Tab started out of the office and he followed her.
‘Uh uh.’ She halted and turned as she entered the kitchen. ‘You’re not coming in here looking like that. You shower and shave while I cook.’
He was about to object but got a whiff of himself and decided perhaps a shower would make him feel a little better. He drew the line at shaving, though. What was the point? He hadn’t left the farm since Friday and didn’t plan on doing so till the meeting on Wednesday night.
Five minutes later, with fresh clothes and wet hair, he entered the kitchen to a plate of eggs and toast on the table and a mug of steaming coffee beside it. ‘Thanks, sis,’ he said, smiling at Tab as he pulled back the seat and sat.
‘No worries. And can I just say that you smell much better?’ She carried an almost identical plate over to the table, where her coffee was already waiting, and sat opposite him.
He shovelled a forkful of eggs into his mouth but Tab didn’t even pick up her cutlery. Here goes, he thought, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of Tab’s well-meaning advice.
‘Do you think maybe you should talk to Meg?’
Just the mention of her name had the muscles in his neck and shoulders tensing. ‘I told you. We talked on Friday night. There’s nothing left to say.’
‘Well maybe you need to talk to me then, tell me how you’re feeling about all of this. I can see you’re hurting—you can’t just switch your feelings off for her.’
‘I can and I have.’
‘Aren’t you worried about Meg?’ Tab asked, her tone frustrated. ‘The whole town now knows about her past, so people will no longer be so welcoming and friendly.’
‘And that’s my problem?’ He pushed his plate away half-finished, no longer hungry.
‘Fine. It’s not your problem. Forget about her if that’s what you really want to do, but you’ve gotta at least talk to Ned.’
‘I have. I told him things between Meg and I had ended. He understands.’ The boy hadn’t talked to him since but Lawson knew he’d come round eventually. One day Ned would understand that he’d ended things to protect him as much as himself.
‘Don’t you think he deserves a little more explanation than that?’ Tab said. ‘He’s a smart kid, he feels things deeply and you need to give him a little more credit for being able to understand.’
Lawson’s jaw tightened. He didn’t want to share Megan’s shortcomings with his son. He didn’t want Ned to know what an utter fool he’d been.
‘Tabitha,’ he said, as he pushed to a stand, ‘I appreciate everything you’ve done for Ned and me, but please don’t tell me how to be a parent. Every breath I take is for Ned; everything I do is for him. I’m the one who knows him best and I’m the one who knows what’s best for him. Are we clear?’
Before she could answer, Ned appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, rubbing his eyes with his hands. ‘What’s going on? Why are you two shouting?’
God. Lawson ran a hand through his hair, hoping Ned hadn’t actually heard what they were saying. ‘We weren’t shouting; we were just having a discussion about the farm,’ he said as he crossed over to his son and went to pull him into his arms.
Ned jerked away, refusing to even look at him. ‘Aunty Tab?’ he said. ‘I’m hungry, can you make me some eggs too, please?’
‘Sure, sweetheart.’
Lawson silently cursed, thankful that no matter how much of a dick he’d been, Tab wouldn’t take it out on Ned. He tossed her a smile which he hoped she understood meant thanks and sorry and then he left them alone and headed out to the cows.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Megan took the dogs for a walk first thing on Monday morning, then came home and showered. She was just deliberating about whether to leave Cane and Buster in the house or locked up in the yard while she went to see Archie in the hospital when a knock sounded on her front door.
She froze. She’d survived the last couple of days by focusing on the dogs, crocheting, cooking, visiting Archie and trying her damn best not to think about Lawson. But, as the knock sounded again, she couldn’t help wondering if it was him. Unlikely, said a voice inside her head—their conversation on Friday afternoon had been fairly final and he’d made no attempt to make contact with her over the weekend. So who could it be? With Archie in hospital, she definitely wasn’t expecting visitors.
Her heart lurched in her chest as another possibility dawned. Adeline! What if she’d come to take Cane back? Could she do that? Not wanting to take any chances, Megan gathered the dogs and shut them in the kitchen.
