Last night Molly had barely slept a wink, worrying about the state of her relationship with Cam, not to mention her anxiety regarding the body on the mountainside. When she finally drifted off to sleep it felt like only five minutes had passed before she woke up. Her eyelids were heavy, she felt exhausted and all sorts of scenarios involving Cam were spinning around in her head. When had they stopped being able to talk about anything and everything? Maybe she had neglected him, maybe the pregnancy and motherhood had taken over her life, but that went both ways. When was the last time he’d suggested they get a babysitter and go out for a meal or watch a film at the cinema in town?
Molly knew his mood had changed and that there had been a time when he would have listened to Bree and gotten both sides of a story before jumping to conclusions. She took a deep breath and looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was just after eight a.m. She was surprised to see a cup of tea next to the bed. Despite their argument, Cam had still made her a cuppa, just like he’d done every morning since they’d moved in together.
‘It’s still warm.’
‘Jeez!’ Molly nearly jumped out of her skin. ‘How long have you been sitting there?’
Cam was in a chair next to the bed and looked like he hadn’t had a wink of sleep either. He was leaning forward with a letter clasped in his hands. Molly knew something was wrong, terribly wrong. She pushed herself up. ‘What is it? Is it Bree?’
Cam shook his head. ‘I’ve watched the news all night and it was only a little while ago that they confirmed the body was that of an elderly homeless man … Stan Edwards.’
Sadness engulfed Molly. ‘No, not Stan.’
‘Sam identified the body.’
‘Such terrible news.’ Molly was wracking her brains. Surely Stan had been on the truck when they transported the residents to the new shelter? She couldn’t picture him. How had she not noticed? Her heart sank. ‘How can someone’s life end like that?’ Molly closed her eyes and tried to recall her last images of Stan. ‘I feel so sad, like the wind has been kicked out of me. Stan was so kind, so considerate, always took time out to have a conversation with me.’ Molly placed her hands on her heart. ‘I can’t believe he’s gone. He looked out for Bree … Bree, is there any news of Bree?’
‘I’ve heard nothing, but here’s hoping she found somewhere safe to stay.’
Molly noticed that Cam’s tone had changed; it was soft and caring.
‘Why do I get the gut feeling you are preparing me for something else?’ Her voice was shaky and her heart was beating nineteen to the dozen. ‘You aren’t happy, are you? All this is too much … family life, another baby on the way. You’re leaving, aren’t you? You don’t want any of this. Oh my gosh, you don’t, do you?’
Molly knew she was putting words in his mouth but whatever he was going to say she wanted it over and done with quickly, as the agony of not knowing was twisting her stomach in anxious knots.
‘We do need to talk.’ Cam looked solemn and exhausted, his hair bedraggled as he looked at her in a way she’d never seen before.
With his words her chest tightened. The words ‘we need to talk’ were usually said when something was wrong. Everything flashed before Molly’s eyes – George, her home, the business. She swallowed. ‘What is it? You’re really scaring me now.’
Cam shifted from the chair to the edge of the bed. ‘In a roundabout sort of way, Martha was right.’
Molly’s eyes widened. ‘What have you done?’
‘I’m not involved in any scandal – I’ve no idea what she is going on about there – but I have been keeping something from you and…’ He took a breath. ‘I was trying to protect you as I didn’t want to cause you any upset without knowing all the facts, but it seems things are escalating … you sleeping in here … me in there … and I suppose this is the real reason I can’t commit to the baking competition because I just don’t know what is going to happen. I’ve been trying to keep it all together, as that’s what us men are supposed to do, but I’m not coping very well.’ Cam barely paused for breath as he held out the folded letter in his hand towards Molly.
‘What’s this?’
‘Just open it,’ he replied.
Taking the letter, Molly unfolded it and with a thumping heart stared at the heading in bold red type: ‘Glensheil Health Authority’. She blinked and read the words on the page carefully. According to the letter she was holding, Cam had an appointment at the hospital for a scan in a couple of days’ time.
‘I don’t understand, why do you need a scan?’
‘I found a lump.’ He looked down towards his trousers. ‘I find it difficult to talk about this sort of stuff. It’s kind of embarrassing.’
This wasn’t how Molly had expected the conversation to go and her thoughts ricocheted from confusion to complete dread. The first thought that crossed her mind was that everything was going to be okay, but that wasn’t what Cam needed to hear right now. He was uncertain of the unknown and Molly knew that must be a terrifying head space to be in. Even though she felt a shakiness in her limbs and her heart thudding in her chest, she knew she needed to muster up some strength and quickly.
‘Oh Cam,’ said Molly, fraught with emotion. She felt helpless. Her voice shook before it steadied as she reached out to grab him. She slid her arms around his neck and they clung to each other. It was clear that Cam was terrified about what this meant for him and his family.
However hard Molly tried, she couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks, and though her mouth was completely dry and she was in complete shock, she hitched a smile on her face then took both of his hands in hers. Cam was visibly upset and was clearly finding it difficult to talk about this. ‘There is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about,’ she soothed. ‘Do you mean in your testicles?’
Cam nodded.
‘When … when did all this happen?’
‘A few weeks ago. I tried to pretend it wasn’t there and it was just my imagination but it’s still there all right. I went to the doctor’s and Ben arranged for the scan.’
Molly picked up the letter again and reread it before placing it back down on the bed. ‘And why didn’t you share this with me at the time? It’s kind of important.’
