A Broken Family (35 page)

It was Celia who let the doctor in and after examining Tommy, he said, ‘I’m going to call an ambulance, Mrs Frost. This could be pneumonia and your husband needs to be in hospital.’

Amy’s head spun. Pneumonia – the word striking fear in her heart.

Mabel thought that Edna’s front room looked as untidy as ever, and she was trying to hide her distaste when a weak cup of tea in a cracked cup was put in front of her.

‘I suppose you’ve seen what’s been going on over there, but have you heard anything?’ Edna asked.

‘Not much, only that Tommy’s got bronchitis.’

‘It’s been like flippin’ Piccadilly Circus with all the comings and goings. First the wedding, and now this. Celia Frost is in Amy’s place every five minutes and when she ain’t there, it’s Phyllis. Of course it’s all gone quiet since that ambulance turned up and took Tommy away.’

‘Did you see him?’ Mabel asked. ‘You’re opposite and get a better view.’

‘I saw him when he was carried out, and if you ask me he was close to death.’

‘Oh no,’ Mabel said, aghast.

‘Yeah, well, he’s always been a weakling. Now the older brother, he’s a bit of all right and I wouldn’t say no,’ Edna said.

Mabel let that pass, her thoughts elsewhere as she said, ‘Poor Amy, she must be worried sick.’

‘She chose the wrong brother, that’s for sure, and now it looks like she’s going to be a very young widow.’

‘Oh, Edna, don’t say that,’ Mabel cried, feeling a surge of disgust. A bit of gossip was one thing, but Edna seemed to be relishing the thought of the pain and suffering Tommy’s death would bring.

‘What are you looking at me like that for?’ Edna asked. ‘I’m only speaking the truth.’

Those words echoed in Mabel’s mind and she felt sick inside. She was as bad as Edna. She relished gossip, had spread it, and enjoyed other people’s suffering. She was as nasty-minded as Edna, but this time they were talking about Amy, a girl she had watched grow up into a lovely, sweet young woman.

Amy didn’t deserve to suffer and there was nothing to relish in the thought. There was only a feeling of sorrow. Mabel knew what it was to grieve and had let it turn her into a twisted, bitter old woman. Now though she felt a deep need to help
–
but Mabel knew that after all she’d said, done, and caused, any support or sympathy she offered Amy would be spurned.

In that moment, an idea was born; one that would turn Mabel’s life around. She may not be able to help Amy, but surely there were others that she could. Mabel didn’t know how, but from now on, instead of relishing people’s pain, she wanted to be able to offer them help and comfort.

Time passed in a blur for Amy. Her parents and Rose came to the hospital when they could and at those times she clung to her mother, glad of her support.

Celia was there for long periods, and Jeremy came too, but as she was so desperately worried about Tommy, Amy found herself impervious to his presence.

She was aware at times of Jeremy’s eyes on her, the concern in his voice when he urged her to rest, which she brushed away. She would never forgive herself for what happened, but at the moment it seemed distant, buried in her concern for Tommy. He had to get better – he just had to. The thought of life without him was unbearable.

The doctor was with Tommy now and she was waiting outside the room with Celia while he was being examined. ‘I think he looked a little better,’ Celia said.

‘Do you think so?’ Amy asked, clinging to that seed of hope.

Amy felt light-headed with exhaustion, but rose to her feet as the doctor appeared, aware that Celia had done the same. The man’s face was grave and Amy swayed, fearing the worst.

‘Mrs Frost, your husband still isn’t responding to treatment. However, his condition hasn’t deteriorated so I hope to see some sign of improvement in the next forty-eight hours.’

‘Does … does that mean he’s going to get better?’

‘If he responds to the treatment the prognosis will be more positive. Now if you’ll excuse me …’

Amy was left bewildered as the doctor walked away.
If
Tommy responds to treatment, the doctor had said, not
when
. Did that mean there was a chance that he wouldn’t? Unable to bear the thought, Amy was unaware that Jeremy was walking towards them as her knees collapsed beneath her and she flopped back onto the chair, burying her face in her hands.

Jeremy saw it happen and picked up his pace, running the last few strides. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked his mother. ‘Has there been bad news?’

‘There’s no news one way or the other. Thomas is neither better, nor worse. Amy is just tired, that’s all.’

‘Now look, Amy, this can’t go on,’ Jeremy gently admonished. ‘You’ve got to get some rest.’

