The Road to Hope

by Rachael Johns

  As he deliberated, the door was suddenly flung open and Monica stood before him holding a full-to-bursting garbage bag.

  ‘Tom!’ she shrieked, dropping the bag as she threw her arms around him. Something he thought might be cracked eggshells landed on his feet but he was unable to look down and check.

  ‘Hey Mon.’

  She stepped back and held him by the shoulders. ‘Hey Mon? Is that all you have to say after vanishing for months on end?’

  He rolled his eyes and laughed. She’d always been dramatic. ‘I actually have a lot more to say,’ he said, ‘which is why I’m here. Can I come in?’

  ‘As if you have to ask.’ Ignoring the rubbish bag, which had spilt all over the front verandah, she tugged at his hand as she turned to go back inside. ‘Mum! Dad! Look who the wind blew in.’

  Within a matter of seconds, Tom was ambushed by his mother, his father, his sister, Caroline, and Monica’s two hyperactive daughters. Although he couldn’t get a word in edgewise, it felt good to be home.

  ‘Leave the poor bloke alone,’ his dad said eventually. ‘It’s good to see you again, son.’

  ‘Thanks. You too.’ Tom’s heart swelled at the word ‘son’ and he inwardly sighed with relief that he wasn’t too late. Thank God for Lauren, who had healed him enough to take this step.

  At her husband’s words, Tom’s mum decided food was in order. For celebrations, tragedies and everything in between, chocolate cake was the fix. And she always had one on stand-by in the fridge.

  The whole family sat around the kitchen table while his mum dished up the cake, and then they spoke over the top of each other as they devoured their slices. How he’d missed this noise. And Mum’s cooking.

  ‘Have you met anyone on your travels?’ Monica asked, catching him off guard.

  He took a moment replying and then grinned. ‘Yes, I have.’

  ‘Really?’ Monica glared at him. ‘You better not be talking about patients and service station attendants and the like. I meant—’

  ‘A woman?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Shoving the last spoonful of cake into his mouth, he chewed it down slowly, enjoying the impatience that flashed across her face.

  ‘Who is this woman?’ she snapped. ‘Is it serious? Do I need to meet her?’

  ‘Stop grilling him,’ his mum chastised, looking from Monica and back to him. ‘I think the real question is do I need to meet her?’

  Everyone laughed.

  ‘Yes, Mum. As it happens I’d like you all to meet her.’

  ‘Does she have a name?’ asked his father.

  ‘Lauren.’ And he couldn’t help grinning again as he said it.

  He told them everything about her—from how hot she looked in her nurse’s uniform (maybe a little too much information) to how she’d helped him work through some of his issues. The kids went off to play and the conversation turned serious.

  ‘I’m liking the sound of this Lauren,’ said his mum.

  ‘Me too,’ echoed Caroline and Monica in unison.

  ‘Damn,’ Monica cursed and shot to a stand. ‘As much as I’m desperate to hear all the gory details and catch up, I’ve got to get the girls to dancing.’

  Caroline frowned. ‘And I have to go pick up Caleb from work. How long are you here?’

  ‘I’ve got a flight back tomorrow morning. I couldn’t take any more leave from work.’

  ‘How about a family dinner here tonight, then?’ suggested his mum. ‘I’ll call Lou and fill her in.’

  ‘We’ll be there. See you soon, bro.’ With that, Monica turned and hollered, ‘Girls, we’re going,’ down the corridor.

  Caroline stood and gave him a hug. ‘It’s so good to see you again. I can’t wait till tonight.’

  He hugged his sister back. ‘I’ll look forward to it.’

  Then, as if the house had never been filled with the whirlwind that was his sisters and nieces, it went quiet again.

  ‘Shall we go sit in the lounge room and catch up?’ suggested his dad.

  Tom and his mum agreed and they refilled their cups of tea and headed for the comfort of couches. In many ways his dad seemed unchanged—somehow he’d been expecting him to have declined a lot more—and most of the time he managed to hold a normal conversation. Still, despite his parents wanting to hear all about his travels and his Mum wanting more gossip about Lauren, he couldn’t relax until he’d apologised for running off.

