I doubled over and pissed my sides as Shay physically jumped about twelve inches into the air and clutched his hair.
“You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack!”
I continued to laugh, any heaviness on my shoulders lifted as my cousin looked like he’s just shit himself.
“Good job you went to the bathroom first.” I just managed to get the words out before laughing again.
“For fuck’s sake, Joseph.” He started to laugh too, clearly recovering. “You need to make yourself known.”
The hint of Irish accent was still there. He’d not managed to lose it during the last month of doing what seemed like a continuous night shift and sleeping at the hospital rather than coming home, in case he was needed, or banging a colleague.
“I had no idea you were turning up, or staying in here. You’ve got the pull out, by the way.”
He glanced over to the sofa bed. “It doesn’t matter if I sleep on a fucking pallet. I’m dead to the bone. Somehow, the gods smiled on me, and I’ve Christmas off. I think the ward sister realised that if I didn’t take some leave they’d be treating me. I’m going to sleep for a week.” He eyed the sofa like it was a woman holding her arms open.
“Mum didn’t say you were bunking here.”
He shrugged. “I think she wanted to park the bachelors out of the way. Maybe give us a break from coupledom and my sisters.” He shook his head. “Lainey’s been driving me mad about this neighbour of hers who keeps trying to get revenge on her for buying the farm he apparently wanted.”
I laughed. “I heard about that. I don’t think propping buckets of water up over her stable doors so that she gets a soaking when she opens them constitutes revenge though. And I know the bloke – it’s Jake Maynard. He’s sound. He’s probably just pulling her pigtails because he likes her.” I’d met Jake a few times and he was a decent guy, if a bit of a daredevil. Lainey was uptight and very proper, the result of a private school education that was all girls and boarding. She’d been head girl and graduated top of her class, and I could remember Payton saying something about her not having a proper boyfriend until she was twenty-two.
“Won’t do Lainey any harm. It’s my ears I’m worried about.” He sent another longing glance to the sofa. “Is Max’s stag still going ahead? I wanted to get here to at least try and take some money from you.”
“I need to take some from you.” I eyeballed him. Maven had warned me that Shay would dodge paying the peppercorn rent we’d agreed on, but if he paid it, he’d likely spend more time at mine and less sleeping at the hospital, volunteering to take more shifts.
“Yeah, I know. I owe you for two months. I’ll transfer it later.” He yawned loudly.
I shook my head. “You up for a couple of games of poker?”
“I’m definitely up for some whisky. You think Aunt Marie will mind if I spend tomorrow asleep?”
“I think she’ll encourage it. Me, on the other hand, will have a list of jobs to do that’s about three feet long. Let’s go. I know Killian had a couple of speeches prepared – ones he wasn’t going to read out at the reception.” I’d read one already and it was everything I hoped it would be, recalling a lot of incident that I knew Max didn’t want Victoria to find out about.
Shay yawned again. “Let’s get there. And if I fall asleep, just leave me somewhere comfy.”
There was a bottle of opened bourbon on the table, and another of Irish whisky, probably from one of the O’Hara brothers. The current game was down to just Max and Nick O’Hara. Jackson was watching Max’s expression with a grin on his face, and I figured he’d worked out what cards Max had. Killian was cutting cigars, something I was going to avoid smoking as they only made me choke. Owen was sat next to Eli, the two in a quiet conversation, both holding whisky glasses.
Dad had decided to give it a miss; I think he’d wanted to let us have some freedom without his well-meant titbits of advice, but I also knew he was looking after Eliza, giving Killian a guilt-free night off as he wouldn’t know about it until later. Claire was impossibly tired, but the pair of them were too stubborn to think about taking advantage of having so much family around.
“Look what the cat dragged in. You look like roadkill.” Max threw down his cards and avoided looking at Nick as Nick folded the notes.
Shay took a seat at the table. “Thanks. That’s what sleeping for no more than four hours at a time gets you: you look like you should be on a gurney.”
“Why do you need to be doing so many shifts?” Max sat back with his glass now in hand.
Shay shrugged. “We’re understaffed. Two of my colleagues are off on long term sick, and they’re not ones you can replace easily. We have a couple of Juniors that are trying to step up to help out, but certain cases you just know if you don’t step in, you’ll end up being called out any way.” He accepted the whisky from Killian. “That tastes good. First drink for about three weeks.”
“But you’ve time off now, haven’t you?” Jackson topped up his own glass.
“Ten days. Unless they get really stuck and I’ll get a call, but they’ve brought someone else in, and I have to take leave. If I don’t, someone in admin will get their hands slapped.” He looked at the cards spread on the table. “I really fancy a game, but I can’t guarantee I won’t fall asleep during it.”
“You won’t be the only one. Teddy’s decided that he wants to wake up at two every morning and play for about sixty hours before he’ll let me go to sleep again. He ends up falling asleep all happy and I’m wide awake and deciding that I may as well get some work done.” Jackson stretched out, putting down his now empty glass. “How long does this phase last?” He looked at Killian, who just shrugged and sipped his whisky.
“As long as you manage to look more awake in three days’ time, I don’t care.” Max sat back. “This will be the only time I get married, and I don’t want to think back and remember any of you being asleep.”
Jackson laughed. “I don’t think you’d find another woman to marry you. We’ve already nominated Vic for a sainthood.”
“As you should.” Max just grinned. “She is a saint. Not only is she putting up with me, she gets you lot thrown in and it still hasn’t put her off. She even tolerates Seph.”
