“I’m still sad, but my lips have gone numb,” she responded, drunk but serious.
“That’s the ticket. Now you just need to carry on drinking until the rest of you is as numb as your lips.” Jenny put her arm around Emma and laughed, as did the rest of the table.
“Do you have any tonic? I think I’d like a G&T,” Emma said to her new drinking buddy.
Jenny gulped down the vodka in front of her. “That’s a great idea. Who else wants a G&T?” Jenny asked. She grabbed Emma and pulled her to the bar to help. Everyone raised their hands.
Sammy and Jake were still happily playing darts and the conversations at the table were becoming less coherent, but noisier, as time went on.
“You mix the drinks, sweetheart, I’ll cut the lemon,” Jenny instructed as the pair went behind the bar.
Emma laid out six tall glasses, added ice and carefully poured in double measures of gin, followed by tonic water. Jenny expertly placed a piece of sliced lemon over the rim of each one.
“The proof is in the tasting,” the older woman said and picked up a glass for herself before handing one to Emma, who closed her eyes and took two refreshing gulps.
Emma turned to go back to the table and froze. Suddenly the only sound she could hear was the blood rushing to her head. Whether it was the alcohol or the exhaustion, she was unable to compute what she was seeing. The glass slipped from her hand, which impulsively rose to cover her mouth. Standing in the doorway of the bar, grinning like the village idiot, was her dead brother. Only, he wasn’t dead, he was right there, with a goofy look on his face. Tired, windswept, covered in scrapes and bruises, but alive. The glass smashed on the hardwood floor, showering Emma’s feet in cold gin and ice, the sound waking her from the trance-like state. Her lips mouthed her brother’s name but no sound came out.
“Mike!” Sammy and Jake screamed simultaneously as they ran towards him. The adults at the table had been oblivious to the figure in the doorway, and when the glass dropped they had all looked in the direction of the bar, but now their heads turned to see the children running towards the man crouching down with open arms to embrace his family.
“No fucking way!” Lucy said, knocking her chair over as she stood up. She had cried so much in the past two days, but now it was from joy rather than sorrow.
Samantha was speechless. She grabbed Tracey’s arm with a vice-like grip.
Sammy was so keen to hold her brother that the force of her enthusiasm knocked him over and all three of them became one chuckling pile on the ground.
“That’s your brother?” Jenny asked, almost as shocked as his friends. Emma’s mouth was still agape, taking in deep breaths in the hope that the extra oxygen might coax her body into moving, but she managed a nod. “Oh my God, this is wonderful. This is wonderful. Go to him, sweetheart, you’re not dreaming.”
Those were the magic words. Emma had been wondering if she was in a dream or maybe just going insane, but now, as she looked around at the others, she knew from their reaction that this was real. She ran towards him, just as he regained his footing, and locked her arms around his neck. Tears flowed as Sammy and Jake embraced the two of them. Everyone else in the room hung back and bathed in the warmth of the scene. There had been very little that could be considered uplifting over the course of the last few days, but now Lucy, Samantha, Tracey and even the Martins were overcome by the family’s reunion.
“This is wonderful,” Jenny said again, taking a thirsty gulp of gin and tonic.
“Now that’s an understatement if ever I heard one,” Lucy replied, wiping her cheeks and grabbing Samantha by the wrist. “Come on, sweetie, let’s go see our boy.”
Samantha finally relinquished her clutch on Tracey’s arm and followed Lucy towards the embrace-locked figures.
“Hey, Mike,” Lucy said, beaming broadly.
He returned the grin and loosened himself from his family. “You did it, Doc,” he said gratefully as he flung his arms around her and kissed her roughly on the cheek. “I’ll never forget what you did, never. Thank you.”
“Yeah, well ditto, Mikey. I think I had the easier end of the deal.” She pulled back, grasped his face between her hands and kissed him equally roughly, square on the lips. “Good to have you back, sweetie.” Lucy let go and Mike moved his tongue around his lips, trying to identify the various alcoholic drinks he could taste.
