Once Upon a Winter: All Four Parts in One - Plus an Exclusive Extra Short Story...

by Tilly Tennant

  ‘Watch out, love!’ he yelped, swerving to avoid running up the back of Gina’s ankles.

  Gina muttered an apology but he was out of earshot and off down the corridor before it had left her lips. She turned to Hannah. ‘So I’m supposed to stay out of the way? To abandon him in his hour of need?’

  ‘Nobody’s talking about abandonment. All I’m saying is calm down. Think about this before you do anything. If you go bowling in and announce you’re with Ross you’re hardly going to endear yourself to his mum and dad, are you?’

  ‘They’ll find out sooner or later. Why not now?’

  Hannah sighed. ‘If you were in a less agitated mood you’d see why, and I get that. Just trust me. For now, we can visit, but keep a lid on things; pretend you’ve come to keep me company or something.’ Hannah reached for Gina and squeezed her arm. ‘Don’t cry…’

  ‘I’m not crying. Well, I am a bit but it’s just frustration.’

  ‘I know. I feel it for you too.’

  ‘Do you think he’ll be awake yet?’ Gina began to walk again. She seemed calmer now as Hannah fell into step beside her.

  ‘I don’t know. The nurse on the ward said he came out of theatre a couple of hours ago so he should be. Maybe he’ll be groggy with the painkillers, though.’

  ‘So, what do we do?’

  ‘Nothing. We’re supporting Briony and Paul as far as they’re concerned – and you get to see Ross in the process.’

  ‘I’m not so sure I want to after all.’

  ‘Make up your mind…’

  ‘It’s just that I don’t know what to expect. I want to see him desperately but I also don’t. I don’t know what I want.’

  ‘Don’t be scared. The nurse said he was comfortable and I bet it will cheer him up no end to see you.’

  Gina gave a stiff nod. ‘God I hate all this sneaking around.’

  ‘I know. But there are better times and places to set the record straight. Remember the plan – we get them to like you first, then you can tell them.’

  ‘You’re right. Just like you always are.’

  ‘I don’t know about that…’ Hannah smiled wryly.

  They found Ross in a private room off the main ward. They nudged the door open and let themselves in to find him asleep in bed, his face a patchwork of cuts and bruises, Briony and Paul pale and strained at his side. Hannah could see immediately that Ross’s injuries were having a profound effect on Gina. They were having one on Hannah too, though she tried not to let it show; she could quite easily have burst into tears. God only knew how Gina was managing to hold hers back.

  Briony turned with a tight smile. ‘It’s so kind of you to visit. Though, if you’ll forgive me for saying so, I was also a little surprised when the nurse told us you wanted to.’

  ‘It’s like you said the other day,’ Hannah replied, ‘we’ve become good friends with Ross and he’s helped us out of no end of tight spots. We just wanted to see that you were all ok.’ She turned to her sister, ‘Didn’t we, Gina?’

  Gina nodded vaguely, her gaze fixed on Ross as though it was magnetised. Hannah gave her a surreptitious nudge. ‘Yes,’ she said in a small voice, still staring at the sleeping figure in the bed.

  ‘Has Ross been able to tell you anything?’ Hannah asked.

  ‘Not yet.’ Paul said in a hoarse voice.

  ‘But you’ve spoken to the police?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Hannah was thoughtful for a moment. ‘Did you tell them about the car that’s been hanging around lately?’

  ‘Actually, we did mention it,’ Briony said. ‘But they didn’t seem to think it was significant. They logged it, but we couldn’t give them a registration or even a make or anything.’

  ‘What kind of car did you say it was?’ Gina had now shaken herself free of her fixation on Ross.

  ‘I’m not great on cars,’ Hannah said, ‘but I think it was a Volvo. I only say that because it looks like Mitchell’s… and before anyone asks, it’s definitely not him.’

  ‘I’m sure it’s not,’ Gina said. Her jaw seemed to tighten, but she kept any other thoughts she might have to herself.

  ‘I um… I saw it again,’ Hannah added. ‘Last night.’

  Gina spun to face her. ‘Where?’

