The New Neighbours (37 page)

“Now come on, my sweetheart,” Mike said a moment later, “we must get cracking. We've got to get over to Ireland as soon as possible. So the first thing is to ring the airport and find out the flight times. Cork is it?” Charlie nodded and he brushed her lips again, and then gently disentangling his hands, moved to the phone. Within minutes, he was on the line to the airport, and to Charlie's amazement, he booked two seats on the late flight into Cork, cheerfully reserving them with his credit card.

“But Mike,” she looked confused, “why two tickets?”

“You don't think I'm going to let you go and face this on your own, do you?” he demanded, before turning back to dial another number to order a rental car to be waiting for them at the other end.

“But Mike,” she protested when he had finished that call, “you don't have to… I mean, thank you for getting me the ticket, but you don't have to…”

“Yes,” he said simply, “I do.” He sat down beside her again, and took both her hands in his. “Listen to me,” he said. “I've loved you from the first moment I saw you at old Madge's barbecue back in September.”

“But…”

Mike laid a finger on her lips. “Just listen to me,” he repeated. “I love you, Charlie, and that's the truth. I've never said anything, because…well for lots of reasons, but mainly because I was afraid to. I'm much older than you, I wanted you to get to know me first as a friend, I didn't want to scare you away.” He smiled ruefully at her. “I may have done so now, but holding you in my arms like that, well I couldn't help myself. If you don't want me to come to Ireland with you, of course I won't, but if you'd like the moral support, I'd like to be there to give it to you.” His eyes held hers for a moment. “You only have to say, and I'll cancel the second ticket.”

“But you don't know anything about me, about my past, about Kirsty.”

“She's your daughter and you love her.”

“Yes, of course.”

“That's all I need to know,” Mike said firmly.

“But what about her father?”

“What about him? If he was any sort of father to her he'd be going with you, not me…” He paused then, uncertain, “…unless of course he's waiting for you in Ireland?”

“He's not,” Charlie said steadily. “But Mike…”

“Charlie, you know now, how I feel, and for the time being that's enough. I'm not asking you to feel the same. I'm not asking anything of you, I just want to be here when you need me. If in time things change in any particular way, well we'll deal with that as it happens. OK?”

Charlie nodded, not knowing what to say.

“Right then,” Mike said briskly. “We have a flight to catch. You go and pack a bag, we leave for the airport in half an hour.” He got to his feet and pulled Charlie to hers. For a moment, he rested his hands on her shoulders and then having kissed her cheek he said, “And, I know it's a stupid thing to say, but try not to worry. Ring your parents and tell them you're on your way. Tell them we've got a car booked, so we'll be with them at the hospital as soon as we can. All right?”

Charlie nodded again and then whispered, “Thank you, Mike, I'll never forget this.”

“Hush, no problem. Go and pack your bag.”

When she had gone, Mike returned to the telephone and dialled

Caroline's number. There was no reply and the answerphone clickedin. Guiltily relieved at not actually having to explain what was happening to Caroline, Mike spoke to the machine.

“Caroline, it's me. I'm sorry, but something important's come up, and I have to go away for the weekend, so I can't have the children as arranged…” That sounded awful even to his own ears, so he added awkwardly, “It's a friend, been taken dangerously ill.” God, that was worse, it sounded like one of those SOS messages on the radio, so he simply finished lamely, “I'm sorry, I've got to go. Give my love to the children and say that I'll make it up to them soon. OK? Bye now.”

Replacing the receiver he switched on his own answer machine and dashed upstairs to pack a bag for himself. For a moment, he glanced out of the window across the road to the lighted window of Charlie's room.

I don't believe this, he thought wildly, but the memory of Charlie's lips parting under his own flooded through him and he had to bring himself sharply back to the job in hand. As he came back down through the living room the phone rang. He paused but didn't pick up, waiting for the answer machine to accept the call. It was Caroline, and she was steaming mad.

