Chapter Forty
Paddy woke to hear two voices arguing in the corridor and opened her eyes. Hal’s friend was sitting by the foot of her bed and he gave her a warm smile.
‘Good morning. How are you feeling?’
Paddy’s voice was a bit croaky and her shoulder felt sore, but a flutter inside her told her the baby was fine, and she smiled widely. ‘Okay now. Is that Nick and Hal arguing out there? What’s going on?’
Jamie shrugged. ‘Two scared people establishing a turf war. Your twin is quite fierce, isn’t she? She called your phone last night, so I answered it. You’d left it in your car. I tried to explain I was waiting with your car whilst Hal took you to hospital and she went off the deep end a bit. Here it is by the way. Oh and I’m Jamie.’ He handed her phone over to her and when she said it could have waited, Jamie shrugged. ‘That’s not what your sister said. She was quite vocal on that, and many other points. Look I know it’s not my place to ask, but is the baby Hal’s? I’ve never seen him how he was last night.’
Paddy nodded, the joy of the morning rapidly dissolving. For some reason two of the people she loved most in the world were shouting at each other.
‘Yes, but it”s complicated,’ she said weakly.
Jamie poured her some water and helped her to sit up. ‘People say that but it”s usually not. The way I see it, you love him, he loves you, you”re pregnant and it”s his. Seems pretty simple to me.’
She was about to reply but the door swung open and Nick burst in, her face a mask of worry and anger. She ran to Paddy”s side and engulfed her in a fierce hug.
‘Oh my god, I was so scared,’ Nick cried, her voice breaking. ‘Never ever scare me like that again. I had to cope with some stranger on your phone jabbering a load of nonsense about you being in hospital but he couldn”t tell me anything.’
Jamie didn”t think he”d been jabbering, but decided discretion was the better part of valour at this stage. He was still reeling from the tongue-lashing Nick had given him at seven this morning when he”d handed the phone over.
‘I drove through the night to find this snake by your side,’ Nick spat, glaring daggers at Hal.
‘Nick, I”m fine,’ Paddy insisted. ‘This isn”t like you. And the baby just moved as well. So Baby”s fine too.’ She turned to Hal, her eyes shining. ‘The baby moved, Hal. Baby”s okay!’
Hal”s face softened, a tentative smile touching his lips. ‘Are you sure? Shall I fetch a nurse?’ he asked gently, ignoring Nick”s hostility. ‘May I feel?’
Nick”s head whipped around, her eyes blazing. ‘Paddy, do you want me to ask security to get rid of him?’ she demanded.
Paddy sat up further in bed, confusion marring her features. She scowled, trying to make sense of the situation. ‘Why are you calling him a snake?’
‘This piece of work,’ Nick snarled, jabbing a finger at Hal, ‘is the one I ”bumped into” in London. The one who had a charity in trouble. But clearly, he staged the entire thing to stalk you. I”m going to call the police as soon as we”re out of here.’
Hal paced the small room, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He glared at Nick, barely restraining himself. ‘For the umpteenth time, that was a bizarre coincidence,’ he ground out. ‘And I smiled at you like that because you reminded me of Paddy. Which makes sense seeing as you”re her bloody twin.’
Nick rounded on Paddy, her expression incredulous. ‘This is him, isn”t it?’ she demanded. ‘He says he”s the father?’
Paddy nodded hesitantly. ‘Yes?’
‘The bastard who got you pregnant and then went and married someone else?’ Nick”s voice was rising, her face flushed with anger.
Paddy sighed, exhaustion pulling at her. ‘Yes, but as it happens, no.’
Hal froze, his eyes widening. ‘No wait, what? Why does your sister think I”m married?’
‘Because I thought you were,’ Paddy said simply.
‘Who did you think I was married to?’ Hal asked, bewildered.
‘Bianca.’
‘Why on earth did you think that?’
‘I saw the wedding photos in Hello! magazine,’ Paddy explained. ‘But Jem explained them to me yesterday.’ She turned to Nick. ‘I just found out he wasn”t actually married.’
Paddy looked at Hal, hope flaring inside her, then dying as she saw the pain in his face. What was wrong with her? He must have been humiliated by Bianca; not only had she been cheating on him, but she’d also replaced him at his own wedding.
‘Right. You two out.’ Nick stood up and pointed at the door, her tone brooking no argument. ‘If you want to help, call a doctor to sign her release, otherwise leave us.’
Hal looked to Paddy, reluctant to leave her side but she had started to cry and he wasn”t sure why. ‘I”ll call for a nurse but I”m staying here,’ he said firmly.
Jamie looked at the three of them; the tension in the room was miserable and whatever was going on wasn”t helping Paddy. ‘Hal, let”s get a coffee and we can sort the car out while we”re at it,’ he suggested, trying to defuse the situation.
‘Yes, that”s right,’ sneered Nick. ‘Sort out the car. Priorities and all that.’
Paddy frowned at her sister, confusion and hurt warring on her face. ‘Nick, what is wrong with you?’ she asked. ‘I wouldn”t be here without them.’
