Twenty-two
‘Youdorealise,don’tyou, that this is the second time I’m in hospital, thanks to you?’
‘You’re welcome, Jasper,’ I said.
‘I wasn’t thanking you.’ He laughed.
‘You should be. And technically, you’re in hospital tonight because of you, not me. I’m just glad that you’re alive.’
He laughed again. ‘I don’t think an allergic reaction to Mum’s painkillers is strictly an emergency, or life-threatening. But I wouldn’t have overdosed on painkillers if my nose hadn’t been hurting like hell. And it was only doing that because of you. Oh god. I must remember not to laugh.’
‘This isn’t a laughing matter, Jasper. Over dosing on any medication should always be taken seriously, and doctor’s advice should be sought. It even says that on all the boxes. But I can’t take all the credit,’ I said, joking now that I knew he was going to be fine, and that he’d be discharged within a couple of hours, once they were sure there were no other problems. ‘Your own stupidity helped. I mean what kind of idiot takes their mum’s prescription painkillers without checking if they’re safe for general use?’
‘Yeah, okay. I’ll admit that was dumb. Although the tablets were fine. My body just didn’t like them much. And yes, I know. Taking four in such a short space of time could’ve been serious. And yes, it was a good idea to ask Marcus to get me to A & E. Even the doctor said so, so I suppose I should thank you.’
‘Damn right you should.’
‘Thank you, Erin.’
‘You’re welcome, Jasper.’
‘So … what was the thing you needed to tell me?’
‘Sorry, what?’
‘I seem to recall you sent me a text saying you needed to tell me something, and then when I called, you went all woman warrior on me and shouted at me.’
‘Oh that. It’s not important now. And besides, I thought you said you liked strong women?’
‘I do. Strong and hot, like my tea. The tea in here isn’t as good as yours, you know.’
‘Thank you. I aim to please.’
‘And you do, Erin. Apart from the odd blip or two. And even those, I can live with. Anyway, I think those tablets are still having an effect. So are you going to tell me or not?’
‘I’ll tell you tomorrow. Although you may hear from Marcus before then anyway. I saw him come home about half an hour ago.’
‘Yeah. He insisted on coming with me in the cab. They all did. The others went home, once I’d seen the doc, but Marcus stayed until he was sure I was fine. I think things are okay on this end as far as the wedding is concerned. In a way it helped with us both being here. He said it reminded him that anything can happen, and that life is too short not to fight for the things we know, deep down, we really want. He added that we should follow our heart, when we know it’s trying to tell us something, because chemistry, our brains, and other parts of our bodies might lead us astray, but our hearts never will. Do you think that’s true? I suppose you would, as you’re a romantic.’
‘Yes, I do. But sometimes people mistake what their hearts are saying. Or they only hear what they want to hear.’
‘How can you tell the difference?’
‘I don’t know. I just think you can, if you really believe.’
‘Okay. I think, perhaps, I’m a believer.’
‘Oh? Is your heart trying to tell you something?’
Why on earth had I asked that?
‘Yes, I think so. At first, my nose was saying no. Now, I think it’s on board. As is every other part of me. I just need a little more time to be sure.’
‘You could make a list,’ I suggested, and then quickly wished I hadn’t. If he was talking about me – which I was pretty sure he was – the ‘cons’ column on his list for me would doubtless be far longer than the ‘pros’. But then again, my list for him was almost neck and neck, and I was still eager to press ahead and dive right in.
I just had to hope that he would feel the same.
And maybe, to help balance the score in my favour, I should trynotto send him to the hospital for a third time.
