by M A Comley
“I think you’re right. I didn’t even think about thickening the gravy. Maybe I put too much milk in the potato too. I’ll know next time.”
“Glad the experience hasn’t put you off making future meals. It’s all trial and error when we begin preparing meals. I’m just grateful that you’re willing to give it a go. A lot of men would be sitting on their arses, waiting for their wives to come home and fix the meal for them.”
His gaze met hers. “You mean like I used to do before going out there.”
Kayli smiled at him. “I didn’t like to say that. Yes, like you used to do. I’m glad Afghanistan changed you in some ways.”
“I am too. I appreciate you more, for one thing. I’ve been a bastard to you this past year or so, something that I plan on making up for in the future.”
She reached across the table for his hand. He inserted his fingers through hers, and they held on firmly.
“You don’t have to do that. We came through the dreadful experience, and that’s all that matters. We need to ensure we enjoy life to its fullest now. Life is far too short.”
They ate the rest of their meal one-handed, with their other hands linked. After eating, Kayli cleared up the kitchen while Mark went upstairs to change for work. He rejoined her as she was putting the last dishes away in the cupboard.
“Well, what do you think?” he asked, twirling on the spot in his evening suit and dicky bow tie.
Her heart skipped several beats. He looked very handsome, too handsome to be standing on the door of a nightclub. “Wow, you look amazing. I have a feeling you’re going to attract the attention of the girls too.”
He took three steps and placed his hands on the top of her arms. “I only have eyes for one girl in this world. Got that?”
She lifted her mouth to his. “Got that. After what we’ve been through, who could possibly doubt the love we feel for each other.”
“Exactly. I want to grow old and grey with you, Mrs. Wren. Hey, that reminds me. Aren’t you going to change your name at work?”
“I thought about it and decided against it for now. Is that okay? It’s a lot of bother, loads of paperwork involved, and I have enough of that to deal with on a daily basis. I couldn’t handle any more.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Whatever suits you. I’m more than happy to go along with that. I better shoot off now. They want me there early on the first night to show me the ropes.”
“That’s a shame. Think of me curled up in front of the boring TV tonight now and again, won’t you?”
“You’ll be constantly on my mind. I promise you. There are plenty of films to see if you fancy one.”
“Not sure I fancy an action movie tonight. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ll have a nice soak in the bath and an early night, I think, with a good book. Enjoy the peace and quiet.”
“I can’t promise I’ll get a chance to ring you, but if I do, you know I’ll do it.”
“Not too late, though. What time do you think you’ll be home?”
His lip lifted at the side. “Around three to three thirty.”
“Ouch! Try not to wake me when you come in, and I’ll try not to wake you when I leave in the morning. It’s going to be tough getting used to our new routine.”
He shrugged. “We’re going to have to get used to it for now, until something better comes along.”
“I hope that elusive job turns up soon. I love you, Mark Wren.”
“I love you too, Kayli Bright-Wren.”
“Ooo… I like the sound of that.”
“So do I. It might be good to have a double-barrelled surname. We should mull that over.”
“I was kidding, but I think the idea has legs. I wonder if it’s possible to do that. We’ll have to delve into it.”
“I’ll leave you to do that. I can’t hang around here, chatting. I have to get off now. See you later.”
One last kiss, then he was gone. Almost immediately, Kayli felt the room closing in on her, suffocating her. She hated being by herself, and she’d spent months alone in the house with Mark miles away. Hang in there. It won’t be for long.
Kayli trudged up the stairs to run a bath. She had just placed the plug in the hole when her mobile rang. She turned on the tap and left the bathroom before she answered the call. “What did you forget?” she asked, thinking it was Mark ringing her.
“Kayli, it’s me.”
“Giles? What’s wrong?” She could tell by the seriousness of her brother’s tone that something was up.
“Annabelle is bleeding. I’m setting off for the hospital and wondered if you could come over and look after Bobby for us.”
“Oh shit! Is it the baby? Forget that. Stupid question. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“You’re a treasure. Drive carefully.”
