‘I don’t want her to die,’ Ben hiccupped, grabbing my hand. ‘Mummy, please don’t let her die…’
I got down to my knees and squeezed my son’s hands in mine. ‘Darling, Dr Richards will do everything she can,’ I promised. ‘She’ll be fine, you’ll see.’
Lisa Richards shot me a sidelong glance and I widened my eyes. ‘She’s getting the best possible treatment, Ben. I promise you that.’
Together, Ben and I leaned over Callie, tiny and fragile in a sterile basket, and covered her with kisses and caresses while the drugs kept her under. I hadn’t been this scared since Minnie had had her hysterectomy.
After long moments, we got to our feet and left Callie in Lisa’s care, not without a silent prayer for my baby number four.
‘Tell you what,’ I said to Ben in the car on the way back. ‘When we get home we’ll make popcorn and watch a movie all snuggled up together on the sofa. What do you say?’
‘Yuh…’ he said, wiping his eyes.
‘Yeah?’ I asked. ‘What would you like to watch?’
‘Marley and Me,’ he said without hesitating.
As we approached the house, I expected to see Jack’s 4x4 parked out front, but by God, there were also a fire truck and an ambulance.
‘Oh, my God! Ben, stay here!’ I ordered as I flew through the front garden, frantically looking for the kids and found them next to a paramedic who was giving Jack the thumbs up. They all looked unharmed.
‘I’m here, I’m here!’ I cried as I reached out to hug them. ‘Are you all right? What happened?’ I asked, checking them as if for broken bones.
‘This bloke arrived to save the day,’ the paramedic informed me, beaming at Jack.
‘It was the electrics,’ a firefighter explained, removing his gloves. ‘It’s dodgy to say the least.’
‘Nothing to do with the fridge?’ I asked.
‘No, not in the least,’ he answered me.
Jack and the two men shook hands, complimenting one another for the nice work as Ben came over, his eyes wide.
‘Thank you, I’m so sorry, thank you all,’ I croaked as tears welled up in my eyes. I left them for four minutes and this happened? What the hell was wrong with me? I risked the lives of two young girls by abandoning them.
‘Everything’s okay, mate,’ Jack said, folding Ben into his arms when he reached out to him for a hug. ‘Just a tiny spark.’ And then he turned to me. ‘How’s Callie?’
‘Not out of the woods yet,’ I whispered as Ben limped on ahead to join Jessica and Chloe on the sofas.
I threw a blanket over the three kids, making sure they weren’t in shock, but they were very brave and downplayed it.
‘Mum – it’s fine, really,’ Chloe assured me. ‘It was only a tiny fire and Jack arrived three minutes after you left.’
‘Nina, please don’t be upset,’ Jessica said. ‘We were never in any danger.’
‘Never in any danger? The kitchen was on fire!’
‘But only for a minute, really, Mum. It’s not as bad as it looks,’ Chloe insisted.
The kids could have been hurt, seriously hurt, and it was all my fault. I should have hired someone more reputable to check the wiring, instead of Bert and Harry from the phone book. When was I going to do something right? Whatever I did, whatever decision I made, it always seemed to be the worst.
And just because I couldn’t feel any worse, Lauren’s BMW rounded the corner in a screech and braked just across the road. Within seconds, the howling started.
‘Jessica! Oh, Jessica!’ she called, bursting in, beating her way past us all to Jess who went from chilled and relaxed to alarmed in a nanosecond.
‘Oh, my God, are you okay? I was in the village and someone said, “Fire at Cornflower Cottage,” and I drove over immediately!’
Luckily for us, it hadn’t been a real fire, as Jack had repeated to me. We had already given in that department three years ago.
‘I’m okay,’ Jess answered, taking Chloe’s hand.
Lauren looked up at me.
I wrung my hands in helpless frustration, willing her to go away, and for Luke to return so I could explain what had happened without Lauren possibly poisoning his judgement.
‘How could you not take care of my daughter?’ she cried. ‘How could you be any more qualified than me? Do you see why I can’t imagine not being with her? Life is so precious, and it could slip through our hands any minute. And I don’t want to waste another day. Do you understand?’
I huffed. Of course I understood.
‘Miss, calm down,’ came Jack’s voice. ‘Jessica is perfectly fine as you can see.’
‘Who the hell are you to talk to my mother like that, Lauren?’ Chloe cried. ‘You’re the one who dumped Jess, not her! If anything, she’s been like a mother to her. And you! You, her own mother, can’t even be bothered to send a bloody birthday card once a year!’
I stepped forward and took my daughter into my arms. ‘Sweetheart, hush now. It’s okay.’
‘No, Mum, it’s not okay! This woman is just trying to make you feel bad with her good manners and sob story! She’s been doing it for weeks to Jess, too! Oh, my poor baby, I had to leave you, even if I didn’t want to! It’s all a crock of shit, Lauren! A real mother, a mother who loves you stays, no matter what the cost!’ And then she burst into tears. ‘And that goes for fathers as well!’
‘Chloe, don’t get upset because of me,’ Jess pleaded, catching her hand again.
‘What do any of you know about it?’ Lauren bawled at Chloe who stood back in surprise, not expecting Lauren to break down in front of them.
‘Please stop,’ Jess whispered.
‘Miss, I think you should leave now,’ Jack said, moving towards her, and I knew that if she continued, he would personally escort her off the property.
It felt so strange for him to be here, once again taking action, or at least shouldering the
