The Nurse by J. Corrigan (list of ebook readers txt) 📕

‘And you are?’

‘It doesn’t matter who I am, love. I just need to talk to Dan.’

‘He’s in the garden.’

‘Ah, well if you don’t mind, I’ll go down there and find him.’

Nausea staggered through me. ‘The gate to the garden is locked. You’ll need the code.’

He grinned. ‘Have it.’ He looked me up and down, then turned and made his way round the side of the house.

Giving up on my nap, I walked to the kitchen, opened the recipe book and began to prepare dinner, disquiet folding through me. Half an hour later, Daniel made his way through the back door.

‘Smells good! You want me to go pick up Tom and Casey?’

I shrugged. ‘Up to you.’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘The man—’

‘Ah, thanks for sending him down.’

‘He was in Mussels the day we met. The one who grabbed my arse.’

‘I don’t remember that. He’s a builder, has done some work on the house.’ Daniel walked up behind me, placing his hand on my bottom.

I pushed him away. ‘Don’t.’

‘What is it?’

‘You told me you didn’t know him. And it turns out he works for you.’

‘I didn’t say that, did I? Jesus, Rose, I probably didn’t even clock who he was that day.’

He sat down, rubbed his hands through his hair. ‘Do you want me to go and pick Tom and Casey up or not?’

‘Not. I’m going over there to see them. Alone.’ I threw down the kitchen utensil I was holding. ‘You can make your own dinner.’

Later, at my old digs, Casey brimmed with explanations for Daniel, and even Tom stuck up for him, which did make me think I’d overreacted. Casey ended up making the dinner they were supposed to be having at ours. We ate scrambled eggs on toast and Tom huffed a lot. After we’d finished eating, he got himself a bowl of corn flakes to top up. He really did have hollow legs.

Casey took hold of my hand. ‘It’s been a tough time for you. Hang on in there, and go back home to Daniel. Sounds to me like something you shouldn’t be worrying about.’

Tom was standing behind her. ‘You know I’m not that keen on the father of your baby, Rose, but I do think on this one you’re going over the top… a bit.’

They gave me the money for a taxi and I went home, where Daniel was waiting for me in the driveway – Casey must have called him. When I plonked myself down on the sofa in the sitting room, he went over to his desk and picked up a large sheet of paper, which he placed on my lap. With petulant reluctance I took a look. A crib design.

‘Do you like it?’ he asked.

‘I do.’

‘I honestly can’t remember the incident in Mussels.’ He sat down next to me and pulled me towards him. ‘I was too busy trying to figure out a way to impress you.’

‘He’s a vile man.’

‘Good at his job, though.’ He paused. ‘I’ll find someone else.’

‘That’s a very good idea.’

43

8 December 1991

The kitchen smelt heavily of pine, mixed with the divine aroma of percolated coffee. Moments before, Daniel had hauled the huge Christmas tree through the kitchen to the lounge, where we planned to decorate it the following day. The coffee was for Daniel, although I was dying to slug down a mugful. I was doing all the things a pregnant woman should do, and mostly it hadn’t been a problem, but coffee was the thing I was missing the most. Daniel, though, encouraged me all the time to be good. He was obsessed with my pregnancy, and my body; I felt like a goddess or something, and since our disagreement concerning his comments about Noah, whom he had invited around for early drinks on Christmas Eve, and the man with the snake tattoos, our life had been serene. Only occasionally did I feel a little smothered by his attentiveness.

I looked longingly at the coffee machine again. When the craving bit, all I had to do was hold my stomach, feel the movement, and the feeling disappeared. It was what I was doing now, perched on the kitchen stool.

I was just about to grab my coat, shoes and overnight bag when Daniel, with beads of sweat covering his brow – it was a huge tree – poked his head through the door.

‘I’ll take you to Tom and Casey’s.’

‘I’ll get the bus. I need a walk, some fresh air.’

‘Rose, you’re huge. Let me take you. You have the bag to carry.’ He pointed to my holdall.

He was right, I was huge. Everyone I met told me so: strangers in the street, on the bus, in the park. At first I found it amusing that people I’d never met before, and would probably never meet again, felt they could make such personal comments about the shape of my body, as well as my baby’s sex. All up front meant a boy, apparently.

‘Honestly, it’s not that far, and my bag’s tiny.’

‘Okay.’ He handed me an umbrella. ‘You might be needing this.’

I grinned, pecked him on the cheek. Tonight had been planned for weeks. The student who’d taken my place in the house was away, and I had her bed. ‘See you in the morning. You okay picking me up first thing?’

‘Course. No probs at all.’

I made my way through the estate, luckily all downhill, although it still took me a good half an hour to get to the exit. It wasn’t until I’d been standing at the bus stop for fifteen minutes, the slicing December wind whipping up my hair, that I realised I’d forgotten the presents.

‘Bollocks,’ I said out loud. The couple who’d been waiting with me looked at my stomach, mouths agape. The bus had just turned up too. ‘Don’t worry, she can’t hear me.’ I smiled at them as they got on the bus, then sighed and began to walk slowly back up the hill. I’d pick up the presents then get Daniel to drop me at Tom and Casey’s.

When finally I