Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
Florrie couldn’t help but notice that Ed was still a little subdued as they made their way along the top prom to the bookshop, but it was hardly surprising after what had happened yesterday.
In contrast, she was feeling brighter since she’d had a call from her mum that morning, saying her dad had spent a comfortable night and had been cracking jokes with the nurses.
‘One of them even asked if he wrote jokes for Christmas crackers cos they’re that bad,’ she’d said chuckling.
‘Your dad thought it was hilarious.’ There was no doubting the relief in her mum’s voice.
They’d set off early in order to tackle the egged window before the shop opened, a thought that didn’t thrill Florrie thanks to its reminder of the previous evening’s drama.
They rounded the corner of Endeavour Road onto Victoria Square, surprised to see Lark and Nate busying themselves outside the bookshop.
‘I wonder what they’re doing out and about so early?’ A frown creased Florrie’s brow, but as they drew closer, they realised their friends had beaten them to their clean-up session.
‘Morning.’ Lark beamed at them as she wrung out a cloth into the bucketful of soapy water by her feet. ‘Thought we’d make a start on this, get it done before you open the shop.’
‘Hiya,’ said Nate, throwing a smile over his shoulder as he scrubbed away at the glass. ‘Bloomin’ pesky stuff this, mind. It’s not keen on shifting.’
‘That’s really kind, but we really didn’t expect you to do it. Your hands must be nithered,’ said Florrie. ‘Let me dump my backpack and I’ll come and take over.’
‘Yeah, we’ll get Gerty in and—’
‘We know you didn’t expect us to do it, but we wanted to help.’ Nate flashed another smile. ‘Last night was eventful, and you both had enough on your plate.’
‘That’s right. You just get yourselves indoors, do what you’d normally do when you get here. We’ll carry on with what we’re doing,’ said Lark, rubbing vigorously at a particularly stubborn spot.
‘But we can’t—’
‘Yes, you can, flower. Let your friends help you,’ said Lark, interrupting Florrie. ‘We’re nearly finished.’
‘Maybe you could stick the kettle on? Wouldn’t mind a cuppa when we’re done,’ said Nate.
‘No arguments. Go on, scoot, the pair of you,’ Lark said firmly, shooing them away, her bracelets jangling.
‘Since when did my sweet and gentle friend become such a bossy britches?’ asked Florrie, smiling and making Lark laugh.
‘Since about two minutes ago when my friend wouldn’t listen to me.’ She grinned, affection soft in her eyes. ‘How’s Charlie, by the way?’
‘Much better, thanks. And according to my mum, he’s got the medical team eating out of his hand, making them laugh with his dad jokes.’
‘Ah, bless. That’s so good to hear, flower. You and your mum must be relieved. That reminds me, I’ve prepared some crystals for him and a feel-good aromatherapy spritz. Don’t let me go without giving you them.’
‘Thanks, Lark.’ Florrie didn’t like to say her dad wasn’t exactly what you’d call a believer in the power of crystal healing or aromatherapy oils, but as far as she was concerned, anything was worth trying, even if it had the smallest chance of helping him on the road to recovery.
She’d have a quiet word with her mum – who did make use of Lark’s crystals and had them dotted around the house – maybe she could slip them somewhere he wouldn’t notice and she could give him the odd squirt of the spray when he wasn’t looking. That thought made her smile.
The morning had passed in a flurry of activity, with customers calling in to ask after Florrie’s dad.
News always did travel fast in Micklewick Bay.
Florrie and Ed were grateful to Lark and Nate for their hard work; they’d managed to get the window gleaming.
No one would think it had been caked in dried-on egg first thing.
Jean and Leah had arrived early, Jean beside herself with worry about Florrie’s father.
‘They ought to be ashamed of themselves, that pair, causing such a commotion. Dinah and Bernard would be disgusted if they were still here, God rest their souls.’ Florrie could only imagine what she’d have to say if she knew Dawn had referred to her son as a mistake.
Soon after, Jack and Jenna turned up wearing matching concerned expressions, Jack with a large basket of fruit in his hands. ‘How’s your dad, pet?’ Jenna asked, rubbing her hand up and down Florrie’s arm. Her smiles made a welcome return once Florrie had updated them on his improvement.
