Page 39 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

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It took a moment for all the pieces to fall into place. Pia had been so certain that Ronnie had been talking about Jackson that she’d been utterly confused hearing that they were at the hospital. It didn’t make any sense until she realised, with an overwhelming sensation of dread, what Ronnie actually meant. Ronnie and Rex were at a hospital in France, and from the sounds of it, Rex was clearly in a bad way. Staring at the phone in her hand, Pia paced up and down the kitchen, her heart thumping in her chest as she wondered what she could possibly do to help. She could just imagine how helpless Ronnie must feel, having to navigate the language barrier and having no one there to provide any emotional support.

Pia didn’t even know the name of the hospital or any of the details about Rex’s condition.A heart attack?Pia confronted all the possibilities that those three words conveyed. She couldn’t bear the idea and shuddered away a cold fear of dread that rippled over her body. She would need to tell Jackson and Tom, of course, but there would be no point in doing it now when she had so little information from Ronnie. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to wait long before Ronnie called back and then she couldthink about breaking the news to Tom and Jackson. This was something she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep to herself – she only hoped it wouldn’t be the worst possible news that she needed to impart.

She made herself a coffee, keeping her phone within easy reach so there was no chance of her missing the call. There was a part of her that had wanted to immediately ring Ronnie back, but she had to be patient. It sounded as though Ronnie had enough on her plate without Pia adding to her worries and stress with her need to know what was going on. Only, the longer it went on, the more Pia’s mind kept visiting those worst-case scenarios. First Jackson and now Rex. They couldn’t lose him, not when Jackson and Tom were only just getting to know him.

When the phone buzzed into action, Pia almost leapt out of her skin. She snatched up the phone, her voice breathy.

‘Ronnie!’

‘Pia!’ Ronnie’s voice was equally filled with emotion, as she struggled to get the words out. ‘Rex has got to have an emergency procedure. They’re going to put in a stent. It’s difficult because of the language barrier, but that’s what I’ve understood of it. They said it should be fairly straightforward, but it sounds serious to me. I’m not ready to lose him, Pia.’ Ronnie had clearly been visiting the same dark places as Pia. ‘I’ve only just found him again after all those years we spent apart. It’s not fair. I assumed we’d have plenty of years together in front of us.’

‘And hopefully you still will, Ronnie.’ Pia’s heart twisted hearing Ronnie’s distress. She wished she could be there to hug her tight and reassure her that everything would work out fine, but how could they possibly know? She’d had the very same concerns about Jackson a week ago, but he was a fit and healthy young man who she was certain would recover from his injuries, even if it might take several months. Rex was much older andalthough he’d changed his ways in recent years, he had been a heavy drinker and smoker in his younger days. ‘What happened? Did it come on suddenly?’

‘Honestly, Pia, I just can’t believe it. He’d been off-colour for a few days but we put that down to him having some kind of bug. Then this morning he took a turn for the worse. He had these dreadful chest pains and that’s when we both knew it was something more serious. The campsite manager called the emergency services and then everything moved very quickly from there. I can’t fault the care we’ve received, but I just wish we were at home. This is all so strange. Is Jackson there? Should I have a word with him?’

‘He’s not here at the moment, but I’m going to tell him, and I’ll tell Tom too.’ She tried to keep her voice level, but she felt flustered, knowing she wasn’t being entirely honest. She couldn’t add to Ronnie’s worries now, though, not when she was in such a heightened emotional state. ‘They’ll want to speak to you, I know. When is Rex having his procedure?’

‘They’ve taken him down now. I don’t know how long it will take or how long he’ll have to stay in hospital. Lord knows what we’ll do when he comes out. Where we’ll go or how we’ll be expected to get home? We’ve been sharing the driving, but he won’t be able to do that now.’

That was when the emotion that Ronnie had been holding on to came flooding out in a series of sobs. It broke Pia’s heart to hear her so upset and she felt helpless that she couldn’t do anything to support her from so far away.

