Epilogue
EPILOGUE
I t was almost too hot to be walking, which meant Rose had to walk slowly. She had to walk slowish anyway, which was both frustrating and a useful excuse because it meant she had more time to concentrate on daydreaming, which she knew she was doing far too much. Books and boys. Boys more now they weren’t as irritating and some had learned how to wash and smell better. There was a boy in her tutor group who she kept noticing, and he was sometimes looking at her too. He was cute and liked music, usually going into the music department at lunchtimes where he was learning to play guitar.
That might change though now they were going into another year. More grown up. No longer the youngest in school. She felt excited about it because it was that time of year when you bought new stationery and school shoes and everything seemed shiny and full of possibilities. There was something to get through before that though.
It had been the most wonderful afternoon, enough that she almost thought that it was worth having to have heart surgery if her family made sure she had everything she asked for right now. Her favourite writer, at the bookstore where she’d happily move in, afternoon tea with some of her friends which made them feel like they were adults rather than twelve-year-olds and she’d managed to wrangle some freedom walking home, even though it was only fifteen minutes and the route she walked to school most days. Rose was hoping that once she’d had her procedure, she’d have some more freedom again and her parents would stop being so helicopter-like.
She’d asked her Aunt Payton if her husband, Owen, who owned the bookstore, could arrange a signing for her favourite poet, Matt Goodfellow, who’d written her favourite book, The Final Year, which was a verse novel; Owen had done it. Rose had thought he would do anyway, because Owen loved how she liked reading better than anything else, but it’d happened as soon as her dad’s brothers and sisters had found out about her operation.
She wasn’t worried about the operation. There’d been a lot for her to read about it, and she’d spoken to Shay, her dad’s cousin who was doctor and he’d explained a lot of the technical things. She’d felt better about asking him questions rather than the surgeon who’d never smiled, and she’d been able to ask them without her parents there, who were panicking about this more than her, and she was the one having a weird thing put in a vein.
The Last Year had a character in it with a heart condition too, only that hadn’t ended very well. Rose knew her surgery was highly likely to close the hole in her heart and she would be absolutely fine. Nothing to worry about. Just like having a tooth out, not that she’d had a tooth out ever.
But still.
She looked at the row of houses on what had been her favourite road. It had been where her gran and grandad lived some of the time and the house where her dad had been born. She’d often come here on her way home from school if her grandparents were staying there, having hot chocolate and playing chess with her grandad. He liked playing chess but refused to with Grandma Marie, because Gran always won and that annoyed Grandad. It made Gran very happy though and she liked to remind Grandad about it for quite a while afterwards, which annoyed him even more and Rose found it funny.
She could still go and see them, but they were in the apartment now, which was closer to the office where her parents worked and wasn’t the same as a big old house that sprawled around spiral staircases and had secret rooms. Rose had dreamed about the house sometimes, one of those dreams that wasn’t quiet real and felt like Narnia. There was also the pretty rose bush she’d bought Gran for her birthday a few years ago and helped plant. It’d thrived in the courtyard, so they’d left it there when they’d moved out and Rose hoped no one would throw it away.
There was a boy on the step, a tall boy who looked like he was a few years older than her. His hair was messy, but he was wearing smart pants and a shirt and he looked too hot.
She stopped, no longer smiling because instead of the bubbles of happiness fizzing inside her after her afternoon with the poet and her friends, she was watching someone outside her house.
Only it wasn’t her house anymore.
Rose walked a little closer. She had a right to know who was living there now. She needed to tell them about the lose floorboard which was useful for hiding teeth underneath for the tooth fairy, if any little children were going to live there, and to be careful about the sink on the top floor’s main bathroom because there was a doll’s head stuck down there, courtesy of her brother, Luke.
“Why are you staring?” The boy asked. He looked about fifteen maybe. He also looked familiar.
Not much fazed Rose, including unfriendly teenaged boys who were really cute. This one was very cute, so much so she was worried about whether she was staring.
“My grandparents used to live here. There’s an orange rose bush in the garden that I bought my gran for her birthday and I helped her plant.” She held her books closer to her chest, aware that she’d given too much information there. “Have you just moved in?”
He stared at her as if she was weird for talking to a stranger. Rose didn’t care.
“We’re moving in next week.” He squinted at her. “Have I seen you before?”
“I think so. I think I saw you at the hospital on Monday.” Which was when her pre-op had been.
