Page 57 of Never Too Late
Faye mumbled a few words of thanks that Rob, Steph and the others echoed, and the doctor returned to his work. Steph glanced across at Ben and Johnny and heard Ben’s voice. ‘Faye, sweetie, do as the doc says. We’ll call a cab right now to take us back to the hotel. We all need to get some sleep. You heard the doc; Keith’s going to be okay.’
‘But paralysed, that’s what the doctor said.’
Steph was quick to reassure her. ‘He didn’t say that, Faye. He said the left side was partially paralysed at the moment, but everybody knows that strokes do that to people and he said it might well be temporary. It might take a bit of time, but he’ll be okay again, I’m sure.’
Rob was still holding his mother’s arm and he gently led her towards the door. Steph followed on with the others. Remembering she still had Sky on the line, she relayed the good news to her in case she hadn’t heard the doctor, and on the way back to the hotel through the traffic she called Denver and repeated what the doctor had said. Sky had dropped everything and was already on the early morning train to London, although Denver was in the US and just sent his love. When Steph relayed the message to Faye that her daughter was coming, she looked pleased, if apprehensive.
‘I just hope she’ll find her father in good health.’ She turned towards Steph and wiped away a tear. ‘When the paramedics carried him off the stage, I honestly thought he was dead. Thank you, love, for all your support.’ She looked over at Ben and Johnny. ‘And thanks to you guys for staying with me.’
Ben reached out and caught hold of her hand. ‘Always, Faye. We’ll always be here for you and Keith. Now, try not to worry.’
Understandably, Rob stayed with his mother for the rest of the morning until his sister arrived to take over. It was three o’clock in the afternoon when Steph was woken by the arrival of a text from him.
You awake? I need food. Feel like a late lunch? Mum and Sky are going to stay in their room and have room service, but I want to see you. x
Steph had no hesitation.
Give me ten minutes to have a shower and change and I’ll be ready. I’m in room 507. xx
She had just finished getting dressed when there was a tap at the door and she hurried across to open it. She caught hold of his hands, tugged him into the room, and kissed him as if her very life depended on it. Finally she opened her eyes and stared at him from close quarters.
‘I’ve missed you, Robert Bailey, I’ve missed you a lot.’
‘And I’ve missed you, too, Stephanie Zanin, more than you can imagine.’
Chapter 27
The band meeting took place almost exactly a week later at Keith and Faye’s house in Oxfordshire. Steph rented a car for the occasion and was glad of the satnav to direct her to a pair of anonymous wooden gates in the middle of thick woods bordering a country lane to the north of Woodstock. She pressed the buzzer and seconds later saw the gates begin to open. She drove in along a narrow drive that snaked through luxuriant rhododendron bushes two or three times taller than the car, before these gave way to a broad parking area in front of a charming old country house. She heard barking from inside and was met at the door by Faye and a pair of black Labradors. Steph hadn’t seen Faye for five days and she was pleased to see her looking a bit less stressed than the last time they had been together.
‘Hi, Faye. Hope I’m not late.’
Faye enveloped her in a warm hug. ‘Hi, Steph, thanks for coming. Lottie and Ben are already here. We’re just waiting for Johnny and Tara.’ Faye led her inside with the dogs trotting alongside them, and Steph had to ask.
‘Any relation to Waldorf?’
This raised a little smile on Faye’s careworn face. ‘Yes, indeed; mum and dad. Can you see the family resemblance?’
Steph bent down to pet them and saw the same lazy wag of the tail and the big brown eyes as her four-legged friend back in Italy.
Ben and Lottie were waiting in a magnificent old conservatory dotted with palms and orange and lemon trees like something out of Kew Gardens. In the middle of the room at one end of a low coffee table was Keith, and Steph swallowed hard as her eyes landed on him. He was in a wheelchair, his legs covered by a plaid blanket, and his previously tanned face was the colour of alabaster. Doing her best to conceal her concern and an overwhelming feeling of pity, she plastered on a smile and went over to give him a hug and a kiss.
‘Hi, Keith, it’s good to see you out of that hospital bed.’ As she leant towards him she could see that the left-hand side of his face had sagged visibly and when he replied, she struggled to make out his words.
‘Hi, Steph. Good of you to come. Take a seat.’ She could see the effort it was costing him to string his words together.
Steph sat down on a wicker sofa with Lottie and Ben. The two dogs flopped down next to Keith while a friendly-looking lady came in to ask if anybody would like a coffee. She returned a couple of minutes later with coffees and a big plate of biscuits, which immediately attracted the dogs’ attention, just as they would have done Waldorf’s. The sound of a bell brought a volley of barking from the Labradors, who charged out of the door, followed at a more sedate pace by Faye. A minute later she returned accompanied by Johnny and Tara.
The band was complete.
Faye took a seat alongside her husband and looked on as Keith started the meeting. From time to time she helped him when words didn’t come easily, and she occasionally wiped the side of his mouth with a tissue as he dribbled a little. Steph had a hard job not bursting into tears as she saw what he had now become. Compared to the dynamic, active man of barely a week ago, he was a shadow of his former self.
‘Thanks, guys, it’s good to see you all.’ His speech was slurred but comprehensible.
Johnny didn’t mince his words. ‘It’s damn good to see you alive, Keith. You had us all worried back there.’
There might even have been the hint of a smile on Keith’s face for a fraction of a second before he replied. ‘You weren’t the only one, Johnny, but they tell me they think I’m not going to die just yet. Listen guys, we’ve got a big decision to make.’
He didn’t need to spell it out. Steph knew what needed to be addressed and she was sure the others felt the same way. It was quite simply the future – or otherwise – of Royalty.
