by Louise Guy
‘Do you think there’s a chance Dad and Sue will get their money back?’
Hannah thought back to her discussion with Jacob about keeping people’s expectations low so that they weren’t disappointed. That advice was relevant right now. ‘I’m afraid I think it’s unlikely. But it’s not impossible, so let’s keep our fingers crossed and see what happens over the next couple of days.’
Nat nodded, her face so stricken Hannah wanted to cry for her. Instead, she did something she hadn’t done since they were teenagers. She took her in her arms and hugged her.
Nausea settled in Hannah’s stomach as she drove away from her father’s house. She hated that she was the one to deliver such devastating news.
Her phone rang as she turned left on to Warrigal Road and her stomach churned as the caller display showed it was Damien. She’d never felt so nervous about accepting a call from her husband before. She wasn’t sure she could handle anything else tonight.
She cleared her throat. ‘Hello.’
She wasn’t sure what she expected, but it wasn’t the frantic sound of her husband’s voice.
‘Han, meet me at Box Hill emergency department.’
‘What?’
‘The school called. Amy’s had an accident, and they’ve taken her there.’
‘Oh my God, is she alright?’
‘Yes, she’s had a fall and done something to her arm. She’s in a lot of pain, but one of the teachers is with her. I have to go. I’m just walking in now and need to switch off my phone.’
Hannah accelerated through a light as it changed to amber. ‘Okay, I’ll be about ten minutes.’ The call ended, and she did her best to clear everything from her mind and concentrate on the fastest route to the hospital.
Fifteen minutes later she hurried through the emergency room doors. She glanced around the crowded waiting room, but there was no sign of Amy or Damien. She went straight up to the desk.
‘My daughter was brought in a little while ago. Amy Anderson.’
The receptionist checked her computer and looked up at Hannah. ‘She’s with a doctor. Just a moment and I’ll have someone take you through to the consultation room.’
Hannah shifted from foot to foot, wishing they would hurry up.
‘Mrs Anderson?’
She turned to find a male nurse standing behind her.
‘If you’d like to come with me, I’ll take you down to see your daughter. Your husband’s with her already.’
A small flicker of relief registered for Hannah. She wasn’t alone. She had Damien with her.
‘Do you know what happened?’ She asked the nurse as she followed him along the sterile corridor.
‘I believe she fell. The arm needs to be X-rayed. Even without an X-ray, I’m afraid to say it’s broken. Hopefully, it’s a clean break and won’t need surgery.’
A shiver ran up Hannah’s back. Surgery? She hoped that wouldn’t be necessary.
They turned into another corridor and the nurse directed her into a room. Damien was sitting in a chair next to a space where Hannah imagined a bed would usually be. He stood as soon as she entered the room and crossed the floor to her. He took her in his arms.
She could feel the tremble in his body.
‘She’s okay, isn’t she?’
Damien nodded. ‘They just took her to X-ray her arm. She’s in quite a bit of pain, but the painkillers they gave her should work quickly.’
Hannah drew back from him. ‘You’re shaking.’
He gave a wobbly smile. ‘It was a fright getting the phone call, that’s all. Made me realise I should have been at home, not at Mum and Dad’s.’
‘She hurt herself at school. It wouldn’t have made any difference.’
‘I know, but it also makes me realise what’s important. I’m sorry, Han.’
The nurse cleared his throat. ‘I’ll give you some privacy. You’ve probably got half an hour or so before Amy is brought back.’
They waited for him to leave, grateful that the other two beds in the room were empty.
‘Did she tell you what happened?’
Damien nodded. ‘She fell when she was mucking out the stables. Tripped over a piece of wood, apparently.’
Hannah froze. ‘What? Hold on. She was at the stables?’
Damien nodded. ‘It was her first afternoon working at the stables. She was lucky to get the opportunity. Although she won’t be able to do it now, so they’ll have to get someone else to replace her.’
‘Let me get this straight. Amy was at the stables where she now has a part-time job?’
Damien nodded. ‘Where did you think she was?’
