Even in the emotional intensity of the moment, it struck Tess how ridiculous it was to be asking permission of Melody to visit her own husband.
‘Yes,’ said Melody without hesitation. ‘He’s been asking for you.’
‘Right, well, thanks for letting me know. I’ll be there as soon as I can.’
Ending the call, Tess flittered around the kitchen, not really knowing what to do. She hurriedly put the few items of dirty crockery into the dishwasher, let Barney out in the garden for a break, watching his every move, and then grabbed her handbag, keys and phone, before quickly ushering the dog inside again. She wanted to speak to someone, to tell them what had happened, to see if they could make sense of it for her. Usually, her instinct was to call her mum in these sorts of emergencies, but she didn’t want to worry Marjorie, not until she had more information on Charles’s condition. She could always call Suzy or Gina, but that would lead to an intense and heartfelt conversation that she wasn’t ready for, especially when she should stop dithering and head off to the hospital. Besides, she would need to call in at Gina’s on the way to pick up Hannah, her instinct telling her she couldn’t go without her daughter, just in case the situation was worse than Melody had painted. She looked longingly at her phone one last time. Most of all, she wanted to speak to Rob, to hear the warmth of his voice, and the soothing sounds of his reassuring words because he always seemed to know the right thing to say, but probably when he was at work wasn’t the best time to call him. All these thoughts and more filled her head as she dashed to the car and drove the short distance to Gina’s place at the other end of the village.
On the journey into Bramlingham, Hannah had a dozen different questions, as she was still reeling from being dragged out of work.
‘So have they actually diagnosed pneumonia?’ She was looking as shell-shocked as Tess felt. ‘Perhaps it’s a bad cough. You know what Dad’s like. His colds always go to his chest. I don’t suppose he’s taken any time off work. He probably needs a good rest.’
‘Well, it looks as though he’ll have an enforced rest now, whether he likes it or not. Although I think it might be more than just a bad cough, darling.’ Tess placed a hand briefly on Hannah’s knee and gave her a meaningful look, before returning her attention to the road. ‘They wouldn’t have rushed him into hospital otherwise.’
‘Oh God, he’ll be okay, though?’
‘Let’s wait and see what the doctors have to say. He’s in the best possible place where he’ll receive the best possible care and that’s the most important thing.’ Tess was doing her utmost to sound positive, not only for Hannah’s benefit but for her own too, only she couldn’t ignore the sense of foreboding building inside. The sense of dread was only heightened when they reached the hospital, parked the car and then navigated the warren of corridors, which seemed to go on forever, that led to the AMU. As they approached the entrance to the ward, Hannah took hold of her mum’s hand and interlocked their fingers for support.
‘Dad!’ cried Hannah as soon as she laid eyes on Charles. The stricken look from her daughter tore at Tess’s heart, before Hannah dropped her hand and rushed to his side. The sight of him beneath the white sheets, his cheeks sunken and his skin grey, made them both gasp for breath. He had an oxygen mask over his face and tubes coming out of his arm. While it was obviously Charles lying there in the sterile hospital environment, he was unrecognisable as the successful, smooth lawyer he was known to be. Instead, he looked like a poorly, vulnerable, ageing man.
Melody stood up from the seat by the bed to greet them.
‘Hello.’ She gave a tight smile. In jeans and a black hoody, with a face bare of make-up and her blonde hair scraped back from her face, she looked even younger than her photos had portrayed. ‘Sorry that we’re meeting in such difficult circumstances.’
‘Yes, how is he?’ Tess managed.
For a time, Tess had imagined meeting Melody and had rehearsed the words she would say, delivering them coolly and succinctly, before walking away, her head held high, with a sense of satisfaction and superiority, but she could never have imagined meeting her like this.
‘He’s very ill. It’s pneumonia. They’ve just started him on the antibiotics,’ she said, glancing at the drip. ‘Hopefully, they’ll do the trick. I was going to get a coffee and some fresh air, so I’ll leave you to it.’
‘Please don’t go on our account,’ said Tess.
‘No, it’s fine; I could probably do with some time.’
Left alone with Charles, Tess joined him at the other side of the bed to Hannah. His eyes were half-open, an air of complete exhaustion emanating from his body. He turned his head slowly to look at her.
‘You came. I wasn’t sure that you would.’
‘Of course. We were worried about you when we heard.’ Emotion caught in her throat, a wave of feelings washing over her body.
‘Thank you,’ he said with all the energy he could muster, the effort seemingly overwhelming. He took Hannah’s proffered hand and smiled, emotion filling his eyes, a single tear rolling down his cheek.
They didn’t stay long, only until Melody returned. Charles wasn’t up to conversation; he was totally spent, his eyes closing involuntarily, barely aware of the voices around him. The best thing he could do was sleep and allow the medicines to do their work. Melody promised to keep in touch and let them know of any developments.
‘I feel terrible, Mum,’ Hannah confessed once they were in the car. She dropped her head into her hands.
‘I know.’ Tess sighed. ‘It was difficult to see your father like that, but we have to stay positive and hope for the best. Antibiotics are a wonderful thing and hopefully, they will start to work quickly.’
‘Yes, but what if they don’t work?’ Hannah gave into the tears she’d been suppressing all the time they were at Charles’s bedside, and once she started, she couldn’t stop, the emotion erupting in deep sobs. Tess leaned over and took her daughter in her arms, soothing her with a hand as she rubbed her back. ‘Pneumonia is serious. Every time Grandma tells us about someone dying at the home, it’s usually pneumonia that’s finished them off.’
‘Yes, but they’re much older and more vulnerable than your dad. He’s always enjoyed good health. He still plays his tennis regularly and he told me that Melody put him on a healthy eating regime a couple of months ago, so that will probably stand him in good stead.’
‘That’s probably what’s done it,’ said Hannah bitterly, through her tears. ‘It’ll be all those lentils and protein drinks. This might never have happened if he hadn’t had a midlife crisis and gone off with Melody.’
‘You can’t say that, Hannah. These things can happen at any point in life. It’s a good reminder that we shouldn’t take anything for granted.’
Tess felt powerless to help Hannah as her tears kept coming, the sounds of her sobs wrenching at Tess’s heart as she tried not to lose her concentration on the road.
‘Our relationship hasn’t been the same since he left home. He always used to say that I was his favourite girl, his princess, but clearly, he didn’t mean it.’ She exhaled a heavy sigh, her whole body shuddering. ‘But what if… you know… something were to happen to him?’ Hannah couldn’t bear to say the words aloud, but Tess knew exactly what she meant. ‘And we haven’t had the chance to make it up properly? And all I remember was how we argued and were estranged from each other.’
