The Braille Club (The Braille Club #1) (21 page)

Chapter 37

THE BRAILLE CLUB

Braille Club, London, Present Day: Elysian members are notified by text if they have achieved Patron or Assignee of the Month. It is sent after the month’s times have been calculated; egos are boosted by the text’s arrival or dented by its absence. Their reward, unless preferences prevail, is a paired session with one another…for the ultimate Braille experience.

Abbey

Abbey felt like she was walking through a dense fog as she made her way to Steve’s ward, Olivia by her side. Betrayal was heavy on her mind and heart. She wondered what people saw when they looked at her. The girl who had everything…pain bit even harder into her. Why had she given him another chance? Why had she exposed herself again to this excruciating pain? God, she hated him right now.

Why had she not realized what he was up to? She didn’t want to stoop to going through his phone and checking his email, but of course, she had done it. He had left his phone out knowing it was clean and knowing that was exactly what she would do. She hadn’t thought he could be so devious. It wasn’t the phone in plain sight that was the problem. As soon as she entered the ward, the nurse stood up and approached her.

“Mrs. Marshall, I’ll page doctor now.”

“What’s happened?” Abbey’s voice sounded harsh and bitter.

“Er…your husband’s condition has…”

“Mrs. Marshall.”

Abbey turned to see the kind doctor she had spoken to yesterday and knew by his face, by his eyes, that it was serious.

“We need to talk, please.” He indicated the room with seats and Abbey took Olivia for support as she followed him in.

“I’m so very sorry, Mrs. Marshall, we have been trying to contact you.”

“Abbey, please call me Abbey,” she whispered, trying to delay what was coming. Abbey looked into his caring eyes as the tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“Your husband’s condition has deteriorated, I’m afraid; he has suffered another haemorrhage. We’ve stabilized him for now, on life support, but the bleed was significant. I have the results of the brain scan here.”

He held up the film of Steve’s brain, explaining that what appeared to be white was in fact blood. There was no hope of recovery; no brain activity…Steve was gone. The full gravity of the doctor’s words hadn’t got through to Abbey. She could deal with the bitches and the media; it was the doctor’s kindness that undid her, pierced her heart like a knife through butter as she started to sob uncontrollably, his hand on her shoulder, while the kind nurse giving her tissues only made her cry harder. In fact, it was Olivia’s voice that calmed her.

“Abbey, Abbey, come on. You need to see Steve,” she said sharply. She thrust more tissue into Abbey’s hand. “Dry your face. Come on, you need to do this,” came her no-nonsense voice.

Abbey’s sobs were inhuman as she lifted her grief-stricken eyes to Olivia.

“I’ll come with you, let’s go now.”

Abbey nodded slowly.

“Go into the loo and splash some water on your face, you’ll feel better.” Olivia’s voice never wavered, although inside she too was shaken to her core.

Abbey rose slowly as the nurse steered her towards the toilet. The doctor turned to Olivia with genuine respect in his eyes.

“You handled that well, thank you.”

She wasn’t totally immune as she brushed angrily at her own tears.

“My job is crisis management,” Olivia sighed. “Dealing with divas and their egos, although that’s not Abbey. She’s my exception. I couldn’t do your job. I only survive because I don’t care about the people I work with, whereas…you must.”

The doctor nodded at Olivia before smiling sadly. Abbey shuffled back, her face washed but ravaged, and together they walked slowly to Steve’s room. The monitors seemed obscenely loud as they entered the otherwise silent room.

“Is there nothing else you can do?” said Abbey brokenly as she approached Steve. He appeared smaller, diminished somehow, but otherwise his handsome face was smooth and untroubled, like he was asleep.

“We are sure, Abbey,” said the doctor gently. “This is the time to call family, to say your goodbyes, before the life support is switched…”

Abbey dropped to the floor like a stone, as both Olivia and the doctor rushed to her side. When she came round, it was to see her brother Mark’s worried face, and then her parents. Olivia had called them earlier when she couldn’t get hold of Abbey and told them what was happening. They were deeply shocked, but promised to be at the hospital as soon as possible, and they hadn’t let her down.

For that first second of awareness, she felt totally free before reality came crashing in on her, and she gasped, trying to sit up.

“Abbey, take your time,” said Mark, his commanding voice stilling Abbey, and she lay back down again. The tears started again. Too exhausted to wipe them away, she let them roll down her face. Her dad came up and gathered her into his arms, hugging her tight as her body shook with sobs of despair.

“Abbey sshhhhh. You’ve got to be a very brave girl now. The doctors are asking about Steve being a donor, do you know if he wanted that?”

“I’m not sure,” said Abbey truthfully. “We never discussed it, but I think he’d want to.”

