Wednesday 6 September 2017

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 43 – Farewell Angel

On Tuesday, Sarah arrived at the house for the reading of the will and the planning of the funeral, not that Katie left much to plan.
And as part of the plans Katie had wisely made Sarah the executor of the will and because of her obvious organizational skills had asked her to implement the funeral arrangements.

Apart from Jack and Anne, Kayleigh, Doctor Anderson, The Vicar Paul Massey, Paul’s fiancé Martina and Matron Gemma Frost were all in attendance.
There wasn’t much to speak of in her will she hardly had a vast estate to bequeath.
To Carole she left her gold crucifix, for Paul her collection of books, to Martina she left her a Celtic bracelet (Martina often admired it), to Gemma her gold wrist watch, and to Kayleigh her gold swallow broach (To remind her that she was a songbird).
All her clothes and the other meagre possession she left to the church to be disposed of as they saw fit and the residue of her estate was to be divided equally between her sisters.
And to Jack she left her, her bible, inscribed:
To Jack
“A good book for a good man”
With love Katie.
After reading it Jack had to excuse himself.

When he returned to the room they discussed the funeral which was to be a simple one with Kayleigh and Elise Riley doing the readings, Katie’s choice of hymns were Amazing Grace, Abide With Me and The Lord’s My Shepard and the eulogy was to be read by Jack, when he had written it.
The date for the funeral was set for Tuesday the 7th of May.

During the course of the week Anne, Jack and Kayleigh worked closely with Sarah on the arrangements.
Which they didn’t need to be involved in but Sarah involved them with all the minutiae because it kept their minds occupied.

On the Friday the medical supply company picked up the bed and such, which made the house, feel even emptier.
It was akin to that feeling after the Christmas decorations come down in January, only a thousand times worse.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend Kayleigh was at the hospital everyday so he only got to see her in the evenings, so during the day he and Anne spent quite a lot of time sorting through Katie’s things.
Not a pleasant task by any means so when the day of the funeral came it was greeted by them all with some relief.
Sarah Peters had been a rock and her hand on the tiller had steered proceedings to perfection.
Warm weather was evidence on the day of the funeral and such was Katie’s popularity that everyone wanted to pay their respects, however seating in the church was quite inadequate for the numbers wanting to attend.
Gary Spiers and Martina Wingrove, being in the sound business, had their company rig a sound system outside the church for the many people unable to get inside.
St Lucy’s was packed to the gunwales and it seemed like the whole village had turned out to say goodbye,
The village green and every available inch of verge and lane held the throng of mourners.
The service was a very moving one presided over jointly by the new Vicar Paul Massey and the Bishop.
When it came to the moment for the eulogy Jack rose from his pew where Kayleigh had been holding his hand and walked slowly to the lectern.
He stood and looked out at the sea of faces watching him and suddenly he was afraid, but then he felt a calming presence with him.
“Katie Watson was a good person,” he began “but then that was the very least you expected her to be, but she was so much more than that”
Jack paused and took a breath
“She possessed a demeanour that instantly put you at your ease, and as a result she was a person it was not easy to say no to, in fact she was a person you didn’t want to say no to, because you didn’t want to disappoint her”
He looked up from his notes briefly to see the heads nodding in agreement and then he continued.
“Not only that but Katie had the uncanny knack of asking you to do something and when she had you firmly committed to the task, left you with the feeling it was your own idea”
A ripple of laughter traversed the church and he paused until it subsided,
“Katie saw through the sinner and into the person within and when she saw YOU, the real YOU inside, the person behind the façade, you felt instantly connected to the world”
He paused again and looked out across the pews.
“And as I look around her Church I know that everyone here has felt her light upon them and for me the world is a darker place with her light extinguished”
He climbed down and returned to her seat and Kayleigh squeezed his hand and said.
“Well done darling”

As the Bishop finished the service, the congregation slowly stood as the six pallbearers moved forward and proceeded to carry the coffin down the aisle.
The pews then slowly emptied as everyone began to decant into the churchyard.
The burial itself, as per Katie’s wishes, was to be a more private affair.

So the bulk of the onlooker’s leisurely dispersed and made their way to the church hall for the wake.
Jack and Kayleigh were among the last to leave the church and walked slowly through the churchyard and joined the group of mourners at the graveside that consisted of those closest to her at the end.

Afterwards they all made their way sombrely to the church hall.
The wake was held in the main room, but because of the numbers a marquee was erected and due to the clement weather the party had spilled out into the gardens and the carpark.
Jack found himself at the rear of the group as they approached the entrance to the hall, and after the others had all gone inside he paused and turned around and walked home.

When he got inside he slipped his jacket off and went to the kitchen and poured himself a drink.
After sitting alone quietly for about half an hour he was disturbed by a knock at the door so he ignored it and poured himself another drink.
There was another more persistent knock so he ignored it again and drained his glass.
Then there was another even more persistent knock.
So he put his glass down and got up and walked down the hall and reluctantly opened the door and Kayleigh was standing there.
“I was told to come and get you,” She said
“You’ve been missed”
“I don’t think I can” he replied
“Nonsense” she said, “you’re expected”
Jack turned around and walked back to the kitchen and sat down.
“You must” she insisted crouching down in front of him.
“I can’t” he retorted
“You have no choice” Kayleigh shouted
“I can’t go, how many times must I say it?” he snapped “it’s too hard”
“It’s not about you,” she shouted in his face “it’s about Katie”
And then she completely broke down and Jack had to comfort her and then cried himself.

After they had cried their tears they walked down to the church hall together.
When Jack got inside Carole Anderson made a beeline for him and asked
“Are you ok hon?”
“Yes of course” he lied “I just needed an hour to myself to get my head straight”
Carole seemed content with that.

The wake became quite lively and by the time Jack got round to see everyone and got back to Kayleigh it was getting late.
“Sorry darling” he said to her
“Don’t worry I’ll have you to myself the rest of the evening” she replied “but I think you need to get Anne home”
Jack looked around and Anne was completely wasted.
“I see what you mean,” he said
“Do you want a hand getting her home?” she asked
“Yes please” he said laughing, “I rather think I do”

When they got back home after the wake he carried Anne, who was completely slaughtered, upstairs to bed while Kayleigh waited downstairs.
When he got back to the kitchen she was standing in the middle of the room in her funereal underwear, a lacy black bra and matching panties and black stockings.
“So are you going to put me to bed now?” she asked and in answer he scooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs.

In the early hours of the morning after the funeral, just before the dawn broke, Kayleigh slipped out of his bed pausing only to kiss his forehead before returning home.

Later that same morning Jack awoke refreshed and at peace but when he walked into the kitchen the sight that he beheld was not a pretty one.
Anne was sitting at the kitchen table nursing a black coffee and judging by the fact she looked like there was to be another death in the family, a pretty savage hangover.
“Oh my goodness” he said
“Shhh” she gestured “have some respect for the dead”
The day after the funeral Anne was planning to go away for a few days to visit friends in various parts of the country before her return to Ethiopia.
But after her grief driven over indulgence the day before, she was in no fit state to go anywhere except back to her bed.
She was adamant that she should not let people down but he persuaded her to phone her friends and delay her departure until the next morning, she could even delay her flight home as she had an open ticket, that way she could still get to see everyone.
Eventually she saw the sense in what he was saying and after a handful of phone calls she went back to bed.

