Chapter 24
24
William
‘You know, you probably should have had this X-rayed,’ said Beth. ‘It’s not massively swollen, which is good, but you might still have a fracture.’
William met her raised eyebrows with a nod. He’d only been introduced to Frankie’s friend five minutes ago, but he had liked her on sight.
Still in her nurse’s uniform, Beth had dumped her bag on the table and knelt on the dusty floor beside Frankie with a look of such kind concern, he had immediately warmed to her. Plus, she had batted away Frankie’s apology for having dragged her over on her way home from work.
‘I’d have been furious if you hadn’t,’ she said, her gentle fingers probing the tender spots on Frankie’s wrist. She sat back on her heels. ‘How long ago did this happen?’ she asked.
Frankie flicked William a glance, unsure. ‘Maybe about eleven?’ she replied. William nodded.
‘Last night?’ Beth looked around her for the first time since arriving. ‘Tell me you haven’t been working since then,’ she said. ‘How on earth did you manage?’
Frankie shook her head. ‘William stepped in. There’s no way I could have done it otherwise. I couldn’t even lift a tub of dough out of the fridge.’
Beth smiled at him. ‘The knight in shining armour,’ she said, giving him an appraising look. ‘Frankie told me how you came to her rescue once before.’
If she had said and now here you are again , William wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised. Instead, she nodded, a generous smile aimed in his direction.
‘Good,’ she said. ‘I’m glad you had someone with you. Have you put any ice on it?’ The question was directed at William. ‘And what about painkillers?’
‘No painkillers. Sorry, I didn’t think, but a cold pack, yes, to start with.’ William ran a hand through his hair. It should have been one of the first things he thought of as soon as he knew how badly Frankie had been hurt.
‘Then let’s get your arm raised, pump you full of drugs and we’ll take it from there,’ said Beth. ‘You also need to get home and have some rest,’ she added, pointedly. ‘Now I know you have a first-aid kit here because I’ve used it myself.’
Frankie nodded. ‘It’s on the far shelf, bottom left.’
William didn’t need to be asked. Frankie looked exhausted. There were dark smudges around her eyes, and she looked pale and wan. He’d carry her up to her flat if necessary.
Beth made short work of putting Frankie’s arm in a sling, motioning to her bag as she did so. ‘There are some paracetamol in there somewhere. Can you have a rummage for me?’
William stared at the soft bundle of leather on the table. ‘In there?’ he asked. He couldn’t go rummaging through that; it was her bag, and private. Women’s handbags were sacrosanct; his mother had drummed that into him the day he tried to find the bag of sweets she’d taken from him for swearing.
Beth nodded. ‘Hmm…they’ll be at the bottom, they always are.’ She adjusted the length of the sling before deftly tying a knot on the front of Frankie’s shoulder. ‘Honestly, it’s fine.’
William slid his hand inside Beth’s bag as if it might contain a mousetrap and began to fish about. Keys…a phone…something hard and oblong, a purse, perhaps? Numerous bits of paper…Eventually he made contact with a small square box and pulled it free. ‘I’ll get some water,’ he said, keen to hand over the tablets.
He watched while Beth finished the last of her ministrations. Frankie was fading fast. She looked as if she could fall asleep in her chair, and yet they still had to get the shop ready for opening. Then serve goodness knows how many customers until Frankie’s colleague, Melanie, could come to relieve them. And William couldn’t see how Frankie would manage any of those things.
As if reading his mind, Beth stood up, sliding her bag across the table and pulling out her phone. ‘I’m going to give Tam a call,’ she said, ‘and see if he can come and help.’ She smiled at Frankie. ‘I’d stay myself, only?—’
‘No, you need to get home,’ said Frankie, her face creased with pain. ‘I’ve delayed you long enough as it is.’
‘Jack will be fine,’ replied Beth, the expression on her face making it clear she would hear no argument. ‘I do need to get home, but only because Tam is due to visit later this morning and I need to get Jack up and ready for him.’
‘Tam is?’ Frankie was clearly puzzled. ‘And since when did he have a phone?’
Beth shrugged. ‘It’s just an old pay-as-you-go we’ve had sitting in a drawer at home, but it works. I thought it might be useful for him to keep in touch with folk. And for us to keep in touch with him.’ She slid a glance towards William, and he wondered if what she wanted to say next was private. ‘He’s been over to see Jack a few times now. They’ve been discussing the farm, making a few plans. Did you know he used to grow plants for a living? Who’d have thought…’
Frankie nodded, smiling.
‘Anyway, it’s early days, but…’ Beth left her sentence hanging, and although the warmth of the bakery might be responsible for her rosy cheeks, William was pretty sure she was blushing.
‘Oh, Beth…’ Frankie reached over to squeeze Beth’s hand. It was an awkward movement given that one of her arms was strapped up, but there was no mistaking the pleasure she was feeling. ‘I’m so pleased for you. And for Jack – that’s lovely news.’
Clearly there was an importance to Tam’s visits which William knew nothing about.
‘Let me call Tam now,’ said Beth, ‘and see if he can come over.’
She moved away and William took the opportunity to slide into the chair next to Frankie.
‘I didn’t know she and Tam knew one another,’ he whispered, his head dipping in Beth’s direction.
‘I’ll tell you about it later,’ murmured Frankie, sighing. ‘Sorry, this is causing no end of problems for you all.’
