No Bra Required! (25 page)

“Perhaps he is miserable, maybe he is only going along with
it for the child’s sake, but the main thing is he’s with her, so that’s
it.  I assume then that he’s not coming to see me while I’m here?” 
Lucy asked.

“It was his mobile that Katie answered, so I doubt she’d
even tell him I called.  I have sent a text as well.”  Richard shook
his head and sighed.  “I should have ignored you and asked him at the
surgery yesterday, I could have spoken to him in person then.”

Lucy smiled weakly, almost wishing now that Richard
had
ignored her, despite being cross with him earlier.

“Don’t worry about it Richard.  I do need to tell him,
but it just isn’t going to be this weekend.  What did you say in the
text?”

“Erm, let me check.”  Richard pushed some buttons on
his mobile.  “Ah, here it is.”  He passed the mobile to Lucy.

“Have left you a message with Katie.  Lucy is here this
weekend and needs to see you.  Please try to come over if you can.
Richard.”  Lucy read aloud.  “When did you send it?”

“About ten minutes ago, when you went to be sick,” Richard
replied.  “I’m hoping that he’s left for Wales and Katie isn’t with him,
or has hold of his mobile.”

“It’s a bloody mess, isn’t it?”  Gerald sighed. 
“I should never have gone over to Australia, in fact, I should never have asked
you to come here in the first place.”

“Don’t be silly Dad.  I don’t regret being with Ed, I
just regret how it ended, and that’s certainly not your fault.  Anyway,
I’m absolutely shattered, so I’m going to bed if you don’t mind.”  Lucy
rubbed her tired eyes and yawned.  “See you both in the morning.”

“Night darling,” Gerald said and kissed her cheek.  “I
hope you manage to get some sleep.”

“Hmm, me too,” Lucy replied.  “Me too.”

Lucy fell into a deep sleep fairly quickly, even with the
sadness that lay heavy in her chest.  She had been sleeping soundly for
almost two hours, when she was woken by someone shaking her shoulder
vigorously.  Disorientated Lucy initially didn’t realise where she was,
and was shocked to see Gerald peering down at her.

“Dad? What is it?” Lucy asked as she pulled herself into a
sitting position.  “What time is it?” 

 Gerald looked at her gravely and sat on the edge of
the bed.

“Lucy,” he whispered.  “I’m sorry darling, but there’s
been an accident.”

“What sort of accident, who Dad?”  Lucy started to pull
her feet out of bed.

“It’s Ed sweetheart.  Georgina called, he’s been in a
car accident and it was pretty bad.”

On hearing this, Lucy’s vision blurred, a cold sweat pricked
her, and the room started to move.  As darkness enveloped her, Lucy fell
into a faint.

The following lunchtime, Lucy was contemplating whether to
visit Ed or not.

 After she’d come round, a couple of minutes after
fainting, her first thought was to go to him, sod what he’d done. 
However, Gerald had pointed out that, by the time they’d made the three hour
journey to the hospital in Chester, it would be nearly 2 a.m.  Also, it
would be highly unlikely that they’d be allowed to see Ed anyway.  So Lucy
had been persuaded to wait until the morning.  Through the night though,
Lucy changed her mind, and although she wanted Ed to be okay, and was
dreadfully upset that he’d been hurt, he wasn’t hers to worry about anymore –
plus Katie would be at his bedside and she certainly couldn’t face her. 
Gerald and Richard disagreed.

“Lucy sweetheart, Georgina wouldn’t have contacted you if
she didn’t think you should be there.  She was quite insistent that we get
you over there as soon as possible,” Gerald soothed.

“He’s right Lucy, she was extremely upset but pretty adamant
that you be there.”

“I can’t Richard, what if Katie is there?  Actually
there are no ‘what ifs’ about it, she’ll definitely be there.  No, I’m
sorry, I feel for Georgina and am really worried about Ed, but I’m not
going.”  Lucy wiped the tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her
jumper.