So it was on Thursday morning with Anne restored to her pre binge best, full of vim and vigour and ready to take on the world, that he set her off on her journey by driving her to Purplemere for the first leg of her sojourn.

Once he returned home he found the house eerily quiet and he didn’t much like it all but he was spared his own company for a little while at least by a visit from his next door neighbour and lover Kayleigh but he was still a little down.
“We should get away for a couple of days” Kayleigh suggested.
“A weekend break” he said
“I was thinking more of a dirty weekend” she said
“Kayleigh Robinson you brazen hussy” he said and laughed
As much as he liked the sound of her suggestion he didn’t think he was in the right frame of mind for it so he said
“No I don’t think so”
Kayleigh gave him a questioning look so he added
“I have to put the house back together”
“Can’t you get those Rooney boys to do it? They moved everything in the first place after all” she said
“Well we’ll see,” he said,
“That means no then,” she said crossly
“That’s not what it means at all” he said “They’re probably busy”
“Hmmm” she said as she was leaving with obvious disbelieve but she kissed him anyway and added.
“Please you’ll enjoy it”
“We’ll see,” he reiterated
“I would have really enjoyed it” she said grumpily

Her parting shot made him feel guilty, not that he thought that was her intention, but it wasn’t really a lie he hadn’t yet put the room back together since the bed and stuff had been taken away, but he really didn’t think he would make for good company.
He could have spent the rest of Thursday straightening the house but he didn’t, because in the end he decided he was being selfish because Kayleigh clearly needed to get away so he spent the next hour making some phone calls and when he was done he went next door to Kayleigh’s and knocked on the door.
When it opened Kayleigh just stood there without speaking
“I was looking for gorgeous woman to go on a dirty weekend with and I was wondering if you knew someone who might be interested” he said and she grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him inside.

Monday 4 September 2017

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 42 – Final Plans

At 10 o’clock On Saturday morning there was a knock on the door and when he opened it he was surprised to see Sarah Peters, who was the Verger at St Lucy’s, Receptionist at the surgery and organizer extraordinaire.
“Hello Jack” she said
“Hello Sarah, This is a nice surprise”
“Weren’t you expecting me?” she asked
“No, I don’t think so” he replied
“Katie asked me to come” Sarah said
“Oh” he responded “you’d better come in then”
Jack showed her into Katie and closed the door and she was in there for over an hour before Gemma Frost arrived, quickly followed by Elise Riley, who had also been summoned.
So he showed them both into Katie’s room and closed the door again.
“Do you know what’s going on?” he asked Anne
“No I don’t” she replied with a puzzled expression.
Half an hour later the door opened and everyone decanted and much chattering ensued before they all evaporated away.
When they had gone Anne and Jack walked into Katie’s room.
“What was all that about?” Anne asked beating him to the punch.
Katie gestured towards two envelopes on the bed
“My last will and testament” she replied “and the funeral arrangements, the hymns, the readings, every detail”
“Oh” was all he could manage while Anne had to leave the room and stood in the hall crying.
“Isn’t that a bit premature?” he asked trying to make light of it.
“We both know it’s not” Katie said and forced a smile
He picked up the envelopes, one was a do it yourself Will, sealed, the other was open and contained the funeral arrangements.
“Can I?” he asked
Katie nodded and said
“I don’t see why not you’re in it”
“Am I?” he enquired
“Yes, you need to write and deliver the eulogy and say how wonderful I am, was” she replied
“Ah a work of fiction then” he said
“Very funny” Katie said and chuckled

On Sunday morning Jack felt the need for spiritual refreshment and walked down to St Lucy’s for the Sunday service.
It was a bright sunny morning and outside the church the congregants and villagers were thronging around and he realised he had forgotten it was the St Georges Day Parade.
Jack wandered around the crowd shaking hands, stopping to chat with friends and catching up on local news, taking comfort from the hum drum, eventually he ended up talking to Martina Wingrove and Hannah Peters.

When the parade and the service were over, Martina went off to find her fiancé Paul while Jack stayed and talked with Hannah until her Sister Sarah appeared, and after about twenty minutes they headed over to the Hen and Chickens.
He had a couple of drinks with the Peters girls before they went off to have Sunday lunch at Gemma Frosts house and he went home to find Anne in the kitchen making Spanish omelettes.

Jack spent the first half of Monday at the Club for a meeting with James and Jacey, which went very well so he was in good spirits but when he got home he found Carole, Anne and Gemma in the kitchen wearing grave expressions.
“What’s wrong?” he asked
“Katie’s had a bit of a downturn,” Carole said
“Why didn’t you call me?” he said crossly
“Because there was nothing you could do,” Carole said
“Apart from worry”
“And we had that department covered already” Anne added.
A wave of guilt washed over him as he came to terms with the fact that while he was discussing what has-beens and nobodies would appear on the bill for that summer’s comedy festival Katie had been suffering.
“You selfish bastard” he thought to himself as he sat down beside her bed where he stayed for the rest of the day, sitting in the uncomfortable armchair where he eventually fell asleep.

Jack awoke in the uncomfortable chair on the morning of St Georges Day with a stiff neck to find Katie was a little better than the night before.
He resolved not to put Club business before her wellbeing again and he never left her side for more than an hour at any one time and he never left the house for any reason.

Carole was at the house every day that week but despite her best efforts Katie continued to decline.
Jack sat at her bedside and tried to keep her going, though she had little or no conversation in her for the most part so he spent the time reading to her from Harry Potter.

By the weekend she had stabilized but Carole continued to come in daily and on Sunday she advised that they should call the Bishop as the end wasn’t far away, fortunately Kayleigh was on hand to give him the support Jack needed.

The mood in the house had been very subdued all week but by the time the Bishop arrived on Sunday evening the mood was positively downcast.
The Bishop went in to see Katie and they all sat in the kitchen.
About ten minutes later Reverend Massey arrived accompanied by Martina, Paul joined the Bishop and Martina joined the crowd in the kitchen and hugged them all one by one.
She told them that the word had spread through the village and the parishioners were holding a candlelight vigil at the church and a number had placed lighted candles on the path to the house.

After the Bishop had left Carole went in with the nurse to check on Katie and when she returned she said to us all.
“If you have anything meaningful you wish to say to her, now might be a good time to do it”
So they took it in turns to go in and say their goodbyes and the kitchen was awash with sobbing.
“I’ll get Marion on the phone” Anne said
“Good idea” they all agreed.

Jack spent another night in the uncomfortable chair and the next morning as he stretched out the stiffness in his neck he found Katie awake and lucid.
“I’ll be out of your hair soon” she said
“Don’t you talk like that?” he said crossly forcing back the tears and he took hold of her hand and continued
“I would give up my bed forever if it meant you could stay”
“Dear, dear Jack” she said and cried
That proved to be the last meaningful conversation he had with her as the morphine took hold and during the course of Monday Katie slipped into unconsciousness.