  He swallowed and put his teacup down on the coffee table. ‘Mum, Dad, I’m sorry for the way I reacted to the news of your illness.’ As far as he knew, his mum hadn’t told his dad that he and Monica had been tested for the mutation, and he wanted to keep it that way. No point him having to deal with the guilt of passing such a defect onto his children when he already had enough on his plate. ‘I can’t really explain it, except to say, I wish I’d done things differently. I wish I’d been stronger like the girls, but Dad, I want you to know that I’ll be here with you from now on.’

  His dad looked confused and for the first time that day Tom wondered whether he was keeping up with the conversation. ‘It’s okay,’ he said eventually. ‘I don’t want you or any of your sisters to be held back because of me. Travelling is good for the soul.’

  ‘It’s certainly been an experience. But when this contract finishes I’m going to look for work closer to home. I want to be here for you, Dad. For both of you,’ he added, looking to his mum.

  Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks. ‘And what does Lauren think about this?’

  Although they hadn’t yet had the time to plan what to do next, Tom knew with absolute certainty that Lauren would understand his need to be near his family over the next few years. And she’d want to be there right along with him. ‘She’s cool with it.’

  ‘So what does Frank think about the two of you getting together?’

  Over cake Tom had mentioned that he’d met Lauren because Frank, a friend his whole family adored, had offered their house as a place to stay. ‘That’s a good question. We haven’t had the chance to tell him yet.’

  His mum laughed and continued to hit him with more questions. He didn’t mind answering them because talking about Lauren made her feel close. After about half an hour his dad dozed off.

  ‘He gets tired easily now,’ his mum said with a sigh. ‘Why don’t you come into the kitchen and help me start prepping for dinner. We can chat while we work.’

  ‘I’d like that.’ He leaned forward to collect the empty cups from the table and then stood to follow her. As they peeled potatoes and other veggies ready to go into the oven to roast, the conversation turned to Ellie.

  ‘I can’t believe you met a real TV star.’

  He laughed. ‘Ellie is very down to earth. I usually forget she’s famous.’

  ‘Will she be invited to the wedding when you marry Lauren?’

  ‘Mum! We’ve only just got together.’

  She sighed. ‘A mother can hope. I’m really pleased for you, sweetheart.’

  ‘Thanks.’ He gave her a hug.

  ‘Does Lauren know about your test?’

  He let her go, looked into her eyes and nodded. ‘I tried to fight my feelings for her because I didn’t think it was fair to ask her to be with me—knowing what I know. But for some reason, none of that matters to her.’

  ‘Of course it doesn’t,’ she answered simply. ‘She loves you.’

  ‘Mum, can I ask you something?’

  ‘Anything.’ She leaned back against the kitchen bench, focusing on him.

  ‘If you’d known when you married Dad that he’d develop Alzheimer’s this young, would you still have gone ahead with the wedding?’

  He heard the kitchen wall clock ticking as she contemplated her answer. For a second he worried she’d say no.

  But then she took a deep breath. ‘No matter what the future holds, I would never change the past. Even when the disease takes complete hold of him, that man in there will still be your father. Even when he no longer k
nows who I am, I’ll still know who he is. He’s the man I’ve loved for almost forty years and I’ll love him for the rest of my life.’

  Tom swallowed, fighting back tears.

  His mum patted the side of his arm. ‘And it sounds like Lauren feels exactly the same way about you.’

  ‘She does,’ he replied, knowing that to be the absolute, wonderful truth.

  Chapter Thirty

  Airports had always been depressing places for Lauren. She hated the public displays of affection that felt like they were flaunted in her face as she waited. People hugging and smooching all over the place had always made her feel like the only kid not picked for a sports team.

  But this time was different.

  She stood right at the front of the gate, craning her neck. Look out anyone who tried to get in front of her and block her first glimpse of Tom. It had been just over twenty-four hours since she’d dropped him off, and although they’d texted and talked a number of times it felt like forever. After cake and coffee with Whitney, she’d met up with Flynn and Ellie on their way to see Rats. Today, she’d occupied herself with some shopping and another hospital visit, but nothing had been able to keep her mind off Tom.

