‘Not too often,’ Betty gently scolded her daughter.
The doctor smiled. ‘Well, that’s okay, then. I’d like you to stay in hospital just for tonight so we can keep an eye on you and start you on your medication.’
‘Is that really necessary?’
‘I’m afraid it is, Mrs Green. Hopefully it will only be for one night.’
‘But I haven’t got anything with me.’
‘Don’t worry, Nan,’ Jay said. ‘As soon as you’re on a ward, Mum and I will go and get your things.’
‘But what about Roland?’ she said.
‘Who’s Roland?’ the doctor asked.
‘My cat. He likes his routine and he won’t be happy about all this.’
‘Don’t worry about Roland,’ Jay said reassuringly. ‘I’ll feed him when we’re picking up your things and give him a cuddle. I’ll go round first thing in the morning to give him his breakfast, too.’
Betty harrumphed. ‘I suppose that will have to do. Thank you, Doctor.’
‘My pleasure, Mrs Green. And on my way out I’ll ask one of the nurses to get you that cup of tea.’
When the doctor had left, Betty looked from Jay to Mary before speaking. ‘It looks like you two are finally getting on together. Shame it took a near heart attack to do it.’ But even as she spoke, she was smiling.
‘Yes, well, we thought we’d better make amends,’ Mary said dryly. ‘Just in case you croaked it.’
‘You can’t get rid of me that easily, so don’t be thinking that you can.’
* * *
After collecting the essentials for his nan and feeding Roland — who had been meowing loudly at being left on his own — Jay returned to the hospital with Mary to drop them off.
‘I won’t stay if you don’t mind,’ he told his mum and nan. ‘If I get my skates on, I’ll be able to help Liz out. She said she’d cover for me, but she’s being doing a lot of that recently and I don’t want her overdoing it.’ He turned towards his mother. ‘Give me a ring in the morning and, if Nan’s going to be discharged, I’ll give you a lift to pick her up and take her home.’
‘Thanks, Jay.’ His mum leaned in for another hug. Once more he breathed in her familiar smell and a wash of guilt overwhelmed him. What a fool he had been all these years. ‘I’m not sure I’d have got through today without you,’ Mary said quietly.
‘You’d have done just fine, Mum. All the same, I’m glad I was here too.’ His voice cracked with emotion.
* * *
Everything ached by the time Emma finished work that evening. Jay was working, so she’d have the flat to herself. She couldn’t wait to have a good long soak in the bath. Working in housekeeping was a hard job and she really admired people like Adejo who’d been doing it for years. She supposed you got used to it, but then she also thought people in Adejo’s situation didn’t have much choice either. She had a family to take care of on her own.
After her bath, Emma poured herself a glass of wine and heated up some soup, which was all she felt like eating. When she’d eaten, she got out her laptop. Although Adejo hadn’t been too keen on her idea of cleaners working in pairs, they had continued to work well together. Now Emma was brimming with ideas on how to improve things and was itching to get them down in black and white. Not that she’d talk to anyone about them just yet. She would bide her time until she wasn’t such a newbie and by then her ideas might be taken seriously.
* * *
The sound of the door opening jolted Emma awake. After switching off her laptop she’d settled down to watch some television, but she’d struggled to keep her eyes open and had fallen asleep on the sofa.
She pulled herself upright as Jay walked into the living room.
‘Emma, I didn’t expect you still to be up.’
‘Um, I fell asleep. Long day.’
Jay yawned. ‘Me too. The longest. I think I need a drink. Want one?’
She shook her head, aware that another arduous day lay ahead. ‘No, thanks. I’ll sit with you for a while, though, if you like?’