They took it in turns to sit with her during the day and when it was Jacks turn he sat and read to her.
He had promised in the beginning that they would finish the Harry Potter Saga before the end.
They had just started the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when she deteriorated, but he was determined to finish it.

The next day passed by in much the same way until the evening when Carole, Gemma, Anne, Kayleigh and Jack were all at her bedside.
Carole was knitting, Anne was crocheting booties, Gemma was doing something on her tablet and Kayleigh was holding Jacks arm as he continued to read Harry Potter to the assembled group and to Katie even though she had long since slipped into unconsciousness.
He finished reading about 9 o’clock and just before midnight less than three hours after he read the last words she slipped away.
And after Katie passed away Anne, Kayleigh and Jack had to leave the room while Carole and Gemma laid her out.

Long after Carole and Gemma had gone home Jack sat up in the uncomfortable chair next to Katie, or what was left of her, he knew the essence that was her was already in heaven but the loss was nonetheless hard to bear.
Anne said her goodbye to her sister and pottered around for an hour or so before going off to bed and Kayleigh kissed Jack goodnight and went home and left him to his vigil.

It was shortly after dawn, when he saw the sun rising above the trees, and he thought to himself and smiled
“Of course the dawn is brighter this morning, because Katie’s light is in it”
He kissed her cold forehead and wandered off to his room and crawled into bed.

He hadn’t been there more than fifteen minutes when the door opened and someone entered, he heard footsteps on the floor and then they were in bed cuddled up behind him and he could tell by the perfume that it was Kayleigh.
“I don’t want to be alone tonight?” she said
“Nor do I” he responded
He turned around and lay on his back and pulled her towards him so her head was on his chest and then they both slept.

The next morning he woke early to find the bed beside him empty, Kayleigh had left his bed sometime during the early morning but he didn’t notice her go.
He got up about 8 o’clock and found Anne in the kitchen making drinks he walked up behind her and kissed the top of her head
“Morning” she said “Coffee?”
“Yes please” he replied and the conversation remained in that mundane manner.

Carole came to the house about nine and hugged Jack
“How are you doing?” she asked, knowing how fond he was of Katie.
“I’m fine” he replied then she repeated the exercise with Anne and the ambulance came for Katie’s body about twenty minutes after that.
The rest of the day went by in a kind of blur and then Kayleigh came in the kitchen door and steadied the ship for him.

Sunday 3 September 2017

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 41 – Birthday Songbird

The next day Kayleigh returned from Roespring with the good news that her grandfather was on the mend, having been left with a few bruises, no broken bones and wounded pride.
So Thursday morning, he packed his bag for Kayleigh’s birthday treat.
Jack was uneasy about going away for the best part of three days but however any suggestion that he might postpone the trip till a later date was immediately snuffed out
“Life goes on,” Katie said firmly so he said his goodbyes, making sure they knew where to reach him and walked out to where Gemma Frost was waiting by her car with the boot open.
After putting his case in the car he walked to Kayleigh’s and got to the front door just as she was coming out with two bags.
“Have you got enough luggage?” he asked, “We’re coming back on Saturday”
“Yes but back from where?” she asked, “All you said was pack an assortment of clothes”
“Well let’s get going then,” Jack said and loaded her bags in the car
“But where are we going?” she pleaded
“London” he replied curtly
“Where in London?” Kayleigh asked impatiently and he replied
“London is all you need to know for now”
“You’re very annoying,” she said sulkily

Gemma drove them to Purplemere station where they caught the London train and when they got to Waterloo he led her to the taxi rank.
Taking their turn he opened the door for Kayleigh and quietly instructed the cabbie.
“The Waldorf please” he whispered
“No problem guv” he replied
“What was that? Where are we going?” she asked cursing herself for missing what was said.

When the taxi pulled up outside the Waldorf Hotel the concierge opened the door and Kayleigh got out, open-mouthed.
He followed her and turned to settle the fare with the cabbie and then taking her arm they headed in to the lobby.
“Are we really staying here?” she whispered in disbelief.
Her eyes were like saucers as she took in her surroundings.
Once in their suite they christened the rather lavish accommodations in the style befitting the location before celebrating her birthday in grand style in the equally lavish restaurant.

The next morning they had a sumptuous unhurried breakfast before he drained his coffee cup and said
“Come on”
“What?” she gasped
“Come on we need to pack” he instructed
“Why?” aren’t we staying here?” she asked crestfallen
“We have a train to catch,” Jack said heading towards the door
“But…” she stuttered and trotted after him, quizzing him all the way
“I thought this was my treat”
“This was just part one” Jack informed her and kissed her

An hour later they were sitting in the back of another taxi, this time he didn’t whisper
“Kings Cross Station please”
“Where are we going?” she said petulantly and then stamped her feet.
So Jack laughed
“I hate you,” she said

Once at Kings Cross they made their way towards the International terminal.
Half way along the concourse Kayleigh stopped in her tracks.
“I refuse to take another step until you tell me where we are going” she said
“Paris” he answered “on the Eurostar”
“Paris?” she responded quietly “I’ve never been to Paris”
“I know,” he said, he knew she was well travelled in her singing days but he also knew she had never been to Paris “so let’s go”
After another twenty yards she stopped again
“Oh my God I haven’t got my passport,” she cried, “you didn’t say I needed my passport”
Kayleigh sat down on her case and put her head in her hands
“I can’t go without a passport,” she said sadly
Jack walked over to her and fumbling in his pocket he fished out her passport.
Which he had acquired from her house while she was visiting her grandparents in Roespring.
“You’ve got it?” she said in amazement and took it from his hand.
“You had it all the time”
She stood up and added
“I hate you” but undermined her statement by kissing him.

This wasn’t the first time he had taken a girlfriend to Paris on the Eurostar but he was mindful to make sure this trip would not mirror the one he took on the previous occasion in a former life.
He needn’t have worried as Kayleigh chattered away for the whole journey so full of excitement was she.

Once they had disembarked at Gare du Nord they made their way quickly to the taxi rank and joined the queue.
It’s a strange feeling getting into a taxi in a foreign country, not knowing your way around and not knowing the language.
In Paris it’s even stranger because the cabby doesn’t know his way around the city and he can’t speak the language either.
There is nothing quite as disconcerting as getting into a taxi and the drivers first act after you’ve given him the address is to immediately reach for an A to Z like they did the first time he crossed the channel at least in the 21st century they had satnavs.
That said the driver seemed to quickly plan his route and get them on their way and they arrived promptly at the Hilton Hotel and again Kayleigh disembarked open mouthed.

That evening they indulged themselves in the lavish restaurant to such an extent that they were completely stuffed and when they waddled out they decided they should take a stroll to try and walk off their excesses.
It was a warm evening and the city was beautiful in the moonlight and they eventually found themselves sitting on the edge of a fountain in a little park looking up at the moonlit sky.
“I love you Kayleigh” he said, he wanted to say I love you so much and I want you to marry me, but he knew it wasn’t the right time
“I love you too” she replied “and the time I spend with you is the only time I feel alive”
“Me too” he said and walked her back to the hotel and they made love.

