Chapter Twenty
Saturday, 24 th June
I t was the longest week Stacy had ever lived through. Plans and ideas about how she and David could begin to fix their relationship buzzed through her head twenty-four seven. In all the time she’d known him, David had never been less than a hundred per cent enthusiastic and decisive about what he wanted in life, whether it was a date with her, or which A levels to take or which unis to apply to. The fact that the wedding wasn’t being given the same commitment could only show that somewhere inside, he didn’t feel it was the right time. And she could live with that, of course she could. Two years down the line, he would be firmly settled in his career path and there’d be nothing more to stop them. What they needed now was openness, honesty about what they wanted and why, and the ability to compromise. Two reasonably intelligent people who loved each other would certainly manage that.
The weekend arrived at last, and Stacy squeezed into the ten-fifteen to Manchester, ready for a couple of hours at the shops before meeting David. The train was busy, and she ended up crammed in beside three loudly chattering teenagers. It didn’t matter. Today was going to get her and David sorted, and that couldn’t come soon enough. They’d both had an intensive year, what with her realising that less acute nursing would suit her better, and David with his final exams and the first step on his career ladder coming up. No wonder they hadn’t had time for each other, but that was what they had to fix first. After all these years together, they were steady enough to compromise, and today was going to get them back on track or her name wasn’t Stacy Townsend. Yes. So why did she feel she should be sitting with crossed fingers?
They were meeting at an exhibition of fashion photos from the 70s and 80s – David’s suggestion, and he must have made it because he knew it was something she’d be interested in. That was a good sign, wasn’t it? He was being considerate. Then afterwards they’d go somewhere nice for dinner, then back to his. Bring it on.
Stacy sat cuddling her handbag on her lap. She had a better feeling about life in general now, mainly because Gareth and Jo’s visit had started a little upswing for the shop. Jo had organised an ‘Origami Starters’ hour before closing on Wednesday, and local interest had been huge. They were planning a couple of other courses and afternoons over the summer now, and it was going to be great for Pen ’n’ Paper. Stacy’s secret hope was still that things would improve enough at the shop to let her stay on a little longer and have more time to investigate the options open to a nurse who wasn’t into blood and guts. She pressed her lips together. If she was being totally honest about it, the main reason she’d gone in for nursing was because David was so keen on medical stuff. She’d been a bit of a pushover there, she saw that now, but she would find something that suited her. Nursing was a good choice for someone like her; she loved working with people and nurses did little else all day, so all she had to do was find the right job. The Centre for the Elderly at Barnsend had no vacancies at the moment, but that was bound to change at some point.
The train squealed to a halt at Manchester Piccadilly, and Stacy slung her bag over one shoulder and joined the crowds leaving the station. She was meeting David at half past two in the exhibition foyer, so she had plenty of time – she’d have a whizz round the shops first, then treat herself to a gourmet sandwich somewhere. A mean little voice whispered in her head, and she pushed it away. He would not have an emergency and cancel on her.
***
By two o’clock, no apologetic text had pinged into her phone, and Stacy set her shoulders. They were going to sort this relationship, and yes, she’d thought that before, but this time it was for real. Go and redo your lippie, Stace, and another slosh of mascara wouldn’t go amiss either. You’ll smash this.
Suitably made up and anticipation building, Stacy stopped for the red man twenty yards away from the gallery. She was early, but she’d have a look at the programme for the summer while she was waiting for David. Traffic rolled past as more and more people gathered behind her, waiting to cross the road. This was taking forever, but – hell!
Stacy rocked to the side as a teenage boy shoved past and ran out over the crossing, dodging between cars as horns blared and brakes squealed. A taxi rounded the corner at speed, and the waiting crowd cried out in horror as it collided with the boy and sent him flying. Stacy clapped both hands over her mouth. The boy was flipped across the bonnet of the cab before he thudded down on the road and rolled over twice. Shouts rang through the air from all directions, and Stacy took two steps forward to help the teenager – then froze.
David was there already, bending over the figure on the street and talking, though Stacy couldn’t hear what he was saying. And oh, oh – Lucy was there too, right beside David, blonde hair swinging over her face as she knelt beside the boy, clutching her phone and talking into it.
It was like a scene in a TV film. Another woman bent over the group on the road, then started to usher the onlookers back. ‘Give him some space, folks, and privacy. We have two doctors here, and an ambulance is on its way.’
Mesmerised, Stacy retreated to the back of the pavement and stood there, both hands pressed to her cheeks. The boy was conscious but clearly in pain, though his injuries couldn’t be bad because David and Lucy were smiling, and the way they were anticipating each other’s every move made you think they did this together every day. The boy was clutching his shoulder and obviously wanted to get up, but of course David and Lucy didn’t let him. An ambulance appeared, blocking Stacy’s view of the scene, and drove off again less than five minutes later, the boy inside. Stacy heaved a sigh. No sirens, so no serious damage could have been done. It was a happy end of sorts for the boy, and well done, Doctor David. But what was he doing with Lucy, just – she checked the time – ten minutes before he was due to meet his fiancée? Was Lucy coming to the exhibition too? Heck… but there was only one way to find out. The nervous churning in Stacy’s stomach doubled.
