CHAPTER 16
But for the rhythmic beeping of medical machinery and the hushed voices of the nursing staff, the small hospital in Clowder Bay was quiet.
Suddenly Alison and Mia burst through the curtain that was drawn around Tess’s bed.
“Nan, are you okay?”
“Oh dear, you almost gave me a heart attack,” Tess smiled.
“Oh, Mum, don’t joke. Are you alright?” Alison leaned over and clumsily kissed her mother on the cheek dislodging the oxygen tube.
“Now you’re trying to kill me. You know I have nothing to leave you, don’t you?”
“Mum,” Alison asked again, putting the plastic tube back into place, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, dear, or at least I will be after a cup of tea and good night’s rest.”
“What happened?” Alison sat on the bed and took Tess’s hand.
Tess, suddenly serious again, looked over to the side table and pointed to the bulging plastic bag. “That happened,” she said.
Tess told them of the letters. “All these years, all these years I wondered, doubting myself, doubting him ... and having blind and unquestioning faith in my father… all these years…” Tess’s voice trailed off.
“It’s alright, Mum.” Tess stroked her mother’s hand. “Are you cold? Do you need another blanket?”
Tess didn’t respond.
“Mum?” Tears brimmed in Mia’s eyes.
“She’s just resting. You stay with her and I’ll have a chat to the nurses. They will need to know her history.”
“I’ve hardly seen you today, Mum,” Mia said as they walked back to the Seaview Apartments. “Have you been okay?”
“Yes, sweetie, I’ve been fine. Your nan is the worry now.”
“What’s going to happen? How sick is she?”
Alison looked at Mia as if she was just noticing for the first time that her daughter was quickly catching up to her in height. “You’re growing up too quickly. I should have asked the doctor for something to keep you small.”
“Don’t change the subject, Mum. Don’t keep secrets from me. I don’t keep any from you!”
“And neither should you. I’m your mother.”
“And neither should you. I’m your daughter!”
“Are you saying that you tell me everything, Mia? I doubt that very much.”
“Well, no, not everything, but it’s not necessarily secrets. It’s just stuff that you don’t need to know, that’s all.”
“Oh, like the kiss Joey whatshisname gave you at the disco last term?”
“Joey Adams… kiss! Oh my god! How did you know about that?”
“It doesn’t matter. But was that a secret or was it just something I didn’t need to know?”
“I guess it was … Oh, I don’t know. He’s a creep anyway. Turns out he kissed about a thousand girls that night. And you’ve changed the subject again. This is about Nan.”
Alison remembered she had turned her phone off when she went into the hospital. She took it from her bag and switched it back on.
“It’s just her heart. Her medication controls it but if she’s under a lot of stress it can creep up on her and … you can see what happens. That’s why she had to stop working. I was glad when she suggesting coming here, but I was worried also. I’m not sure what it all means to her.”
“Is she going to die?”
Alison’s phone beeped. She read the message on the screen: Missed call from Geoff Bowden who did not leave a message.
“Just Canberra,” she sighed. “I suppose they think they need to remind me it’s been two years today. I don’t know about Nan. Neither do the doctors. Maybe a lifestyle change will help. This sea air might be just the thing. And I’ve been so selfish. She told me that it might be time to move on. I think she’s right. How can I support her if all I do is mope around feeling sorry for myself? I can almost feel the negative vibes flowing out from every pore of my skin. That’s the last thing mum needs.”
Just then Alison’s phone rang. Alison had already decided to ignore it if it was from the army, but it was an unknown number.
“Alison speaking.”
“Alison, it’s Bertie Birman here, from the bookshop. I hope you don’t mind but I got your number from Tess.”
“Oh, Bertie. Thank you so much for being there for mum this afternoon.”
“That was no problem at all. I could see she was upset and I just thought she needed watching, that’s all. But actually I was ringing to say that I’ve found another letter. I must have missed it when I dropped them all on the floor today. The thing is I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to pass it on to Tess. What do you think?”
“I’m not sure either. They certainly upset her. But on the other hand, the things she read…she’s been waiting nearly all her life to know them.”
“Well, I’m driving to Brisbane tomorrow to check that my new store is ready to move into and will be back later in the week. Maybe by then she’ll be well enough and can decide for herself whether or not to read it.”
“Good idea, Bertie. Drive safely.”
Alison and Mia were in bed when the phone rang again. Alison looked at the screen and let out a long, frustrated breath.
“You should answer it, Mum. He’ll just keep trying. I’m sure he means well.”
Alison held the phone with her thumb hovering between Answer and Ignore. Finally she hit Answer.
“Hello, Rob,”
Two years ago Mia had watched her mother’s face die with the pain of unbelievable grief. Now she didn’t know what she was seeing. Alison sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her face at first reflected nothing and then a look of disbelief until finally a flood of tears flowed as though it had been building up for a century.
By the time Alison had hung up Mia was sitting beside her with her head on her mother’s shoulder and her arms wrapped around her.
“They’ve found him haven’t they?” Mia cried. “They’ve found his body.”
Apart from greeting the caller and saying thank you at the end Alison hadn’t uttered a word. Her lips trembled and she shivered uncontrollably. When she finally spoke the words came out in little pieces, each syllable taking its turn to escape its two-year’s of captivity.
When Mia put the disjointed sounds together she also dissolved into a million tears.
“Yes, they’ve found Pete…. He’s alive.”
It was a sleepless night for Alison who lay awake trying to recall every detail of the phone call. What did Geoff Bowden say about Peter’s health? Where did he say Peter was now? When will I be able to speak with him?
Mia was so happy for her mother that she too lay awake and only fell asleep after several hours of non-stop grinning in the dark. She also thought of her grandmother. Maybe this will give her the boost she needs. Put the fight back into her. She couldn’t wait to see her Nan’s face in the morning when they told her the news.
Saturday July 6th
As Alison and Mia walked past the nurses’ station they heard an alarm sounding and Tess’s name mentioned. They looked down the corridor to see a nurse abandon a young man in a wheelchair to hurry into Tess’s room.
“It’s Nan. Something’s wrong,” exclaimed Mia.
They hurried towards the room to find Tess sitting upright in bed, all tubes disconnected, but looking very concerned.
“This tea is rather cold,” she informed the nurse. “Is there any chance that you could fetch a little jug of hot water from the kitchen?”
It had been a long time since Mia had seen her grandmother’s face light up as it did that morning as Alison told her the news about Peter. They spoke of the future that they thought they had been denied. Tess started talking about a wedding. Mia talked about a little brother or sister, preferably a sister. They ignored Alison when she tried to assure them that there would be no sibling for Mia and no more grandchildren for Tess unless Mother Nature reviewed her own rules.
“Well, one thing’s for sure, Mum,?
?? Mia grinned, “I’m not changing my name. You might be happy as Ali Katz but there’s no way I’m going to be Mia Katz. They’re such odd little creatures.”
“Really, I think they’re cute and cuddly,” said Alison giving Mia a hug.
“Goodness,” Tess yawned, “you’ve both made me so tired.”
“Sorry, Mum.” Alison gave Tess a kiss on the forehead. “We’ll let you rest and come back later.”
“Ali,” Tess called as Alison and Mia walked towards the door.” Alison turned. “I’m so happy for you.”
Alone again, Tess looked out through the window. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. A family was picnicking in the park across the road, having spread their blanket beneath the large jacaranda tree. A gentle breeze danced with the fronds of tiny green leaves just as it had on that day she received the news of Fudge’s death.