Fallen Angel, Part III

by Tracie Podger

  “Harley, this is Evelyn, she lives next door to Travis,” I said.

  “Well hello, Harley. I bet you would love some chocolate or maybe some ice cream, or maybe some chocolate and ice cream,” she said.

  I had texted Evelyn to let her know what had happened and that we were bringing Harley back with us. I didn’t think it right that he slept the night at the hospital and I knew there were no other family that could take him.

  “You got a cat,” Harley said.

  “Yes, that’s Smudge and she loves cuddles,” I replied.

  He picked her up, snuggled her to his face and brought her back to the stool. She curled up in his lap. Despite what was happening to him, Harley grinned. Chocolate and ice cream was ordered. While Harley sat with Evelyn I followed Robert downstairs to our bedroom.

  “What did the doctors say?” I asked, closing the door behind me.

  “It doesn’t look good. She’s in a coma and if she hadn’t naturally slipped into one, they would have induced it. Her brain is swelling so the surgery was to remove part of her skull, to release the pressure. If she gets over the next twenty-four hours there is a chance she might survive. She lost the baby though. Elaine had no idea she was pregnant. She said they were going on vacation, having a few days away. She knew Caroline had been stressed but thought it was work.”

  “What did Travis tell her?” I asked.

  “Mostly the truth. He told her that when he found out Caroline was pregnant he flipped for a bit, she had come to the club and they had argued before she ran off. Elaine was great with him, he cried and she held him, told him it wasn’t his fault.”

  Robert sat heavily on the bed, running his hand through his hair. “I think he blames me,” he said quietly.

  “Of course he doesn’t, why would you say that?”

  “Didn’t you notice? He can’t look at me. I shouldn’t have taken her out of the restaurant, I should have let her shout and then walk away.”

  “Robert, you did what you thought best at the time. How were we to know she would run, get knocked down? You’re no more to blame for that than I am, than Travis is.”

  “It’s this fucking life, Brooke. We’re like poison, me and Travis. We infect everything and everyone around us.”

  I stepped in front of him and cradled his head in my hands.

  “Don’t you dare say that. Look at us, are we infected? Am I? Who is to blame here? Rogers, that’s who. He sought her out, he gave her that file full of things before your time, Robert, before your time,” I said.

  He wrapped his hands around my waist, let his head fall onto my stomach and I held him.

  “Think about what you did. You didn’t like that life, you legitimised that business. You are responsible for wealthy, powerful people, happy people. Is that someone who infects?” I said.

  He took a deep breath and looked up at me. My fingers stroked down his cheek and I bent my head down to kiss him.

  “Come on, there’s a little boy upstairs who needs us right now,” I said.

  We made our way back to the kitchen. Evelyn was sitting on a stool next to Harley who was busy tucking into a bowl of ice cream with chocolate sprinkles. I made some tea and poured a coffee for Robert. Gary had earned a bonus, I showed Harley the pyjamas and he was thrilled to see a picture of his favourite super hero on the front. Once the ice cream had been eaten I took Harley and the pyjamas downstairs. It was time for him to go to bed. I showed him into the bedroom next door to ours telling him where we would be, should he need us. Each bedroom had an en-suite and while he went to change, I pulled back the duvet. He snuggled under the covers and I sat beside him.

  “Can Smudge sleep with me?” he asked.

  “Well, she’s not supposed to but maybe just this once.”

  I whistled and Smudge came bounding into the bedroom, jumped on the bed and curled up next to Harley. It was as if she could sense he needed her company.

  “Will you tell me a story?” Harley asked.

  “Sure, I know a great one. It’s about a little boy called Harley and an island full of animals that talk.”

  I settled down beside him and started to tell him my story, making it up as I went along.

  “Harley was on a ship, he was travelling from England to India. It was a big ship but one night there was a storm, a huge storm. Big waves made the boat rock from side to side.”

  “Did I get scared?” he asked.

  “Oh no. Harley was a brave boy, in fact, he helped put the life rafts in the water so the people could get off the ship when it started to sink. He was very good at looking after everyone. Harley managed to get in a row boat all to himself and he rowed and rowed across the ocean until he came to a deserted island.”