“Mike you bastard! Are you there? Pick up the bloody phone. I know you're there because you only called me five minutes ago.” Mike did not pick up the receiver. “Mike! How can you do this to them, and me? I had arrangements made for this weekend, and now it'll all have to be changed! And the kids were so looking forward to seeing you. You really are a selfish bastard. I don't believe a word about a sick friend… who is it? Why didn't you say who was ill? You're just off for a dirty weekend, that's all, putting some floozy before your promise to your own children. Well, stuff you, Mike Callow, don't ask to see them again in a hurry, because they won't want to come. They're tired of you mucking them about, and so am I. So, you just bugger off and play, and I'll see my solicitor!” The message ended with a violent slam of the receiver.

Mike pressed the erase button, reset the machine and hurried downstairs to the garage. As he backed the car out, he nearly ran over Oliver Hooper, standing outside the house. He wound down the window.

“Oliver! What are you doing there?” he demanded. “What do you want?”

Oliver peered in through the window. “Just coming over to ask you if Pete's about this weekend,” he said.

“No,” Mike answered, and then feeling he'd been a bit abrupt he said, “No, I'm afraid not. I'm away this weekend, so the children won't be coming. Maybe next weekend. OK?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Oliver loafed off down the cut beside the Smarts' house, and Mike backed the car across to Charlie's house. Though judging from Caroline's phone call, I doubt if they'll be here then either, he thought ruefully. Then he resolutely put that out of his mind. The important thing now was that Charlie needed him and he wasn't about to let her down. He got out of the car and was just approaching the front door of the Madhouse, when it opened and Charlie appeared carrying a large sports bag. Pulling the door to behind her, she looked up at a lighted window in number four where Annabel Haven was looking out, and waved, before handing Mike her bag and climbing into his car. Annabel waved back, and gave the thumbs-up signal. No one else saw them leave. There was no one at home in the Madhouse, Charlie had simply left them a note, saying her sister was desperately ill and she'd gone home for a few days. She would phone sometime soon.

The flight was on time and the hire car was waiting, so that they arrived at the hospital in Cork with the minimum of delay. All the way over on the short flight, Mike had sat holding Charlie's hand, and she had let him, reassured by his nearness and his strength. When they reached the hospital Mike stopped at the main entrance and said, “You go straight in, I'll park the car and then come and find you, OK?”

“Yeah, OK.” Charlie got out of the car and headed in through the door. At reception, they told her where to find Kirsty, and within moments she was outside the intensive care unit where her parents were waiting. She ran into her mother's arms, crying, “How is she? Mam, is she all right?” Her mother hugged her tightly and said quietly, “So far, pet. So far she's holding her own.”

Her father put his arms round both of them. “She'll make it, she's a game little thing.”

“Can I see her? Can we go in?” Charlie peered in through the glass panel of the door to where a cot stood, and the tiny form of her daughter was hooked up to drips and monitors.

“Not at the moment,” replied her mother. “We have to watch her from here.” Charlie stood with her nose pressed against the glass, trying to see Kirsty's face, but it was hidden by the cot sides.

“You got here very fast,” Sean Murphy said. “No trouble getting a flight? And you hired a car? Wasn't that very expensive?”

“No, I mean, there was no trouble with the flight… a friend has come with me… he lent me the money. Mam, Dad, I had no money for a fare, I couldn't have come without him helping. He's parking the car.”

“But who is he, Charlie?” asked her mother anxiously. She didn't like the sound of some man not only lending Charlie the money to come home, but of coming himself as well, and she liked it even less when Charlie turned to answer and said, “Here he comes now.” Kath Murphy looked over her daughter's shoulder and saw a man approaching, not a young man, a student as she had imagined, but an older man, at least thirty-five. His slightly lopsided face had a certain raffish attractiveness and for a split second she wondered if he were the dreaded Duncan, Kirsty's real father, but Charlie was saying, “Mam, Dad, this is Mike Callow, who lives in the Circle. Remember I told you I babysit for him sometimes? He's brought me to see Kirsty. Mike, these are my parents.” They shook hands, but Mike was very aware of Mrs Murphy's scrutiny, and could well understand it, even though he knew nothing of Duncan, or the fact that Kirsty's father had been an older man as well.

