Practically Perfect (31 page)

As she climbed up the stairs, she heard someone wail that they didn’t like snakes and ladders, it was scary!

Mike had a small bag open and seemed to be putting things into it without much thought as to their usefulness.

‘What do they think is wrong with Chloe?’ asked Anna, checking the bag for a nightie and some underwear and not finding any. She took out two sweaters and a knot of tights.

‘They didn’t know last time I rang her but it might be a kidney stone,’ Mike said, his voice edged with fear.

‘Oh, that doesn’t sound too bad!’ Anna said as cheerfully as she could. She found a clean nightdress and unhooked Chloe’s light cotton wrap from the back of the door. ‘I think it hurts like hell but doesn’t kill you.’

‘Are you sure?’ asked Mike.

‘Well, not absolutely, but I think so.’ Anna tried to sound light-hearted. Mike was so worried and seeing such a large man white with anxiety was distressing. ‘I’ll just find Chloe some make-up. She’ll be furious if there’s a dishy young doctor and she hasn’t got mascara.’

Mike smiled with relief. ‘Thank you.’ He squeezed her arm with painful gratitude. ‘I don’t know what we’d do without you.’

Anna patted him. ‘It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me. Right, I hope that’s all she’ll need. Moisturiser, cleansing lotion, make-up, deodorant. Here’s a bottle of lavender oil, that’s very comforting.’ She glanced at him. ‘Maybe you should have that.’

‘It was so awful, seeing her in pain like that. Worse than when she was having the boys. At least then I knew why she was in agony.’

‘I’m sure she’ll be all right, Mike,’ she soothed. ‘She’s
young
, she’s healthy, she’s fit. I’m certain it can’t be anything too dreadful.’

‘Do you really think so?’

‘Yes! Now, you go to her. We’ll see to the boys.’

After Mike had hugged his sons, he said, ‘Chloe’s friend Susannah will come as soon as she can but just in case she can’t, my parents live the nearest. I’ll try them again from the hospital. They’re rather strict, I’m afraid. It would be good if you could have the boys ready for bed. They have a no-splashing-in-the-bath policy.’

Anna nodded. ‘That’s the fudge-making idea out of the window, then.’

Mike smiled, as if he hadn’t smiled for ages. ‘It’s such a relief you’re here, Anna. We’ll make it up to you, I promise.’

‘Don’t worry about that! You go to Chloe, and give her lots of love.’ And she gently propelled him towards the stairs.

When Mike had gone, Anna said, ‘I think we could get Caroline in now.’ Although she had tried to hide it from Mike, she was really worried about Chloe, too. She bit her lip.

‘Right.’ Rob, who had organised the snakes and ladders very efficiently, got up and went over to Anna. ‘You take over my counter and I’ll fetch her. It’s the red one. I’m not doing very well.’ He put one arm round her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. He murmured, ‘Try not to worry too much. It’s probably something quite minor, but if it isn’t, she’s in the right place.’

She threw him a grateful glance before taking her place at the table. ‘That’s why you want to fetch Caroline, is it? My go?’ She shook the dice. ‘Whoops. Straight down the anaconda. You’re in a worse position now, Rob.’

‘I like Ludo,’ said Tom. ‘No snakes.’

When Rob came back with Caroline the game was suspended so the boys could cuddle her and be licked in exchange. Then she was settled down on the hearthrug, as near to being out of the way as was possible for her.

‘I’m just going to pop next door for a cardy,’ Anna said. ‘It’s suddenly gone a bit chilly.’ She didn’t feel she could borrow one of Chloe’s, somehow.

She realised it was worry that was making her cold, and found an old cardigan that Laura had discarded because it had a hole in the sleeve. It was very comforting, Anna decided.

She was about to go back again when her phone rang. It was Max.

‘Hello, you,’ he said. ‘I was going to try and get down today, but something cropped up.’

‘I couldn’t have seen you anyway,’ said Anna, forgetting to say hello. ‘And now my friend, Chloe?’ she rushed on, ‘I’ve told you about her, is in hospital. I’m looking after her little boys.’

‘Oh. That’s very good of you. Isn’t there anyone else?’

‘Not at the moment, no. I don’t mind doing it. They’re great kids. I just popped back to my house for a cardigan. There’s – someone else with them at the moment.’