She knew that if anything happened to Ed she’d be
heartbroken, because no matter what he’d done she had loved him, still loved
him, but he’d cheated on her, and she couldn’t forgive him.

Gerald took Lucy’s hand and stroked it gently.

“I understand all that Lucy, but what if something happened
to him, how would you feel?”

Lucy took a shuddering breath and burst into tears.  “I
couldn’t stand it,” she gasped in between sobs.  “I love him dad, but I
can’t forgive him.”

“Okay, okay, ssh, come on calm down, it’s not good for the
baby.  I think you should go and have a lie down, and try and get some
sleep.”  Gerald hugged Lucy tightly.

“Yes why don’t you go upstairs and get some sleep,” Richard
added.  “I’m pretty sure you didn’t get any after we told you last night.”

“No, I’ve only been up a couple of hours,” Lucy replied.

“Well why don’t you just lie down on the sofa and close your
eyes for a little while?” Gerald suggested.

Lucy nodded and sniffed loudly.  “Okay, just for a
little while.”

She pulled her feet up on the sofa and made herself comfy,
as Richard tucked a woollen throw around her.

Once she’d fallen asleep Gerald dropped his head into his
hands.  “I should have gone with my instinct last night, and not told her
until today.  I could hear her moving about all night; she needs to be
getting as much rest as possible,” he said glancing across at his sleeping
daughter.

Richard nodded and sighed.  “I know, but Georgina was
pretty insistent.  Did you manage to get any more information when I went
out earlier?”

“No,” said Gerald shaking his head.  “They wouldn’t
tell me over the phone as I’m not a relative, and Georgina was sleeping in the
day room, so I asked them not to wake her.  Hopefully she’ll call me back
later.”

“Poor Georgina, she’s all alone at the hospital, unless
Katie is there of course, but I don’t really see that being a comfort to
Georgina, from what Lucy told me she can’t stand Katie.”  Richard said
giving an empty laugh.

“It’s a pity Jack isn’t with her, but he stayed with
Nate.  Oh and poor Nate, I wonder if he knows what’s going on.”

Richard shook his head.  “I doubt it, they’ve spent all
his life trying to protect him, so unless the worse happens, God forbid, I
doubt they’ll tell him anything just yet.”

Gerald got up from the sofa and paced the rug.  “I
really think Lucy should go, don’t you?” he asked, stopping in front of
Richard.

“Yes, but it has to be her decision Gerald, just don’t push
her.”  Richard reached out for Gerald’s hand.  “She’s a sensible
girl, and after some sleep I’m sure she’ll see it’s the right thing to do.”

“I suppose, I just hope that she isn’t too late.”

Richard was right, as soon as Lucy woke up later that
afternoon she knew immediately that she wanted, needed, to go and see Ed. 
She loved him despite everything and, even if it meant coming face to face with
Katie, Lucy wanted to see him and make sure he was going to be okay.

Gerald was pleased that Lucy had made the decision, and when
Georgina rang later to tell them that there was no change in Ed’s condition, he
let her know that they’d be arriving early the next day.

“So, what did she say Dad?  Is Katie there?” Lucy asked
tentatively, staring at her father with tired eyes.

“She just told me that there’s no change really.  Ed is
still heavily sedated until they know if there is any brain injury, but the
operation on his leg went well and they managed to repair both breaks; although
apparently there are a few nuts and bolts in there that will be setting airport
scanners off next time he goes abroad.”  Gerald smiled at Lucy, trying not
to show in his own voice the fear he’d heard in Georgina’s.

“And Katie?”

“I didn’t ask sweetheart, and she didn’t say.  We
weren’t on for long.  I told her we’d be there for about nine in the
morning.  Are you okay leaving here at six, you can sleep in the car on
the way down?”

Lucy nodded as she chewed at her thumbnail.

“I’ll be fine, as long as I can avoid Katie.”

Richard pulled Lucy into a hug and sighed.  “We’ll do our
best darling, we’ll do our best.”

