Chapter Fifteen #3
Was this when we were going to have our ‘talk’, here in the half-light, protecting us from curious eyes?
‘Good game,’ I said, after the silence of the first few paces.
‘Great,’ said Daniel enthusiastically. In the cover of the dusk evening, his fingers brushed mine. A warm tingle ran up my arm and I sneaked a glance at him as we walked on in silence.
‘Congratulations.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Gorgeous evening,’ I said inanely.
‘Mm lovely,’ said Daniel.
I could just make out him grinning. ‘You’re laughing at me,’ I accused him. ‘I can see your teeth; you look like the big bad wolf.’
‘Are you scared?’ he asked. For a second I didn’t dare answer. Should I keep things light? What would he say if I said yes, absolutely terrified? Terrified that I’d got it all wrong. I chickened out.
‘Nah, he gets outwitted by a little girl wearing a red hood. Pretty useless wolf, if you ask me.’
And at that point I was outwitted by the ring of my mobile. Conditioned by work, I had to see who was calling just in case it was urgent.
I shrugged at Daniel. ‘Sorry,’ I said, and digging it out of the back pocket of my linen trousers I checked the caller ID. Kate? Quickly I checked my watch. Two in the afternoon there — funny time for her to ring. Some sixth sense of foreboding made me answer.
‘Hi, Kate. Your timing is rubbish. Is it urgent?’ I said, with a quick glance at Daniel. I could see his teeth grin in the dark. I immediately regretted my words.
‘I’m bleeding. I . . . I . . . don’t know what to do.’ Her teeth were chattering.
‘My God.’ Immediately I went cold. ‘How badly?’
‘Really bad.’ She started to cry. ‘There’s loads. Gushing. I’m losing the baby. I don’t know what to do.’ Now she was sobbing in earnest, which frightened me. That wasn’t like her.
‘OK, Kate,’ I said slowly, trying to sound more grown up than I felt. ‘Calm down. Have you phoned for an ambulance?’
‘Yes, but it doesn’t work,’ she cried.
‘What doesn’t work? Your phone?’
Daniel had moved closer, touching my arm as he mouthed, ‘Is she OK?’
I shook my head and listened hard to Kate.
‘No, the number. 999. It’s dead. Doesn’t work.’ I could hear the panic in her voice.
‘Slow down, Kate,’ I said frowning. ‘You didn’t misdial?’
‘No,’ she wailed. ‘I tried lots of times. It’s not working. Bloody, shitty country. Even 999 doesn’t work.’
Maybe it was different there. I put my hand over the mouthpiece and whispered to Daniel. ‘Kate needs the Australian emergency services. 999 isn’t the right number. Do you know it?’
‘What’s wrong with her?’ he asked, his face creased with concern.
Without thinking I blurted it out. ‘She’s having a miscarriage. She needs help now.’
His mouth was a perfect surprised ‘O’ for a moment before he said, ‘What about 911? America?’ which I immediately relayed to Kate.
‘Have you tried 911?’
‘I tried that.’
‘Wait,’ he grabbed my arm, ‘the Aussie bowler.’
‘Good idea, but for God’s sake be discreet.’
‘’Kay,’ and with that he sped off back to the pavilion.
‘Kate. Hang on, sweetie. We’re just going to ask an Australian player at the club.’ I started running after Daniel.
She didn’t even query the ‘we’, all I heard was a low moan on the other end of the phone.
‘Kate,’ I said urgently, slowing my pace so that I could hear properly. ‘Kate. Are you still there?’
‘It . . . hurts,’ she moaned again, weeping down the phone.
I felt so helpless. I stopped just outside the veranda waiting for Daniel. There was no point going inside, it would be noisy and full of people. Looking up at the stars in the midnight blue sky, stars she couldn’t see, my heart ached for her. She was so alone.
Daniel reappeared in the doorway with Bill behind him.
Shit, just what I didn’t need.
‘000,’ he called, coming towards me. Thank God, he’d asked. I’d never have thought of that in a million years.