The journey home the next day was a much quieter one, as we were both a little hung-over so on the Eurostar they slept the whole way from the Gare du Nord to Kings Cross.
When they got back to Purplemere Elise Riley was there to meet them at the station as Gemma was working.

Back in Turnoak they went their separate ways as Kayleigh had been called up to Plaxton Park so Jack had a sandwich and sat with Katie for about an hour, as she was anxious to hear all the details about the trip.
She was absolutely delighted to hear about the good time they had.
“You will marry her when the time comes won’t you?” she said “it would never have worked between us but you two are perfect together”
“I wanted to ask her in Paris” he replied and she nodded and closed her eyes.
As Katie drifted off to sleep he left her and went to have a catch up with Anne, principally on how Katie was doing, because it was glaringly obvious even after just two days that she was visibly different.
From then on they settled down into an uncomfortable routine, as all week long Katie seemed to be fading away before their eyes.
Anne and Jack tried to keep their own spirits up as much as Katie’s as they tried to keep to the established routine.
Carole and Kayleigh popped in whenever they could and the nurse was there every night but they didn’t get many visitors.
Emily and Davina still came and did the gardening and Mrs Cohen still came and cleaned and bless her she took the cookware, from the donated meals, away with her every time she came and returned them to their rightful owners, but apart from that it was just Jack, Anne and Katie.

The week passed slowly and he was grateful for that as the time he spent with Katie was precious and he knew that the time she had left was dwindling away.
One afternoon they had a familiar conversation, one that they had, had a number of times.
“You’re a good man Jack Morehouse” Katie said
“Nonsense” he replied “let’s change the subject”
“Don’t be modest,” she continued, “you are a good man”
She wasn’t going to let it go so he tried to steer her away instead
“I was in church once and the Vicar said, “It’s not enough to be a good person and do good things””
“What an extraordinary thing to say” Katie said, “I suppose it was a charismatic church”
“It was” he confirmed
“What did you do?”
“I walked out and never went back” he replied “in fact I didn’t go to a church of any kind for over a year”
Jack had successfully managed to steer her away from him and onto theology, which kept her going until she began to tire and she closed her eyes and he got up to leave and walked over and kissed her forehead.
“I still think you’re a good man,” she said quietly
“Hush” he said and looked down on the older version of the girl he had dated briefly during their first year at University,
But he knew in his heart of heart that they were not destined to be a couple their destiny was as very good friends and no more, but there was still a deep love there, though not a romantic one.

Saturday 2 September 2017

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 40 – Completing the Host

After the tearful reunion of the Watson girls, a glass or two of champagne was consumed before everyone retired to bed.
Jacey had been persuaded to stay the night but walked Sarah home first.
The nurse stayed up all night with Katie, and Marion, Anne and Jacey were in the spare rooms, and when all was quiet Jack slipped out the kitchen door and spent the night with Kayleigh.

The next day Kayleigh and Jack woke early and lay awake talking.
She said she would be spending Easter Sunday with her husband Carl which he expected as she always did on the holidays but on Monday she suggested they could go for a drive and have lunch somewhere.
“We might get lucky and get snowed in again” she said
They talked for about an hour about everything and anything and during the converse he got the germ of an idea about planning a trip for her birthday.
After which he left her in bed and returned home before anyone else was up and about.

Kayleigh joined them at White Rose Cottage mid-morning as did Doctor Anderson and the latter spent a few hours with them, which was just as well as Marion had another fainting episode.
Carole again ordered her to her bed and then spent some considerable time examining her but Marion recovered sufficiently to come down for dinner after which Carole went home and the rest of the day passed without further incident.

When Jack woke up on Easter Sunday he found the village in the teeth of a storm, and he supposed that as March had come in like a lamb it was duty bound to go out like a lion.
As it was the holiest day of the year he decided to brave the elements and take Anne down to St Lucy’s for the Easter Service, Marion wanted to go too but they managed to convince her otherwise.
Anne’s appearance in the church turned a few heads because of her striking resemblance to Katie but she was warmly received to such an extent Jack had to drag her away at the end on the pretence of being late for lunch.
It was a little white lie about lunch, as it wasn’t going to happen until after he went home and cooked it.
As it had been a bit of a funny week, Sunday lunch had been a little short on planning, as it was Easter Sunday he should have had something special planned, whereas he had nothing planned at all.
So after checking the freezer, the cupboards and the fridge, lunch was a bit of a mish mosh cobbled together from what he had in which he turned into a buffet.

After lunch was eaten and cleared away Marion went off to bed for a rest while Anne sat with Katie and Jack went to his study in order to leave them to chat.

On Monday morning before he left the house, he found the three sisters were all together in Katie’s room, talking ten to the dozen.
“Blimey, it’s like the witch’s scene from Macbeth” he said
“Don’t be Cheeky” Katie said, “Are you off to see Kayleigh?”
“Yes, I’ll be back later” he replied “by the way, for lunch you’ll find there’s some eye of newt and toe of frog in the fridge”
“Yes thank you” Katie said “see you later”
Then he stuck my head round the door and said
“The scale of dragon is in the cupboard with the other condiments”
“Go now or we’ll shrivel your extremities” Anne shouted after him.

Jack and Kayleigh drove out of the village to Grangemount again but this time they had lunch at a restaurant called the Pigs Trotter and while they were together, apart from enjoying some excellent food they did get to spend some time engaged in conversation, which was when he told her he had a surprise for her birthday.
However despite her employing an array of temptations and inducements he refused to divulge the nature of the surprise.

The following day Kayleigh took a phone call from her grandmother to say her grandfather had taken a tumble so she had to drive up to Roespring for a week and then when she returned she would get her surprise gift meanwhile Jacks attention returned to the Watson girls.

As Katie was spending all of her time in bed he spent much of the time of that week reading to her from the Harry Potter series or playing crib while Marion knitted baby clothes and Anne played Solitaire.
It was an almost idyllic scene but for the fact that one of them was dying.
Marion’s health however continued to be a source of concern to Dr Anderson.
Eventually after a week and a half of fainting spells and erratic blood pressure it was decided that Marion should return home to Alaska before she reached the point where she would not be able to or worse endanger her health or that of the unborn baby.
There were a good deal of tears shed before and after the decision was made.
So it was on the second Tuesday of April that Sarah Peters, accompanied by Anne, drove Marion to the Airport, while Jack stayed with Katie and consoled her.
“I’m sorry about Marion,” he said feebly as he held her and after a moment or two she replied.
“I’m not crying because Marion had to go home, I’m crying because I got to see her again before I die”
Jack had no response to that but to softy weep.

Later when the tears subsided Katie said
“I’m so glad my sisters are happily married and doing good things in the world”
“They are good people,” he said
“Yes they are” she said proudly “thank you for making it possible”
He didn’t want to have that conversation again so he quickly changed the subject
“Why did you never marry Katie?” Jack asked
“That’s an easy one” she replied, “I never met a man I loved more than God”

Friday 1 September 2017

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 39 – The Third Angel

Friday evening passed with the three of them enjoying simple pleasures and congenial company, but it proved to be the lull before the storm as later on Friday night Katie took a turn for the worse so the weekend was rather less tranquil than any of them would have hoped for and was spent in constant anxiety.
Her appetite had been slowly tailing off for some while but she had been in a lot more discomfort than she allowed them to know.
Carole was called and they had two days of uncertainty as the doctor tried to get her medication right.