As Lucy, Gerald and Richard rushed down the hospital
corridor, all thoughts of Katie had disappeared.  Lucy didn’t care who was
there, she needed to see Ed and make sure that he was okay.  She’d gone
over and over it in her head during the three hour drive, and she knew that she
would have to tell him about his child, or at least tell Georgina should
anything happen to Ed.  But, she couldn’t contemplate that at the moment,
for now she just needed to concentrate on holding it together.

“Here, this is it,” Richard cried as he opened a door that
led them into another smaller corridor.

Racing down it Lucy could make out a small figure pacing up
and down; it was Georgina.  As they reached her, Lucy stopped. 
Suddenly she wasn’t sure what to do, or, in fact, whether she should be
there.  Georgina quelled all Lucy’s insecurities by rushing over and
throwing herself into Lucy’s arms.

“Oh Lucy,” she cried.  “I can’t believe it.” 

Georgina started to cry, tears wetting Lucy’s shoulder.

“Shh, it’s okay, come on let’s sit down,” Lucy whispered,
her own voice cracking with emotion.

Georgina allowed herself to be guided toward a row of hard,
plastic chairs.  Lucy sat and pulled Georgina down next to her, all the
while still keeping a firm grip of her.

After a few minutes Georgina was calmer, her tears slowed
down and her shoulders stopped shaking.

“How are things today?”  Gerald broke the silence that
had now fallen.  “Is there any more news?”

Georgina shook her head.  “No, he’s still sedated,
they’re just changing his pain relief pump and doing some checks at the
moment.  His leg took an awful lot of the impact, and it was pretty
smashed up, but they’re more worried about his brain.  He banged his head
a couple of times and now his brain is swollen, so they can’t tell how bad it
is until the swelling has gone down.  He’s got a lot of cuts and bruises
too.”

Lucy clenched Georgina’s hand tightly.  “Is he going to
be okay?” she gasped.

Georgina shook her head.  “They don’t know Lucy, they
have no way to tell yet what damage has been done.  Once the swelling has
gone down they’ll be able to do a scan, but until then we just have to wait.
 He had two fractures of the leg, one of which was pretty nasty, so they
had to pin that, but otherwise his leg will be okay, eventually.” 
Georgina looked exhausted as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Is anyone else here?” Richard asked, his eyes darting to
Lucy.

Georgina shook her head.  “No, someone needed to stay
with Nate, and Jack had been down to the pub and had a couple of pints of beer
when we got the call, so we thought it best if I came.  He came over today
with some clothes for me, but we’ve had to be so careful because of Nate.”

“What does Nate know?” Lucy asked.

“He thinks I’m visiting an old friend in hospital and that
Ed is back home working.”

Lucy heaved a sigh of relief.  “That’s good,” she
whispered.

“We’ll go and get some coffee, would you like one
Georgina?”  Richard asked.

“Please, that would be great.” 

As Gerald and Richard left, Georgina turned to Lucy.

“How are you sweetheart?” she asked.  “This must be a
terrible shock.  I hope you didn’t mind me calling you.”

Lucy wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“I’m glad you did, but I wasn’t sure I should come. 
That’s why we didn’t come yesterday, I didn’t want to at first, but I just
couldn’t stay away.”

“The fact you did shows me that you still love him. 
What on earth happened?”  Georgina wiped a tear from Lucy’s face.

“Didn’t Ed tell you?”

Georgina shook her head.  “No, he doesn’t have a clue
what’s gone wrong.  One minute you were happy, the next minute you’d
gone.”

“I know he’s your son Georgina, and he’s been in a terrible
accident, but he’s lying.”  Lucy paused as she wondered whether to tell
Georgina the truth.  What would it accomplish if she did?

“He’s been devastated Lucy, I’ve never seen him like this
before.  Not even when Katie left.”  Georgina shook her head. 
“I honestly don’t know what you mean by he’s lying.  Lying about what, how
devastated he is?”