“It's very good of you to bring Charlotte over,” Mrs Murphy said.

Mike smiled at her. “I didn't think she should come on her own,” he replied quietly. “She was very worried.” He glanced at the door to the little ward and asked, “How is Kirsty?”

“Holding her own,” Sean told him. At that moment a doctor came up, and after a brief word with them allowed Charlie to go into the room. Her parents and Mike waited outside.

“I don't want to be a nuisance… or to be in the way,” Mike said diffidently. “Maybe I should wait in the car.”

“Certainly not,” Sean said straightaway. “There's a little waiting room just here where we can get a cup of coffee, we'll wait for Charlie in there.”

They adjourned to the waiting room where there was indeed a coffee machine, and having fed this with coins, they sat down with polystyrene cups of hot brown liquid to wait for news. Mike looked at the middle-aged couple who were Charlie's parents. Mrs Murphy was small, much shorter than her daughter. She had the same coloured hair as Charlie, though fading to grey, and the same blue eyes, which missed nothing, and there was an air of strength about her, as if she took life's troubles head on and dealt with them stoically. Sean Murphy was a big man, tall and dark-haired, with deep-set brown eyes, but at present he seemed content to stay in the background, sitting nursing his coffee, his eyes fixed in the middle distance somewhere.

“You live in the same street as Charlotte?” Kath asked at last. Her use of the name Charlotte instead of the familiar Charlie, seemed to Mike to be trying to draw a line of some sort between them, to be making some sort of point. Clearly, she didn't want him to be there, she didn't approve of him.

“Yes, just across the road.” Mike was determined to sound at ease. “Charlie babysits sometimes, and helps me with the children when they come to stay. Their mother and I are separated.”

“I see.” Silence lapsed round them again until Sean said awkwardly,

“It was good of you to lend Charlie the money to come.”

“It was the least I could do,” Mike said. “She's been a great help to me.” He looked across at the couple sitting side by side on an ageing sofa and came to a sudden decision. “I love your daughter,” he said simply, “and, if she'll have me, I intend to marry her.”

The Murphys looked stunned at this sudden announcement. “Aren't you already married?” demanded Kath fiercely. “What are you doing to be talking about marrying our Charlie?”

“My wife is divorcing me,” Mike replied levelly. “Nothing to do with Charlie, we'd split up before I even laid eyes on her.”

“And does Charlie know?” Kath went on grimly. “Have you asked her to marry you… even before you're free?”

Mike refused to allow himself to be intimidated by Charlie's mother. “No,” he said evenly, “for the first time this evening I told Charlie that I love her, it has gone no further than that… nor will it, yet. I just thought that you should know. I don't know anything about her past, I only heard about Kirsty today, but it makes no difference. I love Charlie and I'll love Kirsty too. I wouldn't do anything to hurt either of them.”

“That's all very well and good…” began Kath, but her husband stopped her, placing his hand on hers. “This isn't the time or the place to discuss this, Kath,” he said gently. “We'll talk with Mr Callow about it another time.” He gave Mike a level look, which brooked no argument and Mike nodded. “Of course,” he replied, “I just wanted you to know how things stood.”

An awkward silence fell for a few moments, and then Charlie came in. “She's still holding her own,” she told them. “They say I can sit with her… you too if you want to, Mam, though only one at a time. So I'm going to stay. Daddy, will you take Mike home with you? He can sleep in my room for tonight. I won't be coming home till the morning at least.” Kath was about to say something, but her husband forestalled her and said, “I will of course,” and he directed a smile at Mike. “Will you stay with Charlie, Kath, or come with us?”

“I'll come with you,” Kath decided, “and come back in the morning so that Charlie can get some sleep then.” She turned to Charlie. “I think that's best, pet,” she said. “I can see the children off to school and then come back to the hospital.” She put her arms round her daughter. “But of course ring us anytime if there's any change and we'll come back at once.”

Charlie clung to her mother for a moment and then turned to the two men. “Thanks, Dad,” she said and then, “You'll be OK, Mike? If you go home with Mam and Dad?”