Page 127 of Tears of Gold

It’s over.

I sob quietly and she pats me on the arm again. “I’ll go and get Mr Fairclough.”

I can’t answer. I just let the tears wash everything away one final time.

Later, Eli lets us into Chesham Place. The baby has been monitored for hours. She or he is fine and as snug as a bug in the protective layers of my tummy.

I walk in through the door and for the first time I know I’m truly coming home. Miss Beesley runs out of the kitchen and catches me in a tight embrace. Another hug to add to the ever-growing list.

There’s a flicker of a movement behind her and Abs joins us. She’s crying and it sets Miss Beesley off.

“Bloody hell, Faith.” Abi squeezes me tight. “Shit, if anything happened to you, I don’t know what I would do.”

“You’d be lonely and have no one to constantly moan at.”

“See, you get me. I’d be lost.”

Tabitha comes out of the sitting room.

“Bloody hell, it’s like you guys are gathering for a funeral or something.”

“Sister sledge, what are you doing to us?”

I shake my head at the nickname Jeremy seems to have made stick. Aren’t Sister Sledge some pop band from the monstrous depths of time? I’ll need to investigate.

My mouth falls open as Jennifer comes to the doorway of the sitting room. "I thought you could do with a mother.”

I refuse to let one more single tear drop. It’s not happening. Never. I nod, simple and direct and she smiles, those blues her son inherited shining.

“Right you lot, back off. Faith needs to rest.” Eli elbows me through my little familial crowd.

“I haven’t got time to rest.” I say. “I’ve got a TV show to prepare f—” my words die off and I glance down at my bandaged hands.

“Shit, Faith.” Abi picks up one of my bandaged hands.

“My right hand has been splintered; not just the fingers but the entire thing. The complicated small bones that run through my palm have been smashed. On my left most of my fingers are broken with clean breaks.” I try to keep my voice light. “But it’s the right hand that’s the problem. They don’t know if they will be able to fuse them back together and if they do how much strength I will have. I spoke to the specialist at the hospital. In normal circumstances they’d be operating and inserting small pins.”

“But they can’t, because of the baby.” Abi finishes for me.

“No, they can’t.”

I smile at them all. “It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s just how this is meant to be.”

I can feel the weight of the blues on my face and I meet his gaze full on. “This is how it’s meant to be.”

Twenty-Nine

“This place looks like a florist’s.” Eli grumbles as he tries to edge around a large vase full of the most extravagant display of flowers I’ve ever seen. “Are any of these flowers going to go into the compost soon?”

I glance up from the magazine on my lap. “Those are from Whitlocks. They were bigger than Damien when he carried them in. Anyway, what are you moaning about, it’s only been a couple of weeks.”

“What are you looking at?’ Eli sits on the sofa and lifts my legs, placing them over his lap, his fingers drifting to my feet which he begins to massage.

“Wedding dresses.”

“Oh really? Has my mother been leaving bridal magazines all over the house again?”

I snigger. “Just a couple.”