Chapter Thirty One

Emily pours her heart out to an unconcious Daniel

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

Dolly and I waited for Philip Cooper in the designated area, rather impatiently on my part. Several large, plush two-seater and high-backed chairs were placed around the cafe counter, and in front of the news stand. Here and there were low coffee tables, some with potted plants, others with magazines. Someone had taken steps to make the area as welcoming as possible. It was altogether quieter and more pleasing than the huge concourse at Yewell Memorial. But I found it hard to stay still. I paced up and down constantly. The roller-coaster was on the edge of an abyss, spinning on the spot, until finally a tall man, an older version of Daniel, stepped out of the elevator.

He approached with a easy gait, although there seemed to be something haunting him; a heavy burden resting on his shoulders. He shook our hands warmly, introducing himself as Philip Cooper. His eyes were the same shade of green as his son's, but with crinkles at the corners.

“I had a feeling you'd come. Daniel will come round now you are here. He's been waiting for you.”

he lead us back towards the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor, ICU.

“I've told the staff who you are, Emily, so you have access to the ward. Your friend here can't stay though. Only five minutes. I said he's your brother.”

As we rode the lift there were butterflies in my tummy, feather-light, as if they were floating in that zero gravity aeroplane, the one they call the 'vomit comet'. I felt light too; it had been a long while since brunch at the manor house. The doors opened directly opposite the ICU entrance. Philip keyed in an entry code and the door buzzed open. Stepping through we halted to use the hand-sanitizer, just like on Jen's ward; don't know how may times I'd done that before, going back to when Uncle Lewis was in hospital. But the similarity ended there. Everything was clean and fresh here. Some of the blankets back home were threadbare and the sheets always needed ironing.

When we reached the door to Daniel's room I felt as if I'd hit a brick wall. I froze on the threshold, taking in the scene. Daniel was lying motionless in the bed, under crisp white linen. There were wires and tubes attached to beeping machines. Both legs were encased in blue casts, and the left one had bolts sticking out by the knee. His ribs were bandaged, and so was his head.

A handsome middle-aged woman was seated beside the bed; his mother Dora. She leant forward and spoke gently to her son.

“Emily's here, Dan. I told you she was coming.”

Dora rose on seeing me in the doorway and came over, wrapping me wordlessly in an embrace. I felt her love and my strength was renewed as I let Dora lead me to the bed. Daniel looked like he was sleeping as I sat down and took his limp hand.

“He's had a nasty knock to the head” Philip said. “Silly boy wasn't wearing his seat belt. If I've told him once....”

I swallowed hard. Was it my fault, the accident? I had distracted Daniel just as he was getting into the car. I had gone to apologise, to see if there was any hope of a future for us. But Daniel had been in too much haste to reach his sister, Robyn. I had held him up. The memory prompted me ask after Robyn.

“She came through the op well” Dora began, in hushed tones, then looked to her husband to continue.

“She'll need a whole load of physio to get her back on her feet,” Philip paused, corrected himself, “ to get her walking again.”

He and Dora exchanged worried looks, then quickly changed tack, so as to not distress their son by talking of his injured twin.

“You and Damien are both welcome to stay with us while you're here, for as long as you need to.”

“Thank you, but I can't,” Dolly answered. “I have to get back for work in the morning, but Emily is staying aren't you?”

“I've taken some sick leave for a few days”.

“I'd better be going.” Dolly gave me one of his huge bear hugs. “Call me, any time you need me, Bella. Day or night.”

“You too” I made him promise, “if anything happens....”

“You know it” Dolly answered. leaving the room with Philip.

Dora leaned over her unconscious son to assure herself she would not be missed, asked “You'll be okay here while I go and check on Robyn?”

I nodded my assent, tried to put on a brave face, but inside I was quaking. I felt like the proverbial swan, calm on the surface, but paddling like hell under water.

So I was left alone with Daniel. Aunt Jen's words came back to me. “They say you can hear while unconscious. Talk to him.”

But what should I say? Daniel had not stopped to listen to me before, now I had a captive audience. Taking a deep breath I began to recount the tale of Lady Cecelia's birthday party. I even told him what the ladies were wearing; but I left out the bit about getting drunk.

“Sir Dickie missed you, by the way. He couldn't fathom why you had stood him up, at his own wife's party no less!”

I told Daniel about the history group's display on the life of Merl Wood. We had often wondered why the man had been immortalised in bronze outside the town hall. I was now able to recount the highlights of his life which I had gleaned during a coffee break at work. The would-be druid was a local healer but was also remembered for his penchant for skinny dipping in the lake at Yewell Manor Park, and was often to be seen with his pockets filled with snakes. Unfortunately this humorous tale failed to spark any reaction.

I was about to describe the journey in Jen's car and her distrust in the capabilities of Dolly's old mini, when it occurred to me that the subject of cars might remind him of the crash. If Daniel could remember it, but I did not know what else to talk about.

The silence deepened, broken only by the steady beep of the heart monitor. I tried to tell Daniel about Aunt Jen. I knew they had formed a special bond, that he would want to know how she was doing. Just saying out loud that the cancer had worsened was so hard, the words got stuck in my throat.

Aunt Jen was the one who had persuaded me to come, to be at Daniel's bedside when he awoke. She had pushed all thoughts of her own illness aside. In many ways she and Daniel were very much alike. Daniel had been totally invested in getting to his sister as fast as he could, but he had been so tired after being up all night when Aunt Jen had broken her leg. Daniel had put everyone else ahead of his own needs, and now was himself laid up in a hospital bed.

I stroked his hand. I spoke to him again, this time from the heart.

“I'm so sorry, Daniel. I should have trusted you. I know you would have never used me or Jen. Please wake up. Jen is dying and I know I'll be stronger if we are together.” I held his hand close to my cheek. My tears spilled freely onto our entwined fingers. “Please wake up, Danny! Please wake up so we can be together again!”