Samantha was in tears as well. “It’s so good to see you, Mike.” She tiptoed up, kissed him gently on the cheek and held him firmly.
“Hi, Mike. It’s great to see you got back safely,” Tracey said, feeling like the outsider in the group.
“Trust me, it’s great to be back,” he said with a wide grin.
Jenny had disappeared, but Keith walked up to Mike, placed his right hand firmly in his and clutched his upper arm. “It’s a genuine pleasure to meet you. What you did... I can’t find the words, but this village is indebted to you, young man.” He spoke with sincerity and the firm handshake reassured Mike.
“Thank you,” he replied, a little dumbfounded by the outpouring of emotion.
Jenny re-entered the room and quickly took charge of the situation. “Right, Emma, if you want to show Mike up to his room, I’m arranging to have a bath filled for him right now. Then we’ll get the poor lad something to eat, something to drink and he can tell us all about it. Mike, we’ve got fresh chicken, some frozen steaks, duck, lamb chops, what can we get you?” Jenny asked kindly, desperately wanting to pamper him.
“My brother’s a vegetarian. That means he doesn’t eat meat,” Sammy announced as she came and stood in between Jenny and Mike.
“Is that so, young lady?” Jenny replied, smiling. “Well, I’m sure we can conjure something up for him.”
Mike was led away by his family as the remaining adults looked around at each other, still in a state of shock.
*
“Y’know, it’s incredible being back with you guys, but you don’t have to stay here while I have a bath,” Mike said, enjoying the hot, deep, frothy water.
Emma was leaning against the wall, while Jake and Sammy were just outside the open door but out of earshot. “You’ll be lucky if I ever let you out of my sight again,” Emma replied, staring at her brother, still coming to terms with his return.
“How come this place has electricity?” Mike asked, letting the warm soapy water wash away the grime and horrors of the previous days.
“They have a turbine. From what I’ve heard, it’s a pretty amazing place. Maybe we can take a look around tomorrow. If it’s as good as they say, maybe we should think about staying for a while?” Her words hit Mike like a right hook.
“What do you mean? We need to get to Gran’s place.” He wasn’t angry, just shocked by his sister’s comment.
A knot appeared in her throat and her eyes began to mist. “Please, just think about it, Mike. I’ve vowed to myself that I will follow you wherever you go from now on, but if I had to live through the last twenty-four hours again I think it would drive me insane. I can’t bear the thought of losing you, and out there, out on the road, that prospect is always just one wrong turn away. We don’t even know if she’s still alive. But if she is, she wouldn’t want us to risk all our lives if we didn’t have to. Please, just think about it. That’s all I’m asking. Just think about it.” She tried to remain composed but a small tear trickled from her eye.
He suppressed his instinct to feel betrayed and angry. His sister had been through enough. “Okay, I’ll think about it.” The words wounded him as he said them, but seeing Emma in such turmoil pained him more.
Oblivious to the conversation, the children brushed past their elder sister and ran up to the bathtub. “We should have a party. It’s your birthday tomorrow. So we should have a party all day,” Sammy said enthusiastically. She took Jake’s hand and began to dance around the room.
Mike switched his thoughts away from the serious implications of his conversation with Emma and allowed himself to bask in the excite
ment of his younger siblings. “That sounds good to me,” he said, ducking his head under the bubbles for a second. The children ran back out of the bathroom and continued to dance in anticipation of an all-day party.
Emma and Mike smiled. Despite everything they had been through, everything they still had to go through, and the life-changing decisions ahead of them, at that moment they were a family again.
When they returned downstairs, the number of people in the bar had swelled. Joseph and his entire brood had appeared as well as a few villagers who had heard the story of Mike’s heroic actions and just wanted to come along to see him in person. Mike was taken aback once again as his little sister dragged him into the bar and he was confronted by all the smiling faces. On seeing Annie and John, she relinquished her grip on her brother’s hand and ran over to them.
