‘Ah, yes, of course.’ Ben turned to Chrissie and politely reached for her hand to shake it. ‘Really nice to see you again. You haven’t changed a bit.’
‘Do I know you?’ she asked, thinking that he was the biggest geek she’d ever met as she took in his brown loafers and the blue checked shirt tucked into his green trousers.
‘Not really,’ Ben admitted. ‘But I’ve seen you around.’
‘So where are you taking us?’ Leanne asked Jake when he put his arm around her.
‘A nice little place not too far from here,’ he said, planting a kiss on her lips.
‘Oh, please don’t start with the mushy stuff,’ Chrissie groaned. ‘At least let us eat first.’
Laughing softly, Jake jerked his chin up at Ben. ‘See what I mean?’
‘Excuse me?’ Chrissie drew her head back. ‘Am I missing something?’
‘I was telling him on the way over that you’ve still got a mouth on you,’ Jake explained.
‘Oh, so first I’m bolshie, and now I’ve got a mouth on me,’ Chrissie retorted mock-indignantly. ‘Anything else you’d like to call me before we go?’
‘No, I think that covers everything,’ Jake quipped, winking to let her know he was joking. ‘Shall we . . . ?’ he said, ushering them towards the door.
*
When they arrived at the restaurant, they were shown to a booth table in the corner. Chrissie quickly slid on to the semicircular seat and reached for a menu.
‘Sorry if it looks like I’m being greedy,’ she apologized, her mouth already watering as she scanned the dishes, ‘but I haven’t eaten since breakfast and I’m absolutely starving.’
‘Me too,’ Ben said as he shuffled up beside her. ‘If you like chicken, you should try the Sicilian Pollo,’ he suggested. ‘Or, if you prefer fish, the sea bass in white wine and lemon sauce is incredible.’
‘I might have known you’d eaten here before,’ Leanne teased as she took her seat. ‘Honestly, Chrissie, you’d think these two were made of money the amount of times they eat out.’
‘You can’t take it with you, so why not enjoy it?’ Jake said as he sat next to her.
‘Shall we get the sharing platter as a starter?’ Ben suggested, already greedily perusing the menu.
‘That’s fine by me,’ said Leanne.
‘Me, too,’ Chrissie agreed. ‘As long as it’s fast and filling.’
‘It’s filling, all right.’ Ben grinned and patted his stomach. ‘Even I struggle to get through it – and, believe me, that doesn’t happen very often.’
Jake called the waiter over to give him their order, then placed his arm along the back of Leanne’s seat. Shivering when he caressed her neck, she smiled and moved a little closer.
A phone started to ring, and they all looked at each other.
‘Oops, sorry, that’s mine,’ Chrissie said, reaching into her handbag. ‘Let me switch it off.’ Hesitating when she took out the phone and saw her mum’s name on the screen, she said, ‘Actually, I need to get this. Won’t be a sec.’
‘It’s me,’ Tina blurted out when she answered. ‘Where are you?’
‘Out with friends,’ said Chrissie. ‘How come you’re using Mum’s phone? Is she okay?’
‘No, she’s on her way to hospital.’
‘Why, what’s happened?’
‘I just came home to get changed and found her on the floor. The ambulance man said it might be her heart.’
‘Right, I’m coming. Which hospital are they taking her to?’
‘What’s happened?’ Leanne asked when Chrissie finished the call. ‘Is it your mum?’
‘She’s collapsed,’ said Chrissie, grabbing her coat and standing up. ‘They think it’s her heart. I’m really sorry, but I’ve got to go. Are there any taxi ranks round here?’
‘I’ll take you,’ Jake offered.
‘No, I don’t want to ruin your night. I’ll be fine in a cab. You stay and enjoy yourselves.’
‘Don’t be daft, we’re coming with you,’ Leanne insisted.
‘No!’ Chrissie said firmly. ‘Thanks, but there’s no point. I could be there for hours.’
‘That doesn’t matter,’ Leanne argued. ‘You’re my best mate and I’m not letting you go on your own.’
‘Why don’t I go with you?’ Ben suggested, rising to his feet. ‘I’m sure these two will have a better time without me cramping their style. And I’d be getting a cab back later anyway, so we might as well kill two birds with one stone.’