‘Well, can’t they look after them, then?’

‘No! They don’t really know him.’

‘It’s a him, is it? How come he happens to be there?’

Anna heard the tension in his voice but decided she had no time or emotional energy to explain Rob. ‘He was just passing. He’s holding the fort until I get back.’

‘Oh. Well, give me a ring when you’re free, then.’

Anna frowned as she put the phone down. She didn’t want to analyse why she hadn’t been more pleased to hear from him, she wanted to get back next door as quickly as she could.

Chapter Nineteen

‘HI, GUYS!’ ANNA
said as she walked through the front door. She’d brought back with her some tiny brass cup hooks that she’d fallen in love with, and bought for no other reason. ‘I thought we might think up a game with these.’

‘You were a long time,’ said Bruno.

‘Yes, sorry, the phone rang. You know how it is.’

Bruno nodded solemnly. ‘Sometimes Mummy asks me to answer the phone and say she’s out.’

‘Does she?’

‘Yes. ‘Specially if she thinks it’s Grandy.’

‘Grandy? Is that Mummy’s mummy, or Daddy’s?’

‘Daddy’s.’ Bruno sighed. ‘They might be coming to look after us if Alistair’s mummy can’t. I wish you could stay and look after us.’

‘The trouble is, I’ve got Caroline to look after, and I’m not sure I could manage all of you. And it’s nice having your grandparents to stay, isn’t it? Do they give you treats?’

‘No. They say children have far too many toys these days.’

‘Oh.’

‘Do they take you to museums and things like that?’ asked Rob.

Bruno nodded. ‘And they only let us have ice cream if we’ve been good. And sometimes we’ve been good and they don’t let us have ice cream. We haven’t been good enough.’

‘Oh,’ said Anna, who felt this was very unfair. ‘Well, I tell you what, let’s have tea, and then a nice long bath, so you’re all clean and in your pyjamas, with your teeth brushed, before whoever it is gets here. Then they’ll read you a story.’

‘Not if it’s Grandy-pa,’ said Bruno. ‘He’ll look in the cupboards for whisky and find Mummy’s mess and then say that the chairs are uncomfortable, and Grandy will say the stairs are too steep.’

Rob and Anna exchanged glances. ‘They are very steep,’ said Anna.

‘Yes,’ agreed Rob firmly, ‘but you couldn’t have any other kind of stairs.’

‘Can we have psgetti?’ asked Tom, who’d been very quiet. ‘And suck up the ends so it hits our nose? The Grandies never let us do that.’

‘Oh, definitely,’ said Anna. ‘I like to do that too. Though not in public, of course.’

‘What’s public?’ asked Tom.

‘People you don’t know,’ said Rob. ‘Anna wouldn’t suck up her spaghetti like that if she was in a café or anything because that would be in public. Or at least, I hope she wouldn’t.’

Anna laughed. ‘Let’s get cooking! Who’s going to grate the cheese?’

The telephone rang and Anna ran to it. It was Mike. They had a brief conversation, then Anna hung up and turned to Rob. ‘He says Chloe’s had major painkillers and is asleep. He sounded a bit less worried but terribly tired. I bet Chloe tried to make him come home and he wouldn’t.’

‘He wouldn’t want to leave Chloe before they knew what was wrong. That’s most unreasonable.’ Rob frowned, as if putting himself in that position. ‘Besides, if he had
to
rush off again, it would be really unsettling for the boys, him being here and going away again.’

‘Although, in a way, they’re used to it.’ She smiled. ‘He also said that there’s a bottle of wine in the cupboard under the window.’

‘Good!’ said Rob. ‘Where’s the corkscrew, Bruno?’

There was another call from Mike a short time later.

‘They’re going to keep Chloe in until they’ve done some more tests but they’re going to let her sleep for a bit now.’ His voice was rather strained.’ ‘I’ve rung my parents and they going to break their journey at a hotel as it seems likely that Chloe will be back home tomorrow. God, I’m going to have to keep them away somehow, Chloe has a real problem with them.’

As they went through her cupboards looking for strong drink and then complained at what they did find, Anna wasn’t surprised.

‘So, do you want us – me – to stay the night then?’ she asked. This would make the sleeping arrangements interesting.

