Chapter 72
Chapter seventy-two
Billy parked her parents’ car and yawned. The sensor lights came on, washing the drive in a harsh white glow and catching the frost on the hedges.
“It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?” Meredith said.
Billy nodded. “Yes. Could do with a cup of tea and some toast.”
“Are you hungry? You should have said.”
“I think we had more important things to do.” She pulled the keys out and clutched them in her palm. “Shall we go in?”
Before Billy could fully open the door and get out, Meredith touched her arm. “Thanks for today.”
“Nothing to thank me for, Mum,” Billy said, as the lights timed out, and the world vanished, leaving only the sounds of their breathing and the tick of the cooling engine.
“You dropped everything…you flew over and came straight to the hospital.”
“What else was I going to do?” Billy asked, adding, “Schultz is more of a father to me than my own dad has ever been.”
“He’d be happy to hear that.”
“Maybe I should be telling him more often.” Billy looked away and out of the window at the dark night. “He’s going to be okay.” Billy stared back at the windscreen, refusing to let the thought go anywhere else.
“Yes, I hope so.”
Meredith sighed and turned away from Billy as they both stared out into the darkness.
Billy reached out and squeezed Meredith’s hand. “Do you want to get inside then, before we freeze out here?”
It was colder than last time she visited, but the sky was clear and the ground was snowless. She was grateful for that. Her thoughts drifted to Rosa and the cabin. Whatever happened next, she didn’t regret finding her way back to Rosa.
Following Meredith, they got inside and shook off coats and boots, transferring cold feet into waiting slippers. Warmth met them in the hallway, soft and immediate.
“I’ll put the kettle on,” Meredith said, yawning.
“Why don’t you go up and I’ll bring you a cup?” Billy said, taking the kettle from her. “You must be exhausted.”
Meredith’s eyes glistened.
“I should have stayed with him.”
“No, you need to rest.” Billy guided her by the shoulders towards the stairs. “Go on up, get into bed, and I’ll bring a cup of cocoa.”
“I won’t sleep without him there,” Meredith said as she took the first step.
“Maybe not, but you need sleep,” Billy insisted. “He’s going to need you to be in the best shape you can be when he comes home.”
“You’re right. Maybe I’ll take one of my tablets.” She kissed Billy’s cheek. “You’ll make sure I’m up in the morning, won’t you?”
“I will. Go on, up you go, and I’ll be up in a minute with the cocoa.”
Billy watched as Meredith took the stairs slowly, one hand on the banister. Age was creeping up on them all—how had she not noticed that?
When Meredith was safely at the top, Billy wandered back to the kitchen and picked the kettle up again. Switching it on, she glanced at the clock—almost midnight. Her bag was on the counter where she’d left it earlier.
She rooted through it and found her phone—battery dead. “Damn,” she said just as the kettle began to hiss into life. The charger was at the bottom of the bag and she dug it out, plugged it in, and watched—dead screen—then the tiny green light.
When the cocoa was ready, she took one up for Meredith, gently knocking on the door before she pushed it open—and stopped.
Meredith was sound asleep, snoring gently, covers pulled up to her chin. Billy smiled, crossed the room, and switched off the light before quietly backing out and closing the door.
She considered for a moment just going to her room and climbing into bed herself—she was exhausted. But one thought remained in her head: Rosa. She wanted to check her phone for any messages and to send one herself. Rosa would wait up for as long as she could, she knew that.
And she had two mugs of hot chocolate to drink, didn’t she?