‘Fine, whatever,’ Chrissie said. ‘But we need to go now.’
‘Take my motor.’ Jake fished his keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Ben. ‘Me and Leanne can walk back. It’s not that far.’
‘Are you sure?’ Ben asked.
‘Course he is, or he wouldn’t have offered,’ said Chrissie, pushing him in the direction of the door before leaning down to hug Leanne. ‘I’ll let you know what’s happening as soon as I know,’ she promised. Then, turning to Jake, she kissed him on the cheek, and said, ‘Make sure she enjoys herself and doesn’t spend all night worrying about me.’
‘I’ve got this,’ he assured her. ‘You just go and see to your mum.’
*
When Ben pulled up outside the A and E department fifteen minutes later, Chrissie fumbled with her seat belt when she spotted Tina pacing up and down at the corner of the building sucking on a cigarette.
‘Calm down, I’m sure everything will be fine,’ Ben said, reaching over to unclip the belt for her. ‘Go and let them know you’re here. I’ll park up and follow you in.’
‘Thanks, but there’s no need,’ said Chrissie. ‘My sister’s over there, so I’ll be okay.’
‘If you’re sure?’
‘I’m positive.’ Chrissie gave him a grateful smile. ‘Thanks for the lift, but you might as well go back to the restaurant. You never know, they might not have finished the starter yet.’
She said goodbye and rushed over to Tina.
‘What’s happening? Where’s Mum? Have they told you anything yet?’
‘They’ve got her hooked up to some machines,’ Tina said, dropping the cigarette and stamping it out before immediately lighting another. ‘They’re talking about keeping her in for the night, but they’d better not, ’cos I left Dylan with Mrs Ford, and I said it’d only be for a couple of hours.’
‘Why don’t you go and get him?’ Chrissie suggested. ‘It’s not that late, and I’m sure Mum will be pleased to see him.’
‘I can’t,’ Tina muttered, peering down at her phone when a message came on to the screen. ‘I’ve made plans.’
‘Well, you’d better unmake them if Mrs Ford is expecting you back,’ said Chrissie. ‘It must be serious if they want to keep Mum in.’
‘I called the ambulance, what more do you want?’ Tina said irritably. ‘I have got a life, you know. Anyhow, you’re here now, so she doesn’t need me.’
‘You selfish cow!’ Chrissie gasped. ‘Mum could be dying for all you know, and all you care about is your flaming social life!’
‘Oh, wind your neck in.’ Tina tossed her a scathing look. ‘Don’t expect me to drop everything just ’cos you haven’t got anything better to do.’
‘Don’t you dare walk off!’ Chrissie snapped when Tina started doing exactly that. ‘I mean it, Tina, get back here right now or I’ll never speak to you again!’
‘That a promise?’ Tina called back over her shoulder without slowing down.
Chrissie watched her for a moment, then threw up her hands in despair and marched toward the hospital door.
Still sitting in the car, Ben had just sent Jake a message to let him know that he’d dropped Chrissie off and would bring his car back first thing in the morning. About to head home, he hesitated when Chrissie’s sister walked past. Frowning when he glanced over at Chrissie and saw her going into the hospital with a thunderous look on her face, he turned the car around and drove into the car park.
*
Chrissie was standing by the r
eception desk, agitatedly rapping her nails on the countertop. Jumping when Ben came up behind her and asked if there was any news, she said, ‘The receptionist’s just gone to find out where they’ve taken her. But why are you still here? I thought I told you to go.’
‘I saw your sister leaving and thought you might need the company,’ Ben said, looking around for empty seats as he spoke. Spotting one in the far corner, between a man whose bloody head was wrapped in a dirty tea towel and a small boy with a gaping cut on his leg, he said, ‘Why don’t you go and sit down till the receptionist comes back. I’ll get us some coffee.’
Chrissie shook her head. ‘Thanks, but I’d rather wait here. And thanks for checking on me,’ she added gratefully, touched by his kindness. ‘But you don’t have to stay. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than hang around here.’
‘Not really.’ Ben shrugged. Then, lowering his voice, he said, ‘To be honest, I get a kick out of hospitals at night. I love all that He’s tachycardic, get me bloods and fifty mils of adrenalin, stat! stuff.’