‘Kate,’ I said urgently. She was still crying. ‘Kate, its 000. Can you hear me?’
‘Yes,’ she sniffed. ‘000, let . . .’ she broke off with a long groan. ‘. . . me try it.’
‘Call me straight back.’
I spent an anxious minute pacing with my phone in my hand before she called back.
‘They’re on their way.’ She was calmer but her voice was dull and lifeless. ‘I’d better go.’
‘Wait, Kate? Do you want me to come over? I can fly out.’
‘It’s too bloody far. You can’t get here in . . .’ she cried, anguished, and started to sob again.
‘Please, Kate, there must be . . .’ We were both crying now. I was aware of Bill and Daniel standing together on the top step of the veranda, looking down at me with concern in their faces. I focused on Kate.
‘There’s nothing. You can’t do anything.’ She was getting angry now.
‘I can stay on the line ’til they get there.’ Mentally I was flipping through the ramifications of getting the next possible flight. Passport. Airlines. Work.
As I sank down onto the step, Daniel slipped in beside me putting his arm round me, rubbing my shoulder. Bill stood awkwardly to one side, shifting from one foot to the other as I carried on talking to Kate. We talked of everything and nothing until I could hear a siren in the background.
‘They’re here. Olivia, I don’t know what I’d have done . . . I’ll call . . . Don’t tell anyone.’
‘Of course not,’ I lied blithely, glancing behind me. ‘Call me as soon as you can. Promise.’
I cut the call and stared wearily at the phone in my hand.
‘What’s going on Olivia? What’s wrong with Kate? Why does she need the emergency services?’ Bill was practically jumping up and down.
Shit. What was I going to say?
I didn’t get the chance to think of something plausible. Daniel answered the question for me.
‘She’s having a miscarriage.’ The words hung in the silence.
The guilty look on my face said everything as I closed my eyes and wished I was somewhere else.
Bill’s face went white and then he grabbed me, hauled me to my feet and said, ‘Is that true?’
Daniel intercepted pulling him off me. ‘Oy. Leave her alone!’
‘It’s OK, Daniel,’ I said, squeezing his arm gratefully. Turning to Bill, I nodded miserably, barely able to meet his eyes.
‘Is it mine?’ he asked heatedly.
Daniel’s eyes widened and he swivelled sharply to look at Bill.
I couldn’t lie so I nodded again.
‘Bloody hell,’ said Bill, sinking onto the step, rubbing his head distractedly.
‘Bloody hell,’ echoed Daniel.
‘Sorry, Bill. I couldn’t . . .’ I muttered, anxious to get away.
‘Shit. Pregnant. Kate. Bloody hell.’
‘Look. I have to go. Kate’s all on her own. I need to try and get a flight tonight or tomorrow morning.’ My mind was racing with the practicalities of getting home to get my passport.
At this point Bill jumped up. ‘I’ll go. I’ve got to see her.’
‘Bill, you can’t . . .’ but as his words sank in, part of me thought that might be a very good idea. Kate had admitted she’d made a mistake. If he flew to her rescue she could hardly turn him away. She’d forgive me eventually. Wouldn’t she?
‘Daniel, can you get me to the airport?’ asked Bill, decision made.
‘I will,’ I said firmly.
‘You can’t,’ interrupted Daniel gently. ‘Your folks will wonder why you’ve dashed off. They’ll know it’s Kate. Presumably she doesn’t want them to know. Besides, you’re in no fit state to drive.’
True.
It was amazing how quickly Bill was able to sort everything out. Within ten minutes he and Daniel were back from Bill’s house with his passport and had booked online tickets.
‘Ring me when you’re about to board.’ I said to Bill as I wished him luck. ‘Do you want me to tell Kate—’
‘No, don’t. If she has time to think she might refuse to see me. Don’t worry, Olivia, as soon as I get there, I’ll be able to look after her.’
‘Thanks.’ I sniffed as he gave me a big bear hug, my face only reaching his shoulder. He strode off leaving me with Daniel who turned to me and touched my cheek. ‘You OK?’