“Right, I’ll let them know. I’ve got you some tea and sandwiches, and I want you to eat all of them, okay?” Mark held her gaze, and Abbey nodded meekly.

“When you feel strong enough, we’ll all go back to Steve’s room.”

Taking a deep breath, Olivia broached the subject of Steve’s parents, making a decision to be completely truthful.

“Abbey, I’ve spoken to Liz, as you can imagine she was hysterical, but then she was very drunk…”

“What, in the morning?” said Abbey shocked.

“Yes, I’m afraid so. I called back, and Kenny answered. He had no idea what I was talking about. Can you believe Liz hadn’t told him? He woke her, but she didn’t remember our conversation. Anyway they know the situation, and it’s up to them now. Kenny said he’d call me back.”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” asked her mum reproachfully.

Abbey thought about Steve’s mobile and finding out about the affair and now this…switching off his life support.

Abbey’s voice wobbled. “Everything happened so fast, Mum; my phone was flat, Steve’s deterioration. Thank God Olivia was here, or I’m not sure how I’d have coped.”

Olivia’s phone started to buzz and she quickly stepped out and answered it in hushed tones.

She came back into the room some ten minutes later, glad to see Abbey had finished eating and had slightly more colour in her face. A little later, a nurse came and spoke with Abbey.

“I think we should proceed, the doctors are waiting,” she said sadly. The group moved silently back into Steve’s room, where one by one they said their goodbyes until it was just Abbey and Olivia.

“Did you speak to them?”

“Yes…I’m not sure they’re coming; I’m sorry. Kenny wasn’t making much sense, either. I explained about the life support, but he just kept shouting at me, maybe he was drunk too,” sighed Olivia, rubbing her tired eyes.

“Okay,” said Abbey. “Let me call them. I need to let the doctors know what’s happening.”

“Sky News has the story, Abbey; I called in a lot of favours, but I couldn’t keep it under wraps forever, it will be headline news by now.”

“Yes, of course, I understand.”

“My team, along with Steve’s people, will deal with as much as we can for you; the club, his teammates, his fans, but his parents are the unknown quantity here. They will need careful handling, Abbey. The trick is not to antagonize them. We must tread carefully and take legal advice. I need to make some calls,” said Olivia, taking her phone out of her bag.

“Can you let the doctors know we need to delay?” Abbey sighed. “I’ll give Liz and Kenny twenty-four hours to get here, Olivia; I’ll make it crystal clear to them.”

Olivia nodded as she left Abbey alone with Steve.

She laid her head on the bed, saying her goodbyes, her head full of good memories like their wedding day, their career triumphs, and their wonderful holidays. Gathering all her strength she called Liz’s mobile; it went straight to voicemail, so she left a short but urgent message for Liz to call her. She tried Kenny next and again it went straight to voicemail. Dread and relief surged through her. They must be on the plane, what other reason would there be to switch their phones off?

Exhausted, Abbey slumped down on the chair as she heard a gentle knock on the door. It was Doctor Lewis, and she explained about Steve’s parents flying in from Spain. Her mum and dad came into the room next, with more tea and biscuits, followed by Mark. She quickly brought them up to speed with what was happening while her brain struggled to get to grips with the fact that Steve was gone. He would never open his eyes or smile at her again. The warm body in the bed would be gone in a day, as soon as she switched off the machines that were keeping him alive.

She shuddered; she wanted to run away, her life felt like a nightmare. Even Steve’s latest betrayal seemed to recede in her mind as she remembered how they’d met through mutual friends. She hadn’t even known who he was; that had annoyed him. He had stood patiently explaining who he played for and what a big star he was. Football didn’t interest her in the slightest, so she had remained unimpressed. Steve knew her though, which was a surprise, and she was flattered he had followed her career. Although attracted to him, she thought he was full of himself. She also discovered he had a bit of a reputation as a ladies’ man.

She declined his invitation to dinner, but he just wouldn’t give up, bombarding her daily with calls, texts, and flowers. He had wooed her with passionate determination, and she had succumbed to his pursuit. Those first eighteen months were the happiest of her life, as was her wedding day. She didn’t think about the rest, how the story of his first affair broke a few weeks after their anniversary. Four hours had passed since she had last called Liz and Kenny and still no news. She picked up her mobile and dialled Liz’s number, sighing in frustration as the voicemail clicked in. Were they delayed? God, this was torture, she was exhausted and just wanted to sleep, but how could she?

Abbey and her family waited all day and through the night for Liz and Kenny’s arrival. It was Olivia’s return to the hospital the next morning that changed everything. She’d put a colleague on a flight. The scene that had met her employee was that of chaos. Liz and Kenny were not packing to dash to their dying son’s bedside. They were both drunk and screaming abuse at each other. They refused to leave their villa, and in fact refused to let her colleague into the house. Told her to ‘fuck off’ or they’d get the police.