Smiling bemusedly at the American accent he’d affected, Chrissie said, ‘You’re a strange little man, aren’t you?’
‘What’s strange about liking drama?’ Ben replied with a deadpan expression. ‘Truth be told, I always kind of fancied myself as a surgeon. But it’d have to be something like brain, or heart; none of that trivial stitch-’em-up-and-send-’em-packing nonsense. Give me life-and-death any day.’
‘Strange, and a megalomaniac.’ Chrissie chuckled.
‘Well, at least I’ve cheered you up.’ Ben grinned. ‘So how about that coffee?’
‘Go on then,’ Chrissie agreed. ‘White, with sugar.’
Watching as he went off in search of a drinks machine, Chrissie wondered if Leanne and Jake had sent him to keep an eye on her. If so, he was doing a pretty good job of making it seem like he didn’t mind.
The receptionist came back to the desk just then, and informed Chrissie that her mother was in bay three.
‘Is she okay?’ Chrissie asked. ‘Was it her heart?’
‘You’ll have to ask the nurses,’ the woman said. ‘Just go round that corner and press the buzzer.’
Thanking her, Chrissie said, ‘My friend’s gone to get coffee. When he comes back, can you tell him I’ve gone in and he should go home, please?’
*
Joan O’Brien was restless. She’d tried telling the paramedics that she was okay when she’d come round in the ambulance, but they’d insisted on fetching her in, so now she was flat on her back with pads stuck to her chest and wires trailing all over her body, when she could have been at home, watching telly with her feet up. And to make matters worse, the stupid doctor was trying to tell her that she’d have to stay in for a couple of nights at least, which was not what she’d wanted to hear.
Twisting her head at the sound of the curtain swishing back, she said, ‘Oh, hello, love,’ when Chrissie appeared. ‘When did you get here?’
‘Just now.’ Chrissie pulled a chair up beside the bed and reached for her hand. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘There’s nowt wrong with me,’ Joan grumbled. ‘Not that you’d know it, with this lot treating me like I’m on my flaming deathbed. I’ve a good mind to discharge myself.’
‘You will not!’ Chrissie said firmly. ‘They don’t do this stuff for fun, so you’ll stay put and do as you’re told.’
Joan gave a little snort, but Chrissie was confident that she wasn’t going to try and make a break for it. Despite her protestations to the contrary, her mum was clearly too weak to go anywhere right now. And that scared her, because her mum was one of the strongest people she had ever known.
‘Can you give our Tina a ring and let her know what’s happening?’ Joan asked. ‘She must be worried.’
‘She already knows,’ said Chrissie, trying not to let her annoyance show in case it upset her mum as she added, ‘She’s only just left.’
‘I didn’t know she was here. Was Dylan with her?’
‘No, she left him with Mrs Ford.’
‘Thank God for that,’ Joan muttered. ‘I know he’s not mine, and I probably shouldn’t fuss, but I don’t trust her to do right by him when I’m not there to keep an eye on things.’
Surprised to hear this, because it was the first time her mum had openly admitted that she disapproved of the way Tina was raising her child – or rather, the way she was leaving their mother to raise him – Chrissie bit her tongue to prevent her own damning thoughts from leaping out. Instead, she said, ‘Will you please stop worrying about everyone else and think about yourself for a change, Mum? I’ve been telling you to stop overdoing it for ages, and now look what’s happened.’
‘And I’ve told you there’s nowt wrong with me,’ Joan insisted, fingering the pads on her chest. ‘Least there wouldn’t be if I didn’t have all this rubbish stuck all over me. And do they have to have that thing on so loud?’ She nodded at the monitor that was standing on the other side of the bed. ‘Be a love and see if you can find the volume button.’
‘I’m not messing with the machinery,’ Chrissie protested. ‘What if I press the wrong thing and give you a shock?’
‘It might give me a kick-start so I can get out of here faster.’
Joan chuckled, but it quickly turned into a hacking cough. Concerned that her mum might choke to death when her eyes bulged and her skin turned from grey to puce, Chrissie yanked the curtain back.
‘Can somebody help us in here, please?’
