Chapter 48
LIZZIE
‘I expect my tiredness is simply that I’m older and taking longer to recover,’ Mum says. She looks absolutely drained, this is all too much stress for her.
Alison nods slowly. ‘I understand. I’m prepared to forget all about it.’ She glances at me. ‘If you are, Lizzie.’
‘I guess Mum’s right, sorry, Alison,’ I say. I’m not actually convinced that Mum is right but I think enough trouble has been caused for one day, and if Alison isn’t the one doping Mum I need her here to keep an eye on things. Our worries might make her extra vigilant.
Mum yawns. ‘I’m sorry but I’ll have to go and lie down for a little while.’
‘Good idea,’ I agree. ‘I’m going back to Jodie’s now, I don’t want to leave the kids too long. I’ll call you later to see how you are.’
Alison says, ‘Let me help you to your room.’ Then she hesitates and looks at me. ‘Unless you want to, Lizzie?’
‘Please.’ I do want to, and not because I want to be the one to help Mum rather than Alison.
I’m over that now. I genuinely believe that Alison is innocent and wants to help and it’s her nurse training that’s made her come across as overbearing.
But I want to make sure Mum is okay. All this is a lot for her.
I should have gone about things differently, not rushed in with my accusations.
‘Are you all right, Mum?’ I ask as I help her onto her bed. ‘Do you need me to help you get undressed?’
She shakes her head. ‘I’m not going to bed, I’ll just have a rest here for a little while until George comes home.’
She looks so weary, her eyes almost closing. I kiss her on the cheek and leave her lying on top of the bed, and go back in to Alison.
‘I thought you were trying to frame me,’ Alison admits frankly, putting a mug of coffee in front of me. She looks ashamed. ‘I’m sorry but I’m afraid that I told Nick that too. That’s why I asked him to meet me yesterday.’
And Nick didn’t tell me. I force my anger down, Alison is opening up to me and I don’t want to ruin that.
‘I could see that you were jealous of me being here, sleeping in your old room, looking after your mum. So I thought you wanted me gone.’
‘And I thought you were pushing me out because you wanted to take my mum from me, like I took yours.’
‘I just wanted to be part of the family, Lizzie, instead of feeling like an outsider again. I’m sorry if that made you feel left out.’
I understand that now. But there’s one more thing I need to ask her. ‘Can I ask you something? And it’s really important to me that you tell me the truth.’
Her eyes meet mine and I do feel that I can trust her. ‘Go ahead.’
‘Exactly how close were you and Nick? Because the way you are around each other makes me think that you were really close.’ I pause. ‘And still are.’
She’s silent for a moment as if considering her answer.
I listen to the clock ticking on the wall and wait.
Finally she replies. ‘That’s something you have to talk to Nick about, Lizzie.
But I can promise you one thing. I’m not after Nick, and I am sure that he isn’t interested in me.
Whatever feelings we had for each other are in the past.’