‘At basketball training. She lied to me. Why on earth would she do that?’
A small smile played on Damien’s lips. ‘You have to ask that question?’
‘But, as much as I hate it, she’s doing equestrian at school. I already know that. She didn’t need to lie about this.’
‘She probably didn’t want to listen to another lecture.’
Anger welled inside Hannah. ‘And now she’s been hurt. You told me she’d be fine doing equestrian, that I had nothing to worry about.’
Damien placed his hands on either side of her shoulders. ‘Han, she tripped over a piece of wood. She didn’t fall off a horse or anything dramatic. She did something she could do in the back garden.’
‘But she did it at the stables. If you’d gone along with me from the start, she wouldn’t have been there, and she wouldn’t have tripped.’
Damien shook his head and sighed. ‘You need to let up, Han. She had an accident and she’s going to be fine. These things happen.’ He sat back down in the chair, his eyes locked on hers. ‘You need to stop trying to protect everyone all the time.’
Hannah took a deep breath, reminding herself that Amy was fine and yes, this could have happened anywhere. She sat in a chair next to Damien.
‘I can’t believe she felt the need to lie to me. I need to change, don’t I?’
‘Just let go a little. Let us all deal with life and make our own mistakes.’
Hannah nodded. ‘I know you’re right, it’s just hard when I love you both so much. I want to protect you from anything that could hurt you.’
Damien’s face softened. ‘And I love you for it. And, Han, I’m sorry.’
Tears instantly filled her eyes. ‘You don’t need to be sorry. I do.’
He shook his head. ‘I’m sorry for the way I reacted; for taking off and not contacting you. I didn’t handle it very well.’ He reached for her hand and took it in his. ‘I want you to promise me something.’
‘Anything.’
‘That from now on, you share everything with me. We never have any secrets, especially not secrets that are to protect me. I’m old enough to deal with anything that comes my way. I might need help, like I do right now, from you and the psychologist, but I’ll get through it.’
Hannah nodded. ‘I am sorry. I know I should have told you. I was worried about your mum as well as you, but I was thinking last night that there was no reason your mum would have had to know anything while she was sick. We could have left telling her until later.’
‘Mum’s the one who made me see sense. She’s a smart woman.’
‘Did she tell you we had coffee yesterday?’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘No, she didn’t mention it.’
‘She wanted to talk, see how I was doing. She did admit to being scared of where it would leave her if you end up meeting your mother.’
He nodded. ‘She told me the same. Hopefully I convinced her that she was my mum and that no one could ever take her place. I told her I was hoping to meet Janine. I contacted the adoption agency yesterday to make sure it’s clear on my file that I would like contact to be made.’
‘Did they tell you I’d been in touch with them?’
‘Yes. I confirmed everything you’d already told them to ensure Janine knows about Zane Fox and doesn’t give him any money.’
‘I don’
t think we need to worry about that.’ She went on to tell him about Zane showing up at the office and her contact with the police.
Amy was wheeled back into the room partway through their discussion.
Hannah jumped to her feet as soon as she saw her pale, scared face. ‘Oh, hon, are you okay?’
‘Am I in trouble?’ Amy’s voice was barely a whisper. ‘I’m sorry I lied to you.’
Hannah’s eyes filled again. She waited until the orderly moved the bed back into place before gripping Amy’s good hand in her own. ‘Of course you’re not in trouble. I’m sorry that you felt you had to lie to me.’
‘Will I ever be allowed near the horses again?’
Hannah gave a small laugh. ‘As much as I’d like to say no, of course you will.’ She glanced at Damien. ‘I need to get over my fears and let you live your life.’ A young female doctor entered the room, and Hannah’s eyes blurred with more tears as colour returned to Amy’s face and her mouth broke into a wide grin.
‘Amy has a broken wrist. It’s a clean break so no surgery will be required. We’ll need to put a cast on it, but I’d like to wait a couple of days for the swelling to go down. She’ll have a temporary splint in the interim. We’re pretty busy tonight so there might be a bit of a wait for the splint, but once it’s on you’ll be able to take her home. We’ll provide you with some painkillers and a report for your GP. They’ll be able to put the cast on.’ She looked over to Amy and winked. ‘And no more tripping over sticks. At least fall off the horse next time and make it sound more dramatic.’