  Hannah turned to Paul and Briony, ‘I came to see you to find out what had happened after George told me Ross had been injured. Your gates were locked, but there was a car parked off the road for a while before it drove off. It was dark, but judging by the behaviour of the driver, I think it must be the same one I keep seeing.’

  Paul shot to his feet. ‘The car was at the farm?’

  Briony grabbed his arm. ‘Calm down. Are you sure, Hannah?’

  Hannah shook her head. ‘I can’t be sure of anything these days. I’ve no idea what this driver wants. This is going to sound silly, but there’s no chance someone has some sort of vendetta against you is there?’

  ‘Don’t forget it’s been outside your house as much as anyone else’s,’ Gina cut in.

  ‘We’re assuming it’s the same car,’ Briony said.

  Hannah glanced at her sister. She recognised that look on her face. Gina knew something about this. If she didn’t know for sure she almost certainly had ideas. How could that be? Then Hannah was struck by a lightning flash of her own. Surely not? She would have to wait to compare it with Gina’s hunch, but if she was right, then it was very serious indeed. ‘So Ross didn’t get a good look at his attacker?’ she asked, turning back to Briony.

  ‘No,’ Paul cut in, his hands curling into fists at his sides. ‘Ross says he was hit from behind and the first blow knocked him silly so he was in no state to defend himself. That coward knew Ross would be able to look after himself in a fair fight. I’d love to get my hands on the bastard.’

  ‘Paul…’ Briony said in a low voice,’ we’ve talked about this. We leave it to the authorities to dish out justice.’

  There was a sigh from the bed. Every head snapped around as Ross’s eyes flickered open. Briony shot over to his side.

  ‘How are you?’ she asked, stroking a hand over his forehead.

  Hannah glanced at Gina, and she could feel the ache in her sister, how much she wanted to be the one to comfort him, how frustrated she must be to have to stand aside.

  ‘I’m alright, Mum,’ he replied in a thick voice. ‘I could do with a drink, though.’

  Briony reached for the water jug on his bedside cabinet, and Ross allowed his gaze to search the room. The instant it settled on Gina, the effect was like adrenaline in his system, and his heavy eyes lit up. Briony smiled back at Hannah and Gina as she put the glass to her son’s lips for him to drink. ‘These lovely ladies have come to see how you are. As soon as they heard what happened, they wanted to visit. There are still good, kind people in the world.’

  Ross nudged the glass away. ‘It’s good to see you,’ he said, but he wasn’t looking at Hannah at all. For him, there was only Gina in the room.

  ‘You look better for your sleep,’ Briony said with real approval in her voice.

  ‘I feel better.’ Ross turned his gaze to her now. ‘You look terrible though. When was the last time you and Dad went off to get a break and a bite to eat?’

  Paul waved a vague hand. ‘We’re alright. We can get a coffee in a bit.’

  ‘Get a coffee now, Dad. And don’t tell me you don’t need one. Besides, if you don’t, Mum does, and you ought to be thinking about her.’

  Briony opened her mouth to argue but Ross cut her off. ‘I’m fine. Please go and get a break or I’ll have to add worrying about you to my list of woes. I’ll have company,’ he turned to Hannah and Gina, ‘if you don’t mind staying for a while.’

  Gina nodded mutely.

  ‘Of course we don’t,’ Hannah said.

  ‘We still have a farm to run,’ Paul said, quietly. ‘There’s livestock that need tending and we can’t keep relying on my cousin to do it.’

  ‘You’d best drive over and check everythi
ng is alright there, Dad,’ Ross said. ‘And if you don’t mind including my flock too, I’d be grateful.’

  Briony rubbed her eyes. ‘You’re right. I just don’t like to leave you.’

  ‘Mum, you were here when it mattered. Look at me now – apart from a few scrapes and bruises I’m fine.’

  ‘Much more than scrapes and bruises,’ Briony replied stubbornly.

  ‘And I’m in the best and safest place I could be,’ Ross said. ‘Please, go and have a break.’

  ‘We don’t mind staying until you come back,’ Gina said.

  Briony turned to her with a grateful smile. ‘That’s very kind of you.’ She stood up. ‘We’ll just be an hour or two then. Thank you.’