My eyes met his and my heart did a little flip. I nodded shyly.
‘Are you around tomorrow?’
I nodded again. ‘I, uh, was planning to, uh, come over to get something from Miriam,’ I stuttered. ‘She’s got a videotape I need.’
‘Fine, why don’t you pick me up on the way up to the house?
Toot at the gatehouse. I’ll be there. We still need to talk.
’ Still facing me, he took a few paces back and then without warning, took two strides forward, gave me a brief, hard kiss on the lips and then turned away and walked off to the car park without looking back once.
There was a catch in my throat as I missed a breath, my lungs stuttering in surprise.
I could see Bill waiting by the car, his phone glued once more to his ear. There was nothing sleepy or slow about him tonight. Pacing up and down, he looked alert and ready to take on the world.
* * *
As he waited for Bill to get off the phone and climb into the car, Daniel drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.
Tension lifted his shoulders and he wriggled uncomfortably in the driving seat.
The temptation to call Emily was strong but, to be honest, he wasn’t sure the words would be coherent.
How could she lie so blatantly to him? He wanted to punch something.
Was there any way she could have genuinely made a mistake?
His neck clicked as he tipped his head back against the headrest. Who was he kidding? Christ, he was a fucking idiot.
Of course Emily had lied. It seemed so bloody obvious now. He shook his head and let out a half-laugh of disgust. How had he managed to get it so wrong with Olivia? Again.
Would she forgive him? He’d done her one hell of an injustice. How the hell would he feel? Tried and found guilty without an ounce of proof. It seemed obvious now: he’d acted out of hurt pride that night. Not that that deserved to cut any ice with Olivia. She had every right to be furious with him.
He’d been so convinced that Olivia must have been leading him on, instead of talking to her about it, he’d got his own back by responding to Emily’s unashamed come-on. What a dickhead. He’d blown it so badly and now when he appreciated just how badly, he realised how he felt about Olivia.
With a heavy sigh he sank lower into his seat, regret pulsing through him. Arse. Arse. Arse.
‘Let’s move,’ said Bill jumping into the car, a small bag on his lap.
‘Any idea which terminal?’
‘Three.’
Bill’s expression was grim and neither of them said anything as he concentrated on navigating through the village roads until they hit the bypass to take them up to the M4.
Once they hit seventy, he saw Bill’s grip on his travel bag relax slightly.
‘So . . . Kate?’ he ventured the question. ‘When did that . . . er, happen? Not that you have to tell me if you don’t want to. I had no idea, the two of . . . you . . .’ His voice petered out.
Bill groaned. ‘It’s always been Kate. Bet you never thought I stood a chance. Let’s face it. No one did, least of all me. Stupid thing was, we got on so well. She just wouldn’t give it a go.’
‘So how did it happen?’
Bill laughed. ‘You mean you don’t know?’
‘Well, I wasn’t thinking it was the Immaculate Conception.’
‘When I went to Oz on tour. Looked Kate up. Bloody fool that I am. Couldn’t stay away from her. Except this time, she actually seemed pleased to see me. We had a great time. Met up for dinner . . . and,’ Bill groaned again, ‘things went from there.’
Bill shook his head vehemently before he spoke again.
‘Fuck, I should have realised it was too good to be true. The next morning she made it quite clear it had been a mistake and I buggered off sharpish.’
He absorbed all this wondering if he should voice his thoughts and then decided to risk it. ‘So why the knight-to-the-rescue act now?’
Bill thrust his hand out and hit the dashboard.
‘Because I can’t believe that night didn’t mean anything to her.
I won’t believe it.’ Bill turned his face toward him, misery etching twin furrows on either side of his mouth.
‘And what have I got to lose? I love her. Always have done. Besides she’s alone out there.
She needs someone. I can’t stand the thought that she’s lying in some hospital ward without anyone.
’ Bill’s voice cracked, making him think of how he’d feel if that were Olivia.
Instinctively he pressed the accelerator. If Bill was suffering as much as he was, he needed to help the poor sod get to the airport as quickly as he could.