Without thinking, William covered Frankie’s hand with his own. It seemed the most natural thing in the world, especially seeing that Frankie had just done the same to Beth, but as soon as he slid his fingers over hers, he realised it wasn’t the same thing at all. He pulled his hand back, grimacing at his clumsiness.
‘Sorry, I…’
But Frankie just smiled. ‘It’s okay,’ she said, pulling his hand back and pushing it flat to the table. She laid hers over the top. ‘Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here.’
William’s heart thudded in his chest. He should probably reply, but words suddenly seemed far beyond his reach. He smiled instead, feeling the seconds tick by as Beth continued her phone call, each one seemingly longer than the last. He scrutinised the grain on the table, tracing the whorls back and forth with his eyes until he heard Beth saying goodbye. He gently straightened, withdrawing his hand.
‘Right, all sorted,’ said Beth. ‘Tam’s on his way. I’ll hang on until he gets here, and then head home, if that’s all right. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?’
Frankie nodded. ‘I’ll be fine. Honestly. It’s feeling better already.’
The look on her face would suggest otherwise and William could see she wasn’t fooling Beth either, but he let it go. He’d get her home as soon as he could.
Tam arrived in what seemed like a surprisingly short space of time, until William remembered that all he had to do was climb out of bed, literally, and a makeshift bed at that. His hair was tousled, sticking up on one side, and his shoulders were hunched, his face pinched and drawn. The morning was still bitterly cold, and it was clear Tam hadn’t had much sleep.
‘Come in,’ said William as he pulled the door wider. ‘And I’ll make you a drink.’
‘Thanks.’ Tam shivered at the sudden blast of warmth, as if it reminded him how chilly he was. ‘A black coffee would be good.’
There was a sharp intake of breath. ‘Tam, you didn’t come to get your hot-water bottle filled. Or your flask. I’m so sorry, I should have realised.’ Frankie’s hand shot to her cheek, her mouth open in dismay.
Tam’s smile was easy. ‘I didn’t think it was that cold,’ he replied. ‘Won’t make that mistake again.’
‘Are you sure you still want to come over to the farm?’ asked Beth. ‘We can easily do this another time. When’s your next day off?’
‘No, no, today is fine,’ Tam assured her. ‘I’m better if I keep busy. I’ll seize up otherwise.’
William hung his head as he crossed the room to sort out some coffee. It had never even occurred to him what Tam would do when he wasn’t at work. Sitting in his car couldn’t be much fun, but where would he go otherwise? And what would he do? Keep moving because there was nothing else to do? He deserved so much better.
Tam slid into the chair that William had not long vacated. ‘What happened?’ he asked Frankie. ‘Are you okay?’
She pulled a face. ‘Long story,’ she said. ‘But the short version is that, like an idiot, I fell over. Sprained my wrist a bit, that’s all.’
William had no idea whether anyone knew about Frankie’s situation besides him, but it was a reminder that Robert was still out there, somewhere. And that Frankie would still be terrified. He carried the kettle to the sink and began filling it with water, his head racing with thoughts. So much so, he almost missed what Frankie was saying. All he heard was the word ‘amazing’. He turned around to find both Tam and Beth smiling at him. Was that what Frankie had said? That he was amazing? He swallowed, murmuring something non-committal.
‘But I’m afraid the job’s not over yet,’ continued Frankie.
‘So I gather,’ said Tam. ‘Beth mentioned you need help opening up.’
Frankie nodded. ‘The shop opens at half eight, but nothing’s laid ready yet. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to serve either, and the first hour is one of the busiest.’
Tam eyed the doorway which led into the shop. ‘I might be able to help with that.’
He returned in less than a minute. ‘Yup, all sorted. I had a till just like that in my shop…glorified shed. I might be a bit rusty – in fact I’m sure of it – but there’s nothing like being thrown in at the deep end, is there? It’ll be fine. And if it isn’t, then William and I will just have to use our innate charm to keep the punters happy.’
William snorted. ‘Speak for yourself,’ he said, but he was pleased to see Frankie smile.
‘In that case, I’ll get going,’ said Beth, with a quick glance at the clock. ‘But only if you promise me you’ll go home and get some rest.’ She crossed the room to drop a kiss on Frankie’s cheek, giving her shoulder a squeeze. ‘And you’ll call me if it gets any worse.’
Frankie nodded. ‘Promise.’
‘Come over whenever you’re ready, Tam. I’ll probably be asleep by the time you arrive, but don’t be afraid to wake me up if you have any problems.’ She paused, giving a sheepish smile. ‘Don’t go too mad either…’
Tam merely grinned. ‘I won’t. See you later.’
Once Beth had gone, Frankie roused herself into action, but William could see that it was only the thought of falling into bed soon which was keeping her going. Despite protestations that he and Tam would manage, she insisted on coming through to the shop to help, where she sat, perched on a stool, looking for all the world like she would topple off at any minute. But they were both incredibly grateful for her presence.
Tam fared far better than he did, serving customers politely and, even though he got confused about which bread was which, at least he was able to help. William felt utterly lost. He was too big, for one thing, all but filling the space behind the counter, and constantly getting in the way. In the end, he retreated into the back room and began to wash up, stowing the last few bits and pieces in the storeroom. He would be back there tonight, and without the luxury of a fridge full of risen dough, would probably have to work twice as hard. Even so, he was smiling as he ran a finger lightly along one of the shelves. He was looking forward to it.