Another knock sounded, this time louder and even more persistent.
‘Coming,’ she called, not bothering to keep the irritation out of her voice. As she got closer to the door, she recognised the figure on the other side of the still grimy glass. Tabitha!
She didn’t know whether to be scared or excited to see the other woman. Hand shaking, she lifted it to unlock and open the door.
‘Hello,’ she said, hearing the trepidation in her voice.
‘Hi, Meg.’ Tabitha smiled in the friendly way she always did and her voice held nothing but warmth and sympathy. ‘Fancy a cuppa?’
‘I … um …’ There were so many things she wanted to say, but, so surprised to see her guest, she couldn’t even put together a sentence.
Tabitha didn’t wait for an invitation to step inside. She squeezed Meg’s arm. ‘How about I put the kettle on and make those drinks?’
Megan closed the door behind Tabitha and followed her down the hallway to the kitchen. When Tabitha lifted her hand to open the door, she suddenly remembered the dogs. She opened her mouth to warn Tabitha but she was too late.
Cane sprang out like a jack-in-the-box and leaped right up to try and lick Tabitha’s nose.
‘Sorry,’ Megan called, rushing to restrain him.
Tabitha laughed and took his affections in the good-natured way she seemed to take everything. ‘It’s fine, honestly and … Oh, who is that?’ She looked to Buster lying under the table.
‘That’s my neighbour’s dog. Archie had a heart attack on Friday and is in Walsh hospital, so I’m looking after Buster.’
Tabitha looked from Buster back to Megan and raised an eyebrow. ‘Sounds like you’ve had quite a drama-filled weekend. Is Archie going to be okay?’
‘I think so,’ Megan said, still standing in the doorway, leaning down and clutching Cane’s collar. ‘I’m hoping I’ll be able to bring him home this afternoon.’
‘Oh that’s wonderful,’ Tabitha said, as if it were just your average, everyday conversation. She stooped, ruffled Buster’s fur and then walked across the room, picking up the kettle and taking it across to the tap to fill.
Megan loosened her grip and told Cane to behave, then she looked across to Tabitha. ‘I must admit I’m surprised to see you.’
Tabitha smiled as she went about the business of locating mugs, coffee, etc. ‘I must admit I was surprised at the revelations of Friday afternoon but I also know life’s not black and white and I wanted to make sure you’re okay.’
The fact she cared in spite of everything made Megan want to cry again, but thankfully she appeared to have used up all her tears. ‘I’m surviving,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
‘I hope you’re getting more sleep than Lawson is.’
Megan’s heart squeezed at his name. ‘I’ve not been getting much at all,’ she admitted, remembering Tabitha was her guest and locating a container of cookies to go with the coffee.
Tabitha sighed. ‘Do you love my brother?’
It was the last question Megan expected but she found herself answering honestly. ‘I do. I didn’t know it was possible to fall in love so fast, but losing him hurts worse than anything I’ve ever been through before.’
‘Worse than losing your parents and your brother?’
She shook her head. ‘I suppose not worse but different, because Lawson’s still alive and I know how badly I’ve hurt him, and that no matter what I say, I can’t c
hange what I did in the past. I wish I hadn’t come here and I wish I’d never met him, for his sake, and yours and Ned’s. How is Ned?’
‘Not good,’ Tabitha said as she brought the first coffee to the table and then turned back for the second one. ‘He misses you. He’s confused.’
Her heart twisted at the thought of Ned hurting because of her. ‘Does he know … know about …’ She couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Tabitha shook her head. ‘No, Lawson simply told him that you and he are no longer seeing each other; he can’t understand why.’
They both sat at the table and Megan wrapped her hands around her mug. It might be summer, but she craved the comfort that holding a warm mug offered. She wanted to say sorry but it didn’t seem enough, so she took a sip of her drink instead.
‘Why didn’t you just tell us from the beginning?’ Tabitha asked after a long, awkward silence.
Megan took a deep breath, put down her mug and went over the same stuff she’d told Lawson on Friday afternoon, but Tabitha reacted much differently. She made sympathetic noises and squeezed Megan’s hand when she’d finally finished speaking.
