Page 24 of Fe
“Hi, Petra. Thanks for lunch,” Ripley said.
“You’re welcome. I’m so sorry about your things. I thought the medal would be safe in your box. I’m horrified at what happened. I put the key to the box in your room.”
“It’s fine. Please don’t concern yourself. I got the medal back and the other bits and pieces. Everything that mattered.” Did that include the empty frames where photos of him and Alejandro had once sat, or the vase Alejandro had bought him?
She sat down at the kitchen table and flapped her hand in front of her face. “Thank goodness you rescued it.”
Petra was about ten years younger than his mother and always smiling. Though not right at that moment. Ripley was shocked anyone could stay cheerful around his mother. He only felt better once he’d walked out of the door.
“My mother says she wants to move to Eastbourne and you’re going with her.”
“Ah.”
“Has she not said anything about that to you?”
“She mentioned Bournemouth.”
Bloody hell.“Would you go with her?”
“Of course.”
“You’re a saint, Petra.”
She smiled. “We get on well. I know you and she…” The smile fell away and she pressed her lips together.
“She wants to sell almost everything so I’ll get valuers in. There may be items she or you want to keep. Please make a list and take pictures so we don’t have any slip-ups. I’ll speak to a couple of local estate agents. Maybe you could have a look online together and see what sort of place she’s thinking of. Her idea of a small flat and mine are likely very different. I was supposed to look around the house and see if there is anything I want, but I don’t have the heart for it so… Another day.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll let you know the names of the people who’ll be coming and the times. I’m going to try to be here too if I can.”
She nodded.
Ripley’s spirits lifted as he drove away from the house in Ham. When he’d been through the bags of things Fen had given him, he’d been surprised when he’d seen the repaired box. He assumed that was Fen’s work and he was impressed. He wondered if Fen had managed to open the bottom section.When he shook the box, he couldn’t hear anything rattling so it was probably empty, but he’d still like to see inside it.
Whether Fen turned up at the Tate or not, maybe Winn Brothers would like to value the contents of the house with a view to buying them. It might be better than sending everything to auction.
Fen sat on the chair in the hospital waiting room. What a dismal way to spend a Monday morning. He’d brought a book to read, but he couldn’t concentrate. This was a regular check-up. No worrying symptoms to report, no existing ones had worsened, and yet he was still nervous. He’d had a CT scan and an echocardiogram and was now waiting to see what the doctor said.
As a carrier of the BMD gene, his mum also had to have regular checks on her heart. She’d been to the same hospital a month ago and had told Fen she was fine, though he wondered if she’d tell him if she wasn’t fine because there was no way he’d tell her if he got bad news today. She used to come with him to check-ups but Fen had vetoed that a few years ago. She worried about him enough without adding to her anxiety.
Today, I’m fine. I don’t need to worry.A bit of his mum’s positive reinforcement should help.But Fen still worried. Not only about the BMD but about Ripley, who he might see tonight.
Fen figured there were two possible scenarios. Firstly, Ripley wouldn’t be there because telling him about the BMD really had freaked him out, and the ticket for the Tate was a…kind gesture. Ripley had pulled away from him in the car, which sort of said everything. Forget the kiss. Ripley had made up his mind. There had been nothing said about seeing him again. No phone call. So that was the end of that. Fen wasn’t going to let it get him down because there was nothing he could do to change it.
Second scenario, Ripley was just buttoned up so tight, he’d not realised his behaviour had been upsetting. Maybe he hadn’t even considered it odd to have exited the car without saying anything. Ripley would be at the Tate, smile when he saw him and it would be a proper date.
Oh look, I won the lottery.And there were the flying pigs, and a rampaging bull causing no damage, right on cue. Fen sighed.
“Fen Wood.”
Fen jumped at the voice, then pushed to his feet and slotted his arm into the crutch. The doctor stood by the door of his room and Fen headed over.
Ten minutes later, Fen was on his way to work with the doctor’s words on repeat in his head. Well, some of them. Until this morning, Fen had thought his heart was fine. Apparently, that was no longer true. He had some right ventricular dysfunction and needed to avoid strenuous muscle exercise so he didn’t stress his body and harm some…dystrophin-deficient cells. He wasn’t sure he understood that completely but hedidunderstand his heart had finally stopped playing nicely.
Which was fucking stressing enough to make his heart beat fast which he guessed was not a good thing.Fen didn’t do anything strenuous.He avoided activities that left him out of breath. He was sort of pissed off about that now. Maybe he should have taken risks, done more. But then, maybe this day would have come sooner. He’d never know whether he’d chosen the right path or not.
The only positive thing was that there was a new drug being trialled, and his name was now on the list of possible candidates to take it. Maybe he’d be lucky and get picked, though even if he was, he might be in the control group. A computer would make the selection.
