From Christmas to Eternity by Caroline Anderson

Author:Caroline Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

IT WAS odd, how little he felt.

No pain, no anything, really.

Except tired. He was ridiculously tired, and after he’d finished his tea he got up and walked towards the stairs.

‘Andy?’

Lucy was there, catching up with him in the hall and looking at him in concern. He wanted to tell her he was tired, but the chart wasn’t around and he couldn’t find the word for sleep, so he just closed his eyes. He could feel himself swaying, and her hand wrapped around his arm and steadied him.

‘Do you want to go to bed?’ she asked softly, and he sighed with relief and nodded, and she tucked her arm around his waist. ‘Come on,’ she murmured, and went up with him to their bedroom, helping him out of his clothes. His overnight bag was there, and he found his wash things and took them into the bathroom, and by the time he came out she’d closed the curtains and turned back the bed.

He crawled into it, closed his eyes in relief and crashed into oblivion.

* * *

‘Is Daddy all right?’ Emily asked, snuggling up beside her when she came back down, and she nodded and hugged them both. Lottie was stirring, and her mother brought her through and put her on Lucy’s lap, and while she fed her, she sat there with her three girls and talked quietly to them about their father.

‘He’s going to be fine, but he might not be able to speak very much for a few days.’

‘Did they cut his tongue off?’ Megan asked, looking ghoulishly fascinated, and she laughed and shook her head.

‘No, darling, but the bit of him in his head that tells his mouth what to say is very sore, and it just needs to rest for a bit and get better. You know when you fall over and get a bruise, it hurts for a bit and then in a few days it’s all gone? Well, it’s like that, as if his brain’s got a bruise on it, and it just needs to get better.’

‘Then will he be able to talk to us again?’

‘Yes, he should be.’

She crossed her fingers behind Lottie’s back as she said it, hoping she was right. ‘So, tell me what you’ve been doing at school today. Did you have a fun time?’

‘No,’ Emily said, snuggling closer. ‘I cried. I was worried about Daddy.’

‘I cried, too,’ Megan said, but Lucy wasn’t sure if she was just copycatting. ‘But we did painting, and it was fun. I did a picture for Daddy but it was wet so I had to leave it there.’

‘I’m sure he’ll be really pleased when you can bring it home,’ she said, leaning over to kiss her. Lottie was standing on her legs and jumping now, and she held her baby firmly and smiled at her.

‘You look happy. Did you miss me?’ she said, but her mother just laughed at her.

‘Of course she missed you, they all did, but they’ve been as good as gold, haven’t you, girls? And they helped me cook last night.

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