How Laura Lewis Met Richard Brown

Chapter Thirteen

Cedar House care home took on a more relaxed and leisurely atmosphere on a Saturday morning. Laura pushed the clothes skip along the corridor with Cerrie trailing behind her. The young girl hadn’t stopped talking all morning. Laura now knew who she had met last night, where they had gone, what they’d had to drink and that they would be meeting up again tonight. Cerrie had told her that she hadn’t got home until 3 a.m., so how on earth she looked so refreshed and able to work, Laura had no idea. She’d never been one to stay out until the early hours when she had an early shift. But it wasn’t her place to say anything.

‘Right, next up is Gertie,’ Laura said, parking the skip outside the room. ‘Let’s see how she’s doing today.’

Cerrie nodded as Laura knocked and pushed the door open. Cerrie followed her into the room.

Gertie was propped up against several pillows. Her eyes flickered towards Laura and she smiled. ‘I had a feeling I would see you this morning, Laura.’

Laura made her way across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. She took the old lady’s hand in her own. It felt cold. ‘How are you, Gertie? Did you sleep well?’

‘Not too bad, love.’

Laura said nothing. She was studying Gertie’s face. Her breathing. Her colour. She placed her index finger on Gertie’s thin wrist and checked her pulse. It was thready. A little too fast.

Gertie was in pain.

Laura turned to Cerrie who was busy tidying the dresser and pulling out clothes ready for the day ahead.

‘Cerrie, could you go and grab me the blood-pressure kit, please, from the office and see if Hazel has arrived?’

Cerrie glanced at Gertie and then at Laura, suddenly taking in the gravity of the situation. She nodded and left the room.

Laura turned her full attention back to Gertie.

‘How are you, really?’ Laura asked.

‘Just tired, love, and a little achy. That’s all.’

Laura shook her head and leaned in closer to say, gently, ‘You can tell me, you know that.’

Gertie sighed and closed her eyes. ‘Can I tell you something?’ she asked. Her eyes remained closed.

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Laura’s stomach.

She squeezed Gertie’s hand. ‘Of course, you can tell me anything.’

Laura held her breath and told herself not to react to whatever Gertie had to tell her. She needed to remain professional.

Gertie turned her face towards Laura. Her green eyes were wide and pleading. She opened her mouth to—

The bedroom door banged open and Hazel charged in. In her arms she clutched the blood-pressure machine and cuff. Cerrie trailed behind her.

‘What’s going on in here?’ Hazel stormed over to the bed. ‘What’s wrong, Gertie?’

Although the question was directed towards Gertie, Hazel stared at Laura.

‘I’m just tired,’ Gertie said.

‘Her pulse is high and thready. I wanted to check her BP,’ Laura said.

‘You’re not doing anything,’ Hazel said sharply. ‘You’ve not had training.’

Laura winced and bit her tongue as she watched Hazel place the blood-pressure cuff onto Gertie’s right arm. The sensor in the cuff wasn’t aligned with the brachial artery.

She fought the urge to say something.

The cuff deflated and the machine beeped with the reading.

‘It’s fine, Gertie,’ Hazel said, placing the machine on the bedside table. ‘I’ll check it again once you’re up, but there’s nothing to worry about. A good day’s rest will help.’

Hazel stood and stomped over to the door.

‘Cerrie, can I borrow you for five minutes?’ Hazel asked. Cerrie jumped to her feet from where she had been sitting near the door. ‘Let me know when Gertie is up and dressed, and I’ll come back to check her pressure,’ Hazel said before exiting the room.

Laura listened to the retreating footsteps. She leaned over the bed and grabbed the blood-pressure machine.

‘I’d just like to check your pressure again. That okay with you?’ she asked.

‘Of course, love.’

Laura wrapped the cuff around Gertie’s left arm, ensuring the arrow was over the brachial artery. She pressed the start button. She much preferred the manual machines with a stethoscope.

‘She never does it right, that one. She doesn’t have a clue,’ Gertie said.

Laura stifled her smile and concentrated on the task at hand.

The cuff deflated. A reading appeared on screen.

It was a little high. If Gertie had been on Laura’s ward, she would have been monitored. Laura wrote the reading down in her notebook. ‘It’s a little high, so we’ll keep an eye on you.’

‘I’m fine, love. Just getting old,’ Gertie said.

‘Are you in pain?’

Gertie shook her head. ‘Never mind that. I need to ask you something. While we’re alone.’