The boy’s expression changed. He didn’t look as tough now as he’d been trying to make out. “Why were you at the hospital?”
“Can I sit down?” Rose pointed to the wall at the front of the house. She’d sat there so many times before, so it felt strange to ask, but she suddenly felt tired. It’d been happening a lot, which was partly how they’d found out about her heart.
He nodded. “Sure.” He came and sat down next to her. “Are you a patient?”
“For now. I’m having an procedure next week. To fix my heart.” That was how she’d explained it to her brother and sisters. They didn’t understand, especially not the twins. Luke got it and he’d been extra nice to her which had felt strange.
“What sort of operation?” The boy asked, being nosy.
She shrugged. “It’s called a cardiac catheterisation. It’s when they - ”
“Put a tube into a blood vessel that goes into your heart.” He didn’t look so aloof now. “My dad’s a heart surgeon.”
“Really? Is that why you were at the hospital? To see your dad?” Rose smiled, loving the coincidence. She was a great believer in fate which her mum said was silly, but her dad liked.
“Yeah, kind of. My dad’s Jimmy Collins. Have you heard of him?”
She was excited now, which was making it a bit harder to catch her breath. “Yes! He’s the doctor who’s doing my surgery.”
The boy’s smile showed off a dimple. Rose couldn’t help but stare at it.
“My dad’s really good. He’ll make sure you’re okay.” He frowned at her. “Are you okay? You look pale.”
She nodded, knowing exactly what was happening. “I should’ve walked straight home instead of coming down here. I’m not meant to tire myself out.”
“How far away do you live?” He slipped off the wall on to his feet. “I’ll walk you home.”
“It’s okay, I’ll be fine.” But she kind of wanted him to walk her home. He was really cute, especially when he smiled.
He shook his head. “My dad would kill me if I let you walk home by yourself, and something happened. Is anyone at home?”
“My mum will be back by now. It’s only two roads away.” It really wasn’t far. And Aunt Claire’s house was even closer. Her cousin Eliza was definitely home because she’d messaged Rose a few minutes ago.
“Not far to walk then.” He held out a hand to help her down.
She didn’t take it, of course, for lots of reasons, including that she wanted to show him she could manage herself.
“Where did you live before?” she asked as they started walking.
“New York, but only for a year. Me and my mum were in Edinburgh before that.” Which explained his accent, very faintly Scottish.
“Are you living here permanently now?” It was a big house and a lot of money to spend if it wasn’t forever.
He nodded. “I think so. Dad’s kind of got his dream job, and my mum can go back to work – she’s an oncologist. I wanted to be in London too so it’s all kind of worked out. Do you go to school near?”
Rose nodded and told him the name of the school.
“That’s where I’m starting. What year are you in?”
“Year eight when we go back. What about you?”
“Year eleven. What are the teachers like?”
She gave him a quick rundown about the really awful ones and the ones to avoid. “It’s okay, really. There are some really stuck-up kids though.”
“There are at every school. This is my third in five years. Is this your house?”
They’d come to a stop outside her home. Luke’s face was at the window, nose pressed to the glass.
“Yeah. That’s my brother. He’s a pain.”
“So’s mine. But they’re a lot older. What’s the book you’re carrying?”
She showed it to him, opening it so he could see Matt Goodfellow’s signature. “I met him today and got him to sign this. It’s a story told in poetry. Have you read it?” It was a standing joke that you couldn’t have a conversation with Rose without her talking about a book.
“I haven’t. Looks interesting though. Can I borrow it?”
She paused. It was a signed copy and therefore treasure.
“I promise I’ll give it back to you and I won’t bend the cover or anything.” His hand stayed on the book along with hers.
“Okay. I know where you live.” She tried to sound threatening and failed miserably. She was about as threatening as a puppy.
He laughed, intrigued with the girl he’d met. “You don’t know my name though. I’m Carter.”
She gave him a smile, probably the prettiest smile he’d ever seen. She was pale and had deep red hair that he’d bet she’d been teased about. He didn’t like kids who teased others; in fact, he was pretty good at sorting them out when necessary. He was also really good at making friends.
“Promise you’ll look after the book and give it back to me.”
“Promise.” He took hold of the book and opened it again to where the poet had signed it. “Rose. I promise I’ll look after your book, Rose.”
“You better had, Carter.”
The End
Rose and Carter’s story is How to Unbreak a Heart, the first in the Heart Sisters series.