Whispers (35 page)

‘Feel free,’ Jess laughed and promptly gave her the information she had asked for before standing up. ‘Right – I’d better get back else the girls will wonder where I’ve disappeared to,’ she said. ‘Planning anything special for New Year’s Eve, are you?’

‘No, just a quiet night in with a bottle of wine and the TV.’

‘Same here,’ Jess told her, and minutes later she was on her way back up the sweeping drive. There had been a severe frost the night before and the trees looked pretty with it glistening on their bare branches. She paused to watch a rabbit hopping across the frozen grass before proceeding at a leisurely pace. It was moments like this that made her glad to be alive and to count her blessings – particularly after what had happened the day before. Jess knew that it would be a very long time before she felt confident driving the car again, even though Simon had assured her that it was now as safe as houses.

Pushing the gloomy thoughts aside, she moved on, determined to hold on to her optimistic mood.

She was pleasantly surprised when Simon chose to stay in with her on New Year’s Eve. They curled up on the settee with a big box of chocolates and it reminded Jess of the days when they had first been married. They hadn’t been able to afford to go out much back then and had been perfectly content in each other’s company.

It was when she went to make a cup of cocoa during a break in the film they were watching that he followed her into the kitchen looking slightly sheepish as he leaned on the kitchen table.

‘All right, out with it,’ she said. ‘I know that look: what do you want to ask me?’

‘Well, I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about this,’ he said hesitantly. ‘But the thing is, young Dan is getting married at the end of January.’

‘I already know that,’ Jess replied.

‘He’s decided to have a stag weekend and he’s asked me and some of the other blokes from the darts team if we’d like to go.’

‘A stag
weekend
?’ Jess grinned. When she and Simon had got married, a stag night and hen do had consisted of nothing more than a pub crawl with a few of your mates, but things had moved on since then.

‘Yes, normally I wouldn’t dream of going if I had work on, but jobs are a bit sparse at the moment, as you know, so I thought you might not mind me going?’

‘Of course I don’t mind,’ Jess told him. ‘Where is he thinking of? Blackpool?’

‘Actually, it’s a bit further afield than that. He’s going to London.’

‘London!’ Jess’s eyes almost popped out of her head. ‘That’s an awful long way to go just for a weekend, isn’t it?’

‘As a matter of fact it’s Monday to Friday. And the thing is . . . if you’re sure you wouldn’t mind me tagging along, I might need another small loan.’ He watched her face closely for a reaction before hurrying on, ‘It wouldn’t need to be as much as I borrowed last time. Five grand should do it. I’ve had to pay the men’s wages you see, and what with work being a bit sparse . . .’

‘You don’t have to explain.’ Jess smiled at him, sensing his discomfort. ‘A break would do you good right now. You’ve worked flat out all through the summer. After all, me and the girls went to Paris, didn’t we?’ And what a disaster that nearly turned into, she thought.

‘Of course, the money wouldn’t be all for the break,’ he went on to explain. ‘I’ve got suppliers banging on the door for payment at the moment and I need to keep them happy.’

‘It’s not a problem,’ Jess said. ‘The banks won’t be open tomorrow because it’s New Year’s Day, but as soon as they are I’ll pop into town and get the money out for you. I might even get you a few new clothes while I’m at it. If you’re going to London you’ll need some new togs to go in.’

‘Thanks, love. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.’ He kissed her cheek and disappeared off back into the lounge as Jess went about making their cocoa and the subject wasn’t mentioned again that evening.

With January came heavy frosts and bitterly cold winds. Simon’s work continued to be spasmodic but to his credit he worked whenever he could. Jess still wasn’t overly concerned. This had happened many times before. Once spring arrived he would be inundated with work again and she still had a very tidy sum in the bank to tide them over.

