Chapter 23
Half an hour later, stood on the roof, in the lead gully between the thatch and slate halves of the farmhouse roof, Beth paused to get her breath back. The climb up had been more taxing than she’d expected. Her thoughts strayed to Rick. She liked the idea of being his friend, even though every cell in her body clamoured for more. She had to be cautious, though. There was clearly much more to his story than he was letting on. Even so, she had always told the kids not to make up their minds about people and things based on social media. She couldn’t expect them to do as she said if she didn’t follow her own advice.
So, friends it is.
A stern gust of wind from the forest buffeted her and she wobbled.
Oops. Better concentrate .
She examined the damaged lead, chose the longest crack and then tipped gloopy, black sealant from a large tin onto it, watching it slowly slop into place. Twisting the container to stop the flow of goo, she moved on to repeat the process at the next section of damage, and then the next. The stuff was a law unto itself, sticking to everything it came into contact with. With luck, it would prove an effective temporary solution to the leak. Buying it and some extra lengths of roofing felt from George in the village hardware shop had cost her a fraction of what Owen, the roofing contractor, was going to charge. Mind you, George would probably have refused to sell it to her if he’d realised she was planning to come up on the roof herself. She’d lied and said it was for the shed.
Standing up, she experienced a major head rush.
Woah! This is way higher than I remember .
It was cold, too. But the stunning view across the forest was worth it. Scudding clouds crossed blue skies over an intricate patchwork of woodland, fields and streams. Looking down, Beth’s gaze caught on a lone figure near the vegetable patch.
What is he doing? Honestly! Just as I think he might be okay, he goes and does something weird again.
‘You do know you’re trespassing, don’t you?’ she called out. He didn’t respond. She called again, louder. ‘Rick. What are you up to?’ A wicked smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as he spun around, searching for her, looking in all the wrong places.
Eventually, he looked up.
His eyes bugged. ‘Blimey! I could ask you the same question.’
‘I said I was going to fix the roof.’
‘You didn’t say you were doing it yourself.’
She shrugged. ‘I’m quite capable, you know.’
‘I never said you weren’t. Why didn’t you ask me to help? We’re friends now, remember. Friends help each other.’
What would it be like to let him help? To relax for once and trust someone else to take the strain?
The thought was too tempting. She pushed it away. ‘I’m fine.’ Switching the tub of sealant from one hand to the other, she prayed her fingers wouldn’t become totally bonded to the container by the fat drips oozing down the side.
‘I can see you shaking from here.’
‘I’m just cold.’ She shivered.
‘Stay there, I’m coming up.’
‘Don’t go all caveman on me, Rick. I can do this.’
‘Hang on, there’s no ladder. How in hell’s name did you get up there without a ladder?’
‘Magic,’ she said with a grin, leaning a fraction too far forwards. ‘Whoops.’ Wobbling, she took a hasty step back from the edge.
‘Be careful.’
‘I am being careful –and I’m nearly done. Relax.’ She tipped the last of the sealant over the last split in the lead.
The sound of a car chugging up the lane reached her.
Blast it. That’s the kids.
The second that Rose spotted her on the roof was obvious. The car skidded to a halt on the track and shingle went flying like buckshot. All four children leapt from the car and pushed through the hedge to stand in the vegetable garden with Rick.
‘What on earth is going on?’ demanded Rose.
‘I bet it’s epic up there,’ said Jack. ‘How cool is that?’
‘She’s only on the roof, Jack. Not Mars.’ Daisy huffed and crossed her arms.
‘Mummy,’ Grace called. ‘You’re so high up. Can I come?’
‘No.’ Beth and Rose spoke in tandem.
‘And she says I’m irresponsible,’ said Daisy.
‘Shut up, Dais,’ said Jack.
Daisy scowled and stalked off. ‘I’ve got better things to do than this.’
‘Are you okay up there?’ asked Rose.
‘I’m absolutely fine.’ Beth crossed her fingers behind her back.
‘I did offer to help,’ said Rick, more to Rose than anyone else.
Beth could practically hear Rose rolling her eyes as she replied, ‘I don’t doubt it.’
