Page 21 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

She took a walk around the hospital grounds, glad to be away from the claustrophobic and intense confines of the emergency department. As she passed other people, she couldn’t help wondering what they were doing there. If they worked at the hospital or if they were visiting friends or relatives. Had their worlds been upended in the same way as hers had today?

Jackson might not be in one piece, but he was alive and she needed to keep that at the forefront of her mind. If things had turned out even slightly differently then Pia could have been facing a much worse scenario. She took a deep breath, shaking away that thought. She needed to remain positive, despite the obstacles ahead.One day at a time. Wasn’t that always the advice? She headed back to the hospital, stopping at the small shop in the lobby to pick up some biscuits, chocolates and crisps. If Jackson didn’t want them, they would always come in handy for visitors.

Back upstairs on the ward, Pia was relieved to find Jackson looking much more comfortable. He’d been cleaned up and the blood had been wiped away from his face and shoulders. He was sitting up sipping on a mug of tea. When he spotted her, his eyebrow lifted in a quirk and she was reminded of the man she loved and admired, the real Jackson that she could easily imagine might leap out of that hospital bed and greet her in a hug. If only.

‘You’re looking better already,’ she said, bending down to greet him again, leaving a kiss on his cheek.

‘I’m feeling better, although that probably has something to do with the amount of painkillers I have flooding mybloodstream at the moment. You all right?’ he asked, squeezing her hand, his gaze sweeping her face.

‘Me? I’m fine. Just worried about you, obviously. I’ll be happier when your operation’s out of the way.’

‘Don’t worry about me. This is just a bloody inconvenience. I’ll be back at the hall before you know it.’

Pia smiled as though sharing in Jackson’s confidence, but she couldn’t help being beset by doubts. What if the operation wasn’t a success, what if Jackson’s injuries turned out to be life-changing, after all? How would it impact on their future together? Not that she wouldn’t love him just the same, they would face whatever was in store for them, but she was more concerned about Jackson’s state of mind, how it would affect him emotionally. He’d suffered depression in the past and she didn’t want him to visit those dark depths again.

Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of Tom, which brightened her mood immeasurably and, judging by Jackson’s face, which lit up in a wide smile, it had done the same for him as well. Mainly, Pia experienced a surge of relief that she would be able to talk to Tom, to share the worry and responsibility of being there for Jackson.

‘Well, mate, you don’t half do things in style. Was this your elaborate way of getting out of cooking Sunday dinner?’ Tom leant down to give his brother a squeeze on his upper arm.

Jackson raised a smile.

‘It’s good to see you,’ he said, and in that moment of openness with his brother, Pia could see his vulnerability so close to the surface.

‘Well, nothing was going to keep me away. As soon as I heard from Pia what had happened, I knew I had to get down here. To see for myself how you were. You had us all worried.’ Tom shared a conspiratorial glance with Pia. ‘Looks and sounds as though you’ve done yourself some damage?’

Jackson grimaced.

‘A few scratches, some broken ribs and a fractured pelvis. Nothing that can’t be fixed.’

He was playing it down, making light of his injuries, but Pia knew that it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that the operation would be a success. And far from only having some minor scratches, he had several open wounds over his legs and arms where his body had scraped along the tarmac road. The nurses had done a good job at cleaning out the dirt and gravel beneath his skin, but the deep cuts would need further cleaning and monitoring over the coming weeks.

‘I’m guessing this might slow you down, for a little while at least. If there’s anything I can do to help then you know you only need ask?’ It was as if Tom could read his brother’s mind.

‘Ha! Well, as much as I’m really pleased to see you, bro, I may have had an ulterior motive in getting you down here.’

‘Sure, anything,’ said Tom without hesitation.

‘Well, you know it’s the classic car show next weekend and we’re expecting thousands of visitors to turn up so nothing…’ he paused and gestured towards his indisposed body, ‘…can stand in the way of that. Pia’s going to need help overseeing the running of the show. She simply won’t be able to do it on her own. It’s the biggest event on our calendar and it’s a lot of work. Having said that, everything is pretty much organised. Some of it is even written down.’ He pulled an apologetic face at Pia. ‘And what isn’t, is all up here.’ He tapped the side of his head with a finger.

‘That’s what worries me,’ said Pia with a rueful smile.

He waved away her concerns with his hand. ‘All the stalls are booked and the vehicles’ classes and entries set up. A mate of mine, Stu Rogers, was going to be helping with the awards of the rosettes so he’ll be more than happy to take that role on by himself. I’ll speak to him later. He’ll be a good contacton the day because he’s run classic car shows in the past, so any problems, speak to him. We have a coachload of stewards turning up, a lot of who were at the event last year, so they’ll just need shepherding on the day. Catering is all organised – I think Pia will have all the details on that. There’s some other stuff that I can run through with you, but does that sound like something you’d be able to help out with?’

‘Absolutely.’ Tom nodded his head emphatically. ‘Pia and I can sit down together, finalise the details and draw up a master plan.’

‘Are you sure?’ she asked him. ‘What about your other work commitments this week?’

‘That’s one of the great things about being freelance. I can pick and choose when I work and while I don’t like to let anyone down, this is definitely more important than anything else. Family comes first.’

Pia’s emotions were all over the place today as she felt the tears prick at her eyes again. It was hard to believe that less than a year ago Jackson hadn’t even known about the existence of his brother and, when he did find out, he was distinctly underwhelmed by the prospect. Their relationship hadn’t got off to the best start, but slowly over the following months they’d come to tolerate each other and Pia could definitely now see the bond strengthening in front of her eyes.

‘Of course, this is just a worst-case scenario,’ Jackson said. ‘I’m hoping I’ll get this op out of the way and there’ll be every chance of me making it to the show at the weekend.’

Pia gasped, her gaze snagging on Tom’s, who gave an imperceptible shake of his head, both of them knowing that, with the best will in the world, the best surgeon operating and even with the wind blowing in the right direction, there was absolutely no chance of that actually happening, despite what Jackson might hope and desire.

16

No sooner had Sophie slipped off her jacket and turned the lights on in the cottage, there was a knock at the front door. She didn’t think twice about turning to answer it, assuming it must be Tom. Perhaps he’d had a change of mind and wanted her to go with him to the hospital after all. She would be more than happy to provide a bit of moral support. Only disappointment washed over her when she opened the door and realised it wasn’t Tom standing there.

---