Page 65 of Forgive Not Forget
He knocked. Anna opened it in seconds.
Tom turned to Katherine and gave her the briefest of smiles before passing the dented spray can to Anna. “I don’t need this anymore.” He disappeared into the house.
“Okay.” Anna scrunched her face and took it from him. “Is he all right?” she asked Katherine.
“He fell off his bike. It seems the can fell from his pocket and into his back wheel, throwing him off. He’s cut his hand and bruised his leg, and his ego.”
“Karma.” Anna looked around. “Where is his bike?”
“I told him to leave it at ours. I don’t think he’ll be riding it for a few days. One of the gardeners rides a bike; I’ll ask him to check it over for him, make sure it’s safe. I think it’s important he has it back soon. It helps him let off steam.”
Anna nodded. “Will you come in?”
“No. I won’t, thanks. Don’t be too hard on him; he’s a good one, really. He’s just worried about losing his mum, as well as his dad. There’s no harm done. I’ll contact the police and tell them the case is solved; we just have to hope they don’t want to take it any further.”
Their eyes caught each other’s and held their gaze. Katherine wanted to reach out to Anna, to tell her that she missed her and that she was suffocating without her.
Now wasn’t the time.
She flashed her an apologetic smile and walked back down the path. She still had things she needed to think over before she spoke to Anna. Following her chat with Tom, she was beginning to see things differently.
The lack of amenities for youngsters in the village had also set her upon an idea. Although she didn’t need anything else to add to her to-do list, she was too excited for how the idea could benefit Tom to give it up. With any luck it would only take a telephone call, the hard work would be down to Tom.
CHAPTER26
The rain was easing as Anna pulled into the pickup point outside the hospital on Monday morning. It hadn’t stopped since Saturday night, keeping them all inside. Sunday had been spent with the children finishing up their homework, then all of them cleaning, watching movies, and consuming junk food. The children were happy with that, so she considered her job done.
Laura was waiting in a wheelchair beside the automatic doors.
“Am I glad to see you,” she said. “Get me out of here!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Anna replied, doffing an imaginary chauffeur’s hat.
Hooking Laura’s bag on the handle of the wheelchair, she pushed her friend to the car.
“Do you need help getting in?”
“No, I can walk. They just insist on taking you out by wheelchair for some reason. I wasn’t going to complain,” Laura said as she eased herself into the car.
Anna returned the wheelchair to the entrance and, hearing a car horn in the queue behind her, ran back to the car. Some people were so impatient.
“How are we?” she asked Laura, buckling up her seat belt before driving off.
“Not too bad, thanks. They have me on some quite strong painkillers. I’ll need to ease off them over the next day or two. I guess I’ll feel it more then. There is some discomfort from the stitches when I move. I’m glad I opted for laparoscopic surgery.”
“Well, the house is how you left it.”
“Miracle.”
“Less of a miracle, more two kids being forced to tidy up yesterday.”
“Using them as slaves, I like it,” Laura joked. “How have they been?”
Anna remained silent for a moment. She had been planning what to say when the question came, but now she didn’t quite know if she could say it.
“Oh, that bad, eh?” Laura said.
“No. Erm. Abi has been a delight, of course.”
