‘Then I’ll be here to fix it.I’ll stay.It’ll be fine.And Marge is here too – she knows all the details.Between us, we’ll take care of everything.’
Nina’s groan had come from gratitude, relief, and the understanding of what Bernadette was doing.‘Urgh, Mum, I’m sorry.After everything, you’re still the one that ends up making sure everything is okay for Dad.I swear you deserve a medal.Or a blooming trophy.If I win the lottery, you can have it all – how about that?’
Bernadette had laughed.‘I’ll settle for enough to have a cleaner, a chef and four holidays a year.Phone me later and let me know how the wee one is doing.’
She’d hugged her daughter, then waved her off, before switching back to Stuart.
‘Okay, what am I getting from you, if Nina is pitching up with the cleaning staff and the holidays?’
She’d always been able to get round Stuart by making him laugh.He’d been a shy kid and that had made him a target for someone like Kenneth, who’d perceived Stuart’s shyness as weakness.In the couple of years before he died, Kenneth had made an effort to build some kind of relationship with his son – mainly, they all suspected, as a way to show Bernadette that he’d changed – but it had been too late.
‘Unlimited Saturday bottomless brunches and we’ll come on those holidays with you.’
‘Deal.I couldn’t possibly say no.’
‘Anyway, don’t worry – we’ll stay and keep you company.I’m not leaving you alone with this this lot,’ he’d said, scanning the room.‘If the company you keep shapes your personality, no wonder Dad was a dick.’
Bernadette had to supress a chuckle.She wasn’t sure she could have summed it up any better than that.
‘No, honestly, it’s fine.You two go while you can.Save yourselves.If I don’t make it out, you can have my china and my overdraft.’
That had made Stuart smile again.‘You’re sure?’
‘Positive.Honestly.Besides, I know that Marge will want to stay until everyone’s gone too, so I’ll stay and keep her company.’
‘Are you absolutely sure or just saying this so we don’t feel bad?’
‘Absolutely sure.’
As she’d given her son and his boyfriend a hug, Bernadette had realised that she meant what she was saying.She did want to stay with Marge.
And now, as she took another sip of her water and replayed the important points of their conversation in her mind, Bernadette decided that they still had more to discuss.
Because she couldn’t shake off the feeling that the woman who’d been loyal to Kenneth for the last three decades had something on her mind that she wanted to talk about.
6P.M.–8P.M.
21
BERNADETTE
The lift pinged as Bernadette reached the floor of the elderly ward, but as the doors opened, she took in the quiet calm – so different from the Emergency Department she worked in every day.
Over the years, Bernadette had worked on many of the wards in this hospital, including a one-month stint to cover shortages on this one, so she knew exactly where she was going.First stop, the nursing station, and as she approached, she saw a familiar face.
‘Bernadette!You don’t usually come up this high.You’ll be getting a nosebleed.’
As soon as Bernadette saw who was taking care of Marge, she felt a wave of relief.Keli Clark was one of the most exemplary nurses she’d ever worked with, and a close friend of Caleb and Stevie, her faves down in the Emergency Department.Bernadette often joined the trio of pals in the cafe when they were all having lunch together.
‘I’m starting to feel dizzy already,’ Bernadette quipped.‘But it’s worth it to see you, ma love.’
‘Stop!I’m trying to train myself to be immune to all kind words and flattery.It’s part of my training to help me stop picking terrible men.’
Bernadette’s laughter filled the corridor.‘Good luck with that.I wish I’d taken that training course when I was your age.Would have saved me a whole lot of trouble.’
‘I hear you,’ Keli chuckled, and Bernadette wished she was just here for a blether, instead of a visit that was making her heart ache.Marge.The news about her health had been such a devastating shock.
‘Anyway, love, I’m risking the nosebleeds because I just met Estelle Drummond in the cafe and she let me know her mum was here and asking for me.Marge is an old friend.God, I feel awful.If I’d known she was here, I’d have been up to see her long before now.’