On Monday it was decided to move her back downstairs and into the hospital bed in the lounge.
Carole was in regular attendance while still covering her commitments at the practice and late on Monday Carole met will Gemma to put the second phase of nursing care into effect.
This plan dispensed with the district nurse visits which were to be replaced by a night nurse arriving at 7.00 pm and leaving 12 hours later.
When they first started discussing nursing care back in February Jack remembered Carole saying the night nurse wouldn’t be required until near the end.
So on Tuesday morning when Doctor Anderson told him a night nurse would be there that night Jack went cold and he grabbed her arm and asked in hushed tones
“Is it that time already?”
All Carole said in reply was
“You’d better find the other sister soon”

After Carole had gone he phoned Sarah Peters at the surgery to see if there had been any word from Ethiopia.
“Yes” she replied “and no”
“Here we go again,” Jack thought
“I had a very garbled call from a woman, who I think was Anne, but she was very incoherent”
“What makes you think it was her?” he asked
“Well she sounded very far away,” she said realizing as the words left her mouth how stupid they sounded, and they sounded very stupid indeed and had it been anyone other than Sarah Peters saying it he would have dismissed them.
“Could you make anything out at all?” he asked
“She definitely said “two days” and I think she also said call again” she said “but the rest was all rather Norman Collier like”
“Ok thanks Sarah” he said “let me know if she calls again?”
“I will” she replied and hung up.

As Katie was up and down Kayleigh was constantly on hand to support him and it was a very uneasy time for them all and even Marion, normally very bright and bubbly was very subdued and off colour, and as they were all focused on Katie no one had noticed she wasn’t eating properly and after lunch she fainted.
Once she was revived Carole ordered her to bed and chastised her for her foolishness, putting herself and the baby at risk.

Later on Wednesday evening the phone rang and when Jack picked up the call, a much-exited Sarah was on the line.
“It was her, it was her,” she shouted.
“Ok calm down” he said, “What did she say?”
“She’s going to catch the first available flight” she continued “which should arrive at Heathrow on Good Friday”
“Brilliant” he said “well done you”
“I don’t have any other details yet, Anne will ring again when she has her flight confirmed”

On Thursday they had a visit from the Bishop no less, who on hearing of Katie’s condition thought it advisable to tend to her spiritual needs.
“How is she?” he asked
“She’s been better, but she’s not on the threshold yet” he replied
“Good” he said “and thank you for all you are dong”
“There is no need to thank me,” he said
“But it’s a very noble thing you are doing Mr Morehouse”
“Not really Bishop I just have a lot of sinning to atone for” Jack replied flippantly
“No one sins as much as that” he said “I hope”
And as the Bishop climbed the stairs Sarah called him with the flight details for Anne’s flight from Ethiopia.

Under normal circumstances, i.e. if Katie wasn’t in crisis and Marion wasn’t on the sick list, Jack and Kayleigh would have made the drive to Heathrow Airport to meet Anne’s flight, but that was not the case.
So as Jack sat in the kitchen he had a thought which if played with finesse might kill two birds with one stone.

Apart from being the Receptionist at the doctors surgery Sarah Peters was also Verger at St Lucy’s Jack knew she was completely smitten with his close friend and colleague Jacey Linton and he with her and he had been waiting for an opportunity to give them a little nudge because Sarah and her heart’s desire, had done nothing about their obvious mutual attraction.
For Sarah’s part she was embarrassed by her drunken behaviour when they all met up in Purplemere before Christmas and didn’t think he would be at all interested in her as she had been so embarrassing.
That was not however how Jacey thought at all, he didn’t find her embarrassing in the least bit, he thought she was lovely, what was holding him back was the fact that because she was so lovely she couldn’t possibly be interested in someone ordinary like him.

Jacey had very low self-esteem because he had worked for a man who treated him like dirt, a skivvy, over an eight year period which had eroded all his self-confidence, he was belittled at every turn and wiped away every ounce of his self-worth.
He felt so worthless that when Jack offered him a job he turned it down immediately stating it was beyond his capabilities it took him and James to finally convince him that he was capable enough for the job and wholly suitable to be manager of the Waterside Club.
He now just had to help one of his oldest friends to experience a love like he had with Kayleigh.

He picked up the phone and dialled Jacey’s number from his study
“Hey Jace, I need a favour”
“What do you need Jack?”
“Can you pick someone up from Heathrow tomorrow?” he asked
“Sure no problem” Jacey replied
“Great, can you meet me at St Lucy’s at 8 o’clock?” Jack asked
“Ok I’ll see you in the morning” Jacey said

After hanging up with Jacey he phoned Sarah at the surgery
“Sarah, its Jack”
“Hi Jack, is everything ok?”
“No that’s why I’m ringing” he said and proceeded to explain why with Katie and Marion under the weather he wasn’t able to pick Anne up from the Airport.
“I can do it” she offered
“I was hoping you would say that” he said “but I don’t want you to go alone so I’ve got you a driver and a bag carrier, so meet me at St Lucy’s at 8 o’clock”
“Will do”
“Ok bye” he said and hung up before she had a chance to ask who the driver was.

Jack left the house before 8 o’clock on Good Friday Morning and walked down St Lucy’s Church and waited inside until Sarah arrived five minutes later.
“Hello Jack” she said
“Sarah thanks for doing this” he said and kissed her cheek “Oh here’s your ride now”
Sarah turned around and saw a car pull up at the bottom of the steps and a man got out and when he turned towards the church she could see it was Jacey.
“You remember Jacey don’t you?” Jack said
“Oh yes” she said and she got butterflies in her stomach as Jack guided her down the steps.
“Jacey! Thanks for coming, Sarah here will be riding shotgun”
“Oh yes… erm hello… nice to see you again” he stammered and Sarah managed a smile but couldn’t speak.
“Sarah has all the info, so she’s the boss” Jack said before Jacey closed his door.

