The Right Time (43 page)

Evie couldn't bear to contemplate it. Liz had to put the worst-case scenario to Emma to frighten her into action. Emma could not possibly die from a mole on her back, that would be so . . . pointless, wouldn't it? Not that there was anything stopping people from dying pointless deaths. It happened all the time.

No, she wasn't even going to think about that. Emma would
come around, she was just in shock, and surely Blake would talk some sense into her? Surely she would listen to him?

Evie supposed she should call Craig, let him know she was home earlier than expected. She was going to have to tell him about Emma, but she was reluctant. This was the kind of thing that would brush everything else under the carpet. But she was going to have to tell him eventually; she had to be available for Emma, so he was going to have to step up and take over with the kids. She was not going to accommodate him this time. She walked over to the phone in the kitchen, but then she stopped, her hand on the receiver, unable to pick it up.

She turned away and strode out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom. She changed into her walking gear, laced up her shoes and picked up her hoodie. Downstairs she found the torch she kept in the hall cupboard. She'd never walked at night before, a torch was probably a good idea. She pulled on the hoodie and zipped it up, grabbed her keys and walked out through the front door, closing it behind her.

Ellen had made it to Finn's place without incident; he had given her clear directions and it wasn't hard to find. She just had to stay on the main road around the corner from his garage, all the way till she turned off into his street in Abbotsford. She parked out the front and climbed out of the car, peering up at the house. It was a charming little single-fronted weatherboard cottage, very neat and tidy; at least it appeared to be in the half-light of the street lamps. She walked up to the gate where a pebble path led to the front porch, flanked on either side by a clipped hedge. She had to admit she was a little surprised: somewhere in the back of her mind she'd imagined Finn living in an old fibro house with a great big yard full of old cars and spare parts and tyres. She could hear her sisters crying, ‘Snob!' Maybe they were right.

Just then the front door opened. ‘Hey,' Finn said, backlit by the light inside so that he was in silhouette. ‘I thought I heard a car.'

Ellen just gazed up at him, and all the sadness and fear and turmoil she'd been suppressing all day rose up, threatening to engulf her.

‘Are you okay?' he asked, stepping down off the threshold.

Ellen pushed through the gate and up the path to the steps, straight into his arms, where she collapsed into tears. She buried her face in his chest and he held her tight. ‘It's okay, it's going to be okay,' he kept saying in a low voice, close to her ear. Eventually he drew her inside the house, closing the door behind them.

‘You're freezing, Ellen,' he said, taking her hands in his and rubbing them. ‘Didn't you have a jacket or something warm?'

She shook her head. It had been one of those four-seasons-in-one spring days, quite balmy when she'd left the house this morning, but the wind had come up and it was getting chilly now. She hadn't even thought to turn the heater on in the car, her mind had been on other things.

Finn was rubbing her arms now. ‘Are you hungry, do you want something to eat?'

‘No,' she said wearily.

‘You look wrecked. Come in here and lie down for a while, let's warm you up.'

Ellen let him lead her into the bedroom off the hall. He threw back the doona and she dropped gratefully onto the bed, utterly drained. Finn took her shoes off her feet, then he climbed onto the bed behind her and covered them both with the doona, spooning into her back. His body was warm, the doona cosy; Ellen felt as though she was enclosed in a cocoon.

‘Do you want to talk about it?' Finn said after a while.

‘Hm . . .' she murmured. ‘Emma's refusing to have follow-up tests or any treatment until after the honeymoon. Liz said that's too long to wait.'

‘Why won't she listen to her? Liz is the doctor, isn't she?'

‘She thinks we're just trying to sabotage her wedding because we're jealous.'

‘Seriously?'

‘It's my fault. Oh, we're all to blame in our different ways. But I never made it a secret that I thought she was frivolous, that what I did was so much more important, shaping young minds and all. And I had children of my own as well. What had she brought to the world?'

‘That's not why this happened, Ellen.'

‘Maybe not, but if it's even part of the reason she's reacting this way, I'll never forgive myself. The longer she waits, the greater the chance the cancer will spread, and Liz said when melanoma metastasises it's terminal.'

‘You can't blame yourself.'

‘I've just been wondering though,' Ellen murmured, ‘the whole way here, how can I ever have treated her life as less important?'

Her voice caught in her throat, and Finn held her close as she wept quietly, until finally, overcome with exhaustion and grief, she drifted off to sleep.

As Evie approached the house, after walking for nearly an hour, she saw Craig's car parked next to hers in the driveway. Bugger. She hadn't thought about that, that he might get home before her. This would set him off.

She took a deep breath and walked determinedly up to the house, using her key to let herself in through the door.

‘Evie, is that you?' he said, coming into the hall. ‘Where the hell have you been?'

She put the torch down on the hall table. ‘I went for a walk,' she said calmly.

‘What the . . .?' he said. ‘At this time of night? I've been worried out of my mind. Your car's here, and your phone's here, but you're nowhere to be found.'

‘I needed to clear my head,' she said, unzipping her hoodie without meeting his eyes. ‘Are the kids still awake?' she said, heading for the stairs.

He grabbed her arm. She stopped, looking down at his hand and then back up at him, her expression defiant. He released her.

