Chapter Twenty-Two
Too many hours to count on the most uncomfortable plastic chairs known to mankind in the waiting room, too many watery hospital coffees to remember, Matt and Robyn were finally allowed in to see Dennis. He was hooked up to several noisy machines, his skin an odd colour and his body under the covers appearing smaller than ever, but the man was awake, and they were both overjoyed to see it.
“Dad, you can’t be scaring me like that!” Matt took Dennis’s hand gingerly, whilst Robyn went round to the chair on the other side.
“Aye well, lad, you won’t get rid of me that quickly.”
“What was it?”
“Something to do with my bowels. I’ll spare you both the gory details. Now, I know you got a shock, but you don’t need to be fussing over me. I’m not a goner yet. You two get back home and I’ll see you there in a day or two.”
“What? No, it’s no bother, we want to stay,” Robyn replied just before Matt said the same thing.
“But you need to get everything ready for the party, you don’t think I’m missing that, do you?” Dennis coughed and Matt hurried to rearrange the pillows as best he could, helping his father to a sip of water.
“Dad, reall…” Matt began, but the older man was adamant.
“Get yourselves off home,” he sank back down as if the exertion of their conversation had been too much for him. The last thing Matt wanted was to cause any further stress, so reluctantly he took Robyn’s hand and led her from the room.
“See you soon,” they both whispered.
“Right you are,” Dennis replied.
They came out to find Janet and Brin in the waiting room, “How is he? Shall we pop in and say hello?”
“I, ah, don’t think he’s keen on visitors right now,” Matt said, “exhausted from everything.”
“Ah, it’s to be expected,” Janet said sagely, “well then we’ll give you a lift back to mine for some dinner.” Her tone brooked no argument, “though you’ll have to make do in the stinky fish and chip van all the way back to Oakley. I suppose we just have to be grateful it’s got two rows of seats, but it’s hardly travelling in style,” She scrunched her nose up in distaste while Brin gave a low chuckle, linking his fiancée’s arm in his.
Matt and Robyn followed behind the older couple, both feeling a bit anchorless despite the fact they’d run the inn together without Dennis for over a year while he was in Portugal. It was different now, though, now that they’d got used to having him back, hearing his boisterous laugh from behind the bar and watching him out by the tree talking to his Noelle.
The meal was a hearty affair of homemade soup and crusty loaf, followed by Janet’s famous sticky toffee pudding and clotted cream. It was cosy and special all at once and just what they all needed.
“Now,” Janet began when they’d all pitched in with the clearing up, “let me get my diary out and we’ll make some lists together.”
“Lists?” Matt parroted back.
“Aye lad, you’re going to need some help up there, getting ready for the party, looking after Dennis, cooking and the like. That’s what friends and neighbours are for, for rallying round at times like these.”
“Oh,” Matt really didn’t want to start crying now, but the tears were determined, so he cleared his throat a couple of times to try to hide them and turned his head away.
“That’s really kind, thank you,” Robyn rubbed his knee under the table as she directed her comment to Janet, and Matt was grateful for the comfort of knowing he wasn’t facing any of this alone.
“So, we’ll make a list of what’ll need to be done and I’ll get on the village group chat and see who’s available and when,” Janet said, her own eyes watery, no doubt remembering when she’d done the very same thing for her best friend, Matt’s mam, “then we can make a proper schedule and know you’ll be covered. Even just making sure someone’s always with your dad…” She trailed off and Brin stood to put his arm around her shoulder. Janet leaned her head on him and they all sat in silence for a moment, reflecting on their own thoughts.
“I, er we, all of us are very grateful,” Matt said at length, his voice a hoarse, scratchy sound that he barely recognised.
“Oakley looks after it’s own, petal, always has, always will.”
There was a tiredness they couldn’t shift, a heaviness to their steps that made them both sluggish as Matt and Robyn trudged up the pub stairs that night.
“I could do…”
“With some company,” they both spoke over each other.
Robyn knew it didn’t matter whose bed they chose, they were both so exhausted they certainly wouldn’t be in danger of breaking their pact of taking things slowly. But to sleep apart was inconceivable, the old place felt empty enough after the day’s events without forcing themselves to sleep in separate beds.
“Thank you for being there today,” Matt whispered when they were both snuggled in her bed, Robyn in her thick winter pyjamas and bed socks.
“Always, we’re a team,” she stroked his hair and rubbed his back, “and there are still good times ahead, you know? I realise it doesn’t feel that way now, but your dad will be home soon, in time for the party, then there’ll be Christmas Day and the huge family dinner with Janet and clan. There’ll be games and presents, maybe some singing around the old pub piano the way your mum used to love… So much to look forward to. Let’s leave the new year and whatever trials it might bring where it is for now, and just enjoy the good times.”
“Sounds like a great plan to me,” Matt yawned around his words and within minutes was snoring softly.
With so much uncertainty in their lives right now, one thing Robyn knew for certain.
They would definitely make this a Christmas to remember.