Hannah closed her eyes, willing herself to laugh at the doctor’s joke. She wasn’t able to do that, and probably never would be able to joke about accidents around horses, but at least she could let it go and say nothing at all. As the doctor retreated from the room, Hannah opened her eyes and looked at Damien.
He smiled at her, the understanding in his expression made it clear that he knew how difficult this was for her.
The painkillers had begun their magic, and the shock of the ordeal had Amy’s eyes closing only moments later.
‘She might as well sleep while we wait for the splint.’ Damien moved his chair closer to Hannah’s. He took her hand in his. ‘I love you, Han. Promise me we’ll be open and honest from this moment on.’
She nodded, the relief that he was beside her more significant than she could ever have dreamed. ‘I promise.’
He leaned forward and kissed her, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks. ‘With the Zane Fox situation, it sounds like you’ve had a lot going on while I’ve been gone.’
Hannah nodded. ‘That’s only part of it. Let me fill you in.’
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nat apologised to her father and Sue so many times that in the end they were the ones comforting her.
‘Nat, it’s not your fault,’ Sue said. ‘It was an amazing opportunity which we chose to take a risk on with the hope of some good luck. It wasn’t to be.’ She’d smiled, her eyes filled with love. ‘It gives your father and me a challenge to work together to solve. We’ll be absolutely fine. Look at this house for a start! It’s not like we’re roughing it.’
After hugging both of them, Nat left. She’d like to believe Sue’s words, but she couldn’t. It was her fault.
Now, as she pulled up in front of Phyllie’s house, she wondered what she should do. Hannah had said to stay away from the chat room, but she knew she had to log in. She didn’t plan to chat with Eliza or Suze, but she wanted to read through their previous conversations to see what she’d missed. Surely there must have been something said at some point that should have alerted her to the fact that it was a set-up?
‘Hey, Nat.’
Nat turned as she climbed out of the car and saw Leon approaching her.
‘I’m nearly bursting with all the unsolicited advice I’ve been storing up for when you visit. Every day Rainbow looks out hopefully, but you never appear. Should I tell her it’s never going to happen?’
Nat’s stomach flipped as she looked at Leon. He was smiling but there was something else in his face. She wasn’t sure if it was hope or desire or a combination of the two. Part of her would love to say yes right now and go and join him for a glass of wine, but after the day she’d had she needed to get on to the chat room and see what was happening. What if Suze was lured into their trap too?
‘I’ve had a difficult day and have something I really need to attend to right now,’ she said.
Leon immediately looked concerned. ‘Can I help?’
Nat stared at him for a moment. She would love to confide in him, tell him everything that was happening. Have his strong arms comfort her . . . She gave herself a mental shake. This wasn’t helping. ‘Thank you, but probably not at this stage. I’m hoping it will be sorted out in the next few days.’
‘Well, if you do need any help, just let me know.’
‘Thanks. And please tell Rainbow I’m not standing her up. In fact, tell her I’ll come over on the weekend with a bottle of my favourite red, a carrot, an apple and whatever other suitable goat food I can find along the way.’ She grinned. ‘I guess I can just pick flowers from your garden before I arrive.’
Leon’s eyes twinkled. ‘Speaking on behalf of Rainbow, she’s looking forward to it already.’
Nat was still smiling as she pushed open the front door. She stopped, her smile slipping. Phyllie, hands on hips, was standing on the other side of the door as if she’d been waiting there all afternoon.
‘What have you been up to, missy?’
There was not a trace of humour in Phyllie’s words and her face was contorted with anger as she waited for Nat to respond.
Surely she wouldn’t be this angry about Nat agreeing to spend an evening with Leon? ‘He’s just a friend, Phyllie. I promise I won’t ruin anything you have with him.’
‘I’m not talking about Leon. I’m talking about something else.’
