The tears fall faster now, Camilla letting them drip onto the quilt.
‘Terrible. How can I possibly feel happy when he’s gone? To be happy without him … That means I’m moving on.’
Phoebe reaches out for Camilla’s hand. The older woman lets her take it.
‘And you don’t feel ready to move on?’
Camilla shakes her head.
‘I know what I told you before … That I want to get better for my daughter. And I do. She deserves that. But …’ She trails off, wiping her face with the sleeve of her silk pyjamas.
‘Have you been taking your medication?’ Phoebe asks softly, thinking of the pill bottles she saw in the bathroom. They were all full.
Camilla bites her lip.
‘You’ve caught me out.’
A glimmer of life returns to Camilla’s eyes and Phoebe holds onto it, letting it give her hope. Something has to.
‘You deserve to feel happy, Camilla. Do you really think this is what Teddy would want for you? It sounds as though he loved you very much. I think he would want you to find happiness again. Isn’t that what you would want for him if the situation were reversed?’
‘Of course!’
‘Moving on doesn’t mean that you didn’t love him. Or that you have to stop loving him.’
Camilla doesn’t say anything, but Phoebe can tell that she’s thinking.
‘Would you let me give you your medication? I really think it could help you.’
Camilla nods, allowing Phoebe to do what she needs to do without complaint. It’s a first step at least. Phoebe holds her hand the whole time.
By the time Phoebe leaves, Camilla is up and dressed, having a cup of tea in the kitchen with Arabella. She told Phoebe she didn’t feel up to going out into the garden, but together they decided that ditching the pyjamas and getting out of that room could be a first step. Arabella seems relieved, flapping about her mother, fetching her a cushion and pouring the tea.
‘Thank you,’ she says to her as she shows Phoebe to the door.
‘You’re welcome. I’m just doing my job. I’ll see you both again soon, OK?’
She tries her best to feel heartened as she shuts the door to Number 1 Magnolia Street. Maybe the appointment hadn’t gone how she had hoped, but at least Camilla had taken a small step. But it’s hard not to feel thrown, especially after the brightness of her morning and her hopes for Camilla. It’s disappointing and part of her wonders if it’s her fault. Did she push Camilla too far by encouraging her to go running? Should she have started with smaller steps first? And will she ever be able to help show Camilla that life is worth living even now that her husband is gone? The weight of responsibility presses down on her. She doesn’t want to let Camilla down, or Arabella either.
As she’s about to set off, her phone rings in her pocket.
‘Hello, is this Nurse Harrison? This is Sergeant Halifax. Do you think you could come down to the station? We have a woman here who is asking after you. I believe she is one of your patients. Oh, and you might want to bring some clothes.’
CHAPTER 26
As the police officer explains the situation when Phoebe eventually arrives at the police station, a bag bundled under her arm, she has to try very hard to maintain a straight face. Not because the situation isn’t without its serious, worrying parts, but because sometimes laughter is the only response.
‘Someone called to alert us to a woman walking down the middle of the dual carriageway. Said her arms were outstretched as though she were on the front of a ship or something. Didn’t have a stitch on her. Not a stitch. We sent a patrol car out to pick her up. She was chatting a lot – sounded like some religious stuff. She was luckily pretty co-operative. Got in the back no problem. I think she was talking about bees at one point? She mentioned your name and we found we had your number saved from last time.’
‘Thanks for calling me,’ Phoebe replies, making sure she keeps her voice steady and professional. ‘Her social worker is on her way too. Can I go and see her?’
‘Yeah, of course. She’s not in any trouble. We just thought it best to keep her here till you got here. Didn’t want her getting cold.’
Phoebe smiles at the police officer behind the desk. She recognises him from a previous visit to the station. Thankfully, they seem pretty understanding here. It isn’t always the case, of course, which is why she always likes to get there as quickly as possible when she gets a call like this. Some aren’t as compassionate as Sergeant Halifax.
He shows her through the station until they reach what looks like a staff meeting room. The door is open and sitting at a table inside, drinking coffee from matching paper cups, are a young female police officer and Maude, who is dressed in an oversized police uniform.
She looks up as Phoebe enters. ‘Oh, give thanks to the Lord!’
