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

arrived at the house, exhausted, sweating and still cursing myself, I saw a car in the driveway I didn’t recognise. I opened the front door; the house was quiet and Daniel’s study door was closed. I walked towards it and was about to knock when I heard a familiar voice.

Slowly – I really did just want to sit down – I moved closer.

‘God, you’re so in love with her, aren’t you? She has you wrapped round her little finger.’

A hand on my shoulder. I jumped, thinking I was going to go into labour there and then.

‘Hello, Rose. Been a while.’ Ed appraised my bump, while at the same time looking at the closed door and rubbing his concave left cheek. ‘You’re big.’

‘What’s going on, Ed?’ I said dropping my bag on to the floor.

‘A sister can visit her brother, can’t she?’ He took hold of my arm.

‘Do not touch me.’ I shoved him away.

At that moment, Daniel’s study door opened and I found myself face to face with Abigail.

‘Rose! Daniel said you were out for the night. I’m so glad you’re back; I was pissed off I’d missed you,’ she said.

‘I forgot something.’ She was dressed in a white trouser suit, a sapphire necklace resting on her chest. She looked as if she was on her way out for dinner or something. ‘I didn’t think you were coming until next weekend.’

‘I wanted to see my little brother… and you.’ Her eyes dropped to my stomach. ‘Wow.’ Before I could reply, she’d turned to Ed. ‘Can you get the bags from the car?’

‘I can,’ Ed said. ‘You planning on staying?’ he asked her.

Abigail smiled but didn’t look at me. ‘I think it’s a good idea.’

Daniel emerged from his study, his lips tense and twitching slightly. ‘Rose, you okay?’

He’d moved towards me. I stepped back. ‘Forgot the presents.’

‘I’ll run you to Tom and Casey’s. It’s no problem.’

‘I’ll meet you outside,’ I replied, not looking at him and turning to Abigail. ‘There’s two rooms ready to go.’

‘I know. I checked.’

‘C’mon, Rose,’ Daniel said, taking hold of my arm.

I shook him off, picked up my bag together with the forgotten presents I’d left by the front door and followed him outside to the car.

I opened the door and manoeuvred myself down into the seat. I hadn’t said a word.

‘You okay?’ he asked.

‘Not really.’

‘I’d no idea they were turning up tonight.’

‘Give me some credit, please. I might be pregnant, but I’m not stupid.’

‘I didn’t know, Rose. Ed said he’d tried to call us to let us know, but we didn’t pick up.’

The landline had been ringing out a lot that day. Sometimes the mobile signal here was non-existent, but Abigail and Ed turning up unannounced was not my problem. ‘Why is your sister so surprised that you’re in love with me? What’s going on?’

‘You were listening at the keyhole?’

‘Christ’s sake, no, I wasn’t listening at the keyhole. Stop the car and let me out.’

‘Hey, calm down, babe.’

‘Do not call me babe either.’

He’d stopped the car. ‘My sister has some mental health issues… it’s the problem our dad has with her. He wants her to have treatment and she refuses. It’s causing a rift between them.’

‘What are you trying to tell me?’

‘Abigail’s complex.’

‘What, Daniel? Just spit it out.’

‘She has problems… with the women in my life. She had a problem with my relationship with Ed’s sister too.’

‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying?’

He nodded and started the engine. We didn’t speak again until we got to Tom and Casey’s.

‘I’m not coming home until Abigail and Ed have left,’ I said.

‘I’ll pick you up in the morning. They’ll be gone by then.’

I attempted to lumber out of the car, but all my energy had dissipated. Daniel was by my door within seconds. ‘Leave me alone, I can get out myself.’

‘I can ask them to leave tonight.’

‘No, you can’t. But I want them gone in the morning. Your sister and Ed, they both freak me out.’ He tried to kiss me. I turned away, not wanting to even think about what he’d just told me. ‘When our daughter arrives, I really don’t want Abigail anywhere near her when I’m not around.’

He placed his hand on my arm. ‘I’m sorry…’

‘It’s weird, Daniel. She’s weird, and so is Ed.’ I paused. ‘We need to talk about this tomorrow. It’s time.’

He moved his hand onto my belly. I didn’t push it away. In reality, Daniel was caught in a deep, dark place. I could see that, and maybe it was what I’d seen when I’d first met him. Broken water. When the time was right, perhaps I could talk to Abigail and suggest she get help.

It was only Casey I told about Daniel’s sister. She laughed and asked if she could use it in her dissertation. Christ, Rose, if Abigail having an unrequited sexual thing for her brother is the only skeleton hanging in Daniel’s family’s cupboard, you’ll be doing okay. She sounds like a needy, attention-seeking little witch.

I loved it when Casey got like this, which wasn’t often. She was the kindest person I’d ever met and as a rule never had a bad word to say about anyone.

But that night I couldn’t sleep, and my hands rested on my stomach until the fingers of dark winter light told me I could finally get up.

44

3 January 1992

Daniel had returned from his mercy mission to Herefordshire only an hour before, having left at short notice mid afternoon on New Year’s Day, and after a distraught call from Abigail. I’d been remarkably chilled about him going and put it down to the euphoria of the coming birth. I was so excited.

Abigail was in a bad way, he told me as he sat in the kitchen drinking tea whilst I lay on the floor, spread-eagled, attempting to take the burden away from my back. Lying supine with a pillow shoved under my neck, I shrugged and huffed. I really didn’t want to think about Abigail having an unhealthy thing for her