Again, she approached the crossing, only to freeze for the second time. David and Lucy were staring after the ambulance, then they turned and gave each other a high five, both smiling broadly. Sweat broke out on Stacy’s brow as David hugged Lucy close, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. And oh, Lucy was hugging right back. And David was resting his head on the top of her head, and they were talking, his arm rubbing up and down her back, her eyes half-closed as she held on to him. The rapport between them now was as unmistakable as when they’d worked on the boy.
Heart thundering and nausea swirling round her stomach, Stacy ducked back into the doorway of a nearby department store. She and David had nothing like that, or at least, not nowadays. Not since… oh, she couldn’t remember when. It was a special kind of togetherness – Jo and Gareth had it, too. Stacy blinked back tears. She and David… The magic was gone, she saw that now, but wasn’t that inevitable after such a long time? Bile rose in her throat. It wasn’t inevitable, was it? Mum and Dad had the same togetherness and they’d been married for decades. Oh, no, no… She had to think – what should she do? What did she want?
Stacy flipped her phone open and texted. Delayed. Will call asap. Sorry. She saw David read the text and walk off, his arm around Lucy, and Lucy’s around him. There was no daylight at all between them. Stacy hurried into the department store. She would have a cup of coffee, then fix her face again and phone him. And say – what?
***
It was after three before she felt calm enough to call David. The store café was crammed with happy shoppers making the most of the summer sales, so she spent the time wandering around aimlessly, lifting clothes on hangers and replacing them on the rail, her thoughts whirling. What was David up to? She’d known their relationship was going through a sticky patch, but now she was beginning to wonder if they had a relationship at all. It was a frightening thought; David had been a part of her life for so long, it was impossible to imagine her future without him. Fear clutched at Stacy’s heart, and she had to make an effort not to hyperventilate. What was going on with Lucy? It had certainly looked as if she and David were a whole lot more than just friends – but then, the two of them had been in the middle of an accident, responding as doctors. Under the circumstances, maybe a hug and a kiss on the head weren’t too OTT. Was she stupid, thinking that? Well, she could only find out by talking to David about it, and the start of that was a phone call. Stacy retreated to a quiet corner and connected, her fingers sliding on the phone.
He answered on the fourth ring. ‘Hello! Are you here yet?’ His voice was friendly.
‘I’m opposite the gallery – where are you?’
‘In the exhibition coffee shop. See you in the entrance hall in two minutes!’
He ended the call, and Stacy trudged across the road. Should she tell him what she’d seen? Yes, she had to. It was too important to lie about. How would he react?
He was waiting by the ticket office, flicking through a brochure, his cheeks pink. ‘You made it! And you’ll never guess, I was on the way to meet you earlier when a kid was knocked down at the crossing back there. It was amazing, I was able to test my trauma skills in a real incident. He wasn’t badly hurt, it was a dislocated shoulder by the looks of it, possibly a cracked rib or two. I patched him up and the ambulance carted him off.’ He slung his arm around her and gave her a quick hug.
Not a word about Lucy. Stacy’s mouth went dry. ‘ Wow,’ she managed. ‘Good job you were on the spot. Did anyone help you?’ She held her breath.
‘A couple of people shooed away the crowd, and fortunately the ambulance arrived quickly. It was – not great for the kid, of course, but it was fascinating to see the bit we miss when a patient’s brought into A her mother had a raging cold, though that was no reason to cut the visit short. Stacy clenched her fists as she followed him to the exit.
‘Let’s have a curry,’ he said, turning towards an Indian restaurant they sometimes went to. ‘Stace – I know you want to talk about stuff, but let’s wait until there’s more time, and more privacy. If you’re zooming back to Elton Abbey tonight, we’ll only have another hour or so.’
Stacy didn’t reply. It wasn’t six yet; they could easily have four hours. But this way, she could get Emily’s take on the problem first, and settle her own thoughts too. Right this minute, she didn’t know what she wanted; all she knew was she was angry with David for leaving her in this situation, and angry with herself for allowing it to happen, and just – angry.
He must have noticed, because he chatted non-stop about nothing during the meal, telling her about the orthopaedic unit he was due to start work in the following week, and the jobs his friends had or didn’t have yet, and what he wanted to achieve by the end of his year as an F1. Stacy replied, trying to sound interested – and she was – but also interesting was that at no time did he mention their future together. Her curry was tasteless and she couldn’t face her usual rice pudding dessert. This was horrible; David was talking as if they were strangers, two people who’d met in some anonymous hotel lobby and were conversing to pass the time. She would have to do something, confront him. But fixing things when David was lying to her was beginning to sound like an impossible task, and she did have some self-respect left. He wasn’t going to take it all away.
When they arrived at the station, she grasped her courage in both hands and turned to meet his eyes. ‘David. I’m not happy about the way things are going between us. We’re not communicating, and I don’t know what’s going on. I think we should have a break for a few weeks and work out if we have a future together.’
He looked down his nose at her, his eyes wide and shocked. ‘Well. That was direct. You could be right. And you need to be a lot clearer about your career and where you’re going with it before we start thinking about anything else. Why don’t you call me in a week or two when you’ve had time to think? Look, your train’s in.’ He turned abruptly and was swallowed up by the crowds rushing for the train.
Stacy sat trying to organise her thoughts as Manchester disappeared behind her. Maybe a shock was what he needed. Whatever happened now would either make or break her relationship with David. But… what did her career choice have to do with their relationship and marriage? Precious little.