Page 105 of Finding Jacob
He carried her inside and I was left hauling the bags.
Sadie and Bill helped me take the luggage upstairs, and then we sat in the kitchen with a cup of tea. I showed them some of the many photographs I’d taken, some of which I’d sent over to Jacob.
“I heard from Jacob while I was away,” I said, Sadie was enthusiastic about that, Nathan, not so much.
I told them what he’d said, about finding himself, and that I suspected he would be left with lifelong injuries. We recapped what we knew initially.
Jacob’s brain had swelled from the impact, along with several broken bones and a fracture to his spine. He hadn’t damaged his spinal cord, thankfully, but it had received a shock, which played a part in delaying his movement. The main injury was the brain, though. He’d received such a blow to the head that part of the brain was damaged. The brain was an amazing organ, however, and we had the ability to move messages to other pathways. It took time, months, years, even, for that to happen. He would have to re-learn to do thinks he’d learned as a child.
“It sounds like he is working hard to get to a place where he can come home, doesn’t it?” Sadie asked.
I nodded. “And the fact that he is replying now suggests he’s worked hard on his mental health as well.”
Nathan didn’t participate in the discussion. At one point, I reached under the table and clasped my hand around his. He smiled at me.
“I need to get some work done. I’m glad you’re home and you had a great time,” he said before leaving the table, clearly wanting to be away from me, I felt.
“Now, there’s a man who needs to work on his mental health as well,” Sadie said.
I sighed. “Yeah. But try telling him that,” I replied.
It didn’t take long for Paloma and me to settle back down at home. Often, when I’d been away, I had the blues when I returned to normality. Somehow, I knew things were going to change.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
I was in the garden helping Bill prepare the vegetable beds for autumn. Paloma was sitting on the grass covered in dirt and digging with a small play spade, slapping the earth with it. She was eight months old and growing fast. She could sit up all by herself, she was starting to crawl with a little help from whoever was around, and although wobbly and with support, she could stand. She was advanced for her age, I was sure.
“Anna!” I heard from the back door. “Anna, come quickly.”
The urgency in Sadie’s voice had me leap to my feet and scoop Paloma up at the same time. I ran to the house.
“Out front,” she said breathlessly. I didn’t wait for further information but ran through the house.
Sitting on the drive was a car. Nathan was at the passenger door. I came to a screeching halt, nearly colliding with a pillar as I saw who sat in the seat.
Jacob looked over to me. He had lost the beard, his hair was short, and it suited him. His eyes shone. The last time I’d seen him, they had been dull.
Nathan reached out with his arm and Jacob swiped it away. He spun on his seat, and I saw him lift one leg with his hand. Once both legs were outside the car, he stood, using the door to help him. Jacob’s driver, the one he hadn’t introduced me to before, walked around the car, handing Jacob a cane. He used the cane to walk. Other than the stick and a slight limp, I couldn’t tell there was anything wrong with him.
I covered my mouth with my hand to quell the sob, but I didn’t stop the tears from falling. Nathan walked beside Jacob and the two men, when they came to a halt in front of me, faced each other.
“Thank you,” Jacob said to Nathan.
At first Nathan didn’t respond. Then he looked at me and back to Jacob. He nodded. “I won’t do it again, though,” he said, before smiling.
He took a step towards his friend and embraced him. Jacob wrapped his arms around Nathan in return.
“I won’t ask again, and I appreciate how hard this has been for you,” Jacob said.
Finally, he looked at me. “I owe you so much. I have a lot of making up to do, if you’ll allow me. I won’t presume to live here with you, this is your house. We can spend some time getting to know each other again, if that’s what you want.”
He stood tall and I knew the words hurt him to say.
Sadie had joined me. She held out her arms to take Paloma and I was grateful that she had. My legs had started to wobble.
“Oh, Jacob,” I said, finally. I walked down the steps to the driveway and stood in front of him. “Welcome home,” I said, before finally wrapping my arms around him and allowing him to do the same to me.
I cried into his chest, and his tears wetted my neck. “I’ve missed you so much,” I said, and I could feel him nod. “Let’s get you inside, shall we?” I pulled away, not wanting to.