‘It might not feel like it now, but I think Lawson will come around eventually. He’s hurting and he feels foolish, but I think he’s more angry at the fact he heard your story from someone else than anything. He hasn’t so much looked at another woman since Leah and then you came along and everything changed. He changed—you lit up his life again. Deep down, I think he knows, like I do, that you were a victim of awful circumstances and that you deserve a second chance as much as anyone else does.’
It was a nice theory but she didn’t dare allow herself to hope. ‘That’s very kind of you to say,’ Megan said, struggling against the emotion building in her throat, ‘but I think you might be in the minority. You should see the looks that the medical staff, visitors and even the patients have been giving me at the hospital this weekend. It’s like I have leprosy and they’re scared I might infect them.’
Tabitha sighed. ‘It’ll take time. Maybe you need to do something to change people’s minds about you?’
‘Like what?’
‘Have you ever thought about writing your experiences down like a memoir of sorts, and a cautionary tale? Show others how easily grief can lead you down a path of self-destruction? Or you could volunteer to speak at schools to teenagers about the dire consequences of taking drugs?’
English hadn’t been her best subject at school, and neither had public speaking, but something inside Megan flickered at this possibility. If she could help even one person find better ways of dealing with grief and hardships by sharing her story it might give her life some tiny bit of meaning. ‘I don’t know if—’
She stopped mid sentence as her phone started ringing, and glanced across to where it sat on the kitchen bench. ‘I’m sorry, that could be the hospital.’
Tabitha nodded. ‘It’s okay. Go ahead, answer it.’ As Megan stood, Tabitha lifted her mug and took a sip.
‘Hello?’ Megan said into the phone.
‘Hi Megan, it’s Dr Harpreet here. I’m afraid Archie’s had bit of a turn. He’s not feeling very good and he’s asking for you. Are you able to come in?’
Bit of a turn? ‘What does “bit of a turn” mean?’
‘It’s probably better if I explain when you get here.’
‘Okay, then. Thank you. I’ll see you soon.’ She hung up the phone and quickly relayed to Tabitha the information the doctor had given her.
‘Do you want me to drive you there?’ Tabitha asked.
‘No. I’m fine to drive. But thank you. Thanks for visiting and for … for everything. I’ll give your suggestions some thought.’
‘You’re welcome.’ Tabitha wrapped her one arm around Megan. ‘I may be Lawson’s sister, but I’m also your friend, so if you need anything, even if you just want someone to talk to, please, ask me.’
‘Thank you.’ Worry for Archie, combined with Tabitha’s unexpected visit and show of support threatened to unravel her, but she managed to grab her bag and see her guest out. Then she drove faster than she should have to the hospital, not wanting Archie to feel alone and praying his turn wasn’t anything too serious.
She parked her car crookedly and ran into the building. Jenny looked up from behind the reception desk as Megan hurried through the double doors and ran down the corridor, not stopping until she turned into Archie’s room.
The doctor was there, with two nurses, and Archie lay on the bed. He didn’t look right but nobody seemed to be doing anything to try and fix him.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Megan shouted.
The staff turned to look at her and then Dr Harpreet took a step towards her, placing his hands on the side of her arms. ‘I’m sorry, Meg, we did everything we could.’
‘No!’ She felt her face crumble and her whole body go cold. Her knees threatened to give way and the doctor must have anticipated this because he led her to a plastic chair by the door and lowered her into it.
‘Can we get you a drink?’ one of the nurses asked as she tucked a heavy blanket over her shoulders. Megan realised she was shaking.
‘No.’ She threw the blanket off. She didn’t want a blanket. She didn’t want a drink. She wanted them to stop fussing over her and put their efforts into making Archie well again. This could not be happening. He could not be dead. He’d been fine the day before.
Yesterday the nurses had been talking about sending him home.
She glared up at Dr Harpreet. ‘What the hell happened?’
