Chapter Ten #2
Pirates eventually finished. I wound up Ella’s grand plan of settling in for an all-nighter to watch the trilogy and sent her off to bed. As she was walking out, she unexpectedly interrupted her grumbling at me to throw her arms around Nick.
‘I hope your brother gets better. I’m glad your sister and little girl are on their way.
You can stay with us until your family is here.
My Aunty Kate can be cranky, but deep down she’s an angel.
She will take good care of your brother.
’ She pressed a kiss into his cheek, which made me feel strangely emotional, and I followed her from the room to tuck her in and give her a kiss.
Ella’s room was maybe my favourite in the house. It reflected all the phases of her life, from the little cream bunny she had slept with since she was two, to the Taylor Swift and Alex Karev posters donning her walls.
She hopped into bed, leaning over to turn on her twinkle lights, and I kissed her on the head.
‘You really are the world’s best kid,’ I said to her honestly.
‘You really are the world’s best taco maker.’ She kissed me back. ‘I think Nick likes you.’
I snorted.
‘Seriously, Mum. You should date. It would be good for you.’
An Iris/Kate in the making. That’s all I need.
‘Goodnight, Ella.’
‘Goodnight, Mumma.’
Nick was out in the backyard taking a phone call when I came back. I assumed it was the hospital, so I cracked the rum and prayed for good news while pouring it into two tumblers with some ice and leftover lime from our dinner. Then I headed out the back to get some wood onto the fire.
By the time he finished the call, the fire was crackling and warm, and he sat down beside me, close, on the outdoor lounge. I handed him the rum, and he drank almost the whole thing in one gulp.
‘That was Kate. She said the scans show the bleed has reduced again. He’s doing well.’
I swallowed the rum and the tension, feeling it unwind in the muscles of my neck. I threw my arms around him and held him.
‘He’s going to wake up tomorrow, right, Abbey? Tell me he’s going to wake up.’
‘Of course he’s going to wake up.’
He breathed into my neck. ‘Did you bring the bottle out?’
‘Hell yes, it’s delicious.’
‘That’s my girl.’ He gave me one of his rare laughs, wiping his eyes, and I was so moved to hear him laugh, that my eyes filled with tears, too. His face became concerned. ‘Are you okay?’
I took a deep breath and a huge sigh. ‘Yeah, it’s just been a big couple of days.’
He put his arm around me, and I snuggled into him.
‘I am sorry. I don’t mean to upset you. I just don’t share easily with people. The fact that you know some things should tell you how highly I regard you.’
‘I’m not annoyed.’
‘You are annoyed. You shouldn’t be afraid of saying it. And you are right as usual.’ He kissed my hair.
Fine. It is annoying. I don’t really understand why you wouldn’t tell me you had a daughter. But your brother, who I adore, is in ICU and I feel bad for you, arsehole.
We sat and watched the flames, a beautiful silence surrounding us. We were both quiet people and there was just so much shit going on. I felt peaceful for the first time in a while. Comforted in his arms.
He yawned. He was exhausted and, though he argued he was happy just sitting there, I insisted he rest.
Nick pulled out the sofa bed while I grabbed sheets, blankets and pillows.
I watched him take off his jeans and pull a pair of comfy jersey pyjama shorts from his bag, putting them on so they sat low on his hips.
He looked so good in clothes – he looked good naked too, but clothes sat on him as if they were made specifically for him.
He climbed into the bed, and I turned out the lights.
I let the sudden desire to curl up with him win.
It was overwhelming, my need for him, so I laid down on top of the blue-and-red-checked quilt cover and the soft grey blanket next to him.
We both rolled onto our sides to face each other.
He pushed my hair back from my face and then grabbed the waist of my jeans to pull my hips closer to him.
‘You are so warm, Abbey. Your home is so warm and welcoming. Everyone loves you. You are light. Pure light.’
I sighed and pressed my lips to his gently, my heart thumping hard.
This was getting serious. I knew now, without any doubt, I was at risk of having my heart completely crushed by him.
But when he said stuff like that it made it difficult to care or worry about any future heartbreak at all.
He spoke like someone who loved me. Whether he was ready to admit it or not.
I lay awake with him until his breathing fell into a steady rhythm, then I softly padded to my room.
If his wife had died and he had lost his parents young, it was clear that grief had made him build this tight construct around his heart. It would take time to bring it down. Time, I knew I was willing to give to him.
