‘It’s okay,’ said Blythe, who was sitting next to her on another of the hard plastic chairs. ‘You had about ten minutes’ nap that’s all. Nobody has been around. I’ve been looking up sexy Santa outfits and now my pop-up ads are grim.’ She showed Vicky a picture of a male model wearing elephant-trunk underwear. They both flinched.
‘I can’t ever unsee that.’
‘Sorry,’ said Blythe scrolling on.
Vicky sighed deeply. This was the most stressful thing she’d ever experienced. Even worse than the time she tried to get One Direction tickets in the three-second window that they were available. She checked her watch. Waiting was torture. However much she tried to stay positive her brain only seemed to want to remind her of all the terrible things that could go wrong. She’d had to sign a disclaimer for Eden to have a general anaesthetic and that was worrying her too. But what choice had she had? Don’t sign and she can’t have the operation and then she’d likely die. Do sign and they cut her open and she could still die.
‘You okay?’ asked Blythe, gently. ‘Do you want something to eat or drink?’
‘No. I’m fine.’
‘You don’t look fine. You don’t have to be brave all the time, you know. This must be really tough for you. Is there anything I can do?’ Vicky shook her head. ‘Sit down. Read a magazine from ten years ago. They’re quite nostalgic.’ Blythe gestured to the chair next to hers.
‘Thanks for staying, Blythe. You know you didn’t need to.’
‘Yeah, I did. It’s what we do. We’re here for each other. Whatever life throws at us, we have each other’s backs. Unless Harry Styles turns up then all bets are off,’ she said with a smile.
‘Actually, there is one thing you can do for me?’
‘Name it.’
Vicky scrunched up her shoulders. ‘I’ve got lots of dogs booked in for tomorrow and…’
‘No problem. Message me the details and I’ll sort it all out.’
Vicky squeezed Blythe’s arm. ‘Thanks. And not just for dog walking but everything.’
Blythe smiled.
Vicky was about to choose a curly-cornered copy ofHello!when the double doors swished open and the ward nurse appeared with a beaming smile. That had to be good news, right? Or was she trying to prepare her for bad news? Vicky was on the cusp of shouting at the nurse to update her when she spoke. ‘Eden’s fine. The operation went to plan and she’s in recovery. You’ll be able to see her in about twenty minutes.’
Vicky burst into tears. She didn’t know where they came from. She wasn’t a crier but she couldn’t hold the emotion in. She felt as if she’d won the lottery. Blythe hugged her and she could see she had tears in her eyes too.
‘Thank you,’ said Vicky to the nurse, who was already turning to leave.
‘You’re welcome. Help yourself to tissues.’ She pointed at a box on the table. In that moment everything slotted into place. If Eden was well then everything in Vicky’s life was fine. There was nothing she couldn’t cope with or whip into shape as long as Eden was fit and healthy. She also realised how lucky she was to have a friend like Blythe – someone who was there for her no matter what. She felt like the luckiest person alive. Perspective was a very strange thing.
23
7thNovember
When Blythe’s alarm went off on Sunday morning she’d had about five hours sleep, making it hard to open her eyes. She’d finally got a taxi once Eden was back on the ward and settled. It had been an emotional night but thankfully Eden was all fixed. With blurry eyes she fired off a text to Vicky and went to see if a shower would perk her up.
The eight o’clock meeting was usually an exciting affair as long as the weather was behaving itself, and today the forecast was overcast but dry. This was the point where the focus of the whole village turned to Christmas. Blythe and Greg walked through the village breathing in the crisp November air. The sky was a clear blue and the grass sparkled with frost. Greg was debating the pros and cons of battery lights versus mains but Blythe was only half listening. She’d not been happy about moving back in with Greg and her mum. She’d always felt like a gooseberry as a child – the third wheel, a spare part – but somehow it wasn’t quite so bad now she was an adult. And she did love being back in Holly Cross. She reminded herself that it was only temporary. Soon she would need to get back on the property ladder. But this time she would be doing it on her own.
When Blythe and Greg entered the village hall it was already a hive of activity. Leonora was flicking back and forth through a variety of colourfully detailed flip charts, Norman was handing out cream horns decorated to look like Santa hats, and Phyllis appeared to be trying to tie a large ball of Christmas lights into a bow.
‘You okay there, Phyllis?’ asked Blythe, taking her coat off and unfurling her scarf.
‘Yes, dear. I’m sorting these out for Leonora,’ she said happily.
Blythe feared Leonora had given Phyllis the task to keep her busy and out of her hair.
‘Ah, Blythe. Just the person.’ Leonora marched over. ‘Sam Ashton – what’s the plan?’
Blythe took a deep breath. She’d mulled over all the options and come up with what she hoped was a good solution. ‘I’m going to offer to decorate his cottage for him. I’m going with the snowman theme Murray had two years ago. I’m keeping it simple and front garden only.’ That way she’d mused it wouldn’t look too over the top – well that was how she was going to sell it to Sam. She was also going to take him some wine as a sweetener. ‘And I’m adding the Christmas parcels Murray had on the roof last year to dot between the snowmen.’ She waited for Leonora’s reaction.
‘I’d have liked something a little more impressive but at this late stage I suppose we are where we are. I’ll add it to my flip chart.’ She gave Blythe a curt nod, which she took as a good thing.