The decorators had been in and the nursery for the new baby was
now
finished and she and Jo had been shopping for furniture for it. There was a small white swinging crib with lace drapes that Jo had fallen in love with. Jess had considered using the crib she had found in the attic, but Jo loved this one so much she had decided to indulge her. A white wardrobe and a chest of drawers were slowly being filled with baby clothes. A cream carpet covered the floor wall to wall, and Winnie the Pooh curtains that matched the wallpaper that Jo had chosen hung at the windows. Jess had been to the hospital for her scan where they had asked her if she would like to know the sex of the baby. She had promised herself beforehand that she wouldn’t ask, but at the last minute the temptation was too much for her to resist. After all, she told herself, it’s not as if it’s my first baby, is it? And at least if I know what sex it is I can begin to buy clothes in the appropriate colour. And so she had nodded mutely as the midwife stared at the screen where Jess could see her baby’s hearbeat, strong and steady.

‘It’s a little boy,’ the woman told her and Jess’s mouth gaped open. She could hardly believe her luck and couldn’t wait to get home and tell Simon and the girls. She was going to have a son, and so now the majority of the clothes she bought would be blue and she began to try and imagine what he would be like. Would he be tall and dark-haired like his father, or would he take after her?

Simon was ecstatic when she told him that he was going to have a son and so was Jo, although Mel took the news in her usual disinterested way with a shrug of her shoulders. She still really didn’t want the baby, whatever sex it was, and made no secret of the fact.

The following week, Laura took Beth to the hospital for her scan and they found out that she was carrying a little boy too.

‘They’ll be good company for each other as they get a little older,’ Laura enthused. Beth was over the worst of her sickness now and although she was very pale she was coping better.

And then almost before they knew it, it was time for Simon to leave for his break in London.

‘I hope I haven’t put too much in your case,’ Jess said worriedly as she stared at the mountain of clothes she had packed for him.

‘I’m only going for five days, you know,’ he teased. ‘There are enough togs in there to last me for a month with two changes a day.’

‘I suppose I could take a couple of T-shirts and a pair of jeans out,’ Jess mused. Now that his departure was imminent she was glad that he was going because he had earned a rest, but the selfish side of her
knew
that she would miss him.
Still, he’ll be back before I know it
, she consoled herself,
and it will be nice for me and the girls to have some quality time together
– if
I can lever Mel out of her room
.

The house seemed strangely empty the next day. The girls were both at school and she wandered from room to room aimlessly, looking at what still needed to be done and trying to assess how much it might cost. With the birth of the baby looming nearer, her plans for opening a B and B had been put on hold for the time being, which was quite worrying as the money in the bank was dwindling faster than she had expected it to. The cost of keeping such a large house running was astronomical and Simon had almost fainted when the gas and electric bills had popped through the letterbox.

‘
Jesus
!’ he’d exclaimed. ‘I bet it doesn’t cost this much to heat Buckingham Palace.’

‘Well, we’ve had to keep the heating on and keep the place warm,’ Jess had countered defensively. ‘Everyone’s heating bills have gone up this year. Just stop worrying about it, I’ll sort it.’

‘Oh yes, of course, I forgot –
you’re
the one with the money and controlling the purse-strings now, aren’t you?’

It was the first time they had had a cross word for weeks, and Jess had been bitterly hurt – but ever the peacemaker she had chosen to let it go and in no time at all he’d forgotten all about it even if she hadn’t.

Once her little tour of inspection was completed she passed a leisurely half an hour in a nice warm bath. She then hurried off to the bedroom and slipped into clean clothes before getting her hairdryer out.

I’ll go and have a cuppa with Laura when I’ve dried this mop, she thought to herself, and leaned down to plug the dryer in.

And then everything seemed to happen in slow motion as a pain ripped up her arm and she was flung across the room. Good God, I’ve been electrocuted, she thought to herself as darkness rushed to meet her and she sank into it gratefully as someone whispered urgently in her ear.

‘Mum, Mum –
please
talk to me!’

There was a voice that seemed to be coming from a long, long way away as Jess struggled to open her eyes. Eventually she managed it and found herself peering up at Jo. Laura and Mel were standing right behind her and now that Laura saw she was conscious she soothed, ‘Don’t try and talk, there’s an ambulance on its way. Just lie quiet . . . it should be here any minute now.’

Even as she spoke the sound of sirens penetrated the fog that seemed to be surrounding Jess and she nodded numbly as she tried to think what had happened. She appeared to be lying on the bedroom floor, but why? And then slowly as the fog cleared it came back to her. She had been about to dry her hair. She had bent and plugged the hairdryer in and then there was nothing until now.