  As I talked I saw Robert lean against the door frame with a smile on his face and watching me. I never got to the end of the story, how the animals talked. Harley’s eyelids had started to close. I stroked his hair for a little while until I was sure he was asleep then crept from the room. I pulled the door over, leaving it slightly ajar so we could hear if he called out in the night.

  “Is he asleep?” Evelyn asked as she came down the stairs.

  “Yes, just dropped off,” I replied.

  “Okay, I’ll be off. I’ll see you in the morning. If you hear from Travis, let me know.”

  Robert locked the front door and we headed to bed ourselves.

  “Keep your shorts on,” I said, rifling through my closet for shorts and a vest.

  “Shorts?” he called out.

  “Yes, if he wakes in the night he might come and find us. Probably be better if we weren’t naked,” I said, climbing under the covers.

  “You were really good with him, poor kid. I wonder what’s going to happen. I think we should offer to keep him here, at least for the next couple of days,” Robert said.

  I didn’t say anything but this was coming from the man who, only a few months ago, would never have had visitors, let alone a child in the house. I smiled as I snuggled into his arms and we drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  Harley slept through the night and late into the morning. I got up with Robert, he needed to head into work and I would wait until I heard from Travis. They were hoping to see Caroline that day and I wanted to make sure Harley was there for that. We’d had no calls during the night so assumed there had been no change. I was sitting at the breakfast bar with Evelyn when I heard the pad of bare feet come up the stairs, the cat bounded in front of him.

  “Looks like you have a friend,” Evelyn said.

  “She slept with me all night,” he replied. “Are we going to see my mom today?”

  “I’m waiting for a call from Travis, when that comes, we’ll be off,” I said.

  Evelyn had prepared a feast. In a crisis the first thing she did was to make sure everyone ate. She laid pancakes, fruit, eggs and bacon on the counter. The three of us sat and ate. Only once did I gently tell Harley off for sharing his bacon with the cat. Robert would not be impressed with Smudge sitting at his feet, begging each meal time. I saw my phone vibrate and slid off the stool making my way to the other side of the room.

  “Hey, did he sleep okay?” Robert asked.

  “Yes, we’re having breakfast now. Smudge kept him company all night. Have you heard anything?”

  “No, but I have news on Rogers. Tony knows where he is.”

  “Okay. Be careful and call me later, please?”

  “Of course, I love you,” he said as we finished our call.

  “Was that my Nan?” Harley asked.

  “No it was Robert, he hasn’t heard yet but wanted to check on you.”

  “I like you guys and I like Travis too,” he said before returning to his breakfast.

  I smiled over at Evelyn. All I hoped was that there was going to be a happy outcome for him. I knew the damage it had done to Robert to lose his parents at such a young age and I wondered what would happen if Harley’s dad made an appearance. Harley had to dress in the same clothes as he
had worn the day before. In the meantime, I had a plan. I texted Gary to collect us.

  I wanted to keep Harley occupied and I knew just the place and the people that could help. The kids had a day off school, some teacher training thing and that’s where we headed. I called Ted before we left, explained the situation and told him we were on our way.

  “Where are we going?” Harley asked as we drove through Arlington.

  “We’re going to a house where lots of kids live and they have a football pitch. I thought it might be fun for an hour or so, until we hear from nanny or Travis. What do you think?”

  “Cool,” he replied.

  As we drove through the gate the kids ran down the path to meet us. Gerry, as usual, held back. He was still struggling and I felt terrible that I hadn’t spoken to him the day before. I usually made a point of calling him each day. We climbed out of the car and I introduced the boys, calling Gerry over.

  “Gerry, this is Harley. I wondered if you would help me today. You see, Harley’s mum had an accident, she’s in the hospital and I thought it might be good for you to play football with him.”

  Gerry smiled. “She means soccer, she’s from England,” he told Harley.