‘No, you certainly wouldn”t be in this position, would you?’ Nick retorted. She turned and scowled at the men. ‘What are you two waiting for? You”re not needed.’
As they closed the door behind them, Nick collapsed into the chair beside Paddy, all the fight draining out of her. ‘Oh Christ, Paddy, I have simply never been so scared in my life,’ she choked out between sobs. ‘I”ve called the girls and told them you”re in hospital. Expect a few phone calls in the next few hours.’ She tossed a shredded hankie in the bin and pulled out another from her pocket as she started to unwind from her mad midnight drive from London to Cornwall.
***
Jamie sat down in front of Hal and slid him a coffee. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’
Hal drank his coffee and tried to think where to start. ‘It’s complicated.’
Jamie smiled inwardly, these two wallies were singing from the same song sheet. ‘No, it really isn’t complicated. You love her, she loves you. That’s clear for anyone to see. And she’s carrying your child. Honestly, I don’t think it gets simpler than that. This world can be short and brutal. You know that. For God’s sake, man, get a ring on that gorgeous girl’s finger and marry her.’
‘But that’s why it’s complicated. She doesn’t even like me. She thinks I’m a spoilt, lazy, entitled jumped-up toff.’
Jamie laughed. ‘Well, it’s a wise woman who knows her man!’
Hal laughed but inwardly both he and Jamie knew there was a lot of truth in those statements. Jamie had watched his friend and had marvelled at how he was wasting his life. At the same time he had envied him his blissful existence. He loved spending time with him; it was like living in a warm bubble, everything was perfect. The past year had proved to be something of a crucible for Hal, and Jamie wondered how he was going to rise to the challenge. The past week as he had listened to how Hal was working to save the estate and set up a charity, Jamie saw that Hal was exceeding his potential. Now he thought he might know the cause of that.
‘Tell her you love her. What’s the worst that can happen?’
‘She can tell me she doesn’t. Which she clearly doesn’t, by the way.’
Jamie had no time for self-pitying. Even from a man who was at rock bottom. ‘Well, then you’ll know. Get a grip for God’s sake. You’re going to be a father. Stand up and be counted, soldier!’
Hal looked at Jamie in gratitude. This was no time for maudlin introspection. ‘Right then. Come on,’ he said pushing his coffee cup away.
Jamie looked at him quizzically. ‘Don’t think you need me for this, old boy.’
‘Are you kidding,’ said Hal grinning at his childhood friend, ‘you’ll need to get rid of the sister. Come on, soldier. Stand up!’ Laughing the two men headed back up to the ward.
***
Jamie convinced Nick that Hal and Paddy needed a bit of time together and he ushered her out of the room. The door clicked behind them, and Hal came and sat on the other side of the bed.
‘Have you really thought I was married all this time?’ Paddy nodded mutely. ‘Christ, you must have hated me?’
‘Slightly.’
‘I think I might owe you a thousand apologies.’
‘I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. It’s just incredible she continued with the wedding. That must have been horrible for you?’
‘Honestly? Not really. I mean it was a bit embarrassing.’ He dropped his head into his hands and pulled his hair with his fingers. ‘Scratch that, enormously embarrassing. But each time I was embarrassed, I was also overwhelmed with relief.’ He looked up and stared into her eyes. ‘To think that I had nearly married someone out of a misplaced sense of duty. And all this time I’ve been in love with you. Knowing that you didn’t love me was what was making me so wretched.’
‘But I do!’ Paddy looked at him in amazement.
‘Do what?’
Paddy started laughing and then started crying again, until Hal swung his legs over to her side of the bed and hugged him to her. ‘You love me?’
‘Yes,’ she sobbed through her giggles.
‘Well that’s okay then,’ he echoed her laugh. ‘So we actually love each other?’
‘Yes!’
The pair of them were now both laughing. And then Hal caught his breath and gently held Paddy’s face between his hands and looked at her in wonder. ‘I love you Paddy, I am never going to leave your side again, if that’s okay with you?’
Paddy nodded. Tears filled her eyes and she was certain that if she tried to speak, she would start sobbing instead. She ran her hands through his hair and then gave him a light kiss on the lips, wincing from the bruises as she leant forwards. The pain helped her calm down her emotions.
‘That sounds heavenly.’ She smiled at him, still reeling from the shock that he apparently loved her as much she did him. ‘Come on, let’s go home and figure this all out. Jamie said it’s not complicated, so let’s try and prove him right.’
Paddy looked around her bed. ‘I think my house keys are in my bag. We’ll need to go to the car to get it?’
Hal looked at her trying to understand what she was saying and then informed her in no uncertain terms was she heading back to the beach house. He had wasted seven months of his life apart from her, he wasn’t going to tolerate another single day.
‘I’d move in with you but I need to be at Vollen, it’s such a mess right now. But I don’t want to spend another day without you.’
‘Is this because of the baby?’ doubt flooded Paddy’s voice.
‘No. How can you ask? Last night when I saw you standing in the road covered in blood, I thought I was going to die. The estate, the charity, everything I am working for, it means nothing if I can’t share it with you.’ He placed his hand gingerly on her stomach. ‘I want this little one, but it’s you that I love.’