‘Wh . . . what happened?’ she asked groggily as she tried to lift her head. It felt too heavy for her neck and she flopped back like a rag doll.

‘It looks to me like you’ve had an electric shock,’ Laura told her. ‘One of the wires is sticking out of the back of your hairdryer and you must have touched it as you plugged it in. Thank God you had slippers with rubber soles on, eh? It might have been a different story altogether if you hadn’t.’ All the time she was talking she was stroking Jess’s hand reassuringly and seconds later two paramedics burst into the room.

‘Stand aside,’ the taller of the two men said as he dropped to his knees beside Jess. ‘What happened here?’

Laura quickly explained what she thought had happened. ‘I don’t know how long she may have been lying there,’ she finished breathlessly. ‘Young Jo here ran to fetch me when she found her like this. Jo had come home from school and she didn’t know what to do.’

‘You did absolutely right,’ the paramedic told Jo, who was deathly pale with shock and fear. ‘And your mum is going to be fine, so don’t look so worried.’

‘B-but she’s going to have a baby,’ Jo told him tremulously. ‘Will it be all right?’

‘I’m sure it will, but we’re going to take her into hospital and have her checked out just to be on the safe side,’ the man replied. ‘Now is there someone here to keep an eye on you two? Where is your dad?’

‘He went to London this morning,’ Jo whimpered in a small voice as tears streamed down her waxen cheeks.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll stay with you girls until we know what’s happening,’ Laura told her. ‘You can come back to the cottage with me, and bring Alfie the dog with you.’

They all watched as Jess was carefully lifted on to a stretcher, protesting, ‘I’m fine now, honestly. Really, there’s no need for this.’

‘There probably isn’t,’ the paramedic placated her. ‘But you’ve had a nasty shock and it’s better to be safe than sorry, eh? Once a doctor at the hospital has checked you and the baby out he or she will probably let you out later this evening, so there’s nothing to get upset about. Just lie back and relax and you’ll be back here before you know it. I should treat yourself to a new hairdryer though if I were you,’ he finished with a cheeky wink.

Just as the paramedic had promised, Jess was discharged that evening after the doctor had done tests on herself and the baby, and assured her that all was well. Den came in his car to fetch her home and when she got there, Mel, Jo, Laura and Beth were all waiting for her in the kitchen.

‘I’m absolutely fine,’ she told them as they all stood there anxiously watching.

‘The doctor says as long as I rest for a couple of days I’ll be hunky dory.’

‘Yes – and that’s exactly what you’re going to do,’ said Laura. ‘I shall see to that, young lady. Den has thrown the hairdryer away and the first time you go out, you can treat yourself to a new one.’

‘But I can’t understand how it happened. It was fine the last time I used it,’ Jess murmured.

‘It looked pretty old, and the wire probably just worked its way out of the casing with use,’ Den said. ‘Nothing lasts for ever, especially electrical equipment. They don’t make things like they used to nowadays. Just think yourself lucky you got away with it as you did.’

It was the most Jess had ever heard Den say all in one go in all the time she had known him, and she found herself grinning despite what had happened.

‘I don’t know. You’re not to be trusted on your own just lately,’ Laura teased as she put the kettle on to make Jess a hot drink. ‘I reckon you’re getting accident prone, what with this and the car brakes.’

‘I think you may be right.’ Jess leaned back in the comfy chair and enjoyed being waited on. ‘I shall have to make myself a sign, Danger Hazard. Keep away!’

On a more serious note now, Laura asked, ‘Do you want me to ring Simon on his mobile and tell him what’s happened?’

‘Oh no,’ Jess said hastily. ‘He’d only worry and there’s nothing he can do. I’m fine now and I don’t want to spoil his holiday.’

‘Have it your own way,’ Laura said, as she poured boiling water into the teapot. Personally she didn’t think much of Simon for clearing off and leaving Jess when she was pregnant, but, it was none of her business and she had enough on her own plate to worry about at present.

The following morning, Jess felt much better although the girls still insisted on walking to school themselves.

‘To be honest, Mum, I’d rather,’ Jo admitted. ‘I’m getting a bit old now for my mum to be taking me, and my mates are beginning to take the mickey about it and calling me a sissy.’