  Ted came out of the house with a couple of balls and a whistle. I guessed he was going to play at being referee. All the boys ran towards the small pitch where an argument occurred, it did every time teams were picked. Ted mediated and soon enough a football match was going on. Gary and I sat on the bench looking on.

  “I wonder what’s going to happen to him,” Gary said, watching Harley.

  “I said we would have him with us for a couple of days, get the critical period over, then I don’t know. I imagine he’ll go back with his Nan.”

  We sat and watched, the kids were enjoying themselves and for a moment I was pleased to see Harley laugh. He and Gerry made a great pair and I hoped they might end up friends. Gerry certainly needed someone his own age. I thought back to Robert’s comment the previous evening. I hadn’t noticed that Travis didn’t look at Robert when we left the hospital but then I had been concerned for Harley. Travis couldn’t blame Robert, and if he did, I hoped they could work their way through that.

  “Brooke,” I heard. I looked up.

  “Sorry, I was miles away. Why aren’t you playing?” I asked Gerry.

  “Need a drink,” he said, swigging water from a bottle.

  “If Harley’s mom dies, I’ll help him,” he said with all sincerity before running back to the pitch.

  I shook my head in wonderment. He truly was a loving child and so thoughtful. He was prepared to put his own struggles aside to help another. I had a thought and when Ted blew for full time I called Gerry and Harley over.

  “Do you think you might let Harley borrow a pair of jeans and a jumper?” I asked. I could wash what he was wearing and rotate the outfits.

  “Sure, do you want to come and see my room? We can pick some clothes,” Gerry said to him.

  I watched the two of them run off into the house. My phone rang and my stomach knotted as I saw who was calling.

  “Hi, Travis, is there any news?” I asked.

  “I think Harley needs to come and visit. It’s not good, her brain is still swelling and the doctors are saying they have done all they can but we have to be prepared that she might not make it,” he said.

  “Oh God. I’m so sorry, we’ll be there as soon as we can. How are you?” I asked.

  “Numb, Brooke. Right now I’m going through the motions. I did love her, I know I did now and I left it too late. I talk to her constantly, I tell her but I don’t know if she can hear me or not.”

  “She can hear you, Travis, just hold her hand and tell her. I’ll be there as quick as I can, okay?” I said as I stood.

  “We need to go,” I told Gary.

  I collected Harley with his little parcel of jeans and sweatshirts, I hugged Gerry and told him I would see him soon and we headed off. Gary dropped us at the entrance with a promise to call Robert. We were told that Travis was waiting in the family room for us and we headed that way. Harley had tensed, I could feel his hand tremble in mine.

  “Hey buddy, you ready to see your mom?” Travis asked as we entered the room.

  I stayed in the family room while Travis took Harley. Elaine was with Caroline, she hadn’t left her side the whole night Travis had told me. The nurse’s were obviously overlooking the one family by the bedside rule if Travis was sitting with her too. It was while I sat on my own that I gave in to the tears that had been building up. I hadn’t known Caroline that long, we hadn’t become great friends but it was still a shock and the image of her body lying on the road crept into my mind. I had to be strong though. Harley, Travis and Robert needed me at that moment. I pushed my own sorrow to the back of my mind while I sat and waited.

  In one way I wasn’t sure whether bringing Harley to the hospital was the right thing. It was going to be a huge shock to see his mum that way but Elaine had wanted him to. If Caroline died, seeing his mum in a hospital bed with bandages and tubes was going to be his lasting memory. However, in later life Harley might resent that he hadn’t been with her. There was no right or wrong I guessed.

  I looked up when the door opened and Travis led a sobbing Harley back into the room. He sat and pulled him onto his lap, cradling him to his chest. Travis whispered, soothing him and I fished around in my bag for some tissues. It looked like both needed one. I put my arm on Travis’s back, my hand trying to rub some comfort into him. It took a while before Harley’s sobs died down and exhaustion took over, his eyes closed and he dozed off.

  “How’s Elaine?” I whispered.

  “Not good, she hasn’t slept at all. She won’t leave Caroline, not yet. We come back here for an hour or so but, you know what it’s like, you can’t sleep.”

  “Can I do anything? Bring some food or something?” I asked.