‘You’re right. Take her home, Jeremy.’

‘No, no,’ Amy protested, ‘I’m not leaving Tommy.’

‘For goodness sake stop acting like a martyr,’ Celia said crossly.

‘I … I’m not,’ she said, her eyes filling with tears.

Amy looked so vulnerable and Jeremy found that he wanted to hold her, to comfort her, but knew it was impossible. She’d probably react violently if he so much as laid a hand on her, and after what he’d done, Jeremy couldn’t blame her.

‘Well I’ve been here all morning and I want to go home to freshen up,’ Celia said. ‘Jeremy, after you’ve been in to see Thomas, if Amy insists on staying, you can take me home instead.’

‘All right,’ he agreed, aware that Amy would never agree to get into the van with him. He hoped that Phyllis or Rose would be able to persuade her to get some sleep, because from what he’d seen, Amy was close to breaking point.

After seeing his brother, who barely knew he was there again, Jeremy drove his mother home, tensing when she asked, ‘What’s going on between you and Amy?’

‘What do you mean? Nothing’s going on.’

‘I’m not a fool, Jeremy. You can’t take your eyes off her, and seem more concerned about Amy than your brother.’

‘That isn’t true. I just think she needs to get some rest.’

With a snort of disbelief, she said, ‘There’s more to it than that, and it’s got to stop. All our plans will be ruined if Thomas gets wind of it and I can’t believe you’d risk that.’

‘I’m not, and you’ve got nothing to worry about,’ Jeremy insisted, thinking that Tom was in no fit state to get wind of anything at the moment.

An awful thought then crossed Jeremy’s mind. Tom was critically ill and what if he didn’t survive? He hadn’t signed any shares over to him yet, and if he died any chance of gaining control of the business would be lost.

Slowly Tommy recovered, and after being sent for conva
lescence he finally returned home. It was Saturday afternoon, the third week in May, and for the first time since he’d been admitted to hospital, he and Amy were truly alone.

‘Do you realise that we’ve been married for over a month?’ he asked.

‘Of course I do.’

‘And we still haven’t had our honeymoon.’

Amy flushed. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘Once I know that the business is running smoothly, I’ll rebook it.’

‘There’s no need. I didn’t go back to work and I’ve been a lady of leisure. I’ve met Carol a couple of times and she’s been worried about you too, but I think I might look for a part-time job now,’ Amy said.

‘You don’t need to work,’ Tommy said, ‘but I’m going back on Monday.’

‘Are you sure you’re not rushing it?’

‘I’m sure, Amy. I feel great,’ Tommy said and meant it. It felt good to be alive, especially as when he’d been in intensive care he’d felt so close to death.

When someone knocked on the door he said with a wry smile, ‘Well, we had half an hour to ourselves, so that’s something.’

Amy’s mother walked in, smiling widely. ‘Tommy, it’s wonderful to see you looking so well, though you could do with putting on a bit more weight.’

‘Don’t worry, Mum, I’ll feed him up,’ Amy said.

‘I’m sure you will, but I won’t stop. I just popped round to say welcome home, but now I’m sure you two would rather be alone.’

‘Thanks, I appreciate it,’ Tommy said and when she left he wrapped his arms around Amy. She stiffened again and he was puzzled. Since he’d arrived home she seemed tense, nervy, but before he could ask her what was wrong, someone else was at the door, his mother this time.

‘How are you, Thomas?’

‘I’m fine and glad to be home.’

‘Jeremy has been marvellous while you’ve been away. The business is running smoothly and he’s managed to acquire another contract, quite a large one too.’

‘That’s good. I’ll go over it with him on Monday and it’ll be great to get back into the driving seat.’

‘The accounts are very healthy, with profits well up on this period last year.’

‘Great, I’ll take a look at them too, but for now I just want to enjoy this weekend with Amy,’ Tommy said, hoping his mother would take the hint, and she did, but not before reiterating how wonderful Jeremy had been in his absence.

‘I’m sure you’ll see for yourself on Monday,’ she said, then at last leaving.

Tommy sighed, drew Amy into his arms and kissed her deeply as his hands roamed her body. She pulled away, the look in her eyes almost wild. The penny dropped then. They hadn’t yet consummated their marriage, so of course Amy was nervous. In all honesty he was a bit edgy too, worried about his own inexperience, yet was unable to quell his rising excitement. It was going to be hard to wait for tonight, but with the risk of being interrupted by someone else calling in to see how he was, Tommy knew he had no choice.

