‘Charlie changed his mind a few days ago … about risking the operation. He went in this morning to have the tumour removed. They were operating at lunchtime.’
Questions flooded her head. What had changed his mind? Why had he suddenly decided to go ahead knowing the risk it entailed? And what were the odds of him surviving this intact?
‘And …?’ She could barely breathe. ‘How is he?’
‘There’s been no word yet.’
‘Then let’s go to the hospital. Which one is he in?’ She was already on her feet, but she found she wasn’t moving forwards because Beanstalk had hold of her arm.
‘I’m sorry, Reg. He was quite explicit. He only wants his mum and dad there. Nobody else.’
‘Why do you think he didn’t tell me?’ she asked.
Beanstalk did a slow blink. ‘He didn’t tell me either. His mum rang me this morning. She said he’d been considering it for a while, but once he’d made his mind up, he didn’t want anyone trying to talk him out of it.’
‘But what if we don’t get to say goodbye?’ Her voice caught in her throat.
‘We can’t think like that. We just have to stay positive and wait.’
They both twisted to look at the clock.
‘It’s been hours,’ said Regan. ‘When will we know?’ She rubbed at a stray tear.
‘His mum’s gonna ring my mobile.’
‘Right. Then we sit tight and wait.’ She sat back down and patted the sofa for no apparent reason.
‘Actually, I need to check in at the station.’
‘What? Tonight?’
‘Yeah. A few things got rushed because I had to come back early and I want to check everything’s in place for the aerial appliance delivery. I’ll be an hour, tops.’
She had things she should be doing too. ‘Actually I need to collect Elvis. Penny’s had him for a few hours and he’ll need a walk.’ Sitting in the house on her own was not going to make time go any quicker. ‘Will you call me if you hear?’
Beanstalk rolled his lips together. ‘How about we meet back here in an hour, okay?’
Regan nodded. She understood Beanstalk’s pessimism; she knew he wouldn’t want to tell her bad news over the phone. Charlie had been so adamant about not taking such a huge risk. What if he’d just hastened the end?
She reminded herself that she needed to stay positive. ‘Agreed,’ she said. ‘And one of us should get some alcohol, because whatever happens tonight I’m going to need a stiff drink.’
‘You and me both,’ agreed Beanstalk.
There was a chill in the air as Regan walked along the beach. The sound of the pebbles crunching underfoot was somehow helping to calm her troubled mind. Elvis wasoblivious, charging about like the wild animal he was. She called him when they neared the pier and he trotted over to her like the best-trained dog ever. Occasionally he surprised her.
‘Sit,’ she said, and he did. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he panted after his exploits. She rewarded him with a morsel of food, put on his lead, and they continued along the promenade to the pier. She walked down the slope and stood to look at the spot under the pier where she, Elvis, Kevin and Charlie had spent an evening listening to music. She almost smiled. It was a happy memory, and she hoped so much it would be one she could recall with Charlie.
She closed her eyes and tried to use the mindfulness techniques to stop her mind spiralling into the gloom of her worst nightmares. She could hear the sea, its gentle lapping of the stones. She could hear music on the pier and she tried to concentrate on that. Someone was belting out ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor. There was something very familiar about the voice. ‘Virginia Flowers, you old dog,’ she muttered to herself, and Elvis whimpered a reply.
Her dad really could sing – she’d always known that from parties, because at the end of a good night someone would pull out a guitar and Graham would be in his element. She was pleased for him that he’d found something he enjoyed. It wasn’t your usual run-of-the-mill, dad-type hobby, but then in Regan’s life, she never expected run of the mill.
She turned away from the pier and they strolled past the beach cafés, now enjoying their evening trade, until they reached the i360 tower. Regan sat on the wall and Elvis settled at her feet whilst she looked out to sea. This was her favourite spot. There was something bothcomforting and haunting about the remains of the West Pier, its skeletal structure black against the vibrant colours of the sunset. She loved it just as much as she would if it looked like the Palace Pier. And she knew she’d feel the same about Charlie, whatever the outcome of his operation.
She watched the sun being slowly and deliberately devoured by the sea. A shiver ran through her. She needed to get back to Charlie’s – she’d been gone more than an hour. It hadn’t been intentional, but she knew deep down that she was putting off finding out. Although being in limbo while they waited was awful, there was an innocent sort of peace in not knowing.
It was almost dark and she quickened her pace as she passed the back of the big seafront hotels. She wouldn’t have gone that way without Elvis, but she was pretty fearless with a large dog at her side. She heard shouting up ahead, but her mind was on other things. As she neared, the tone of the shouting changed and she tuned in. A yelp of a shout for help was shortened by a punch and someone fell to the floor. A group of youths were crowded around someone, and when the individual dropped to the floor, that was their cue to pile in. Regan saw red.
She hit the emergency button on her phone so it auto-dialled 999 and she broke into a run. She wasn’t letting this happen again. The domino effect of Kevin being attacked would always haunt her.