Joseph had been experiencing palpitations for the last couple of hours and now a thin film of sweat had appeared on his brow, but he was sure it was all just brought on by the stress. It didn’t stop him powerfully grabbing Mike’s hand.
“It’s a miracle to see you back here, nothing short of a miracle. I can’t tell you how happy we are,” he said as he finally released his grip.
Other people shook Mike’s hand, embraced him and patted him on the back. He found it exhausting. He was grateful when Jenny broke through the crowd of unfamiliar faces, grabbed him by the arm and led him to a table where a plate of pasta awaited him. He sat down, the smell of the food making his mouth water. He glanced up to see all the faces looking down at him and immediately felt self-conscious.
Jenny clapped her hands and ushered everyone away. “Okay you lot, let the poor lad have a bite to eat. Come on, we’ll go have a drink at the bar.” That was the trigger phrase.
As the crowd drifted away, Emma, Lucy and Samantha joined Mike at the table. Lucy had brought two bottles of wine with her. She opened one and poured glasses for each of them.
“So, Mikey. Tell us all about it,” she said, as she tipped the smooth red liquid down her throat.
*
By 2am, Lucy, Mike and Emma were the only ones left in the bar. Emma was reluctant to leave her brother’s side, but she had been fighting sleep for the last hour and eventually she kissed them both goodnight and made her way to her room.
“That was quite a homecoming. When I was in that loft, I’d have been grateful for a glass of water and a piece of stale bread. I didn’t expect anything like this,” Mike said as he drained his glass.
“This place is something else. You really need to think about taking Keith up on his offer and staying here,” Lucy said. She peered at the bottles in front of her to see if there was anything left to drain.
“I’m guessing you’ve been speaking to Em?” he said, smiling.
“I don’t know your gran, Mike, but if she knew what you’d been through, what we’ve all been through, if she knew that you could save yourself and your family from having to go through that ordeal again, I can guarantee she would tell you to stay put in a heartbeat.” Lucy rose to her feet. “I’ll show you around the place tomorrow before you make any decisions.”
“Does this mean you’re staying here?”
“I want to stay here. Samantha wants to stay here and Emma wants to stay here,” she replied.
“That didn’t answer my question,” he replied, tucking his chair underneath the table as he shakily got to his feet.
Lucy smiled and turned to leave. “I’m going to bed. Like I said, I’ll give you a guided tour tomorrow.”
He watched her go and then lingered in the bar for a moment, taking it all in. When Joseph had spoken about Candleton, Mike had never envisaged this. Food, safety and even electricity. Once, he had taken these things for granted; now, they were a luxury, but a luxury within constant reach if he chose to stay. He thought back to the conversation he had had with his gran on the morning of Alex’s death. If you can’t make it here then at least get out of the city. You’ve got good instincts, Mikey, trust them. Keep the family safe.
Mike turned off the light as he left the bar and walked up the stairs to his room. He was about to get ready for bed when he noticed the carrier bag sticking out of his rucksack. He remembered how happy his nerdy librarian friends had been when they helped him make a final selection before leaving. He picked up the bag and walked across the hall to Lucy’s room. He knocked gently on the door. Lucy answered wearing just a T-shirt and a pair of pants.
“I forgot. I got you a little something when I was in Skelton.” He handed her the carrier. It was folded around the object like Christmas paper.
Lucy had a confused smile on her face as she took the package and unwrapped it. A hand shot up to her mouth to stifle a small cry. The gift was a book. The cover featured a cartoon drawing of a pig looking up at a dangling spider. Below were the words Charlotte’s Web.
Her eyes watered. She looked up at Mike and gently pulled him into the room, closing the door quietly behind.
“You were trapped, surrounded by those things, away from your family and you...” Her voice was shaky and her words trailed off.
“It only took a minute, Doc. I was in the library anyway. There’s no need to get upset. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Promise me you’ll stay here. Promise me we’ll stay in Candleton,” Lucy demanded, her voice still shaky, her eyes tearing up again.
“I told you, Doc, I’ll think about it.”
