‘Of course I want to know how he is.’ Cassie tried to keep the agitation from her voice. ‘I’d prefer toseehow he is, though, obviously.’ Arash? If they’d discharged him, it wasn’t what she’d first dreaded it might be, but doctors weren’t infallible. ‘Text me the address. I’ll come and fetch you.’
‘You’re annoyed,’ Kim said dejectedly.
Cassie drew in a breath. ‘I’m concerned, Kim. I’m bound to be. If you’d wanted a break, I would have come with you. It’s bad enough taking a baby away as a two-parent family, but on your own? And with Samuel so tiny…’
‘But Adam was fine with it,’ Kim countered. ‘He wanted to take you—’
‘Well Adamshouldn’thave been okay with it.’ Cassie glanced despairingly at him. ‘You should have discussed it with me first, Kim. At least have let me know.’ She stopped, cautioning herself to calm down. ‘Look, let’s just get you and Samuel back home and we’ll talk about all this later.’
Kim didn’t answer.
‘Kim?’ Hearing nothing but silence at the other end, Cassie’s stomach turned over. ‘Kim, are you still there?’ But she wasn’t. Cassie knew she wasn’t. She’d ended the call.
Quickly Cassie called her back, glancing at Adam as she did. He looked as desperate as she felt. Her heart dropped like a stone as the call went to voicemail. ‘She’s not answering. She’s not answering and we don’t have her address!’
Keying in a text, she turned to dash to the wardrobe.
‘Cas, calm down,’ Adam said behind her as she yanked her clothes from the hangers. ‘What’s happened?’
Her heart thumping, Cassie grabbed her overnight bag from the wardrobe shelf and hurried past him to the bed. ‘He had a rash. Lord knows what other symptoms if she was worried enough to take him to the hospital. She says he’s fine, but how do we know they might not have missed something? I will never forgive myself if…’ She gulped back a sob. ‘I should never have let her go.’ She turned back to Adam. ‘You shouldn’t!’
Thirty
Joshua
April 2019
Josh’s feelings were a mixture of bewilderment and exasperation as he waited again at the request of a woman. This time, ironically, at the front of the Plough and Dog pub at the end of the lane where he’d waited hopefully to meet Jemma, only to have her wish him dead. He’d managed to speak to her only once since then, when he’d asked her to at least let him see the baby, to allow him some kind of future contact, even if unofficially. She’d been staggered. ‘And you think Ryan wouldn’t find out then?’ she’d said, sounding astonished that he would even suggest it. ‘I’m sorry, Josh, I really am, but it’s just not possible.’
‘He’ll find out if I’m forced to consult a solicitor,’ Josh had pointed out, though he’d very much wanted to avoid going the legal route. That had gone down well. He could almost feel the resentment sizzling through the phone. ‘Don’t do this to me, Jemma, please,’ he’d begged her. She’d ended the call, making it clear she felt absolutely nothing for him – leaving Josh wondering what he’d ever seen in her. She hadn’t been like this, uncompromisingly hard, when he’d first gone out with her. Yes, she’d finished with him to go out with Ryan, but he’d still loved her, the person he’d thought she was, someone caring. Despite her dumping him, it had taken a while to accept what she was really like. He couldn’t quite believe it, even now. He really was a prize idiot.
This time he was waiting to see Kim, who for some bizarre reason he was yet to understand clearly didn’t want to be seen with him in public either, and had requested they sit at one of the tables outside the pub, rather than inside where it would be a damn sight warmer. Until he’d finally got hold of her on the phone last night, she’d been ignoring his calls – another woman who’d made up her mind to avoid him. Josh simply didn’t get it. Was there something fundamentally wrong with him that he wasn’t aware of?
Seeing her coming down the lane, he didn’t bother to go and meet her. He’d had enough of being messed around. If the shoe were on the other foot he would be labelled a right bastard. Oh, he forgot. He was, according to Jemma. Maybe she was right. He must not be a very nice bloke.
He didn’t stand to greet her either, waiting instead until she seated herself on the bench opposite him. No smile, he noted. Very little eye contact. He was intrigued to find out what he was supposed to have done to warrant the cold shoulder. ‘Drink?’ he asked.
Kim shook her head. She still wasn’t looking at him, her gaze fixed downwards.
Josh sighed and took a swig of his pint. He’d clearly done something very wrong, not perfecting his mind-reading skills being his first big mistake.
Placing his glass back on the table, he twirled it pensively around and then took a fortifying breath. ‘I’m confused, Kim,’ he said, making sure to keep his tone even. ‘I’m not sure what’s happening here, but the last time we met you were all over me. Now, suddenly, you’re avoiding me like the plague. I’d quite like to know why. Just out of curiosity.’
‘You know very well why,’ she said, her cheeks flushing.
Josh squinted at her, confounded. Her hands were stuffed in her jacket pockets, her shoulders tense, as if she was uncomfortable in his company. Why? Was he public enemy number one, or what? ‘Right.’ He blew out a frustrated sigh. ‘I’m obviously completely bloody dense,’ he muttered, ‘because I really have no idea what you’re talking about.’
‘Don’t, Josh,’ she said, still not looking at him.
‘Don’t what?’ He laughed, disbelieving. ‘I haven’tdoneanything.’
‘You’re doing it now.’ She looked up at him at last, her eyes tear-filled and burning with accusation. ‘Swearing. Being aggressive. I can’t be around someone like that.’
‘Aggressive?’ Josh almost choked. ‘That’s bullshit, Kim. I’ve never been aggressive in my life.’ He stared hard at her.
Kim looked away. ‘That’s what they all say.’
‘I think I should go,’ Josh said shortly, his blood pumping with anger he was struggling to keep in check. Why was she doing this? Suddenly he felt like crying. But blokes didn’t cry, did they, he thought cynically. What was this? He’d never been aggressive, not ever. What in God’s name was going on?
