been quite remarkable, since she regained consciousness; a testament he was sure to the dedication of her church group, and her own strength of will to ‘fight the good fight’.
It was at times like this that he was glad they both had a faith to hold on to, and a God to turn to in their darkest hour.
“The light only gets brighter as the darkness closes in.” The young pastor at their local church had said, as way of encouragement when things did indeed look grim.
The consultant arrived, carrying a folder under his arm. He nodded a greeting to Robert, then turned to his mother.
“Mrs Lindsey, how are you today then. Is it ok to talk with Robert here?”
“Yes, that’s ffine…jjusst don’t say anything inc… incriminating…!” She smiled up at him.
“Ha ha, well you are obviously in good humour – which is a great sign! How about the headaches – are they any better?”
“Mmmuch better thanks..” She replied. Then asked the consultant.
“Wwwhhat…about ththe speech problem?”
“Don’t you worry about that Mrs Lindsey, with a little speech therapy I’m confident that will be fixed in no time – in fact although you may not notice it; but I see a difference already!”
Agnes looked pleased. “Does tthat….mean I can…gggo home sssoon..?”
“Well now let’s not rush things, shall we. A few more days just to get the headaches sorted, and for your body to heal properly; then I’m sure we can leave you in the tender care of your son here.”
“Lord have mercccy!” Agnes spluttered out with a smile, causing them all to have a good laugh.
“Now now, I’m sure he will be the doting son that you have always wanted from now on Mrs Lindsey – isn’t that right Robert?”
“Don’t worry doctor – she will milk this for the rest of my life!”
“Ha ha Ok, I’d better get on my rounds to see to the other patients now. I’ll drop by again tomorrow and see how things are progressing.”
As he left, he motioned to Robert to follow him outside the door.
When they were out of earshot, the consultant spoke to him in a low voice.
“Robert, I just wanted you to understand that your mother has had a very near call – If you understand my meaning?”
Robert nodded silently.
“I am confident that she will make a full recovery in time, however she is still very delicate and the injury to her skull, is still causing inflammation to the brain – this I’m sure is the reason behind her speech problems.”
The consultant looked at Robert to be sure he was comprehending the gravity of the situation.
“Agnes may well be allowed home within the next few days, however you must be sure that she is kept calm, and her blood pressure under control. Any excitement leading to increased blood pressure, could be disastrous at this stage – do you understand?”
“How long then until she is ‘out of the woods’ then doctor – do you know?” Robert asked concerned.
“Well an injury like that can take many months to heal, and for some – never! But let’s look on the optimistic side; if all goes well she could be good as new in 3 months or so – she is not the kind to just lie down in the face of adversity!”
He thanked the consultant for his advice, and headed back to his mother’s room; relief and concern flooding his mind in equal measure. He was going to have a hard task on his hands getting Agnes to take it easy, that was for sure.
******
Chapter 7
Finally the time had arrived for Sally to board the plane, still a little groggy from the surprise farewell party the office had arranged the previous night. She was however in buoyant spirits as she headed for the departure lounge of the airport.
It had not been as much trouble as she thought, wrapping up her life in the US; true some things like immigration laws etc had yet to be overcome, but that was nothing major. She was fortunate that the apartment had sold quickly to a property investment company, keen on investing in an optimistic view of a returning property boom. “Ah well, that’s their problem now!” She thought to herself, wondering if the property market would ever be the sure thing it was back ‘in the day’.
Family concerns were no longer an issue, now that her father had gone. She was an only child, and the distant cousins were so distant that she did not know them. Her father had two sisters, both of whom had married and had 3 kids each, but that was about as much as she knew of them; really just making contact with them at the funeral for the first time.
As for the work at the Milwaukee Journal; she had promised John that she would keep in touch, and maybe do some freelance work from the UK. In fact once he thought of it, he was pleased to have his ‘man in the UK’ and glad to keep her on a minor retainer. She was in fact financially independent enough now, to not need the job at all; her father’s wise early investments in the rising gold market now adding up to almost 4 million dollars.
The figure had totally shocked her at first, when the lawyer called her into the office to read out the will, advising her of her inheritance. Just like her father however, she had a cool head on her shoulders, and was determined to prove herself worthy of this opportunity. The money would be used wisely, and no-one would get to know about the sum involved with the exception of Robert – her new husband-to-be. One of the good things about the cash is that she could prove to the authorities that she was not marrying for the money, which in itself could scupper any immigration plans or attempt at citizenship.
As she waited in the lounge to be called to the first of two flights – first to Reykjavik in Iceland and from there to Edinburgh, Scotland – she thought delightedly of her last call to Robert.
Agnes had been released from hospital just yesterday, after getting a cautious ‘all clear’ from the consultant.
Sally just could not remember a time when she had felt so free and light, as she did at that moment. Things had gone so well off late, that she had to turn around and touch the wooden table next to her out of superstitious dread of everything going wrong.
“That’s just stupid superstition Sally!” She said to herself, immediately regretting her actions. She was not normally the superstitious type, being a ‘cynical journalist’ by conviction.
“Excuse me?” A voice next to her spoke out.
“What.. Oh I’m sorry..I suppose I was talking to myself again!” She flushed with embarrassment.
“Ha ha, don’t you fret young lady, I often talk to myself; it is supposed to be a sign of an active mind, though I suspect at my age it’s more a sign is senility!”
The
y both laughed at the joke, Sally immediately warming to this distinguished looking older gentleman.
“Oh, how rude. Please let me introduce myself. My name is Malcolm Frazer.”
He held out his hand, which she took immediately while blurting out. “And I’m Sally McInnis, it’s a pleasure to meet you Mr Frazer.”
“Oh please, just Malcolm would be fine.”
“In that case, please call me Sally!” She said returning his smile.
“So tell me Sally, what drags you away from your homeland and off to distant shores – is it a holiday perhaps?”
“Well not exactly; I’m actually on my way to get married to a handsome Scotsman!” As the words left her mouth, she felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach, as the realisation that she was truly on her way dawned on her.
“My dear, that’s marvelous news indeed! I myself am just heading home to Scotland; we must have the same flight?”
They checked their tickets and sure enough, not only the same flights but the ‘Business Class’ seats on the flight to Reykjavik were next to each other.
“Ha ha, well that’s bad news for you Malcolm!”
“Why is that Sally?”
“Because I chatter like a Parrot when I’m nervous, and flying makes me nervous!”
Malcolm laughed at that, stating categorically that flying was still the safest mode of transport. It only seemed dangerous because of all the publicity, when a plane finally did come down.
“Honestly, you are in far more danger just going out for your morning paper, than you are flying one thousand miles!”
“Well that much I can understand, after my experience driving up to see my friend in Scotland last year.”
Sally went on to give a full account of her crash in a blizzard on the way to Aviemore, and her subsequent rescue by her ‘handsome prince’.
Malcolm was about to reply, when the Tannoy announced the gate open for them to take their seats.
“Well Sally, we will have lots of time to discuss things on the flight – I’m looking forward to hearing all about you! I do find these flights so boring most times – so you can chatter away to your hearts content!”
Sally’s Return: 2nd Book in this Romance Short Story Series Page 3