‘And I said there’s no need,’ said Beth. ‘The roof is fixed. For now, anyway.’
‘I can’t believe you would do something so dangerous,’ Rose grumbled. ‘What sort of an example are you setting Grace?’
‘Actually, Rose, I think I’m setting a great example. I’m not sitting around waiting for someone else to solve my problems. Facing stuff head on is the way to go. Getting off my backside and doing what needs to be done. And do you know what?’
‘What?’
‘It feels good. It’s way better doing something, instead of wasting time worrying.’ Beth laughed as she realised that every word she was saying was true. She suddenly felt invincible and waved the empty tub of sealant in glee. ‘This stuff is disgusting, but it’s supposed to be totally watertight. If we can get through the storm in one piece, then I’ll know this patching method works. I can keep buying more if we need it and we’ll have time to save up for a proper repair.’
‘You can’t keep going up on the roof,’ spluttered Rick.
‘Why not?’
‘It’s dangerous.’
‘No more for me than it would be for you. And for the record, getting up here was totally safe. I just squeezed out of my bedroom window onto that single storey bit of flat roof. See?’ She pointed to where the conservatory wrapped around the side of the house from the back. ‘Then I just had to walk round to this bit and climb up. No biggie.’ Beth looked at Grace, whose eyes were huge. ‘But if you ever think about copying me, Grace Louise Hope, I’ll confiscate all your unicorns. Forever. Do you hear me?’
Grace nodded.
‘Good. Now, Rose, why don’t you take Grace inside and put the kettle on. I’m gasping for a cuppa. I’ll be down in a tick.’
Rose grabbed Grace’s hand and went indoors – the militant set of her shoulders assuring Beth that words would be exchanged later.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Beth called down, ‘Rick, that friendly offer of help you mentioned, were you serious?’
‘Yes. What do you need?’
‘I’m not convinced my clever route up will be quite so easy in reverse. I only came up that way because we don’t have a ladder. Any chance you’ve got one?’
Jack stepped forwards. ‘Charlie kept one in the old dairy over at yours, Rick. Shall I go and get it?’
‘Seeing as Beth has agreed to let you work for me, I reckon that’s a good idea.’
‘She has?’ Jack threw a questioning look up at Beth.
She nodded. ‘As long as your schoolwork doesn’t slip. Yes.’
‘Ace.’ He punched the air and dashed off, a huge grin on his face, returning minutes later with the ladder.
‘Where do you want it?’ asked Rick.
Beth wrinkled her nose. ‘I can get back down to the flat roof safely enough, but if I can use the ladder from there, it would be easier.’ She scrambled down the short drop from the main roof, stopping short when she saw Rick’s head and shoulders poking up from the top of the ladder. ‘You’re determined to climb up here, aren’t you?’
‘Getting onto a ladder to go down is the trickiest bit. Jack is holding the bottom so it’s rock steady. I’m just here as a bit of backup. If you slip, I’ll catch you.’
‘Come on, Beth, I’m hungry,’ called Jack. ‘Let him help. I don’t want to have to clean up the mess if you go splat.’
‘Fine.’ She mock glared at Rick, but deep down the toasty warm sensation of being taken care of felt so nice that she had to swallow hard against the lump that came to her throat.
*
Later that afternoon, back at the barn, Beth’s words kept going around and around in Rick’s head. She was obstinate and infuriating and, at the same time, utterly incredible. Her strength put him to shame. Forget warrior queens. Up on that rooftop, with her red hair streaming out behind her, she’d looked like the empress of the whole damn universe. He should follow her lead and start facing stuff head on. Everything he’d ever worked for, his whole life, was in London and yet here he was cowering in the New Forest, worrying about Dean and doing sod all to fight back.
It’s time to get a grip.
Riding a surge of positivity, he forced himself to re-read Gita’s emails. Then, he pieced his phone back together and dialled Mark Freeman, who got down to business straight away.
‘Rick, I’m glad you’ve called. Gita hoped you would. Have you seen the GMC conclusion?’
‘Yes. A warning and a recommendation for additional training. What exactly does that mean?’