‘Okay,’ Laura said. Had Gertie been about to tell her this before Hazel had burst in on them? She held her breath.

‘Promise me you’ll look after them. They need you.’

Laura blinked, then simply stared at Gertie. This wasn’t what she had been expecting to hear. ‘Who do you mean by them ?’ she asked.

‘Richard and Henry, of course.’ Gertie tutted.

Laura opened her mouth but had no idea what to say. Look after them — how ? Why did they need looking after? Most chilling of all was the realisation that Gertie wasn’t expecting to be around much longer. Did she mean if she had to go into hospital?

‘If you need to go to hospital then I’ll keep in touch with them for you. Of course, I will.’

Gertie shook her head several times. ‘No, no, you don’t understand. I mean when I’m no longer here. When I’m gone for good. Buried in the ground. He will need you. They both will.’ Gertie took hold of Laura’s hand and placed it against her cheek.

Laura’s throat closed up. She tried to swallow.

‘Promise me,’ Gertie said again.

This was a promise that Laura could never keep. How could she? She barely knew Richard. But she said yes. What else could she say?

* * *

On Saturday afternoon Richard stood under the colourful bunting hung across the school hall. He watched Henry as he chased a red-haired girl around the cake stall, narrowly missing Sandra, a fellow teacher, who was carrying a cup of tea in one hand and a slice of chocolate cake in the other.

‘Slow down, Henry,’ he shouted. ‘Keep away from the stalls.’

Henry ran over to his dad and the little girl ran off towards two women on the opposite side of the hall. All thoughts of playing with her new friend now forgotten.

Richard took his son’s hand. ‘Come on, let’s get a cake and drink, eh?’

Henry grinned and together they made their way to the drink-and-cake stall. The older children had done a wonderful job of setting up tables. Some of the kids were serving cups of juice and others were on rubbish duty.

Parents from the PTA and two Year Six students were running the cake-and-coffee stall, and they all greeted Richard and Henry with wide smiles.

‘Ooh, now what cake would you like, Henry?’ Mavis asked. Her twins were in Richard’s class.

‘Chocolate cake, please,’ Henry said.

‘I’ll have a slice too, please, plus a coffee and apple juice.’

‘Righto, take a seat and I’ll bring them over.’

Richard handed over a few pound coins and then led Henry over to an empty table.

He scanned the crowd for Megan’s face. She’d told him she would pop along. Jack was working so she said she’d be at a loose end. Plus, she could never refuse a gathering that included cake. And it was for a good cause, raising money for valuable school funds.

Mavis placed the tray on the table. ‘Here we go,’ she said.

‘Thank you,’ Henry and Richard said in unison.

They tucked into their chocolate cake, and it was when Richard picked up his coffee cup that he spotted Megan making her way towards them.

Richard put his cup down and waved.

Megan waved back.

‘Look who’s here, Henry,’ Richard said.

Henry turned his attention towards where Megan was, and he, too, waved. If he hadn’t been eating his cake, then he probably would have run towards her. ‘Auntie Megan!’ Megan walked towards Henry and offered him a high five.

Richard stood and kissed her cheek.

‘Chocolate cake?’ he asked.

Megan grinned. ‘As if you need to ask.’

An hour later they were still drinking coffee and eating cake. There appeared to be an endless supply of both. Henry played with some of the younger children in a corner of the hall set up with books, toys and colouring books, while the adults chatted.

‘So, did Hazel make that doctor’s appointment then?’ Megan asked, her eyebrows raised. She had obviously had doubts that Hazel would follow through on her promise.

‘Yes, she did. An appointment’s been made for Monday morning. I spoke to Hazel this morning.’

‘And how is Gertie?’

‘Still very tired. They were going to try to see if she’d sit downstairs for a little while. Have a change of scene. I’ll feel better when she’s seen the doctor on Monday.’

Megan nodded. ‘When I spoke to Laura yesterday, she told me she’d keep an eye on her today. She’s on the early shift.’

‘What do you make of her?’ Richard asked.

Megan’s eyes widened. ‘What exactly do you mean by that?’ she asked around a mouthful of chocolate cake.

Richard’s cheeks reddened slightly. He tripped over his words. ‘I just meant, well, to me she seems pretty confident, trustworthy. Is that the impression you got?’ He said all this without taking his eyes off Henry.

Megan studied his profile for a moment, failing to hide her smile.