‘Emma has a melanoma,' Evie said, lowering her voice.

‘What?'

‘She has skin cancer. It's serious. So I needed to clear my head,' she repeated the words slowly and firmly.

He was just staring at her. ‘Is she . . . are you all right?'

‘I'm going up to see the kids,' she said, turning away and walking up the stairs.

‘Ellen . . . Ellen . . .'

It was Finn, nudging her gently. Her brain slowly clicked into gear, and then she jumped, startled. ‘What is it? What's happened?' she said urgently, scrambling to sit up.

‘It's okay,' he said. ‘Your phone was ringing. By the time I found it in your bag, it had stopped,' he said, handing it to her.

Ellen flipped it open, but she couldn't see clearly. Her eyes were still bleary from sleep, and the room was dark. ‘What time is it?' she said, squinting at the screen.

‘It's quarter to seven,' he said, reaching for the cord of the blind behind the bed and twisting it so that light slanted into the room.

Ellen blinked as her eyes adjusted. Finn was already dressed for work, she noticed. She looked down at the screen of her phone again, checking the missed call. It was from Liz. She pressed to call back, bringing the phone to her ear.

‘Who was it?' he asked.

‘Liz,' she said, pushing back the covers. Finn moved out of her way as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

‘Hi, it's me,' she said when Liz answered.

‘I've spent the night with Emma. Blake left her.'

‘What?'

‘Blake's gone,' Liz said. ‘He walked out on her last night.'

‘Oh my God, how's Emma?' She felt Finn's hand come to rest on her back.

‘She's a mess, but she's prepared to go through with the tests. She's getting ready now, and then I'll take her to the hospital. Can you meet us there?'

‘Yeah, of course,' she said, standing up, her head foggy. ‘I have to change, and . . .'

‘Take your time, no hurry,' said Liz. ‘It's going to be a long day.'

‘Okay, I'll see you as soon as I can get there.' She hung up the phone, spotting her shoes on the floor. She bent down to put them on.

‘What's going on?' Finn asked, still sitting on the bed, watching her.

‘Emma's agreed to have the tests,' she explained. ‘I have to get to the hospital.'

‘I made you tea,' he said, reaching for the cup on the bedside table.

‘Sorry, I don't have time,' said Ellen. ‘I'm going to have to go home first and shower and change, I've been in these clothes since yesterday morning.'

‘I was going to make you some breakfast,' said Finn, getting to his feet.

‘Thanks, but I really don't have time,' she repeated, looking around. ‘Where's my bag?'

‘It's out in the hall.'

Ellen dashed past him out of the room and picked up her bag from the floor, rummaging for her keys. She felt his hand on her shoulder.

‘Ellen, promise me you'll eat,' he said. ‘You're going to need something in your stomach.'

‘Hm,' she said distractedly as she felt for her keys.

‘Listen, I have to go into work, at least open up,' he said. ‘I couldn't get onto Dave. But I could meet you at the hospital later.'

She looked up at him. ‘Why would you do that?'

He shrugged. ‘I don't know, for support.'

‘That's not necessary, Finn.'

‘I know it's not necessary, Ellen, I just want to . . . be there for you, I guess.'

‘Look, I'll be with my sisters, we have each other, I'll be fine,' she said, hooking her bag over her shoulder.

‘Okay,' he said, considering her. ‘Whatever you want.'

He opened the door for her and stood back as she ducked out past him.

‘Call me later?' he said as she stepped off the threshold.

She glanced back. ‘I'll try.'

Evie hung up the phone and took a moment to catch her breath, blinking back tears. Poor Emma. And
damn
Blake to hell. She composed herself and then walked back out to the kitchen, where everyone was still eating breakfast.

‘Craig, can I see you out here for a minute?' she said.

‘I come too, Mummy?' said Cody, scrambling to get off his chair.

‘No, honey. Finish your breakfast.'

‘But I finshed orready.'

‘Cody,' Craig said firmly, ‘do as your mother says. We'll only be a minute.'

He followed her through the laundry and out the back door. Evie turned around to face him.

‘Was that Emma on the phone?' he asked.

‘No, it was Liz. She's taking Emma to the hospital. I have to meet them there, so you're going to have to mind the kids.'

‘Yeah, sure.'

‘I don't know how long I'll be, probably all day.'

‘That's fine, take all the time you need, I'll handle things here.' He took a step towards her but she backed away. ‘Evie, let's not keep this up now.'

‘Craig,' she said, ‘it's not going to go away because of this. We're going to have to deal with what happened, but now is not the time.'

He nodded. ‘I know that. But –'

‘Just do as I ask,' she said. ‘And don't say anything to the kids. I'm just helping Aunty Emma with the wedding, okay?'

Craig looked at her, frowning. ‘Is there still going to be a wedding?'

Evie felt a lump in her throat. ‘I don't know what's going to happen,' she said, her voice wavering. ‘For now we just have to get her through this.'

‘Evie . . .'

‘I have to get going,' she said, walking past him back to the door.

‘Evie,' he said again.

She turned around to look at him.

‘Tell Emma . . .'

‘I will,' she said, and she opened the door and went inside.