‘Pretty much what it says. You’ll have to do a course on documenting notes properly and general confidentiality, which you’ll pass easily. It’s the wider implications of their conclusion that are the problem.’
‘Which are?’
‘If you’d been completely exonerated, which you haven’t, then Cora Diamond wouldn’t be able to launch a legal case against you. As it is, the warning – regardless of the specific details of that warning – means a civil case for damages can go ahead.’
‘She can sue me on Dean’s behalf?’
‘Yes. Don’t forget; this isn’t a case to say that you’re guilty or not guilty. It’s not really about the medicine anymore. It’s about proving a loss, which, for Cora, under these circumstances, is going to be a skip through the bluebells. The only defence you can legitimately mount that might counter this is to prove categorically that you did document the consultation and that you definitely warned Dean of the dangers of mixing his meds, and that what happened to him was entirely his own fault.’
‘But I can’t do that without the missing consultation documents.’
‘Exactly.’
‘So, in your professional opinion, I’m going to lose.’
There was a pause. ‘I’m sorry, Rick, but yes. Given all the publicity, it’s highly likely that you will. And then it’ll all be about awarding damages for Dean’s ongoing care.’
‘Do you know how he is?’
‘Not good.’
Rick sighed. ‘I’ve stopped reading the news; I can’t cope with it.’
‘It’s a good idea to stay offline at the moment. There’s so much rubbish being peddled and Cora Diamond is giving TV interviews left, right and centre. You don’t need to listen to any of them. As far as we know, Dean is in a coma and showing no signs of recovery. And, to put it bluntly, therein lies the problem.’
‘Meaning?’
‘He’s a young man. Ongoing care over many years could cost a fortune.’
‘Hundreds of thousands, I expect.’ Rick’s voice cracked.
‘Probably millions,’ said Mark. ‘And because you’ve not been completely exonerated, the court can find you liable –and they probably will.’
The silence in the room once the call was over was thick and heavy. Looking on the bright side, at least he was insured. And if… no, when he lost the case, at least Dean would be taken care of. The bright side didn’t help. Booting up his laptop, he searched the news feeds for Cora Diamond. As he expected, she actively condemned Rick in the most strenuous terms, blaming him outright for Dean’s condition. While he didn’t like it, he could understand it. What did surprise him, though, was the compelling way she spoke about the growing crisis in young people’s mental health and the urgent need for more focused and accessible resources. She was right and she appeared to be building one hell of a platform from which she might be able to do some good. If it weren’t for the fact that she was denouncing him personally to do it, Rick would have been cheering her on. He shut the computer off, his spirits sinking to new lows.
A scuffling sound came from the window. A shadowy face peered through the glass and then bobbed down out of sight. Rick’s chest tightened. His heart rate, already high, rocketed further and his blood started to boil.
Dammit. Why couldn’t he just be left alone ?
A burst of rage carried him to the door. Two jean-clad, hooded figures darted across the yard and disappeared behind the old dairy. Rick gave chase. He rounded the building and stopped short. Two scrawny teenagers leaned against each other, sniggering uncontrollably, while trying – and failing – to clap each other on the back.
‘I told you so,’ crowed the taller one, bending forwards, hands on his knees, gasping for air. ‘Didn’t I say the place isn’t empty no more?’
The shorter one caught sight of Rick, giggled and nudged his friend.
The tall one glanced up. ‘Shit.’ He took to his heels, calling to his mate over his shoulder. ‘Come on, you stiff. Run!’ Both teens jumped the fence and disappeared into the forest.
There was a faint sweetness in the air. A small tendril of smoke curled up from the ground where the boys had been. He stamped it out and then bent to retrieve a roach from the flattened grass. That explained the giggling. Numerous cigarette butts littered the ground. What a stupid place to smoke! Right next to a sodding great pile of hay. He collected as many of the disgusting remnants as he could. A wave of dizziness forced him to pause. The heady cocktail of adrenalin, panic and anger receding to leave him emotionally exhausted. He rested a hand on the stone corner of the outbuilding to steady himself.
A voice called out.
A swimmy version of Beth approached.