Page 27 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

‘How lovely!’ Pia jumped out of her seat. ‘I’m just coming.’

There was an enthusiastic greeting from little Rosie in the kitchen and Pip, who was still strapped into his buggy, but who was clearly delighted to see the dogs, his legs lifting up and down in excitement. The dogs dashed in past Pia and scooted across to say hello, wagging their tails furiously as they made circles around Pip.

‘Bertie! Teddy! Come away, Pip doesn’t want you goofy pair in his face.’

‘I do, I do,’ said Rosie, who giggled as the dogs’ tails swished past her, and she tried to catch them as they scampered past. The children were very familiar with the dogs and Pia knew that Bertie and Teddy were big softies and would never deliberatelyhurt anyone, but she was always vigilant when they all came together, just to ensure the dogs didn’t knock the children over in their exuberance.

‘Oh, Pia,’ said Katy, greeting her friend in a hug. ‘How are things? You must have had such a worrying few days. We’ve all been thinking about you.’

‘Thanks. It’s been difficult, but you know Jackson, he’s taking it all in his stride. It was a relief to get his operation out of the way and now we’re just waiting to see what happens, if he needs any more surgery. It’s a bit of a waiting game now. You’ll stay for a cuppa?’

‘Could I have a juice, please?’ Rosie asked, very politely.

‘No! We’re not staying. Pia’s very busy, and I just wanted to drop these off.’ She produced a beautiful bunch of flowers from beneath the buggy and handed them over to her friend along with a Tupperware box. ‘They’re lemon bars from Mum. She knows how much you love them.’

‘That’s so kind of you both, thank Lizzie for these, won’t you? I’ll take some in for Jackson when I go. Please stay for coffee. I’m going to have one, another one! I’m running off coffee at the moment, and it’s so lovely to see you all.’

‘Is Mr Jackson going to get better? I did a picture. Where’s my picture, Mummy?’

‘Ah, of course,’ said Katy. ‘That’s the main reason we came. We can’t forget that!’ She chuckled and delved again around the bottom of the buggy, from where she pulled out an A4 folded piece of paper. Rosie was so proud to show off her handiwork. She pointed to the coloured figures on the front of the home-made card.

‘That is me and Pip, and that is Little Star and Twinkle and that is Bertie and Teddy. And we all say, get well soon, Mr Jackson!’

‘Aw, well, isn’t that super? I can see how much work you’ve put into your drawing. I know Jackson is going to love it, Rosie. Thank you very much. He is definitely getting better and I know this will really make him smile. I will take it into the hospital with me.’

Jackson and Rosie had a bit of a mutual appreciation society going on ever since the Christmas fair the other year when Jackson had asked the little girl if she could help with naming the Shetland pony and donkey, which he’d recently adopted. It had taken her less than a nanosecond to come up with the names of Little Star and Twinkle, which had been a perfect fit for the animals, and ever since, when Rosie came to the hall, she would always want to see the animals and chat to Jackson too.

With the children settled at the window seat with drinks and chocolate chip cookies, another gift from one of the villagers, Pia fetched the wicker basket from beneath the stairs, which was filled with some chunky building blocks and other toys that she kept for any visiting children. With Rosie and Pip happily occupied, Pia and Katy were able to snatch a moment to themselves to catch up on the news.

‘I still can’t believe that it’s happened,’ said Katy, ‘when you think it was only last Sunday that we were at the stables and we were all in such a good mood, so excited for the arrival of Abbey’s baby. I remember you dashing off. None of us could have known then what would happen by the end of the day.’

‘Honestly, Katy, it was so surreal. One minute I was at the hospital welcoming little Willow into the world, which was the most joyful and magical experience ever, and then later that same day I was back at the same place…’ Pia lowered her voice so that little ears wouldn’t hear. ‘…in a state of panic and disbelief, not knowing if Jackson would even survive. It was awful.’

‘Oh, Pia!’ Katy reached across the table and took hold of Pia’s hand, squeezing it tight. ‘You must have been terrified. I can’timagine how you must have felt.’ Katy shook her head looking grave. ‘You must have been so relieved once you knew he was going to be all right. I mean, he is going to be all right, isn’t he?’

‘Yes, although he might need further surgery yet. The doctors will be monitoring him over the next week or so to see how the repair on his pelvis has taken, then we’ll have a better idea of the next steps.’

‘Well, that sounds positive. I know he still has a long way to go, but the main thing is that he’s still here and it sounds as though they can fix him up.’

‘Hopefully.’ It brought Pia out in goosebumps whenever she spoke about the accident, the thought that she could quite so easily have lost him was never far from her mind. ‘As you can imagine, Jackson’s not the best patient in the world. He’s fed up and frustrated and wants to get home, but I’ve told him he needs to take it slowly and do exactly as the doctors tell him.’

Katy gave a knowing smile.

‘I wouldn’t expect anything less from Jackson. What about the show this weekend? Have you got everything sorted?’

‘It’s coming together. Tom has stepped in to help. Honestly, I’m not sure what I would have done without him. It’s such a relief knowing that he’ll be around to rely on.’

‘He’s a great guy, isn’t he? We all love him at the stables. I’m really looking forward to Saturday and showcasing some new products I’ve been working on. Mum and Bill will be coming along, and Brad will be bringing the children. They’re all really looking forward to it. It should be a good day out, if last year is anything to go by.’

Pia’s enthusiasm for the car show was growing as she spoke to so many people about it, their own excitement infectious. Of course, this year wouldn’t be the same without Jackson at the helm, but she was determined that all their visitors would be in for a treat as soon as they stepped inside the grounds ofthe hall. There would be something for everyone, with all the cars and motorbikes on display, the stalls selling a variety of goods outside including leatherwear, motor parts, gifts, books and toys, and then the artisan craftspeople selling their wares in the stables. There would also be food and drinks stalls to cover everyone’s taste. The only thing that Pia hadn’t organised was the weather, but she was keeping everything crossed that the rain would stay away.

‘Anyway, tell me, how are you? Are things okay with Brad?’ Pia ventured.

‘Yes.’ Katy exhaled a big sigh, a smile spreading across her face. ‘Honestly, I know I moan about him, but I do love him and he is very patient with me. He is very placid, when my moods are all over the place. Sometimes I wonder why he puts up with me.’ Her giggle rang out around the kitchen. ‘Things are better now, although he is still working all the hours, but now I’ve got an outlet at the stables and I get more help with the children from Mum and Bill, everything seems much more manageable. Do you know, it stopped me in my tracks hearing about Jackson’s accident. You go through life taking everybody and everything around you for granted, all those people that you love, your day-to-day life, grumbling about things that really aren’t that important, and then when something like this happens, what’s happened to Jackson, you realise how your entire life could change in the blink of an eye.’

‘I know, it really makes you think. So many people have said the same thing to me and it brings home what’s important to you, how you have to hug your loved ones close and tell them exactly how much they mean to you because…’ They shared a glance. There was no need for Pia to go on because they both knew and understood the ending to that sentence.

‘Anyway, it’s not all doom and gloom. Little Willow has come into the world and she is an absolute poppet. Have you met her yet?’

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