‘That’s grand news, be sure to send him our love,’ said Jack. ‘We got him this, to help with his recovery, though I reckon he’d rather have a pint of Old Micklewick Magic.’ He chuckled, handing over the basket. ‘Tell him the next round’s on me as soon as he feels up to it.’
‘I’ll do that, Jack. He’ll be chuffed to hear it,’ said Florrie. ‘And thank you for this.’
‘If there’s anything we can do, just shout up, pet. We’re happy to help in any way we can,’ added Jenna.
‘Thank you,’ said Florrie, touched by their kindness. In fact, she’d been touched by all of their customers’ kindness and well wishes that morning. People had fallen over themselves to send their regards to her dad.
‘So, Jenna and me have been talking,’ Jack said in his gravelly tones.
‘And we’d like to do another reading – if it’s okay with you and Ed, of course – to make up for last night’s being cut short in the way it was.
Call it a gesture of goodwill, if you like, in case folk start baying for a refund – not that I reckon anyone would, mind, but you never know. ’
‘We thought it’d be a way of us showing our support of both you and your dad, too,’ Jenna said, smiling kindly.
‘Aye, Jen’s right. We thought we could make it a bit different, maybe have a bit of a Q can’t beat, quite literally, a captive audience.’ Jack gave a throaty chuckle, making Florrie laugh.
‘And the other reason we’re here is to help with tidying the reading room. We thought you wouldn’t have had much of a chance with everything that’s been going on,’ said Jenna.
‘Are you sure you’ve got time?’ asked Florrie, touched by their offer.
‘’Course we have,’ said Jack. ‘Jen and me’ll make light work of it, won’t we, lass?’
‘Uh-huh, we will that, pet. Come on, let’s get cracking.’
By the time midday arrived, things had calmed down a little.
Jean approached Florrie, a pile of Jenna’s books in her hand.
‘Have you seen the time, lovey? I just mention it since you said you were going to head over to the hospital at lunchtime.’ They were in the reading room, putting the last of the stuff away.
Jack and Jenna had sloped off upstairs to the tearoom for a bite to eat.
Florrie pushed back the sleeve of her sweatshirt and looked at her watch. ‘Ooh, yikes! Thanks for the reminder, Jean, I hadn’t realised the time, this morning’s flown by.’
‘You’re not wrong there. And don’t feel you have to rush back, Leah and I will manage. And don’t forget Jack and Jenna have offered to stay and help. You spend a bit of time with your mum and dad, make sure your dad gets settled in at home and don’t give the bookshop another thought.’
‘Thanks, Jean.’ Florrie gave her friend an appreciative smile, thinking how lucky they were to have such loyal staff.
In their last conversation Florrie’s mum had told her that her dad had been moved out of ITU and onto a different ward, and, even better, it looked as though he was well enough to be discharged and free to come home that day.
‘They reckon he took a tumble cos of his labyrinthitis, with the dizziness being exacerbated by the stressful situation. He just needs to pass some final checks, satisfy the medical team he’s fit to be sent home before they can sign his discharge papers.
’ Paula had added that, all being well, he’d be free to leave later that morning.
Florrie and Ed were going to collect them – Paula had suggested they leave it until lunchtime to head over and allow all the relevant forms to be signed so they could bring Charlie home.
‘These things always take longer than you think, with the doctors and nurses being so busy, lovey, and I’d hate to have you hanging around,’ Paula had said.
Since then, Ed had been offered an appointment at the solicitors owing to a last-minute cancellation, and though he’d originally declined it, Florrie had sensed his disappointment.
The next free slot wasn’t until Wednesday of next week, so she’d suggested he call them back and take the cancellation before it was snapped up by someone else.
When they’d woken that morning, she’d been surprised to find he was still dead set on going ahead with his plan to put something legal in place to prevent his parents from causing any further grief.
She’d anticipated, after sleeping on it, the heat might have dispersed from his anger a little, and his feelings, not softened per se, but that maybe he’d wake feeling less determined to do so.
Instead, it appeared to have galvanised his resolve.