Abbey felt calmness come over her as she asked to be alone with Steve. She poured out her heart to him as she cried, telling him how much she had loved him and how afraid she felt until she had nothing left to say. She dried her tears and left the room to search for a nurse. Dr. Lewis, her family, and two nurses attended as the ventilator was switched off, and Steve slipped away. It was the saddest day of Abbey’s life, but it was dignified. Steve would have been grateful for that.

Chapter 38

THE BRAILLE CLUB

Braille Club, London, Present Day: Her dainty body clipped into the chair, her distinctive Aussie twang falls silent as she stops talking to herself and slips the hood over her head. She can feel the air change as the bells ring, and a powerful presence enters the room. Her heart is thumping wildly as she realises she has just handed herself over to a complete stranger.

Gabriella

Gabriella awoke
with a feeling of intense pleasure. Her mind focused on the friend that had made it all possible, Alexis. This was her way of thanking Gabriella for saving her life. The killer she willingly invited into her life was alcohol. Alexis and Gabriella went back a long way and met whilst working in the airlines. It had seemed so innocent at first. Meeting up for drinks with the rest of the cabin crew after their shift finished was almost mandatory.

Alexis was always there till the end, always the one left standing alone at the bar. The young cabin crew was like one big family, and they covered for Alexis in the beginning. But her drinking got worse; it started to affect her job, then Gabriella met Max.

Alexis was sacked for being drunk. By the time Gabriella realised, she was in a bad way. Climbing through a window in her flat when Alexis didn’t answer the door, she found her collapsed, unrecognisable. Skin and bone, but alive. The doctors said they had never seen such a severe case. Together, family and friends helped Alexis recover. Her brother, Guy, a serving police officer back then was her rock. Alexis hadn’t wanted to see him or his disappointment, but he came anyway, showing her nothing but support and compassion, they all had. Guy had made the membership happen and she would be forever in his debt.

Max was not in the bed beside her, but she knew where he was. The delicious smell of bacon was wafting up from downstairs. She followed the smells into the kitchen where Max had set the table, complete with fresh flowers. Wonderful music filled the room from the Bang & Olufsen wall mounted radio, and Max was humming along. Gabriella wanted to pinch herself; she felt she was in a dream. Sated and contented, happiness bubbled out of her. Max turned as she padded towards him, his eyes alive and twinkling, a huge smile on his lips.

“Morning. Are you hungry?” he enquired.

Gabriella nodded; she was ravenous, and sat at the table, her mouth salivating at the plate of food in front of her. Picking up her knife and fork, she waited until Max sat with his own plate of food before eating with relish. They didn't speak until both plates were empty, and they had refilled their coffee cups. They were grinning at each other like teenagers as Gabriella reached across the table and squeezed Max’s hand.

“I want you to tell me everything you know about The Braille Club,” said Max, smiling. “How did you hear about it?”

Gabriella smiled as she got up from the table and walked around to Max. “I will tell you everything I know, which isn’t much, to be honest. But I cannot reveal who recommended it to me; it’s just the way it works.”

“But I’m a member too, and I’m your husband; why can’t you tell me?” he asked.

Gabriella shrugged. “I gave my word they would remain anonymous, but I can tell you everything else I know.”

She reached down and stroked her husband’s cheek and he pulled her onto his lap. He held her as she placed soft kisses on his neck before taking her head in his hands and kissing her. The kiss was light at first but deepened quickly as their passion for each other grew. They pulled apart, gasping. Gabriella was naked below her gown and Max could see her hardened nipples strain against the fine fabric. He felt his own stirrings with joy and although not a religious man, he thanked whatever God had made this possible. He sighed as he felt Gabriella’s hands slip beneath his robe, and lost himself in the wondrous sensations. Sensations he thought lost to him. She was slow and gentle with her caresses, still unsure of her husband’s response. He tilted her chin towards him and kissed her deeply. Their caresses became more urgent, and without thinking, Gabriella straddled Max, pushing him deep inside her. They grinned as they both climaxed quickly.

Gabriella slowly got off her husband’s lap and turned in wonderment to look at Max, pure love burning brightly in her eyes. She excused herself to go to the bathroom, where her wobbly emotions grew in intensity. Gripping the sink, she felt the first sob rip through her, and it was like a dam had burst. She howled as the pain of the last year finally left her. She couldn’t stop even when she felt his arms holding her, hushing her; it only made her cry harder. She had missed him so much, had never stopped loving him, wanting him. The rejection had almost killed her both mentally and physically. This body she now owned, honed and toned to perfection, was because of Max. She thought if she was always at her best then it wasn’t her repulsive body that he didn’t want. She had what she needed and wanted…her husband…and now seemed strangely lost, as her mind reeled with this new information. Hiccupping and sniffing as her tears slowly stopped, she let Max guide her to the sofa and sit her down gently. He poured them both a brandy and handed it to her.

