Chapter Thirty Three

Daniel begins to recover but Emily cannot be with him for long. Aunt Jen grows weaker every day.

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

“Daniel's making steady progress” the doctor declared, “but it will be some while before he's fully awake. Maybe in the morning.”

I refused to leave Daniel's bedside in case he woke up when I was gone. At least I knew when that happened it would be a sign Daniel was on the mend. From Aunt Jen's journey there would be no return.

Dolly had gone home with the Coopers, with whom he was to spend the night. He had made a courtesy call to our boss, informing her that he wouldn't be at work in the morning. She wasn't happy, but what could she do? The library was already short staffed due to council cutbacks. It would be daft to fire one half of the permanent staff. She would just have to manage with the volunteers, and maybe Town Hall manager, Lyndsay Roth, would help out.

The news from home was not hopeful. Cassandra had told me Aunt Jen had been fitted with the permanent drainage tube, but although she was more comfortable, her strength was failing.

Night settled in and all was silent as the grave on ICU. For some it might prove to be so, but not for my Danny. I kept a silent vigil by his bedside while he slept deeply, and before long I too was lulled off to dream land by the steady beep-beep-beep of the monitor.

I had the strangest dream. I found myself seated beside Aunt Jen on a fluffy cloud. We floated high above the world, watching the sleeping towns below. Aunt Jen was content, smiling, pain free. Then the cloud began to disperse, breaking up into tiny fluffy motes, made rosy by the sunset, drifting away. Desperately I tried to keep hold of Jen's hand, to stop her from drifting away too.

An apparition began to take shape nearby, unsubstantial, but growing firmer, clearer; a familiar figure.

The cloud was almost gone, leaving only that upon which I sat. Aunt Jen was drifting further away until only our fingertips were touching. But it was okay. I knew it was time to let her go. She was ready. As the last pieces of our cloud vanished I watched as Aunt Jen floated free, into the arms of the waiting shadow, Great Uncle Lewis.

As I watched them slowly fade from view I began to fall headlong towards the ground. But someone unseen grabbed my hand and held me fast.

I jerked awake; someone really was holding my hand.

“I've been waiting for you to wake up.”

Daniel was awake, and but for the pain in his eyes, he was smiling, just as he used to back in the summer when we were one.

I felt light and bubbly as he drew my hand to his lips, turned it over, kissed the inside of my wrist. I remembered the first time, after Daniel had given me a lift home from visiting Aunt Jen. Though I had just spent the night on a hospital chair I felt wide awake, lingering only a moment more before darting from the room to alert the nursing staff.

-----

We talked while the sun was rising; it was a beautiful day. Daniel had absolutely no recollection of the crash. He remembered going to A&E with Jen when she broke her leg, the long day at the farm park, and being very tired. The memory of going to see me at the library and my being outside his house was clear. But everything else was a blank. So I had filled in the gaps, as I had been told them by Philip and Dora. Daniel took the news about the Lotus being a write-off fairly well. He merely sighed and said "I was thinking of changing it anyway. Maybe for something like Jenifer's Corsa. I'm keeping the Bonneville though.”

Boys and their toys.

By lunchtime Daniel was more with it and able to sit propped up in bed.

“I rang Yewell Memorial earlier” I told him while he was eating his lunch. “I have to go home, Danny. They're arranging for Aunt Jen to go to the Leith Hospice.”

We both knew the significance of that. Jen was on the final stretch of her long journey.

“I wish I could go with you” Daniel said his gorgeous green eyes filled with love.

“I wish I could stay with you” I answered not looking at him. Those eyes always made me melt.

“Jenifer needs you more than I do.”

“And you and Robyn need each other.”

Daniel tried to sit up a little straighter, wincing as his painful ribs protested.

“I have something to ask you, Emily.”

I had a feeling what it would be, and knew how I would answer, this time.

“I should go down on one knee” Daniel quipped, making us both laugh at the idea. Such a gesture would be impossible with two broken legs.

“You could wait until you are mobile again” I suggested.

“Life goes by so fast, Em, and I nearly lost mine. It's like a roller-coaster. You never know what's around the next bend.” Daniel took as deep a breath as his cracked ribs would allow. “Emily Jackson, will you marry me?”

I didn't hesitate. My answer was a resounding yes.”

“I have a ring for you” Daniel declared, after we had sealed our pact with a kiss. “I just don't have it here. It's Jenifer's ring. She gave it to me on that never ending night at the hospital.”

I knew the ring was bequeathed in Jen's will, but not to whom. It seemed that Aunt Jen had known all along that one day Daniel and I would wed.

My great aunt was very clever. She knew people. She listened and gave counsel where it was sought.

It was hard to say goodbye, but even though Daniel could not be with me at home, I still had Dolly. As if on cue Dolly appeared at the door ready to drive me back to Yewell.

“You ready Bella?” he asked.

“That's the future Mrs Daniel Cooper to you” Daniel corrected him.

Dolly gave me a side hug.

“You'll still be Bella to me” he declared, as he high-fived Daniel by way of congratulation , and with a cheery “See you later, mate”, turned to leave.

Daniel and I said a tender farewell, with a lingering embrace which would have to last us a while.