“No. This is important. This is the most important thing I’ll ever ask you, Mike. Promise me we’ll stay. Promise me.” She was relentless in her demand and becoming more emotional by the second.
Little else had occupied his mind since Emma had first mentioned it, and as the evening had gone on he had gradually found more and more reasons to remain. This wasn’t the safe haven he had imagined when they left Leeds, but maybe it was time to heed Alex’s and Gran’s advice and trust his instincts. Until this moment he hadn’t known what to do, but seeing Lucy so fragile, seeing the one person he had relied on time after time so vulnerable, made the decision for him.
“Okay, calm down, Doc. We’ll stay. We’ll stay. But what’s the urgency, why did you need to know this minute?”
She wiped her eyes again and put her gift down. “Because I didn’t want what’s going to happen next to be the reason.”
Mike’s confusion continued for an instant and then Lucy stepped towards him. Her cheeks were still tear-stained, but she had stopped crying. She cupped his face in both palms and moved her lips up to his. Her warm wine-flavoured tongue began to explore Mike’s mouth. He was mesmerised by the sensuality of the moment and fell back against the wall for support. He placed one hand on her hip and combed the fingers of his other through her hair, to the back of her head. He pulled her closer to him.
Their breathing became rapid as they explored each other with their tongues and hands. All they had experienced and shared in the last few days had brought them closer and closer together. Momentary glances, a gentle word, a soft touch, the danger, the exhilaration, the fear. In the few days they had been together, the pair had experienced more than in their entire lives before they had met. A bond had formed, transcending age, transcending background. There was an electricity between them that neither could explain and neither could deny.
Lucy unbuckled Mike’s belt and slowly pulled open the buttons of his jeans one by one, while he moved his hand underneath her T-shirt and caressed her smooth warm back. She delicately manoeuvred her hand down the front of his shorts and slowly and carefully, like a tiger, edged closer before finally taking hold of him.
She pulled her mouth away from him and he stared into her eyes. There was no trace of sadness now, just excitement and longing. She removed her cupped hand from the warmth of his trousers and guided him over to the bed. She pulled off her T-shirt and took down her pants. Her body shuddered with desire as she turned around to Mike and undressed him. As his clothes hit the floor, she moved her hands to his hips and mouthed and nibbled on his lower to
rso. The pair trembled, intoxicated with the promise of what was about to happen. Then, unable to take any more, Lucy dragged Mike down onto the bed. Despite the exhaustion, despite the stress, or maybe because of it, they made love until the night turned to morning.
*
It was grey and drizzly outside, but in that room, in that bed, it felt like a bright summer day. Mike levered himself up onto one elbow and spread his other arm and leg across Lucy. They grinned at each other and shared their thousandth kiss.
“Why was it so important to you that I told you I was staying before we... y’know...?” he asked, looking down into Lucy’s eyes.
“I wanted you to stay for the right reasons. I didn’t want you to think I was sleeping with you just to try and make you stay,” she responded, gently running her hand through the dark hairs on his chest.
“Just for the record, that would have worked too,” Mike replied with a grin.
“That’s useful to know. Who knows what else I might want?” She grinned back. “Seriously though, Mike. You giving me that book. That was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. You’re special.” She pulled his head down to hers and the pair kissed again.
“Well, I’d better go and tell Em that we’re staying,” he said, reluctantly climbing out of the warmth of Lucy’s bed.
She pulled him back in and kissed him. “I think this is somewhere we can start again, Mike. I think we can be happy here. All of us.”
EPILOGUE
Joseph awoke with a jerk. His forehead was beaded with cold sweat and his mouth was dry. He looked around the room and saw Annie in one corner with a book open on her lap.
“Hi, Daddy, are you feeling better?” she asked, putting the book down and moving towards the bed where her father lay.
“Where’s Peter?” Joseph’s eyes were glassy and his voice clicked due to the dryness of his throat. “I have to go find Peter. He’ll be scared. He’s all alone down there.”
Safe Haven (Book 1): Rise of the Rams Page 27