  Hannah watched as Briony fussed, searching for her bag beneath the chair, trying to get her coat on and getting tangled in the sleeves, losing her bag again, until, finally, Paul took her gently by the arm and led her away. She had always seemed so assured, so comfortable in her surroundings that it was horribly jarring to see her this way.

  ‘That was the right thing to do,’ Hannah said once the door to the room had swung closed. ‘They looked dead on their feet.’

  ‘I think Mum especially,’ Ross agreed. He turned to Gina. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘For coming here.’

  Gina frowned. ‘As if I wouldn’t.’

  ‘So… I thought you were having surgery on your face?’ Hannah asked. ‘I expected you to be covered in bandages like the invisible man or something.’

  ‘Oh, it was just minor… they wanted to stop my nose spreading across my face or something.’

  Hannah took in the full extent of his injuries. He must have taken a fair few blows. He could have been attacked from behind, as he had claimed, but, as Paul had said, Ross could look after himself. ‘There was only one attacker?’

  Ross winced as he tried to push himself up on the pillow. ‘Bloody nuisance, this…’ he muttered.

  ‘Anybody else would be resting, but look at you, trying to get up already,’ Hannah smiled.

  Ross didn’t smile back. He turned to Gina, his expression suddenly full of pain.

  ‘What?’ Gina asked, seeing it too.

  ‘Ok… When I told Mum and Dad that I didn’t see my attacker, I lied.’

  ‘I don’t understand –’ Gina began.

  ‘Wait…’ Ross grimaced as he rubbed a hand down his side, ‘I have to tell you something before I go any further. Whatever it is he’s accusing me of, I swear to you that I didn’t do it… I would never do something like that and I would never hurt you or Jess –’

  ‘Jess?’ It was Gina’s turn to interrupt. ‘What on earth has Jess got to do with this?’

  ‘It was your husband.’

  ‘Howard?’ Gina sat down on the chair just vacated by Briony. Hannah watched as the colour left her face.

  ‘You thought it might be him, didn’t you?’ Hannah asked.

  ‘I really didn’t think he was capable of it, though.’ She stared at Ross. ‘Why?’

  Ross glanced at Hannah and then back again. ‘He said he was teaching me a lesson.’

  ‘I didn’t tell him about you…’ Gina began and Ross held up a hand to stop her.

  ‘I know. It wouldn’t have mattered if you had. That wasn’t what he was teaching me a lesson for. He said… he said that Jess had told him things, things I had done to her but I swear, I never –’

  ‘You’ve only ever seen Jess when she’s been with me!’ Gina cried.

  Ross had tears in his eyes, and Hannah was in no doubt that whatever horrible thing he’d been accused of had cut him deeply. ‘What did he say?’ she asked. She didn’t want to ask, but it didn’t look as if Gina would, and she could understand why.

  ‘He said… He said that I’d been doing stuff… with Jess. And he said that he was going to kill me. You have to believe me; I don’t have a clue what he was talking about or where he got that from. God, I’ve barely even laid eyes on her since we got together!’

  Gina threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. ‘I do believe you. I know you’re a good man and I trust you.’

  Ross gingerly wound his arms around her. He whispered in her ear, over and over, something that Hannah couldn’t make out, though the emotion in it was unmistakable. What the hell was going on here? Where had Howard got this information? More to the point, why had he been so convinced that he felt compelled to attack Ross for what he had been told?

  Hannah went over to the window and gazed out, partly to give Gina and Ross a moment of privacy, and partly to think about what she had just learned. She was reasonably certain that Ross wasn’t telling the whole truth. Why had he not put up more of a fight? He was more than a match for Howard, so it could only have been to save Gina more pain. What a mess. When she turned back, Ross and Gina were kissing, gently, to avoid aggravating the injuries to his face.

  ‘Do you forgive me?’ he asked as they broke apart.

  ‘What for?’ Gina leant to kiss him tenderly again. ‘You’re the only person who hasn’t done anything wrong.’

  ‘But I’ve caused all this…’

  ‘If anyone has caused all this, it’s me,’ Gina replied.

  Hannah folded her arms. She needed to be practical now, because both Ross and Gina were too emotional to think further than this room.