‘Then you’ll have to be a little more precise with your questioning. What specifically did you want to know?’ Nat closed the front door and moved into the house.
‘I would like to know why your father and Sue are coming to collect me on Friday morning to take me to the doctor’s for’ – she raised her fingers into air quotes – ‘a check-up. What exactly have you been saying to them?’
‘What reason did they give you?’
Phyllie shook her head. ‘That’s not answering my question. In my entire adult life, your father has never suggested he take me to the doctor. Yet, a short time after my granddaughter moves in, suddenly I need a check-up. I’m not stupid, Nat.’
Nat sighed and held up her hands. ‘Okay, fine. Dad, Sue, Hannah and I were talking, and we decided that as much as you hate us interfering in your business, we did at least want you to have a check-up every six months to make sure you’re kept in optimum health. There are some vaccinations you should have every ten years too, like whooping cough. We wanted to make sure you were up to date.’
Phyllie narrowed her eyes. ‘That’s all it is? Just general health and some vaccinations?’
Nat nodded. ‘As far as I know. Unless you’ve got other issues you need to discuss with the doctor?’
Phyllie shook her head. ‘No, I don’t, and I don’t know why your father couldn’t have just said that when I asked him. His cock-and-bull story about receiving a letter from the government saying as next of kin it was his responsibility was just ridiculous. Did he think I’d be too scared to have an injection?’
Nat couldn’t help but smile. Her father had never been very good at making things up on the spot. She guessed they should have come up with a better story when they decided to make the appointment at the doctor’s.
Phyllie sank into her armchair. ‘I’ve been worried all day for nothing. Now, you’d better go and fix me a whisky. That blasted computer of yours has been playing chimes all day too. Next time, could you turn it off before you go out?’
Nat had a quick look at the computer. She’d been in a rush
that morning and hadn’t switched it off like she usually did. The only program that was set up to chime with new messages was the online chat room. She opened it quickly and saw twelve alerts. Scrolling through them she saw they were Eliza checking if she was available. Interesting. She stepped away from the computer and went through to the kitchen to get Phyllie’s drink. She filled a tumbler with ice before pouring a decent measure of whisky into it and carried it through to the living room. She placed it on the small side table next to Phyllie’s chair.
‘Not joining me?’
‘No, I need to have a look at some of these messages. I’ll make us some dinner a little later, if that’s okay?’
‘I already ate,’ Phyllie said. ‘Shepherd’s pie – it was delicious.’
Nat stared at her grandmother. ‘The one with the grated cheese on the potato?’
‘Mm, yes, my favourite. I highly recommend it. There’s none left though. The baking dish is soaking.’
Nat went back to the kitchen. She’d made the shepherd’s pie when she’d arrived home from work the previous day, and they’d eaten it for dinner. So what had Phyllie eaten tonight? There was no baking dish in the sink. She opened the dishwasher. It was full of breakfast dishes, and a small plate that she assumed was from Phyllie’s lunch. There was nothing else – certainly no baking dish or a plate with remnants of shepherd’s pie.
She walked back to the living room, choosing not to say anything, and plonked herself down in front of the computer screen. Thank God she’d spoken up about Phyllie to her father and Hannah and something was being done. She was feeling guilty enough about her father’s money. She didn’t want to add guilt about Phyllie to her load.
Another alert chimed on her screen. It was Eliza.
LizaE
You there, Lia? Have some news. Dying to share it with you. Can see you’re online so hopefully you’ll see this message.
Nat clicked on the ‘Hide Me’ icon so she could appear offline as she navigated the chat room. She scrolled to the top of the conversation with Eliza and Suze and read through every entry. Reading this, it was hard to believe anything was wrong; it all seemed so genuine, so much like they were making friends. It was crazy to think that Eliza had organised them meeting up too. Who would do something like that? Wouldn’t you want to remain anonymous? But then again, it certainly made it all the more believable. And Doug, she guessed he didn’t even exist. So she’d been receiving advice on her gambling issues from a woman who had probably never experienced or knew anyone with similar problems.