  The doors to the gate opened in front of her and the people surrounding Lauren all seemed to step forward as the first passengers started appearing at the top of the ramp. Standing on her tippy-toes, she swayed from side to side, trying to identify Tom in the hordes of people disembarking the plane.

  It felt like hundreds of people walked past her but she barely noticed the happy reunions she used to dread taking place behind her; her gaze glued firmly ahead. When Tom finally appeared at the top of the exit ramp, she started running. The cocky smile she’d fallen in love with the first moment she’d laid eyes on him in the hospital spread across his face again, making all her insides feel like marshmallow. He dropped his bag to the floor and opened his arms, catching her as she leapt at him, linking her hands around his neck and her legs around his waist. His hands cupped her bum as she kissed him hard on the lips.

  ‘Took you long enough,’ she teased, breaking their connection only because they required oxygen.

  He laughed. ‘I was right at the back of the plane. And I had to help an old lady who’d lost her glasses in one of the seat pockets.’

  She raised an eyebrow. ‘A likely story, mister, but I’m glad you’re here now.’

  ‘Me too.’

  They kissed again and Lauren felt desire sparking all over her body. She didn’t want to break their connection but at the same time—well, there were kids around. Reluctantly, she slid down his body and linked her hand with his. ‘Guess we’d better head home.’

  ‘About that,’ Tom said. ‘I hope you don’t mind but I booked us a room in the city. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you long enough to get us back to Hope Junction.’

  ‘Is that right?’ She liked where he was going with this.

  He nodded, looking pretty damn pleased with himself. ‘We’ll have to leave first thing in the morning so I can get back to work, but it was either that or pull over in a layaway on the side of the road and take you on the back seat.’

  Her insides clenched at the visuals. Sex in a car was never really comfortable, but Tom’s dirty talk turned her on something chronic. ‘Which hotel?’

  ‘That’s my surprise. Give me the keys and I’ll drive.’

  Smiling, she dug the keys out of her handbag and dangled them in front of his face. He snatched them from her, stole another kiss and then together they started towards the exit. Thankfully Tom had only taken hand luggage so they didn’t have to waste time at the luggage carousel.

  ‘Are you sure you want to drive?’ she asked as they paid the ticket for her parking space.

  ‘Yep,’ he murmured, his voice deep and sounding slightly pained. ‘If you drive, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.’

  ‘Well then…’ The warmth at her core radiated to her extremities and she guessed her cheeks were red as beets. She loved the urgency and desperation in Tom’s voice as he expressed his desire to get her naked, but it was the knowledge that it wasn’t all just about sex that really made her glow. In Tom she’d found a man who liked her as a person—someone who wanted to spend as much time with her as possible and who listened with interest to everything she said. Someone who both challenged and inspired her to be the best she could be.

  Looking back, the guys she’d previously hooked up with were all wrong—she’d had little in common with them and never felt as if she could completely be herself. With Tom, she not only felt comfortable and accepted, but she was proud of who she was and she wanted to be the person he saw and loved. She wanted to make plans with him and she loved that he wanted to do the same with her.

  No one knew just how long they’d have together, but they could make damn sure they made the best of whatever time they did have.

  And that time started now.

  Epilogue

  Lauren had a lump in her throat as she parked her car at Hope Junction Hospital for what might be the last time for a while, or even ever. Over the years, she’d made the trek down the corridor to the nurses’ lockers too many times to count and she’d enjoyed almost every hour in the small town hospital. She’d seen colleagues come and go and beloved local residents pass away, but despite the sometimes not-so-happy moments, she’d always remember her time working here fondly.

  But now Hannah Bates had returned, and in a couple of days Lauren and Tom would head off to Adelaide to start a new life nearer his family. Although she was beyond excited by this prospect, her heart began to race as she thought of the dear old friends she’d come to say goodbye to. There was a leaving party planned for her and Tom at the pub tomorrow evening, but the farewell she was about to make would undoubtedly be the hardest of them all.