‘That was quick,’ Jeremy said when his mother returned to the house.

‘I’m afraid Thomas made me feel that I was intruding and I’ve no idea why.’

Jeremy could guess why his mother hadn’t been made welcome; Tom wanted to be alone with Amy. His guts churned. Since that night when he’d taken Amy’s virginity, he had felt that she was his, and the thought of Tom laying his hands on her made his jaws clench in anger.

‘I did manage to tell Thomas how well you’ve done in his absence. He said he’s returning to work on Monday, and I’m sure he’s going to be impressed.’

Jeremy left his mother to ramble on. He knew he had no right to feel like this. Amy was Tom’s wife, yet his feelings for her continued to grow. It wasn’t just lust, it was more than that, and Jeremy thought he might actually be in love. It was something he’d never experienced before, girls just there to be used for a bit of fun, with one following another, but this time it was different.

‘Are you listening to me?’

‘What? Yes,’ Jeremy said.

‘What did I just say then?’

‘Err, something about Tom being impressed.’

‘I also said that you’ll have to start pushing him for those shares now.’

‘Yes, yes, I will,’ Jeremy said, and though he was desperate to get his hands on them, they were the last thing on his mind at the moment.

‘I see that Tommy’s home,’ Mabel said as she returned from the shops to see Phyllis vigorously polishing her letterbox.

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘Amy must be over the moon.’

‘Yes, she is,’ Phyllis said. ‘Have you heard anything yet?’

‘No, I’m still waiting, but hopefully it won’t be for much longer.’

‘And is Jack still all right about it?’

‘Yes, though it took him a while to come round to the idea,’ Mabel said, her mind going back to when she’d found the courage to knock on Phyllis’s door. The reception had been cold at first, but when Mabel had poured her heart out, saying that she wanted to turn her life around, Phyllis had finally thawed.

Mabel hadn’t known how, or what to do to make a difference, and as they’d discussed her options, the suggestion from Phyllis had been the last thing she’d expected to consider. Now though, Mabel knew that with so much love to give it was perfect.

‘I don’t usually do my front on a Saturday,’ Phyllis said, ‘but with working for Rose all week I get behind with my own chores.’

‘If Jack and I pass muster, I’ll have a lot less time on my hands too,’ Mabel said, smiling at the thought.

‘It won’t be so bad if you get one that’s old enough to go to school.’

‘I wouldn’t mind one way or the other,’ Mabel said wistfully.

‘Don’t worry, I can’t see them turning you down,’ Phyllis said, stretching her back as she completed her task.

‘I saw Daphne Cole the other day. She was on her way to visit her mother and though she was a bit off with me at first, she warmed a bit when I apologised for thinking that she’d gone off with George Frost.’

‘I didn’t think she had, but you wouldn’t listen to me,’ Phyllis said.

‘I know. I was a horrible gossip and I’m ashamed of myself.’

‘You’ve changed, Mabel. You’re not like that now, but no doubt Edna Price is still as bad.’

‘Yes, she is, but I avoid her as much as I can now.’

‘I doubt she likes that, but I’d best get on. I’ll see you later,’ Phyllis said as she gathered up her cleaning materials.

With a wave, Phyllis went indoors and Mabel did the same. She was finding it hard to wait for news, but felt reassured now that Phyllis didn’t think she and Jack would be turned down. Surely they would hear soon and then if they were accepted, she wondered if her first foster child would be a boy or a girl.

That night, Amy undressed for bed, and climbed in beside Tommy, shaking with nerves. She couldn’t get what happened with Jeremy out of her mind, the fear, the pain, and as Tommy reached out for her she went rigid.

‘It’s all right,’ he soothed. ‘I’m nervous too.’

‘You are?’

‘Of course,’ Tommy said. ‘This is going to be the first time for both of us.’

Amy knew that it wasn’t the first time for her and she was terrified that Tommy would somehow know. It increased her tension, and though Tommy continued to try to soothe her, she cried out in pain when he entered her.

‘I’m sorry, so sorry,’ Tommy said, yet there was no stopping him now.

Amy tried to respond but found she couldn’t, and lay unmoving beneath him, just wanting it to be over.