Unveiled

‘Miller would look delicious in a sack.’ She smiles and reaches for my hand, squeezing it in hers. It’s a comforting squeeze, which is crazy, given who’s the sick one here, but it also abruptly makes me wonder what Nan knows. ‘How are you, sweetheart?’

‘Fine.’ I don’t know what else to say, or what I should say. Need to know and all that, but does she really need to know now? I need to speak to William.

‘Hmmm . . .’ She eyes me suspiciously, and I shift on the bed, refusing to meet her stare.

I need to change the direction of conversation. ‘Didn’t you prefer the private room?’

‘Don’t you start!’ She drops my hand and sits back in her chair, taking the remote and pointing it at the TV. The screen goes blank. ‘Being stuffed in that room was sending me crackers!’

I glance around at the other beds on a slight smile, thinking Nan’s probably been sending these poor folks crackers. And the nurse definitely looked like she’d had her fill. ‘How are you feeling?’ I ask, finding her seated form again, seeing her fiddling with the lines in her arm. ‘Leave them!’

Her palms slap the arms of the chair on a huff. ‘I’m bored!’ she squawks. ‘The food is crap, and they’re making me piddle in a pot.’

I chuckle, knowing her cherished dignity is being seriously compromised and she’s evidently not happy about it. ‘Do as you’re told,’ I warn. ‘You’re here for a reason.’

‘A mild flutter of my heart, that’s all.’

‘You make it sound like you’ve been on a date!’ I laugh.

‘Tell me about New York.’

My laughter is sucked up in a second and I’m back to fidgeting awkwardly as I search my brain for anything to say. Nothing is coming to me.

‘I asked you to tell me about New York, Olivia,’ she says soothingly, and I chance a glance at her, finding a face to match her tone. ‘Not how you came to be there.’

My lips must be white from the force of them pressed together in an attempt to stop my emotion from gushing out on a sob. I couldn’t love this woman any more. ‘I missed you so much.’ My voice is ragged, and I let her pull me into a hug when she reaches for me.

‘Darling girl, I missed you terribly.’ She sighs, holding me to her squidgy body. ‘Although I was kept busy feeding three strapping men.’

I frown into her bosom. ‘Three?’

‘Yes.’ Nan lets me free from her embrace and brushes my blonde mane from my face. ‘George, Gregory, and William.’

‘Oooh,’ I breathe, visions of all three men gathered around Nan’s dinner table, tucking into some hearty meals, crawling all over my mind. How cosy. ‘You’ve been feeding William?’

‘Yes.’ She shows complete indifference with a flap of her wrinkled hand. ‘I’ve been looking after all of them.’

Despite my growing concern at the news that Nan and William have evidently been keeping cosy company, I smile. While Nan’s slightly delusional mind thinks she’s the one who’s been looking after them, I know different. William said he’d take care of her, but even if he wasn’t in the picture, I know Gregory and George would do a fine job. But my smile soon recedes when I remember where we are. In a hospital. Because Nan’s had a heart attack.

‘Time’s up.’ Miller’s soft voice pulls my attention, and I watch as his eyes dull from the lovely, relaxed twinkle into concern.

He gives me a questioning look, which I ignore, shaking my head a little and standing. ‘We’re being booted out,’ I say, leaning down to hug Nan.

She embraces me hard, squeezing some of my guilt away. She knows I’ll blame myself. ‘Smuggle me out with you.’

‘Don’t be silly.’ I remain where I am, surrounded by Nan, until she’s the one to break our clinch. ‘Please, be a good girl for the doctors.’

‘Yes,’ Miller interjects, stepping forward and kneeling down next to me to get level with Nan. ‘I’ve been craving beef Wellington, and I know no other who can make it like you, Josephine.’

Nan visibly turns to mush in her chair, and happiness sails through me. She cups Miller’s shadowed cheek and moves in, getting almost nose to nose with him. He doesn’t shy away. In fact, he welcomes her tender gesture, placing his hand over hers while she feels him.

I just watch in wonder as they share a private moment in the openness of the ward, everything around them seeming to pale into insignificance as a million words are passed between their locked eyes.

‘Thank you for taking care of my baby,’ Nan whispers, so quietly I almost don’t hear.

I’m biting my lip again as Miller takes her hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing the back tenderly. ‘Until there is no breath left in my lungs, Mrs Taylor.’

Chapter 7

I settle in the back of William’s car, feeling like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. There are a million other burdens that should have me crumbling under their pressure, but I can’t think past the elation of seeing with my own eyes that Nan is OK.

‘My place, please, Ted,’ Miller says, reaching over to me. ‘Come here.’

I ignore his outstretched hand. ‘I want to go home.’

Ted pulls into traffic, and I catch him glimpsing in the rearview mirror, that fond smile gracing his friendly, rugged face. I narrow suspicious eyes on him briefly, even though he’s no longer looking at me, then return my attention to Miller. He’s watching me thoughtfully, his hand still hovering between us. ‘I’m being intuitive here, and I’m going to suggest that when you say “home”, you don’t mean my place.’ His hand drops to the seat.