“Sip it,” he said hoarsely.

His eyes red, Gabriella could tell he’d been crying too.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” he murmured. “Gabriella, you did nothing wrong…it was me…I didn’t want to consider I had a problem. I didn’t understand it, couldn’t control what was happening or what…wasn’t happening. I took making love to my wife for granted, and when it was taken from me I was shocked. I should have talked to you, but I kept thinking it would rectify itself, but it didn’t, and I got so angry with everything and everyone. Every time you approached me I would cringe. The pressure and expectation of your touch made me feel so cornered. It was easier to stay away on business; it was easier to pick a fight than let you get close to me.” Tears coursed down Max’s face. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Gabriella nodded and squeezed her husband’s hand, willing him to continue. “You wanted me to see a specialist, but I didn’t have the heart to tell you I already had. It didn’t appear to be a medical problem, more a mental block, they said. I was furious with them; I wanted a cure, and they put the blame firmly at my door. They recommended numerous therapies and support groups, couples therapy, sex therapy, and holistic remedies. I tried some of them, but it just seemed to make me angrier as I still couldn't make love to you. Eventually, I stopped going, and you stopped wanting me…”

“I didn’t, I always wanted you,” hiccupped Gabriella.

Max sighed. “I got very depressed, and it’s only through your love and support that I’ve gotten better. I owe everything to you and a new doctor I found. Between the two of you, I’ve steadily recovered. I wanted so much to touch you, but I’d lost all my confidence. It was easier just to build on our friendship than to risk another physical encounter going wrong. We were beginning to recover, and I could sense your happiness. We were both more relaxed with each other, and at least the fighting and recriminations had stopped. I was so frightened you’d leave me, while knowing you had every right to. I didn’t recognise the person I was turning into and if I hadn’t found Dr. Knowles, then I dread to think what would have happened,” said Max, shuddering.

“Max, I don’t care about the past. All I want is a future together. Promise you’ll never shut me out again?” said Gabriella shakily.

“Yes…oh yes, you are everything to me, Gabriella, and I want to prove it to you. Will you marry me again? I want to renew our vows with the boys as our witnesses.”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, Max. Where is this all coming from?” said Gabriella, a big smile spreading across her face.

Max got down on one knee.

“Gabriella, will you marry me?” Max’s worried face melted Gabriella’s heart.

“Yes, yes of course I'll marry you…again.” She laughed. “I love you, always have and always will.” She smiled, pulling him to his feet and hugging him tight.

Max had a broad grin on his normally grave face that made Gabriella laugh again.

“Gabriella, I’m not sure how my experience at The Braille Club helped, but it did. I can’t stop thinking about it. One minute I was feeling the usual tension, the usual dread, and then somehow I started to relax. The smell, the ambience, and then you made me close my eyes, and it was like…it was like before…it was magical.” Max was blushing now, lost in the memory. “It felt so strange. I started to feel something, really feel something, and I thought it was a dream, but my God it’s real, Gabriella. You made it happen.”

Max grabbed her hand. “Tell me everything about Braille.”

Laughing, Gabriella explained about the membership, the sensory lessons, Elysian and the various other zones. Max sat listening with rapt attention, only interrupting to clarify details. What Gabriella did not share with her husband was that Guy had bent the rules for them. Allowing Max’s membership to be a surprise was a first, and letting her speak to Max to relax him broke a Braille commandment; she couldn’t have done it without his help. She would be forever in his debt, but was sworn to secrecy.

“I want to book into these sensory lessons as soon as possible.”

Gabriella laughed again at her husband’s excitement. “Okay, that’s easy to organise, but as I said, I’ve already had mine so you'll need to go it alone.” Max looked disappointed, and Gabriella smiled again. “We can book in together later this week if you want.”

“I want,” said Max, taking his wife in his arms. “I want to, but only with you.” His eyes were serious now.

“Of course it’s just us,” said Gabriella indignantly.

Max’s eyes twinkled again. “Well, what are you waiting for, Mrs. Ballantyne? Get it booked.” He kissed her. Gabriella walked through to the study, located her membership card, and lifted the phone and dialled. The call connected within a few rings…

“Good morning and welcome to Elysian. How may I help you?” came the efficient young voice.

“Good morning, I’d like to make a booking.”

Gabriella was desperate to contact Guy; she wanted to thank him over and over again for saving her marriage.