The journey to Heathrow was made largely in silence as they both tried desperately to think of something to say, and what little converse there was tended towards the monosyllabic.
When they arrived they parked in the short stay and walked to the terminal arriving just before 10 am and it was absolutely heaving and the arrivals board was liberally peppered with delays and cancellations.
With cancellations you know the score and you can turn round and go home, but with a delay you don’t know what to do, go or stay.
All they knew from the boards was that it wasn’t on time, they had no idea of just how long it would be, had they known they would still have been at the airport four hours later, they would have turned around and gone home again.
It was at 1.30pm as they had just finished their lunch when the board started to sort itself out and they finally had a definitive arrival time, 20.45pm.
Sarah and Jacey looked at each other in despair.
“This is not how I envisaged spending the day with you” Sarah said and blushed because she said it out loud
“Me neither” he said and smiled
“Well it appears we’ve got seven hours to kill” she said
“I know” he replied “but I have an idea, come on”
They left the terminal and joined the queue at the Taxi rank after picking up a pamphlet from tourist information, entitled “The Top Ten Things To Do In The Borough Of Hounslow”
Top of the list was the Kew Bridge Steam Museum which housed the Hawthorn Davey Pumping Engine and they looked at each other and shook their heads.
Number two was The Great Conservatory in Syon Park and again the looked at each other but this time they both nodded.
After about ten minutes they were in the back of a black cab and Jacey said to the driver “Syon Park please”

It was a cold day but beautifully sunny and the park and gardens were lovely but Jacey only had eyes for Sarah and she for him.
30 year old Sarah Peters had blue eyes and a friendly open face, she was a tall girl, almost six feet, stick thin, apart from her bust line, she also had very narrow hips and from behind she looked like a boy but her legs were absolutely stunning.
Jacey was eight years older than Sarah but was also tall and slim, with dark hair and eyes to match and she didn’t care that he was older than her and she loved the fact that he was actually taller than she was because it made her feel really feminine.
They walked around for more than an hour but despite the fact that it was sunny it was still cold and they couldn’t get inside the house because it was closed during the winter when the Percy family were in residence.
So noticing Sarah shiver Jacey took the pamphlet from his pocket and read down the list
“Let’s go and get a coffee” he suggested and they left the park to find a taxi.
He hailed a cab and Jacey said to the driver “London Apprentice, Isleworth please”
The London Apprentice was number 6 on the list and claimed to be the Best Riverside Pub in the borough with the best view of the river.
The pub was nice enough although they had both been in better pubs in Downshire and the view was also good but not a patch on The Finchbottom Vale.
But one thing they couldn’t deny was the quality of the coffee, which was very welcome as was the warmth of the fire.
They stayed for two coffees and a Danish pastry and then left the warmth of the pub and took a walk beside the river.
They had been walking for about 10 minutes and were completely absorbed in what the other was saying that they didn’t notice the mad cyclist approaching them from behind, in fact they only knew he was there when he shouted get out of the way, so they jumped sideway just in the nick of time and Sarah stumbled, so Jacey reached out and grabbed her hand and prevented her from falling, and once she had hold of his hand there was no way on earth she was letting it go.
In fact the only time she did was when they got in another cab, although as soon as they were seated she claimed it again.
Their destination this time was St Michael & All Angels Church in Bedford Park.
It was a relatively modern church, built in the early 1880s and designed by acclaimed architect Richard Norman Shaw, and looked rather unremarkable from the outside and nowhere near as impressive as St Lucy’s but they both thought its beautiful Arts & Crafts interior was well worth seeing.
After they left the church they crossed the road and had a nice meal at the Tabbard pub directly opposite the church.
After desert and coffee Jacey looked at his watch and it was 8 o’clock and the flight was expected at 20.45pm
“We have to go” he said “it’s due in 45 minutes”
“Really? But there are still places on the list we haven’t seen yet” she exclaimed
“We’ll have to do them another day” he said
“Promise?” she asked
“Promise”

They jumped in another cab and got to the arrivals hall dead on 8.45 and quickly checked the boards and the flight had just landed.
So they went to find themselves a place to sit and had to go some way before they found two seats together and as soon as they were seated Sarah took hold of his hand again.

They stayed seated until the Addis Ababa flight flashed “baggage in hall” and then they made their way back to the gate where they waited patiently at the gate and studied the passengers as they filed towards them.
They had her name boldly written on a piece of card, which Sarah held up so she wouldn’t miss them, but as it turned out they didn’t need it, as they both instantly recognized her, Anne was just a well-tanned slightly taller version of Katie.

They left the terminal at 9.20pm and arrived back in the village 80 minutes later.
Sarah texted Jack to say they were on the way and he responded telling her to text again when they were outside.
Sarah did as instructed and the porch light went on so they walked quietly to the house and Jack opened the door and they stepped equally quietly inside.
Marion was in the hall and silently came to meet them and hugged and kissed Anne, then Anne slipped off her coat and tiptoed along the hall.
Once she had reached the door to the lounge she took a breath and walked in.
“Hello baby girl” she said
Katie turned towards the voice and took a double take before she responded
“Annie? Is that really you?” and then she cried.

Jack thanked both Sarah and Jacey and apologized for the fact they had ended up spending all of Good Friday waiting in the Heathrow arrivals hall for hours.
“Don’t apologize” Jacey said “We had a great day”
“Yes we did” she agreed and held his hand
“Good I’m really pleased” Jack said
“Now get yourselves home you’ve had a long day”

Sarah didn’t want the day to end, for her the day hadn’t been long enough, but she wasn’t confident enough to know if he felt the same way or not.
But she needn’t have worried, he did feel the same way, in fact Jacey thought she was gorgeous, tall and slender with nice long legs.
“I don’t know about you but I’m not tired yet” he said
“No nor me” she said
“Then you are both more than welcome to stay and have a drink or two” Jack said

Thursday 31 August 2017

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 38 – Shop till You Drop

When he went in to the house Katie fussed around him like he’d been gone for a week, which was a bit over the top but he thought it was nice to be missed.
It was one of the things he missed out on when he lived alone, having someone to come home to.

Over the preceding week Katie had begun to spend ever so slightly more time in bed each day and less on her throne in the kitchen.
Jack had thought for a while that she looked visibly different each time he saw her, which he convinced himself was just his imagination but having not seen her for 24 hours he realized it was not.

Marion had made lunch and the three of them sat and ate it together in the kitchen and while they sat at the table Marion said that while she was in England she really wanted to go shopping, but she didn’t really want to go alone.
However as Katie and Jack, for quite differing reasons, were unable in the former and unwilling in the latter to assist her, they set about finding a suitable companion.
After much deliberation between Katie and Jack they decided the perfect choice would be either Gemma or Elise or indeed both so he phoned Gemma that afternoon and she was thrilled to be asked and said she would speak to Elise and set something up.
Low and behold not an hour later Gemma knocked on the door and after introductions invited Marion round to hers for tea and a chat with her and Elise, who would be arriving shortly.
So Marion grabbed her things while Jack cleared away from lunch, after which Katie said she needed a rest so he carried her upstairs and settled her down,
“She’s definitely getting lighter,” he thought as he walked back down the stairs.

He was feeling a little tired himself but he made himself a coffee and went to his study to do some work until it passed.
Despite having woken himself up with the coffee he couldn’t concentrate, random thoughts kept filling his head, and all of them were about Kayleigh.
He leant back in the chair and reflected on how wonderful their bonus night together in Grangemouth was and wistfully looked forward to the next time and promptly fell asleep.

He woke up just in time to see the nurse leave and hear Marion, who had returned from her afternoon tea appointment, fussing around her sister and when Jack walked into the kitchen she had already got the evening meal well underway.

All the chat at dinner was about Marion’s new best friends; apparently they all got on famously.
He quickly snapped out of his silly mood and listened as
Marion said that she particularly wanted to go to Hanratty’s in Abbottsford because it had always been her favourite, and Marks and Spencer, for knickers and stuff, but mainly she just wanted to shop at the British stores she didn’t get in Alaska.
Purplemere had quite a good shopping centre and would probably have met most of Marion’s needs, apart from Hanratty’s but Gemma and Elise volunteered to take her to the Phoenix Shopping Centre in Abbottsford and make a day of it, so they were going to be out all-day on Thursday.
Inside, Jack was delighted, but he didn’t show it, and later he chastised himself for being a little jealous about having to share Katie.
The intervening days passed without incident and the green-eyed monster didn’t appear again.