  Not wanting to cry before she even made it to the front entrance, Lauren took a deep breath and grabbed her basket of presents—she’d bought a little trinket for each of them—from the back of her car before heading inside. Surprisingly, there was no one at the reception desk, and as she trekked further into the hospital, she frowned at the unusual silence. It was late afternoon and the place was usually a hive of activity, but today the corridors were eerily quiet.

  Shaking her head at the deserted nurses’ station, Lauren made a beeline for the residential wing. Steve and her old colleagues may have upped and left, but unless there’d been an alien invasion and everyone had been beamed up to outer space like in Ellie’s terrible final episode of Lake Street, then at least Ned, Nancy, May and Barbara would be there for company. And they were her main reason for coming.

  Someone’s hastily whispered, ‘Ssh, she’s coming,’ was the first hint Lauren got of anything untoward. She paused and looked ahead to where the residents sat, their recliners angled in a semi-circle around the television set, balloons hanging from the ceiling fan above their heads and a big FAREWELL banner hanging across the entrance to the area.

  ‘Oh, no,’ she gasped with embarrassed joy as the penny dropped.

  ‘Surprise!’ People who had been hiding in the dining area burst into view, and the tears she’d been trying her utmost to control burst free. It looked like half the town had been crammed behind chairs and under tables waiting for her. She clutched her big shopping bag to her chest to keep from dropping it on the floor as Tom stepped out from the crowd and came towards her.

  ‘Hey gorgeous.’

  ‘Hey gorgeous?’ she sniffed, nodding beyond them. ‘Is that all you have to say about this? Is it your doing?’

  Grinning, he took the bag from her and pulled her into his arms. ‘I’d like to say so, but Barbara and May demanded we either have a party here or bring them down to the pub tomorrow night. Neither Hannah nor I were game for that scenario.’

  ‘Hell, no,’ Lauren laughed, leaning into Tom as she imagined the havoc Barbara and May could cause if let loose at the local pub. Even with their limited mobility, give them a
few drinks and they’d be a force to be reckoned with. She wouldn’t have put it past them to attempt a little tabletop dancing.

  ‘Come on,’ Tom said, tugging her towards the waiting party. ‘There are lots of people who want to say goodbye.’

  Not bothering to try to control her tears, Lauren took Tom’s hand and walked into the throng of people. She saw the nurses she’d worked with, Dr Hannah Bates, patients she’d cared for over the years and even Flynn and Ellie in the corner with Whitney and a recently discharged Rats. And there was Steve, standing on a chair in the corner and tapping a glass with a fork.

  ‘Ladies and gents, before this party really kicks off, I’d like to say a few words about Lauren.’ He smiled over at her and she waved back. ‘But someone get the girl a drink before I start, will you?’

  A glass of cold lemonade was thrust into Lauren’s hand. ‘Thank you,’ she mouthed to Taryn, who had done the honours.

  ‘Okay, where was I?’ Steve boomed over the top of everyone’s heads, seemingly quite at home in the limelight. ‘Oh, that’s right. Lauren Simpson, soon to be Mrs Tom Lewis.’

  Cheers erupted around them. He waited for the noise to die down and then continued. ‘Lauren has been a nurse at our hospital ever since she graduated from her degree, and what an asset she has been to our team. As well as being highly skilled, she has always gone the extra mile to make sure her patients feel special.’

  There were murmurs of agreement throughout the crowd, and Lauren felt her cheeks flush. While the words were lovely, she wasn’t used to such positive attention. In the past, she’d allowed negative jibes to weigh her down but it was nice to be told that she’d left a positive imprint on Hope Junction as well. Steve continued, telling anecdotes of Lauren’s time in the hospital, until Helen wheeled out a cake, indicating it was time to keep things moving along.

  ‘Wow,’ Lauren whistled her appreciation as she laid eyes on the mammoth rectangular creation with Goodbye and Good Luck scrawled in pink icing across the top. Her mouth watered at the knowledge that it would be Helen’s famous vanilla sponge.