His expression of sympathy didn’t waver at her harsh question. He dropped to his knees beside her and took her hand in his. ‘Archie had another heart attack just after we called you.’
Her lower lip trembling, she finally glanced up and took a proper look at Archie. She’d never seen a dead person before—her granny and pop had both died when she was in prison and the fire had left her parents’ and brother’s bodies unrecognisable. Not that anyone would have let her see them anyway. But now that she looked properly at Archie it was clear to see the life had left him. His eyes were open but they no longer held that cheeky spark.
Megan didn’t care that these strangers would bear witness to her grief; she could no longer hold back the tears. Her heart ached as it never had before. She might not have known Archie very long, but his loss felt almost as great as the day she’d lost her family to fire. Back then she had still had two sets of grandparents who loved her; now she had absolutely no one.
‘We’ll give you a few moments alone with him,’ Dr Harpreet said, before briefly squeezing her shoulder. He and the nurses retreated.
Megan stared at Archie a few long moments, then finally struggled to her feet and went across to stand beside him. She took his hand, which already felt painfully cold, in hers.
‘Thanks for the friendship,’ she whispered, tasting her own tears as they flooded into her mouth. ‘You’ll never know how much it meant to me. You gave me back my self-belief and listened when I needed a friend more than I knew. I’ll miss you and I promise I’ll look after Buster and the chickens.’
She bent and kissed him on his forehead, and then rested his hands on his chest. Sobbing, she lowered his eyelids, gently closing his eyes. ‘Rest in peace, Archie.’
Less than five minutes later, the two nurses returned to the room. ‘We need to sort things in here,’ announced the taller of the two.
Sort things? The nurse’s clinical tone and the way she gestured absentmindedly at Archie had Megan fuming. It irked her how quickly they wanted to get rid of him. Did they treat every corpse this way? Or was their near-on rude behaviour simply because Archie was no one but a crazy old hermit and she even lower down in their opinion?
She opened her mouth to ask this when Dr Harpreet appeared. ‘Meg, can I have a word?’
At least he sounded kind. She nodded and, with one final squeeze of Archie’s hand, she followed him out of the room. She wiped her eyes as he led her into his offi
ce, sat her down and began to ask her questions she didn’t know the answers to. Who was Archie’s next of kin? Did she have contact details of any family that could be notified and thus deal with the funeral and the execution of his will?
Her head spun and she rubbed her forehead. ‘I have no idea. He mentioned a son once but I don’t know what his name was. They were estranged.’
Dr Harpreet smiled sympathetically. ‘It’s okay. We’ll get the police to look into it and the shire might have some information also.’
A nurse knocked on the open door and the doctor nodded for her to enter.
‘These are Mr Weaver’s things,’ she said, speaking it seemed to the doctor but dumping the green bag Megan had brought in on Friday night in her lap.
‘Thank you,’ she said, although her tone didn’t match her words. She looked back to the doctor. ‘Is that all you need from me?’
He nodded and stood. ‘I’m really sorry, Meg. But Archie was lucky to have you in his life. I’ll be in touch when we have some information about him.’
Lucky wasn’t a word she’d use to describe either of them, but she forced a smile and pushed to her feet. She needed to get the hell out of that awful place as fast as possible and get home to the dogs.
Although she wanted to wrap her arms around Buster and never let him go, Megan went via Archie’s place. She told herself it was to feed and water the chickens, but she felt the need to go inside. It was mid afternoon and the temperature outside was hot, but the second she stepped into the house, she shivered. She’d been hoping to feel him there, but as with his body, his presence had well and truly left. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she walked around looking at his paintings. Even the half-finished ones took her breath away. He’d had so much talent and it was a tragedy nobody had ever known.
What would become of all these beautiful art works? She couldn’t bear the thought of them ending up at the tip but did she have the right to take them? Deciding that was a question for later when she’d recovered a little from the shock of losing him so suddenly, she spent some time searching in drawers and cupboards for anything that might lead her to his son. Even if they hadn’t spoken in thirty years, the man should know his father had passed away. Perhaps he’d want the paintings.
Talk of the Town Page 34