At the hospital, Florrie found her mum in the ward six waiting room in conversation with a doctor. Paula’s face lit up when she spotted her daughter. ‘Hello, lovey, the doctor’s just explaining your dad’s aftercare for when we go home, come and join us.’ She patted the seat next to her.
Mother and daughter exchanged a knowing look when the doctor left the room.
‘Your dad’s not going to take too kindly to hearing he’s going to have to take it easy for a few more weeks, especially with all the labyrinthitis business he had to put up with before this,’ said Paula, scanning the aftercare information in her hand.
‘That thought was just running through my mind,’ Florrie said.
‘Well, since I’ll be the one looking after him, and have to watch him like a hawk for the next forty-eight hours, I’m afraid he’s going to have to do as he’s told,’ Paula said firmly.
‘If he’d listened to me in the first place, and stayed put like I’d asked him to instead of coming outside, that dreadful commotion wouldn’t have got him all stressed.
I mean, we’d stayed in the bookshop rather than going into the reading room cos he was feeling dizzy. He should’ve known better.’
‘He’d have been worried about you, Mum, with you going out there, that’s all.’ Though Florrie was playing devil’s advocate, she was well aware her mum was talking this way out of concern for her husband.
‘They have a lot to answer for. Things could’ve been a whole lot worse if he’d caught his head on the side of the kerb… Ugh! Doesn’t bear thinking about.’ She pressed her fingers against her mouth, her eyes shiny with tears.
Florrie rested her hand on her mum’s arm.
‘Don’t go getting yourself all upset again.
Dad’s okay, he’s going to be fine, so it’s not going to do you any good dwelling on what might’ve happened.
I’ll have a word with him; he’ll have to listen if both of us stress how important it is he rests and follows the doctor’s advice.
’ Florrie had already made a mental note to tell her dad how worried he’d made her mum, she knew that would bother him, make him take heed of their words.
‘Thanks, lovey, you’re absolutely right.’ Paula patted her hand and pushed up a smile.
In the car on the way home, Florrie updated her parents on Ed’s situation with his parents – having checked with him beforehand that he was okay with her telling them everything.
He’d replied that he was keen for them to have all the details, that way they’d understand his reasons for taking what most people would consider somewhat drastic action against his parents.
‘They’re a bloomin’ disgrace,’ said Charlie. ‘They don’t deserve a lovely lad like Ed.’
‘I agree, they ought to be ashamed of themselves. That’s the worst possible thing a parent can say to their child.
I’m absolutely disgusted. I’ve a mind to find that monstrous woman and tell her exactly what I think of her.
And it wouldn’t be much, that’s for sure.
I don’t blame Ed for seeing a solicitor about them. ’
‘Neither do I,’ Charlie chipped in. ‘I’m only surprised he hasn’t done it sooner.’
‘That young lad’s put up with them treating him like dirt for so long out of misplaced loyalty because they’re his parents, and they’ve taken advantage of it time and time again.
But telling him he was a mistake was beyond cruel and low!
What sort of mother does that?’ Paula pulled a face of utter abhorrence.
‘Those words will stick in Ed’s mind for a very long time, poor lad. ’
Paula’s words triggered an ache in Florrie’s chest; the thought of him dwelling on what his mother had said, never being able to forget them, had played on her mind ever since he’d told her.
Her mum was right, it was the worst thing a parent could say to their child.
She couldn’t begin to imagine how that must feel for him.
She only hoped Dawn’s cruel words would fade with time, taking the hurt they’d caused with them.
‘He’s better off without them. All they do is give him grief,’ Charlie said matter-of-factly. ‘Anyroad, he’s got us, he doesn’t need them.’
‘Aye, you’re right, Charlie. And, once he has the legal action in place, the peace and quiet will mean he won’t regret it. Be sure to tell him we think the world of him when you get back, won’t you, lovey?’
‘Aye, you do that,’ added Charlie.
‘’Course I will.’ As Florrie took the turn for Micklewick Bay, she couldn’t make up her mind if Dawn and Peter Harte would respect the legal bindings of an injunction or tear it up and laugh at it. No doubt they’d soon find out.