‘I like her, if that’s what you’re asking. And, yes, she’s good at her job. I’m sure she’ll let you know if she has any concerns.’

Richard nodded several times in acknowledgement. ‘Good, that’s good.’

Megan laughed and thumped his arm. ‘Shall we get another slice of cake?’

* * *

Laura hadn’t planned on attending the coffee-and-cake event at the school. She was tired after her early shift and her thoughts kept drifting back to Gertie. Her words, the way she’d looked at Laura, pleading with her eyes to be believed.

Laura hadn’t asked for any of this. Her retreat to this sleepy village had been based upon the need for solitude. To get away from it all. To become invisible. But, slowly, Laura was becoming immersed in village life, in the workings of the home and in Gertie’s personal life. It hadn’t been the route she’d planned but she wasn’t sure how to stop it. Now, to make matters worse, she was standing at the entrance to the school hall, underneath the brightly coloured bunting, wondering if she should quickly pop in. It finished at four, so most people would have been and gone. But they’d be selling cake and she needed cheering up. So, she headed towards the stalls in search of a cup of coffee and cake.

To her surprise there were lots of people milling about.

When she was a few metres from the cake stall, she spotted Megan sitting at a table with little Henry. They were both laughing, sharing a joke. Laura felt instantly at ease. She could sit with them.

She slowly made her way towards them, but, as she got closer to the table, she noticed Richard was also walking towards them, carrying a tray laden with slices of cake and drinks.

Laura froze mid-stride.

Megan and Henry had seen her. They were now waving at her. She was committed. She couldn’t suddenly turn around and walk away. That would appear rude.

So, after a deep breath, she carried on walking towards them.

‘Hello,’ Megan said. ‘I didn’t think I’d see you here today.’

‘Well, to be honest, I was on my way home and as I had to walk past, I thought I’d pop in.’

Richard had now placed the tray on the table. ‘Would you like some cake? A cup of coffee?’ he asked.

‘I was just on my way over,’ Laura said, seeing her chance to escape. She couldn’t look at him. Gertie’s words kept replaying over and over in her mind. Her heart thumped in her chest.

‘Please let me,’ Richard said. ‘There’s only coffee cake left, though, I’m afraid.’

His eyes flickered over her face.

Laura dipped her head and started to fumble in her bag.

‘Don’t worry. I popped a note in earlier to cover our expenses. They owe me cake.’ He chuckled.

‘Thank you,’ Laura said, sinking down into the chair next to Megan.

Within minutes Richard was back, placing cake and coffee in front of her.

‘Thank you.’

Richard smiled as he sat down opposite her. Henry asked if he could play with his friend and Richard nodded, watching his son rush off before looking at Laura and clearing his throat. ‘So, how is Gertie today? I know she has a GP appointment for Monday.’

‘Well, I looked after her this morning. She seemed tired. I got her out of bed for a little bit, but we put her back in after lunch. She seemed more comfortable propped up in bed surrounded by her books.’ Laura had to be careful in what she told him.

Richard nodded. He held her gaze.

‘I’ll keep an eye on her. Linda will too. She’s on this afternoon,’ Laura added.

‘Ah, that’s good to know. I like her. She’s been there a few years now, I think,’ Richard said.

Laura pressed her lips together. Should she mention her concerns? That Gertie wasn’t telling the whole truth? That she was hiding something? That she had her own concerns about his gran’s health?

Richard put down his cup and tilted his head to the left. ‘What aren’t you telling me?’

Laura sighed. She had to tell him. To hell with the consequences. ‘I just get the feeling that she’s hiding something. She seems to be in pain but won’t tell me. I don’t know. I don’t really know her that well. Maybe she’ll tell you.’

Richard shook his head. ‘I am the last person she would tell. She never complains. Never has and she won’t start now. But I think she’ll tell you.’ He had a sip of his coffee. ‘She hasn’t stopped talking about you.’

Laura felt a flush of heat in her cheeks. ‘I’ll try to talk to her again,’ she said.

‘Thank you,’ Richard said with a nod of his head.

Henry ran back to the table, shrieking. ‘Daddy, I need the toilet.’

‘Okay, let’s go.’ Richard stood up and guided Henry around the tables and into the corridor.

‘You okay?’ Megan asked Laura once Richard was a safe distance away.

‘Me? Yes, I’m fine.’

Megan offered a slow smile and raised an eyebrow.

Laura picked up her coffee. Whatever Megan was thinking, she was completely wrong. Completely and utterly wrong.