*
Ben’s nerves were jangling like live wires by the time Chrissie came back out into the reception area. He’d drunk several coffees by then, and the subtitles scrolling across the bottom of the muted TV that was bolted to the wall were making him feel sick and jittery. Leaping to his feet when he realized Chrissie hadn’t seen him, he stumbled over the legs of a drunk who had been causing an uproar but was now snoring loudly, and quickly followed her outside.
Shocked to see him, Chrissie said, ‘I asked the receptionist to tell you to go home. Please don’t tell me you’ve been here all this time?’
‘I wanted to make sure you were okay,’ Ben said, leading her over to the car. ‘How’s your mum?’
‘Asleep, at last.’ Chrissie’s teeth started chattering as the icy morning air bit into her cheeks. ‘They reckon she’s got pneumonia.’
‘Really? So it’s not her heart, then?’
‘They’re not sure yet. Apparently it’s one of the symptoms of pneumonia, so they’re hoping it’ll settle down once the antibiotics kick in.’
Climbing into the car when he’d unlocked the door, Chrissie flopped into the passenger seat and covered a yawn with her hand.
‘You look exhausted,’ Ben said as he climbed behind the wheel.
‘Absolutely knackered,’ she admitted. ‘What time is it?’
‘Just gone three.’
‘Seriously? God, I’m so sorry.’
‘I’m fine,’ Ben insisted, reversing out of the space and heading out on to the road. ‘I don’t feel sleepy at all, and it’s actually been a bit of an eye-opener. I never realized accident and emergency units got so busy on weeknights; I thought the loonies usually waited till the weekend to make a nuisance of themselves. I’ve seen some pretty unusual sights tonight, I can tell you . . .’
Resting her head on the back of the seat as he rattled off the array of injuries and strange behaviours he’d witnessed, Chrissie studied his face from the corner of her eye. With his wild curls and terrible dress sense, he wasn’t her usual type, but it was impossible not to like him. And she thought it was really cute the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled.
‘Oops, sorry, forgot to ask your address,’ Ben said suddenly. ‘Almost took you back to my place by mistake.’
Chrissie sat up straighter and gazed out through the windscreen. ‘Don’t worry, you’re going the right way. Turn left at the next lights and go over the roundabout, then take the second right on to Lansbury
Road. I live halfway down; number seventy-nine.’
Ben followed her directions and, a few minutes later, eased to a stop outside her gate.
‘Thanks again for waiting,’ Chrissie said, grinning slyly as she added, ‘I’d invite you in for a coffee, but I think you’ve had enough already.’
‘Sorry,’ Ben apologized sheepishly. ‘I always get a bit hyper when I have too much caffeine. Hope I didn’t make your ears bleed? I probably should have switched to hot chocolate after the second cup, but—’
‘I was joking,’ Chrissie cut him off, grinning. ‘And you’re welcome to come in if you want a drink?’
Ben glanced at the dashboard clock and shook his head. ‘Best not. It’s really late – or should that be early? I’m never quite sure.’
Laughing softly, Chrissie thanked him again and waved him off before making her way inside.
Tina wasn’t in her bed when Chrissie reached their room, and Chrissie guessed that she must have picked Dylan up and gone to stay with a friend. Grateful for the chance to sleep without being disturbed by the baby crying or her sister snoring, she quickly undressed and got into bed.
13
Woken by the sound of the doorbell echoing in the hallway below the next morning, Chrissie peeled an eye open and peered at the clock. Dismayed to see that it was 8.45 and she was late for work, she winced when the next-door neighbour’s furious voice bellowed: ‘Tina . . . open this door right now! I know you’re in there!’
Chrissie pulled the quilt up over her head, but she couldn’t bring herself to ignore the woman, so after several more rings on the bell, she got up and padded down the stairs.
Dylan was screaming blue murder in his pram, and Mrs Ford looked as if she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown as she bounced the handle up and down in an effort to soothe him.
‘Where is she?’ the woman demanded, peering into the hall.
‘I don’t know,’ Chrissie admitted. ‘Here, let me take him.’
‘This isn’t on,’ Mrs Ford bristled. ‘I only agreed to watch him because she promised she’d be back in a couple of hours. And I wouldn’t mind, but all she left me was one nappy and one bottle. Have you any idea how uncomfortable the poor little thing must be feeling right now?’
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