  “She ate a little last night, I made her come to the café with me.”

  “The doctors think Caroline suffered major brain damage,” he said. I heard the crack in his voice, I saw him grind his jaw trying to get himself under control and I watched the tears roll down his cheeks.

  “What happens next?” I asked.

  “They’ll monitor her. The consultant is going to call a meeting in a couple of days.”

  “Okay. Tell Elaine Harley can stay with us until you know what’s going to happen.”

  “Thanks, Brooke. I best get back, can you take him?”

  As he shifted Harley into my lap he opened his eyes.

  “You ready to come back with me?” I asked. He nodded.

  As we made our way out of the room I sent a text to Gary to have the car ready. On the journey back I texted Robert. I didn’t want to speak in front of Harley but gave him the news. He had replied that he would come home early, maybe take Harley for a swim or a walk in the woods to keep him occupied.

  ***

  Harley and I had sat at the breakfast bar and he had peppered me with questions I couldn’t answer. What were the tubes for? Why wouldn’t she wake up? I thought I might call the therapist we used at the home the following day, ask her advice on how best to handle these questions. I wanted to be honest but he was only young. Telling him everything was going to be okay went against what I believed. Equally, I couldn’t tell him the truth either.

  We heard the car pull on the drive and the front door open, I then heard a set of feet run up the stairs definitely not belonging to Robert.

  “Brooke, Harley, I’m here,” an excited Gerry called out. “Look, I got my bag. I’m staying tonight,” he added.

  I raised my eyebrows and smiled at Robert who simply shrugged his shoulders. What a turnaround this had become. Gerry ran over and gave me a hug and when I looked at his beaming face, I was reminded of the old Gerry, the one before Kerry had died.

  “It’s good to see you again,” I said.

  “I know, Robert came and got me. Can you swim, Harley? We got a pool here,” he said.


  I smiled at the ‘we’, he had made himself at home within a couple of minutes of arriving. Gerry had visited once or twice before. Some of the kids came to mow the lawns, earn a bit of pocket money but none had ever stayed over. It wasn’t something encouraged and until recently, Robert, although he liked the kids, had always kept them at arm’s length. I was pleased though, Harley had a smile from ear to ear.

  “I don’t have swimming shorts,” he said.

  “Don’t worry I got loads, look,” Gerry said, emptying his bag over the floor.

  There were clothes, he had picked those himself by the look of it as nothing matched, there were toy cars, a couple of books and two teddies. He handed one to Harley.

  “For your bed, which one’s mine?” he asked.

  The two kids ran down the stairs and I was left to clear up the mess.

  “That was a lovely thing to do,” I said to Robert.

  “I thought it might help, you know. Especially if things get bad over the next couple of days. Gerry is just the best at taking Harley’s mind of things for a bit.”

  “So, he’s staying for a couple of nights?”

  “Yeah, why not. You okay with that?” he asked.

  “I’m more than okay with that. I love that little boy, it will be great to have him here. Now, you go entertain, I’ll be along in a bit.”

  I heard Robert tell Gerry that was not his bedroom and to stop bouncing on the bed, I guessed he had headed for the largest, ours. The front door opened, slammed shut and through the windows I saw the boys run to the pool house. I decided to take my camera, it might be nice later on for Harley to have some pictures of happy times. Taking Gerry’s clothes downstairs I headed for a spare room, I guessed the one with the teddy thrown on the bed was his. I put away his clothes and made sure there were towels in the bathroom. I then straightened the bedclothes on my own bed. I would have to watch those boys, there was that rather large photograph of me hanging on the wall.

  I changed into swim wear, pulled on a sun dress and shivered as I made my way over to the pool. It was only just heading towards spring and not the weather for flip flops and a flimsy dress. I heard the screams, shouts and splashes as I approached. I saw Robert pick up the boys and throw them in, watched them climb back out and beg to be thrown again. Poor Robert, he was going to be exhausted. It was wonderful to watch him laugh, to have fun. I sat on a lounger and took some photos. Robert had dived in and was now launching the kids into the air from under the water.