***
He left earlyish. A call had come through from Oliver’s doctor, confirming they were going to attempt to wake him up that morning.
Nick had had a moment of crisis when he realised he needed to be at the airport at exactly the same time to pick up his sister and daughter. But that was easily solved. I lived around the corner and had a child who adored trips to the airport.
Ella, as expected, did not need convincing, so we packed off Nick to the hospital and then jumped in the car.
She had always been obsessed with planes, ever since she was little, as the proximity of our house to Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport meant the flight path was directly above us most of the time.
I took care with my makeup and casual clothes.
I wanted to make a good impression on Nick’s sister and little girl.
It seemed important getting to meet them, despite not knowing that either one of them existed three days ago.
Nick had sent me photos of them, and I studied them again as I waited at the arrivals gate.
I shouldn’t have worried because even in the busy international terminal they were instantly recognisable.
Evelyn was the female equivalent of Oliver. Beautiful olive skin, intelligent blue eyes and light-brown hair with caramel highlights. She was around my height and build, but slightly finer. She had a gorgeous warm smile and waved at me as she guided her suitcase and her niece out through customs.
Summer was also a little beauty. She was all Nick; she looked just like him.
Her wavy dark hair was shiny and fell into soft curls, and her eyes were a greener version of his.
She seemed to be a quiet, solemn little thing who did not smile easily.
She was wheeling a matching suitcase in miniature to her aunt’s and was dressed in a comfy-looking velour tracksuit in a willow green that matched her beautiful eyes.
She was carrying a copy of The Secret Garden and I knew we would be friends based on her excellent taste.
‘Abbey,’ Evelyn called out as if we’d known each other for twenty years and were meeting after a long absence. Her voice was earthy and low, but her rounded vowels and crisp accent matched her brothers’.
When they both made it around the railed-off area, she beamed at me and threw her arms around me.
‘Oh, my goodness, of course you are Abbey. You look exactly like Nicky described and, of course, that beautiful picture of you both from the holiday. God, I don’t even know how to thank you. But thank you so much for looking after my brothers.’
I was astonished that Nick was Nicky and that he had sent her a picture of the two of us on holiday. I didn’t have any pictures of us together, but I remembered him snapping a couple of selfies over the two weeks.
‘Oh, Evelyn, it’s so nice to meet you, too. I must admit to completely adoring your brothers. I’m so sorry for the circumstances, though.’
‘There is no way on earth Ollie goes out like this.’ She sniffed. ‘I have faith that he will be back being an absolute pain in our arse soon.’
I pulled away from her, giving her a sympathetic smile before turning to Nick’s little girl.
‘I’m Abbey. You must be Summer. Your dad has told me all about you. This is my daughter, Ella. Ella, this is Evelyn, Nick’s sister, and Summer, his little girl.’
‘Hello,’ Summer said shyly, earning my instant endearment.
I bent down a little. ‘Did you know you are carrying one of our favourite books, Summer? Maybe while you’re here you can come over with your dad and we can have a movie night and watch the film.’
‘That would be nice. Thank you, Abbey.’ She turned to her aunt. ‘Aunty Ev, can we see Daddy now?’
‘Sweetheart, he’s at the hospital with Uncle Ollie. You and Jacinta will go home and Daddy will be there after he and I check in on Uncle Ollie. Okay, baby? Uncle Ollie is poorly.’ Evelyn pointed behind them. ‘Abbey, this is Jacinta. Summer’s nanny.’
‘Oh, hi!’ I said politely to the leggy nineteen-year-old that was Jacinta. She had long dark hair and gorgeous curves, hips and boobs. Jesus. She looked like Salma Hayek. The nanny is a babe.
Before we dropped off Ella at her friend Bella’s house to ‘hang out’, she and Summer became best friends in the fifteen-minute drive, exchanging numbers and making arrangements for catchups, much to my amusement.
I then drove Summer and Jacinta to Nick’s apartment with the luggage.
Nick had left me a set of keys that morning.
Then, finally, Evelyn and I headed to St Vincent’s.
She chatted effortlessly, a welcome relief in comparison to the other Northbys of my acquaintance.
Though Ollie was chatty, he never gave me important information, such as Nick having a daughter and being a widower.
I learned more from Evelyn in the short drive to the hospital than I had from Nick or Oliver in a month.