Read Online The Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dorothy Koomson
Ads: Link
are downstairs and what could he say in a text that would possibly explain what happened tonight? Without checking who the sender is, I turn off my phone, pull my legs up to my chest and tell myself I need to sleep.
Fifteen years ago
She was gentle and kind, her calmness filtered through the fug of pain and exhaustion. ‘How are you feeling, Miss Berize?’
‘OK, I suppose,’ I murmured through my blue-tinged lips. The tiredness wouldn’t allow me to keep my eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time; they kept slipping shut while the rest of me tried to drift off to sleep.
‘You’ve lost a lot of blood so I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re feeling exhausted right now.’
I nodded. Exhausted, devastated.
Scott’s hand was curled around mine like a sleeping cat laced around the feet of its beloved owner. He hadn’t let go in the time we’d been waiting in this cubicle.
‘I’m sorry,’ her gentleness continued. ‘There’s nothing we can do. I’m so sorry.’
‘You can’t save the baby?’ he asked.
‘Not at such an early stage. We’re not sure what causes this to happen, often it’s just one of those things. I’m truly sorry.’
I nodded.
‘Because of how much blood you’ve lost we’re going to have to admit you until we’re sure the process is complete. Is that OK?’
I nodded again, too drained and broken to say anything.
Scott’s tears crawled down his face in an unstoppable flow. He didn’t let go of my hand to wipe away his tears, he held onto me and let the world see how his heart was breaking too.
Fourteen years ago
‘Come outside,’ Scott said to me in the middle of the night. He tugged at the corner of the red and white eiderdown on our bed,untucking it from where I’d wrapped it around myself.
Scott had stayed over to take care of me when I came home from hospital after the …
miscarriage
, and never really left again. Working in bars to fund his studies meant he kept odd hours sometimes but he always came back to me. Always crept into bed and curled up around me, the cold of his body often shocking me awake for a few moments before the comfort of his familiar shape let me drift back to sleep.
‘Love you, TB,’
he’d always whisper into my ear.
‘You’re everything to me.’
‘No way!’ I replied, turning over, trying to find that lovely warm spot I’d created. ‘There’s all sorts out there.’
‘Just come outside for one minute. I promise you won’t regret it.’
Huffing and puffing, I sat up and threw back the covers. ‘This had better be good, Challey boy.’
Standing at the foot of the bed, he was still wearing his black overcoat and still had his grey scarf wrapped around his neck. In his hands he held my long, grey coat. I gratefully slipped into it. The heating in the building was off till the morning and the chill of the February night had seeped inside. At the front door he handed me my snow boots, even though it wasn’t snowing outside.
‘Do I have to close my eyes or something?’ I asked, as we stood at the top of the stairs that led down from my flat.
‘If you want, but if you fall down them that’s your look out,’ he said, laughing to himself.
‘You!’ I said and gave his shoulder a playful shove.
Outside, the crisp, clean atmosphere chased away any remnants of sleep that might have been lurking in my head and I was suddenly wide awake.
‘Tah-dah!’ he said, his hands pointing in TV-presenter fashion at the car that sat directly outside the flat. It looked older than either of us, was probably more rust than anything else, but was clean and shiny.
‘What’s that?’
‘A car!
The
car! I bought you a car.’
I blinked in surprise. ‘You what?’
‘I bought you a car.’
‘Wow,’ I said, staring at the shiny burgundy surfaces of the car in front of me. I didn’t even know what make it was but it was a car. ‘I can’t believe … Where did you get the money?’
‘I earned and saved every single penny,’
Fifteen years ago
She was gentle and kind, her calmness filtered through the fug of pain and exhaustion. ‘How are you feeling, Miss Berize?’
‘OK, I suppose,’ I murmured through my blue-tinged lips. The tiredness wouldn’t allow me to keep my eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time; they kept slipping shut while the rest of me tried to drift off to sleep.
‘You’ve lost a lot of blood so I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re feeling exhausted right now.’
I nodded. Exhausted, devastated.
Scott’s hand was curled around mine like a sleeping cat laced around the feet of its beloved owner. He hadn’t let go in the time we’d been waiting in this cubicle.
‘I’m sorry,’ her gentleness continued. ‘There’s nothing we can do. I’m so sorry.’
‘You can’t save the baby?’ he asked.
‘Not at such an early stage. We’re not sure what causes this to happen, often it’s just one of those things. I’m truly sorry.’
I nodded.
‘Because of how much blood you’ve lost we’re going to have to admit you until we’re sure the process is complete. Is that OK?’
I nodded again, too drained and broken to say anything.
Scott’s tears crawled down his face in an unstoppable flow. He didn’t let go of my hand to wipe away his tears, he held onto me and let the world see how his heart was breaking too.
Fourteen years ago
‘Come outside,’ Scott said to me in the middle of the night. He tugged at the corner of the red and white eiderdown on our bed,untucking it from where I’d wrapped it around myself.
Scott had stayed over to take care of me when I came home from hospital after the …
miscarriage
, and never really left again. Working in bars to fund his studies meant he kept odd hours sometimes but he always came back to me. Always crept into bed and curled up around me, the cold of his body often shocking me awake for a few moments before the comfort of his familiar shape let me drift back to sleep.
‘Love you, TB,’
he’d always whisper into my ear.
‘You’re everything to me.’
‘No way!’ I replied, turning over, trying to find that lovely warm spot I’d created. ‘There’s all sorts out there.’
‘Just come outside for one minute. I promise you won’t regret it.’
Huffing and puffing, I sat up and threw back the covers. ‘This had better be good, Challey boy.’
Standing at the foot of the bed, he was still wearing his black overcoat and still had his grey scarf wrapped around his neck. In his hands he held my long, grey coat. I gratefully slipped into it. The heating in the building was off till the morning and the chill of the February night had seeped inside. At the front door he handed me my snow boots, even though it wasn’t snowing outside.
‘Do I have to close my eyes or something?’ I asked, as we stood at the top of the stairs that led down from my flat.
‘If you want, but if you fall down them that’s your look out,’ he said, laughing to himself.
‘You!’ I said and gave his shoulder a playful shove.
Outside, the crisp, clean atmosphere chased away any remnants of sleep that might have been lurking in my head and I was suddenly wide awake.
‘Tah-dah!’ he said, his hands pointing in TV-presenter fashion at the car that sat directly outside the flat. It looked older than either of us, was probably more rust than anything else, but was clean and shiny.
‘What’s that?’
‘A car!
The
car! I bought you a car.’
I blinked in surprise. ‘You what?’
‘I bought you a car.’
‘Wow,’ I said, staring at the shiny burgundy surfaces of the car in front of me. I didn’t even know what make it was but it was a car. ‘I can’t believe … Where did you get the money?’
‘I earned and saved every single penny,’
Similar Books