“Give her a hug from me.”
Kayli flung open the bathroom door, turned off the tap and let the water out the bath. Then she ran downstairs, grabbed her handbag and coat and flew out the front door. Her mind was working overtime during the trip to her brother’s house. When she arrived, an ambulance was parked outside the house. She ran past it and in through the front door. The paramedics were in the process of placing Annabelle on a stretcher rather than in a wheelchair.
“Annabelle, I’m so sorry. They’ll look after you at the hospital.”
Annabelle reached for Kayli’s hand and squeezed it tightly. With tears brimming in her eyes, she whispered, “Thanks for coming. I think it’s too late. Look after Bobby for me.”
Kayli bent down and kissed Annabelle’s cheek. “Don’t worry about Bobby. I’ll take care of him.” She backed up when the paramedics indicated they were ready to leave. Kayli hugged her shell-shocked brother and pushed him in the back. “Go. She needs you. Bobby is in safe hands, love.”
“What am I going to do or say, Kayli?”
“Don’t think about that now. Just be with her, Giles. Ring me as soon as you hear anything.”
“I will.” He nodded, his face void of colour.
Kayli tried her hardest to remain strong, but her heart was breaking for her brother and her wonderful sister-in-law.
“Bobby’s in his room. Take care of him. Tell him we love him if he wakes up. I’ll be in touch soon. Thank you for coming over.”
“Just go,” she ordered, pointing at the ambulance. The paramedics were waiting to close the back door.
She stood at the front door and watched the vehicle pull away from the house. Kayli kicked herself—she should have asked her brother if he’d rung their parents to fill them in. She decided to go upstairs to check on Bobby then ring her parents once she was sure Bobby was asleep. She tiptoed into the little man’s room and leaned over his bed. One eye opened to look at her.
“Hello, sweetie. Can’t you sleep?”
“I want my mummy,” Bobby sobbed, rubbing at his eyes.
Kayli lifted back the quilt and cuddled him, but he wriggled out of her grasp. “No, don’t want you. I want my mummy.”
Kayli smiled at her nephew, who in the last few months had shown signs that he was accepting her. “Mummy and Daddy had to go out, sweetie. But I’m here to look after you.”
Bobby broke down in tears. He raised his legs and kicked Kayli out of the bed.
She landed with a thump on her backside. “Oww… Bobby, you hurt Aunty Kayli.”
“Good. I don’t want you. I want my mummy.”
Kayli stood up and removed her mobile from her pocket. She left the room and rang her mother from the hallway. She was in unknown territory. Bobby was still only just getting used to her when he was a happy child, running around and bringing her toys to play with. Knowing how to handle him when the poor mite was obviously in distress was another matter entirely.
“Hello. Is that you, Kayli?”
Kayli rushed down the hallway and into the master bedroom. “Yes, Mum. I’m so sorry to ring you like this, but I got a call from Giles a little while ago to say that Annabelle neede
d to go to hospital, and he asked me to come over and sit with Bobby—”
Her mother gasped. “Oh my! Hospital? I hope it’s nothing serious, dear. Silly statement, I know, as neither Giles nor Annabelle would bother the hospital if something wasn’t wrong.”
“The thing is, Mum, Bobby was awake when I got here, and I think he’s sensing something is wrong and is refusing to let me comfort him. I was wondering if you had any ideas what I can do to make him trust me, if that is even the right word. I tried getting into bed with him to give him a cuddle, but he was having none of that and soon kicked me out.”
“Oh dear, that’s not good. Why don’t you both jump in the car and come over here. I’ll make up the spare bed for him. He’ll soon settle down once his grandfather starts reading to him. Make sure you bring a couple of bedtime stories with you. His favourites are usually sitting on the bedside table next to him.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Mum. You don’t think Giles will be angry with me, do you?”
“What on earth for? He’ll probably be delighted you thought to seek help with the situation rather than have Bobby in a state. Come on. Get off the phone and into the car.”
“Oh no. I’ve just had a thought. I don’t have a car seat for him.”