‘Oh no. Susannah, Alistair’s mother, is definitely going to come and stay, but she’s got to get her own family settled first. She’ll be over at about ten, if you can hang on until then.’

‘Of course I can. Mike, are you all right?’

‘Yes, I’m fine. I’m just worried. Chloe’s never ill. Even when she had the boys she was up and about bossing everyone around about five minutes later. She looks so little somehow, now she’s asleep.’

‘If it’s a kidney stone, I really don’t think it’s serious.’ Anna tried to sound reassuring, but, like Mike, couldn’t help being worried.

‘I suppose you’re right. They haven’t rushed her off
to
theatre or anything like that. Are you guys all right?’

‘Oh yes. We’re having a great time.’

‘And is Rob Hunter still there?’

Anna glanced across. ‘He’s helping Bruno crush garlic. We’re making spaghetti. In fact, I’d better go. I’m worried they’ll get cloves of garlic muddled up with bulbs of garlic and we’ll be ostracised from society for weeks. Give Chloe lots of love when she wakes up.’ She disconnected. ‘Hey, guys, that might be enough now. No, I don’t think you’re old enough to chop onions, but you could grate a carrot if you’re very, very careful.’

While she supervised this activity, she said quietly to Rob, ‘I can’t help being worried because Mike is. I don’t think he’s a fusser, usually but that’s the second time he’s called.’

Rob put his arms round Anna and gave her a hug. It felt perfectly natural, and for a few seconds she hugged him back, finding comfort in the strength of his arms around her. Then he released her. ‘She’ll be all right. I’m sure of it.’

Anna, suddenly aware of the boys who were watching them with a mixture of revulsion and childish cynicism, said, ‘How’s the dinner getting on? It won’t make itself, you know.’

‘Are you getting married?’ asked Bruno.

Anna turned away so that Rob couldn’t see her blushing.

‘No!’ said Rob, with a laugh. ‘I’m only giving Anna a hug because she’s a bit worried. Like Mummy hugs you if you fall over.’

‘Why are you worried, Anna? Is it Mummy?’ Bruno looked anxious.

‘No,’ she said hurriedly, ‘it’s the thought that your grandparents might come in the morning and find spaghetti all over the floor.’

‘They don’t like us,’ said Bruno, nodding. ‘We’re too noisy.’

‘You’re not noisy,’ said Anna, ‘just a little loud. Sometimes.’

‘I think that means noisy,’ murmured Rob who had gone back to the tiny kitchen and was rummaging in the fridge. ‘I’ve found a stick of celery, shall we put it in?’

‘Oh, good idea. But, Rob, if you want to go, so you can see to your dogs, you don’t have to stay.’

He was indignant. ‘I’m not spending all this time making psgetti—’

‘Spaghetti,’ corrected Bruno.

‘– and not getting to eat it. My sister’s got kids,’ he added, ‘I quite like them.’

‘My sister’s got them too. That makes us expert aunts and uncles, but what will we be like as parents? I mean, I wonder how I’d be as a mother,’ Anna quickly added, realising what she’d just said. ‘I think I might be a bit lax.’ She thought of Laura, who had routines and star charts and chores for everyone.

‘I’m sure you’d be fine,’ Rob said – a little bleakly, Anna thought.

She swiftly changed the subject. ‘But I can certainly manage as a solo aunt, so if you want to go …’

‘I told you, I want to stay! It’s fun with you guys.’

‘What about your dogs?’

‘I rang my neighbour. She’s going to pop over and feed them and let them out. They’ve got each other. I’ll go back later, when this lot are fed and in bed.’

Anna found herself unexpectedly pleased – he was such good company. She went back to the stove and concentrated on cooking the mince so it was all brown, and not just a solid mass of grey, the boys milling around her. For
the
second time she wondered how it would have been with Max. But the thought of Max in this merry mayhem didn’t quite fit; she couldn’t picture him happily cooking, assisted by three little helpers who relied more on enthusiasm than ability. Just as well she didn’t see Max as husband and father material, although the fact that she didn’t came as a slight shock. She carried on turning over the mince with a thoughtful frown.

‘Penny for them,’ said Rob, making her jump.

‘I was just wondering if we should get them all bathed and then feed them, or feed them first and wash off the tomato sauce afterwards.’ She smiled, pleased with her quick improvisation.