  ‘Have you told anyone else about Jess’s accusations?’ she asked Ross. He shook his head. ‘And you haven’t mentioned to the police that you know who your attacker was or the reasons why he attacked you?’

  ‘Of course not. How could I?’

  ‘I’d be happy to enlighten them right now,’ Gina began, but Hannah interrupted.

  ‘What would that achieve? I think Ross understands this better than you do.’

  ‘I can’t say I’m all that happy about letting it go,’ Ross said, turning to Gina, ‘but if you get the police involved and all this comes out, what do you think will happen? I don’t give a toss what happens to your husband, but I do care what happens to Jess.’

  ‘She won’t get into trouble.’

  ‘No, but her dad will, and whether or not she told Howard a lie, the effect on her will be the same. It will tear her and your family apart in a way that can never be mended, and I know that you care more for her than anyone else in the world –’ Gina tried to interrupt him but he cut her off, ‘– including me, and that is as it should be. I won’t have that on my conscience, and I can’t put you through it, which is why I haven’t told anyone about this, apart from you. And if you ask me never to tell anyone, I won’t.’

  Gina nodded stiffly and rubbed her eyes.

  ‘I’m not so sure it will be that simple.’ Hannah said.

  ‘I’ll do my best to protect Gina and her family in any way I can,’ Ross replied, ‘so I’ll make it simple.’

  ‘What about your parents? Don’t they have a right to know?’

  ‘Perhaps, when I’m ready, and they’ll know what I choose to tell them. I’m not a boy anymore, even if my mum wishes I was.’

  Gina reached for his hand. She didn’t speak, but she held it to her lips and kissed it gently. Ross pulled her in and kissed her forehead.

  ‘I want to tell my parents about us,’ he said.

  Gina pulled away. ‘You do?’

  ‘Of course. It’s not the time or place, but I’m sick of sneaking around and keeping secrets.’

  ‘That’s what I said,’ Gina smiled. ‘But I don’t think they’ll like it.’

  ‘They’ll love you,’ he said. ‘It might take a little time but they will. It’s up to me who I choose to build my future with and they’ll have to accept that.’

  ‘You want to build a future with me?’

  ‘Why the hell not? You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met.’

  Hannah was feeling very surplus to requirements, and started to shuffle towards the door.

  ‘Apart from you, Hannah,’ Ross grinned, wincing as the action pulled a
cut at the corner of his mouth.

  ‘Thank you.’ Hannah bowed her head graciously before returning his grin. But hers faded just as quickly. ‘I hate to be the killjoy here but we have a few things to sort out before I can choose my wedding outfit.’

  ‘We certainly do,’ Gina said, grimly.

  *

  Briony returned after a couple of hours. Ross was sitting up, looking better despite the discussions they’d been having. And although he was keen to announce his relationship with Gina, Hannah and Gina had persuaded him to hang fire – at least until he was back home and everyone was a little more relaxed.

  The sisters bid their goodbyes and promised to call at Holly Farm over the next couple of days. Gina smiled and made a good job of looking at ease, but as they left, Hannah saw her features harden instantly.

  ‘Wait until I get my hands on that bastard,’ she hissed, the double doors of the ward swinging violently behind her as she burst through them.

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘What I should have done a long time ago – cut his fucking balls off.’

  ‘Gina!’ Hannah squeaked.

  ‘What? Can you blame me for being angry?’

  ‘Of course not, but you need to calm down. First, we need to get to the bottom of what’s really gone on here.’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry, I intend to.’

  Hannah glanced across at her sister. Her jaw was tight, her walk stiff and purposeful and Hannah was in no doubt that she wasn’t seeing things rationally. If she wasn’t careful she could make the situation much worse. ‘Let me talk to Jess.’

  Gina’s stride didn’t break. She stared straight ahead. ‘She’s my responsibility and I need to deal with her.’

  ‘You’re too emotional to do that right now. And the truth is, you’ve no idea what she told Howard.’

  Gina stopped at the glass doors of the hospital entrance. ‘I thought I knew Howard. Beating people up, hanging around in cars, stalking, reacting to crazy accusations… it’s just not him. If Howard is capable of those things then the world has gone mad and anyone is capable of anything.’

  ‘He told you he wanted you back. People do desperate things when they’re desperate.’