Her mother sighed. “Okay, your father has one in his car. Stay where you are, and he’ll come over there and bring you back here. Problem solved.”
“You have a solution for everything. Thanks, Mum. Shall I get Bobby dressed or leave him as he is?”
“Leave him in his pyjamas and make sure you wrap him up well in his thick dressing gown and also put his coat on. The last thing we want is for him to come down with a cold.”
“If he’ll let me near him, I’ll make sure I do that. See you soon. Thanks, Mum.” Kayli ended the call and tiptoed, retracing her steps to Bobby’s bedroom. She pushed the door open a little and cringed when the hinges squeaked.
Little Bobby was buried under the quilt, and when he heard the squeak, his little hands tentatively lowered the quilt so he could peep at her.
“Hi, Bobby. How are you doing?”
“I want my mummy,” he cried, sniffing.
Kayli entered the room and approached the bed. She eased herself down beside him and stroked his tiny fingers. “I know, sweetie. She won’t be long. Hey, I’ve rung Nanny. She’s sending Granddad to come and collect us. That’ll be fun, won’t it?”
Instead of Bobby leaping out of bed in an excited haze, his sobbing increased, and he buried his head fully beneath the quilt. Defeated, Kayli wandered around the room and opened the wardrobe door. At the bottom, she found a small rucksack. She bent down to retrieve it and placed the two bedtime storybooks inside. Then she looked on the back of the door for Bobby’s dressing gown. She found a red towelling robe and a Winnie the Pooh gown. Kayli unhooked the towelling robe from the door and tried again to coax Bobby out from beneath the covers.
“Come on, Bobby, we need to get a wriggle on. Granddad will be here soon.”
Again, his sobbing increased. Kayli chanced her arm and sat on the edge of his bed. She remained silent until his crying subsided. He had moved his whole body to the opposite side of the bed and was teetering on the edge, trying to get away from her. She didn’t have a clue what to say or how to react to get her nephew to respond positively towards her.
Around fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. “Ooo… I wonder who that could be. Want to come with me and have a look?”
Two tiny hands appeared and pulled the cover down to reveal his tear-stained pink face. Her heart almost broke in two when she saw him. She jumped off the bed, gathered his things and ran down the stairs, hoping that Bobby would be intrigued enough to follow her.
Kayli let out a relieved breath when she opened the front door to find her father standing there. She flew into his arms, tears of frustration and concern for Annabelle welling up in her eyes. “Oh, Dad, I feel such a failure.”
Her father smoothed her hair down and whispered, “There, there, dear. The cavalry has arrived now. We’ll soon get the little man responding. Dry your eyes. This isn’t like you.” He pushed her away from him and withdrew a clean white cotton hanky from his jacket pocket before he stepped through the front door.
Kayli dried her eyes on the hanky and sighed heavily. “Can you try and get him down, Dad? Even telling him that you were on your way over here didn’t have the desired impact I had hoped for. The poor chap is broken-hearted up there.”
“I’ll go and sort him out. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. I just need to find his shoes, and we can get off.” Kayli’s gaze rose to the top of the stairs. Bobby had his left hand resting on the bannister, and in his right hand, he was holding his favourite teddy bear. He was staring down at them, looking slightly confused. Kayli took a step towards the stairs, but her father grabbed her arm.
“Leave him to me, love,” he whispered. Then he smiled up at Bobby and held out a hand to him. “Come on, Bobby. Shall we go and see what Grandma has got for you? I think she mentioned having some cheesecake in the fridge. Now what kind was it again? Oh yes, I think it was strawberry. That’s your favourite, isn’t it, son?”
Bobby placed his teddy bear up to his mouth and sucked on one of its paws, nodding slowly.
Kayli’s father held out a hand to him. “Quickly then. We better get over there before Grandma decides to give the cheesecake to the birds.”
Bobby descended the stairs slowly, unsure of his footing at times, until he reached the bottom. Kayli threw the towelling robe around his shoulders and slotted his arms through the sleeves, then she helped him slip on a pair of Thomas the Tank Engine slippers she’d found underneath the stairs.