On Thursday morning Gemma was knocking on the door even before the nurse had arrived and Jack watched as Marion and Gemma trotted off excitedly down the path to be met by an equally excited Elise at the end of it.
Almost the very moment Elise’s car pulled away, George Dallas, the nurse arrived and another day was off and running.
Kayleigh texted to say that Carl was having a bad day and she would be staying with him all day.
It seemed like an age since Katie and he had spent the day together, just the two of them but after breakfast he asked her
“Do you wish you could have gone with the girls today?”
“Good grief no” she responded with a scoff “I hate shopping”
“Really?” he asked astonished that there was actually a female of the species who detested shopping
“Yes” she replied, “I buy everything on line”
But then she corrected herself
“Bought everything on line”

They spent a very pleasant day together and Katie managed to resist the urge to take an afternoon nap so she could beat Jack at crib again and they had eaten supper and cleared away and were half way through “The Lady Vanishes” before Marion returned laden with bags and spent the next hour telling them all about her day and so enthusiastic was she in her description it was difficult not to be interested.

Bright and early on Friday morning when he opened the door it was to the familiar faces of Nurse Hannah Peters and his friend and lover Kayleigh Robinson.
“Hi you two,” he said
“Good morning” they chorused and he kissed them both.
After he had closed the door Hannah asked
“I’m a bit early,” she said looking at her watch “is she up?”
“She’s in the bath” he replied, “come and have some coffee”
“I’ll go up and see her first” Kayleigh said

When she came back down Fifteen minutes later Hannah went up and as they sat drinking coffee he asked
“How come you’re here so early?
“I’ve come straight from the hospital” she replied and added coyly “I just wanted to see you”
As the morning went on it was obvious to Jack that there was more to it than that.
She was excessively tactile, and occupied his personal space at every opportunity, she was like his shadow apart from half an hour when she was engaged deep in conversation with Katie upstairs.
“I’m a terrible person Katie” she whispered
“I’ve been sitting at my sick husband’s bedside and all I can think of is Jack”
“That’s understandable” Katie said
“But I feel so guilty, so disloyal” she retorted
“Well you shouldn’t, you gave up everything after Carl’s accident, that’s how loyal you have been and now you have allowed yourself to feel alive again, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it, life is too short, and no one knows that better than I”
“I’m sorry Katie, I’m so selfish” she said and hugged her friend
“Hush” Katie said
“Carl is your past and Jack is your future but for now you have to walk the line between the two, but one thing you must not do is to allow guilt to corrupt either”

When she came back downstairs she was in touchy feely mode again, though not to the point of rubbing up against him like an overly friendly puppy, but she was like sticky glue and followed him everywhere.
Eventually he could take no more when she followed him into the utility.
“What is the matter with you today?”
“I just want to hold you and kiss you” she replied and wrapped her arms around him
“Well we can’t do anything about that at the moment” he said and kissed her “We are not alone”
“What if we were?” she asked
“That would be different” he replied “but we’re not”

Just before midday Jack was sitting at the kitchen table talking to Katie and Kayleigh was perched on the kitchen counter.
The Vicar was reading aloud from an old magazine, it was an article about a charity fancy dress Parade, there was a picture from the event which Katie showed them showing three individuals all with black curly wigs, black faces with white circles around their eyes.
All of them were wearing typical golliwog or minstrel costumes of red, white and blue.
“It was during the annual Charity Event that three individuals dressed as minstrels allegedly caused offence” Katie began “a police spokesman said “we have received several complaints and are investigating the circumstances””
“Sounds like a waste of police resources to me” Jack said
“Hold on there’s more” Katie interrupted “the spokesman went on to say that “in addition to trying to find the minstrels we are also seeking the whereabouts of the Jackson 5””
All three of them were laughing and Katie was in tears when Marion came breezing into the kitchen and didn’t have a clue what all the frivolity was about.
They all had lunch together and Jack and Kayleigh were both independently trying to figure out how they might grab half an hour of private time to no avail but as they were clearing away after lunch all their prayers were answered as Gemma was ringing to invite Marion to go over to Purplemere for the afternoon, there were apparently some things that Marion couldn’t get the day before.
So that was that, “Thank you God”
As soon as Katie settled down for the afternoon Kayleigh would get to hold her lover like she’d been craving all day.

When Jack was upstairs putting Katie to bed
“Are you ok?” Katie asked, “You seemed a little distracted today”
“I’m fine” he lied
“I think Kayleigh is the distraction” Katie said
“How could she not be” he agreed
“She wants you every bit as much as you want her, you do know that?” Katie said and Jack kissed her forehead and said
“I love you Katie Watson”
“Of course you do” she said smugly
“Just one thing Jack”
“What’s that?”
“Get her to sing again, when Carl has gone, make her sing again” she said and closed her eyes
“For you anything” he said and closed the door
Katie was a very perceptive woman, sharp as a knife, and the combination of her illness and the medication could quite easily dull the blade, but it hadn’t.

After he put Katie to bed and he wandered downstairs and as he approached the kitchen he caught sight of Kayleigh staring out the kitchen window.
He walked up behind her and hugged her and she leant back against him.
“Penny for your thoughts”
“Save your penny, they’re all about you” she said and turned to kiss him.

They spent the afternoon on the sofa in his study, just holding each other, while they listened to music, nothing more than that and they stayed there until Marion phoned to say not to cater for her at dinner, as she and Gemma would eat out.

Suitably refreshed after an afternoon of relaxed intimacy with the man she loved Kayleigh kissed him goodbye before she left to sit with Carl and then Jack went to the freezer and selected a pasta bake from the well-stocked freezer and put it into the oven to warm.
Half an hour later he made a cup of tea and went upstairs to wake Katie.

After drinking her tea Katie asked if she could have another bath and after telling her off for forgetting she didn’t need to ask he ran her a bath and helped her get in.
At six o’clock he was sitting in the kitchen when the front door opened and Doctor Anderson walked in with her medical bag.
“Hello” she called
“In the kitchen” he called back
For a variety of reason he hadn’t seen her for a while and when she walked in she was dressed in her familiar professional garb.
“You’re looking very lovely doctor” he said, “Do you want to feel my pulse?”
“Behave yourself” she said “I can kill as well as cure, where is she?”
“Upstairs” he replied “she’s in the bath”
“Ok” she said, “I’ll go up and see her”
“Then will you feel my pulse?” he asked
“Stop it” she said “or I will hurt you”
“Something smells nice,” she added
“Not as lovely as you” he said cheesily
“Behave,” she said and laughed
“Are you going to eat with us?” he asked
“Yes I’d like that” she replied
As he walked her to the stairs he thought that, as she hadn’t seen Katie in a while he should warn her that she might notice a significant difference.
“I know what to expect,” she said

They ate together and Jack could see Carole assessing what Katie was eating and making a mental note.
Her portion size had decreased significantly over recent weeks and when he helped her into the bath it was obvious that there was less flesh on her bones.
Jack had noticed just carrying her up the stairs that there was less of her.

