‘Why didn’t you wake me?’
‘I didn’t want to worry you, darling,’ I said, thinking back to that moment when I was leaving the house and I really wanted to wake her. Just to hug her and hold her. ‘You needed to sleep and there was nothing you could do. I didn’t want to put you through that. Now he’s fine, I’ve just been on to the hospital, he’s stable. And they are going to decide what to do later. He might need some surgery after this, who knows. But your dad is young and strong and fit.’
‘Poor Dad,’ she says and she starts crying, rubbing at her eyes, making the mascara she hadn’t quite taken off properly smudge across them. ‘He’s very fit, but will he be all right? Did they say that, did they promise?’
‘They don’t promise things like that, darling, but he’s in the right place.’
I’m not sure the message is coming across very well right now, but I’m doing my best. No matter what has gone on in the night, I am still Marin, mother, mother lioness and I’m going to take care of things.
‘It’s all right, darling, he’s going to be all right.’
‘You don’t know that,’ she says, with unerring accuracy.
‘I do,’ I said, ‘they told me so.’
I wonder how many more lies I’ll have to tell. There’s no way Rachel can ever find out how her father got into hospital. It would destroy her. And suddenly I want to be beside Nate in the hospital so I can slap him hard across the face. He hasn’t just betrayed me, he’s betrayed Rachel too.
Rachel goes up to get dressed and I am so angry with Nate, that I want to tell someone.
Finn, I think, I’ll ring Finn, because he knew, he must have known, he is so close to Nate. And if he knew and he didn’t tell me, he’s never coming near my house again, our friendship is over. I know I might be a little unhinged right now, but I dial Finn’s number and he answers on about the fourth ring.
‘Yes?’
‘It’s Marin,’ I snap. ‘I’ve been at the hospital. Nate’s had a heart attack.’
‘Oh, Marin, I’m so sorry, I’ll come right over.’
‘There’s no need,’ I say. ‘Somebody brought him in.’
‘Well that’s good,’ says Finn, a hint of confusion in his voice. ‘Somebody...? Where did it happen?’
‘Bea brought him in, because he was with Bea, you know, our friend. Overnight.’
‘Bea?’
Nobody can sound so astonished on purpose. Nobody who hasn’t graduated from acting school and got a few Oscar nominations along the way.
‘Our Bea? Are you sure, like how do you know he was with her?’
‘They thought she was his wife and she travelled with him in the ambulance. They got in at two o’clock in the morning. It was written all over her face, Finn,’ I say, coolly, ‘just tell me one thing, did you know about this?’
‘About Bea and Nate? No, I hadn’t a clue. I can’t believe it, Marin, honestly –’
‘You swear?’
‘I swear.’
‘Would Steve have known?’
‘Steve? Steve isn’t interested in other people in that way,’ says Finn. ‘Love him like a brother, but he’s – you know, prettyself-obsessed.’
‘Has Nate ever done this before?’ I waited for a pause but there was none.
‘Marin, I’ve been Nate’s friend for a very long time and I have never seen or heard of him being involved with any other women. I can’t believe this, there must be some explanation. Bea would never do this to you, either. She’s been trying to date these past few months and I’m pretty sure none of the dates have gone beyond a first one. There has been literally nobody sinceJean-Luc died.’
‘OK, well, if you can come up with an explanation as to why Bea was with my husband at two o’clock in the morning, and was the one who accompanied him to the hospital in the ambulance and sat by his bed until I got there, and then said sorry and left ... If you have any other way that explains those facts, please tell me, because I’m home now and I’ve just avoided telling our daughter that her dad’s a cheat and it was very hard, let me tell you.’
I hang up, with a mild pang for Finn but really, I don’t care. I just need to be angry with somebody.