“We’re ready to leave now, Dad. I’ll just grab my handbag.” She fetched her bag from the lounge and picked up the rucksack.
Bobby was eyeing her suspiciously as he gripped his grandfather’s hand tightly. Her father whisked Bobby up into his arms and snuggled his nose into the boy’s neck, making him chuckle. It was wonderful to see the child happy again. She’d always known that she would make a lousy mother, but that night’s ghastly experience had only reinforced that idea.
“I’ll follow you in my car, if that’s okay?”
“Of course. I’ll secure the little man in the back seat, and we’ll hit the road.”
Kayli pulled the front door to behind her and tested it to make sure it was locked, then she helped her father place Bobby in his special seat before she jumped in her own car.
She followed her father’s car back to his house, and halfway through the journey, her phone rang. She answered it on the hands-free device. “Hello, is that you, Mark?”
“You sound distant. Where are you?”
“It’s a long story. I’m on my way to my parents’ house. Is everything all right with you?”
“Yep, fine. Just calling to say I think I’m going to like it here, love. Why are you going to your parents’ house?”
Kayli’s heart sank when he told her he was going to enjoy his job. “Annabelle got rushed into hospital. Giles rang me to look after Bobby, but he was freaking out and was crying for his mum. I tried consoling him, but it was hopeless. In the end, I rang Mum for advice, and she sent Dad over to get us.”
“Crap! Is Annabelle all right?”
“They think it’s the baby, love. We’ll know more later.”
“Damn, send them both my best wishes the next time you speak to Giles.”
“I will. Glad you’re enjoying your job. I’ve got to go, love. See you later. Don’t be surprised if I’m not there when you get home.”
“No problem. I’m not likely to think you’ve run out on me. You love me too much to do that.”
“I’m glad you realise that. Speak later. Love you.”
“Take care. Love to everyone.” Mark ended the call.
The rest of the journey consisted of Kayli feeling tormented, not only concerned for Annabelle’s welfare, but also worried about whether Mar
k had truly meant what he’d said about enjoying his job. She hoped not. What kind of married life will we have, not seeing each other?
Sometimes she didn’t get home from work until around seven, and his shift was due to start around eight. She slammed the heel of her hand into the steering wheel, and the judder rippled up her arm and through her body. Something needs to change. Either I need to jack in my job, or Mark needs to find a nine-to-five job. She made a mental note to have a word with her father once Bobby was tucked up in bed.
~ ~ ~
Ten minutes later, they arrived at her parents’ house. Her mother was waiting on the doorstep, looking frozen. “Go in, Mum. You’ll catch your death!”
“I’m fine. How’s Bobby? Has he settled down now?”
Kayli held open the car’s back door while her father unfastened the little man from his seat and swept him into his arms. “He’s fine. I’ll just get his bag.”
Her mother stepped behind the front door to allow them in. “Hello, Bobby. It’s lovely to see you. Are you tired?”
The wide-eyed Bobby glanced between the three of them, still looking mightily confused.
“He’s looking forward to having some of his grandmother’s cheesecake,” Kayli’s father said.
Her mother winked at Kayli. “Oh, I see. Well, we’ll have to see what we can find in the fridge, then, won’t we?”
Her father set the wriggling Bobby on the floor in the hallway, and he slipped his hand into his grandmother’s outstretched hand.
Kayli exhaled a relieved sigh as her mother led Bobby into the kitchen. “You guys are brilliant with him. Giles must have been out of his mind thinking that I could cope on my own with the little munchkin. Thanks, Dad.” She hugged her father and pecked him on the cheek. “Can we have a chat later? Once Bobby is settled in bed?”
“Of course. Is something bothering you, apart from the Annabelle situation?”
“Yes and no. Let’s sort Bobby out first then chat.”
She followed her father into the kitchen, where they found a smiling Bobby tucking into a medium-sized portion of her mother’s homemade cheesecake. There was another larger portion sitting on the worktop.