‘Oh, Ronnie, I’m so sorry. It sounds as though Rex is in good hands, though, so try not to worry. I know it’s hard, but you need to take care of yourself as well. Can you go and grab yourself a coffee while you’re waiting? Have something to eat as well. Your blood sugar is probably low. As soon as you have a moment, once he’s out and you know what’s going on, then let me know.Just send me a message if that’s easier. Once we know what the situation is, we can start making plans to get you home.’

When Pia came off the phone, it was her turn to give in to the emotions assaulting her body. She felt a fear and anxiety seep around her veins as she thought of Rex. She loved him dearly and had done from the very first moment she’d met him. Easy-going, forever laughing and inherently kind, she couldn’t bear the thought of him not sitting around the table at Primrose Hall again. His presence lifted everyone’s spirits, and seeing the three Moody men together was such a joy, but they hadn’t spent nearly enough time together yet. Pia only hoped there would be plenty of other happy occasions for the whole family to enjoy in the future.

Pia jumped out of her seat when she heard a car approaching the hall. As it came closer, she recognised it as Tom’s and relief flooded through her bones. She quickly dashed over to the sink to splash water over her face. She stretched her face wide and stuck her tongue out, hoping her features wouldn’t give away all her worries and concerns, but she should have known that Tom was far too perceptive and empathetic not to notice.

‘Hey, what’s the matter?’ As soon as he walked through the kitchen door, his eyes snagged on hers and he held open his arms so that she could walk straight into them. She would have liked to have stayed there with her head buried in his chest, finding comfort in his solid form, but the sooner she came out with what she had to tell him, the better. He pulled back to take a closer look at her, looking into her eyes. ‘It’s okay. All this stuff with Jackson, it’s been really hard, but you’ve handled it brilliantly. It’s okay to have a wobble every now and then.’

‘Oh, Tom. It’s not Jackson. I’ve just had a call from Ronnie. It’s your dad. He’s had a heart attack.’

‘What?’ Tom’s expression held all the confusion and bewilderment that Pia had experienced earlier hearing the news. He took a step backwards, holding his hands up in front of him.

‘Jesus Christ! Is he all right?’

‘I think so. Try not to worry,’ she added quickly, knowing her words were meaningless. She rubbed her hands along his upper arms, looking into his eyes, trying to reassure him. ‘He’s in hospital and he’s undergoing a procedure, right now. Ronnie’s going to call back as soon as she knows any more.’

‘When did it happen?’

‘This morning. Apparently, he’d been feeling a bit under the weather for a few days, but they didn’t really think too much of it. They’ve just been taking it easy, but then he suffered chest pains earlier today and that’s when Ronnie called for help.’

‘Damn!’ Tom walked away, running a hand through his hair, turning to look at her, concern etched over his features.

‘He’ll be all right, Tom. We need to stay positive. He’s in the right place and he’s getting the treatment he needs. They can do marvellous things with hearts these days.’ She heard the edge of hysteria to her own words, desperately wanting them to be true.

‘I need to get out there.’ Tom’s anxiety was evident in the way he paced up and down the kitchen. ‘I’ll see if I can get a flight today. Ronnie shouldn’t have to deal with all of this on her own. How did she sound?’

‘Scared, and emotional, obviously. I’m not sure she’s really taken it in. It’s such a shock for everyone.’ Tom especially, if his pale grey expression was anything to go by. ‘Let me make us a coffee. We can’t do anything until we hear back from Ronnie.’

‘Do you want me to tell Jackson? That’s where I’ve just come from, the hospital. I wanted to see how he was, if there was anything he wanted me to help out with.’

‘It’s okay, I was planning on going in later anyway.’ She went across and took hold of his hand, squeezing it tight. ‘Tom, you’vebeen an absolute star, stepping in to help us out like this. I’m not sure what we would have done without you.’

‘It’s nothing. It’s what you do for family, right?’

He might be playing it down, but it warmed Pia’s heart to see how deeply Tom cared for them all, Jackson, Rex, Ronnie and herself, and how he wanted to find solutions to all their problems. She gazed across at him with a thankful smile before turning her attention to the coffees, but there was no disputing the tension in the air. Both of them were on tenterhooks as they waited for what seemed like hours for some news from France.

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