“No, he’s lying about why I went.  I found him in bed
with Katie.”

Georgina looked surprised, but not shocked.  She
obviously knew, Lucy thought.

“I think we need to get a few things straightened out.”
Georgina took hold of both Lucy’s hands.  “I don’t know what you’ve been
thinking, but there is nothing and never has been anything going on between Ed
and Katie.  He got home, and you were gone, just a note saying it was
over.”

Lucy looked at Georgina, puzzled by what she’d just heard.

“Whatever he told you, I promise you I didn’t leave any
note.  I saw them together in Ed’s bed, so the last thing I’d do would be
to write a note.”  Lucy shook her head in disbelief. 

“Lucy you’re mistaken,” Georgina insisted.

“No, Georgina I’m not.  I suppose they’ve haven’t told
you about the baby yet, wasn’t that why Ed was coming to see you this weekend,
to tell you that they’re back together and that Katie is pregnant?”  Lucy
looked away, not wanting Georgina to see that tears were brimming against her
lashes once more.

“Oh Lucy, you’re right Katie is pregnant, but it’s Luke’s,”
Georgina replied.  “Lucy look at me, please.”

Lucy turned to face her.

“What did you say?”  Lucy gasped.

“Katie is pregnant, but it’s Luke’s child.”

Lucy’s heart began to beat rapidly, and her hands shook.

“But I saw them together, Katie and Ed were in his bed.”

“Lucy, tell me everything from start to finish, about what
happened that night.”

Lucy relived every painful moment, from the phone call from
Grace, to packing up her things and leaving, finally telling Georgina about
seeing Katie at the hospital.  At the end, Lucy was crying freely, holding
tightly to Georgina’s hand.

Once she was sure Lucy had finished, Georgina sighed and
said.  “Lucy sweetheart, I think you and Ed have been tricked in the cruellest
possible way.”

“What do you mean?” Lucy asked between sobs.

“Well Ed found out a couple of days ago that Katie has never
split up with Luke.  Her coming here was all a plan to make money out of
Ed.  You remember that I told you they were broke, well as I didn’t seem
to be coughing up any money they thought Ed might.  When I was over there,
I told Luke that Ed was single because I genuinely thought that he was. 
So, they cooked up the idea that Katie would come over and give Ed a sob story
about Luke hitting her, she was supposed to be destitute and Ed was supposed to
bail her out.  It appears that Luke has been holed up in a hotel in
Newcastle while the children stayed in America with the housekeeper.”

“But Ed offered her ten thousand pounds, and she refused
it,” Lucy whispered.  “Surely she would have taken the money if that were
her plan.”

“Ed found out that ten thousand is a drop in the ocean to
what they owe, and apparently they guessed there must be a lot more where that
came from, seeing as Ed offered it so readily.”  Georgina stood up and
paced the floor, a hand held to her mouth as if to stop screams of outrage
escaping.

“How do you know all this Georgina, how did Ed find
out?”  Lucy really wanted to believe it, but there was still the fact that
he did actually have sex with Katie.

“Well, once you’d left she packed her bags from the B &
B and landed on Ed’s doorstep in the middle of the night, refusing to go back
and refusing to leave until she had some money from Luke.  Ed couldn’t
stand to be near her, he thought you’d left because of the situation, so
obviously blamed her.  But your leaving devastated him, and I don’t think
he had the energy, or inclination, to fight anymore, so he let her stay and he
went to live at our house, and that’s where he’s been ever since - although
she’s done her utmost to entice him back over the last few weeks.  Then on
Friday afternoon, he nipped home to get some more clothes for Nate as we were
coming home this weekend, and he caught them together.  I believe there
was a huge row and some pushing and shoving between Ed and Luke until the whole
sorry plan came out.”  Georgina sat back down next to Lucy.

“It still doesn’t answer why he slept with her in the first
place, and why he didn’t try to contact me until the early hours of the
following morning,” Lucy said with a grimace.  “He can’t deny that, I saw
them.”