After they had finished eating, Carole helped him clear away and then said she had to make a move and when she opened the door she met Marion coming the other way.

Wednesday 30 August 2017

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 37 – Winters Last Hurrah

In the early hours of Mothering Sunday morning Jack was gently shaken awake.
“You have to go darling,” Kayleigh said and kissed his neck
“What? Ok” he said
She had reluctantly woken him early in the morning so he could sneak back to his house before the household were up and about.
So it was on a dark Sunday morning in March after a lingering goodbye kiss in the kitchen that he slipped out the back door.

Jack exited her garden via the side gate and quietly opened his own kitchen door and found the house was in total darkness so he sat in Katie’s chair and went out like a light.
However he didn’t sleep for long as he was woken by the nurse at 7.45.
After she had left Jack took Katie a cup of tea and she said he could go back to bed if he wanted as Marion was going to get her up for the day.
He was grateful for the suggestion but he didn’t bother though, instead he settled for a long leisurely shower instead.

After showering and dressing for the day he decided that as they had guests and as he was up so early anyway he would set about preparing a roast dinner.
As they had company he served dinner in the dining room, a rare treat as he had only used that room on a handful of occasions since he’d lived in the house.
Along with the roast pork he even made Yorkshire puddings, which he normally had great success with but on this occasion, much to his embarrassment and Katie’s amusement, they came out more like Yorkshire biscuits.
Later when the nurse came and asked her what she had eaten that day she delighted in stating “Roast Pork and Yorkshire biscuits”
And then she fell about laughing.
Jack thought it was lovely to see her in such high spirits’ even if the joke was at his expense, it was well worth it.

It turned out to be a beautiful spring afternoon, the warmest day of the year thus far by some distance so after lunch Katie sat on the patio while he cleared away the lunch things and Bob and Marion went out to explore the village.

When he had put away the last of the dishes Jack made a drink and went out to join Katie on the patio.
As he put her mug on the table she took hold of his hand and said
“I know I’ve said it a lot but, thank you Jack, you’ve made me so happy”
“It was worth it just to see your face” he said and kissed her forehead.
As he sat down he added
“We just have to find the other one to complete the coven”
“You are so cheeky” she said and laughed

The warm spring interlude continued for the next few days but as the week went on it proved to be a false dawn and the cold weather returned with a vengeance and before the following weekend was out so did the snow.

With Marion and Bob in the house and the routine with the nurses running like clockwork he found himself with a bit of time on his hands.
His first thought was a night away somewhere with Kayleigh but Carl was still very poorly so that was a non-starter.

So after speaking to the girls and making sure they were comfortable with it he decided to pay some attention to his day job, namely the Waterside Club, so he locked himself away in his study for most of Monday and waded through all the emails that had accumulated.

The week passed by quite routinely and without incident apart from the excitement surrounding Kayleigh’s first appearance at White Rose Cottage for more than two weeks.
Katie was delighted to see her best friend and proudly introduced her to her sister.

Marion was going to stay in the UK for a couple more weeks, at least, but on Friday Bob had to fly back to the states so Jack drove them to the airport while Kayleigh looked after Katie.
It was a bitterly cold day but compared to Alaska, Bob and Marion thought it was quite pleasant.
He dropped Bob and Marion at departures and did circuits around the block for the next twenty minutes while they went inside and said their goodbyes and Marion was in tears when she got back in the car and Jack had to comfort her, which was never his strong suit and they eventually got back to the village mid-afternoon.

Having spent time alone with her on Friday, Katie suggested he take Kayleigh out for the day on Sunday to cheer her up a bit, take her out of herself, so on Sunday after church he left Marion looking after her sister and drove out of the village just as it had started to snow.

They had no planned destination other than to get out of Turnoak and find somewhere to eat lunch, so as they reached the Finchbottom Road they made a conscious decision to turn left and head towards the “Granges” which were a collection of villages and hamlets comprising of West, East, Upper and Lower Grange and Grangemount, Grange Forest and Grange itself but they had no particular destination where they were going to head to as neither of them had been to the Granges before.
So they chose Grangemount village and The Old Bell Inn, in particular because Kayleigh’s tummy grumbled.
“The Old Bell Inn it is then” he said and they both laughed

It was bitterly cold as they got out of the car and the snow began to fall hard and fast as they approached the Inn.
Once inside the old Tudor Inn they found a cosy welcoming fire burning in the hearth and a bar full of customers.
They enjoyed a pleasant afternoon and the meal was excellent, it was only pub grub, but it was excellent pub grub, but most of all they enjoyed just being together.
In fact they were so absorbed by each other that they didn’t realize the other customers had been slowly drifting away until there were only five remaining, including them.

After Jack had settled the bill and Kayleigh wrapped up against the cold they stepped out into the carpark and it was obvious that the disappearing customers weren’t the only thing they hadn’t noticed,
“Oh dear” they exclaimed
The snow which began to fall hard as they arrived had clearly continued to fall and it was laying quite thick.
“Well I think we’re in for an interesting journey” Jack said
“Is it safe?” she asked
“We’ll soon find out” he retorted “Come on”
Jack took her hand and they started to walk gingerly across the carpark just as a car drove hesitantly towards them and when the new arrival pulled up alongside them the driver wound down the window and said.
“If you’re thinking of leaving, I’d think again”
“Is it bad?” Jack asked
“There is a tree down on the Finchbottom Road and the only other road out of Grangemount is up a 1 in 4 hill” he said and the man wound his window back up, so Jack and Kayleigh looked at each other and did a U-turn and headed back to the welcoming fireside of the Inn.
Fortunately they had stopped for lunch at an Inn and not just a pub so they went to the reception and managed to secure their last room.

At first glance Jack thought the room was a bit small and dingy but then they had been a bit spoilt with the hotel they stayed at in Sharpington so he chastised himself for being such a snob, Kayleigh on the other hand was just happy that they had a room together.
Jack sat on the bed and while Kayleigh was in the bathroom he phoned home to tell Katie and Marion they were snowed in, in Grangemount.
Katie said she suspected as much as the nurse was having to stay at the house, as she couldn’t get out of the village, that put his mind at rest so he said goodnight and promised to be back as soon as possible the next morning.

It was a lively evening in the bar as Kayleigh and Jack were not the only stranded guests and even some of the staff were stranded and were going to be sleeping in the bar that night.
As a result of the convivial atmosphere some drink was taken, quite a lot in fact but not enough for them to turn their noses up at bacon and eggs the next morning.

They got away from Grangemount just after 10.30 and had a cautious yet picturesque journey home.
When they returned to Turnoak he dropped Kayleigh outside her house, partly because she wanted to get up to the hospital as soon as possible and assuage her guilt for enjoying every second she was away from him by spending the rest of the day with her husband, the other reason she didn’t want to go to Jacks was that she didn’t really want to be seen in polite company wearing the previous days underwear, so she got out and gave a “cheerio” and a wave, they’d said a very adequate good bye back at the hotel.