Chapter 4
Caroline rapped lightly on the glass of the front door and waited patiently on the steps. It wasn't long before Kate greeted her with a warm smile as she opened it for her partner.
"Caroline, you know you don't have to …"
Before she could finish her sentence, Caroline had stepped up and silenced her with a loving kiss.
"Knock…," she finished once their lips had parted.
"I know but I don't want to frighten you by walking in unannounced."
Caroline tossed her bag and her coat onto a nearby chair then reached out for Kate, putting her arms loosely around her waist and kissing her gently on the forehead, her nose and then her mouth.
"You're very amorous today, Dr Elliot," Kate teased.
"How can I help but be amorous with such sweet temptation in my way," Caroline played up to her, "and besides, I missed you today."
"I missed you too." Kate returned the kiss. "Are you staying tonight?"
"I'm sorry, Kate, I can't. Now that mum and Alan have moved into their bungalow down Rippendon, I don't have anyone to stay with Lawrence. I know he's probably old enough to stay at home on his own and I don't mind doing that occasionally but it's a week night so I ought to go home at some point….I've got a couple of hours up my sleeve though…he's over at Angus' place doing an assignment they're working on together ….at least that's what he tells me he's doing."
Kate tried not to let her disappointment show as she fully understood and didn't expect anything less from Caroline. Instead, she put on the kettle and went about preparing them each a cup of tea.
Caroline continued the conversation as they waited for the kettle to boil.
"John came over last night."
"What on earth for? I thought he was more of less set up at Judith's place," Kate replied, annoyed by John's persistence at being an unwanted presence in their lives.
"More or less…but he'd had a falling out with Judith over the baby and her …."
"Caroline,back up the bus. What baby?" Kate asked, looking puzzled.
"Oh blimey….I haven't told you, have I…in all the excitement of everything that's happened lately and well…because we weren't speaking there for a bit…. I forgot to tell you….Judith's pregnant…to John!"
"Oh no! How did that happen…well, I know 'how' obviously but…why? when?" Kate was completely gobsmacked. "Has she stopped drinking?"
"I think she may have slowed down but she's an alcoholic…I don't think it's as easy as just stopping…I think that's what their falling out was about," Caroline explained.
"Oh…the poor thing…the baby, I mean. I hope it's going to be okay."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Who knows?"
Steam rose from the kettle as it reached its boiling point and switched off. Kate filled each mug and they headed, with their tea, for the comfort of the well-worn sofa where they curled up beside each other.
"Speaking of babies…how was our daughter today?" Caroline asked eagerly. "I'm sorry I didn't make it to the hospital this afternoon but Gavin wanted to discuss some matters and I've been putting him off."
"She's beautiful," Kate stated simply.
"More beautiful than when I saw her yesterday?" Caroline smiled, poking just a little fun at Kate, the besotted mother.
"Yes, she is," Kate replied, taking Caroline's teasing good-naturedly. "I got to hold her and feed her. The doctor was there today and she seems to think that if Caitlyn continues to progress at her present rate we will be able to bring her home in a week or two."
Caroline smiled as she caught the excitement in Kate's eyes and her voice at the thought of being able to bring their baby home.
"Well, we'll need to get a move on then, won't we," Caroline urged.
"What do you mean?"
"Finding somewhere to live…I'd like us to be together…not this "to-ing and fro-ing" …. so we need to find somewhere to live…somewhere big enough for you and me, Caitlyn, Lawrence and William on the occasions he comes home," Caroline explained.
Both women went quiet as they contemplated possible solutions to their problem.
Kate eventually asked, "Have you had any prospective buyers for your house yet?"
"Nothing serious," was Caroline's disappointed reply.
"Perhaps we could go back to the original plan? I could sell this house and hopefully that would give us enough money to buy John's share of your house," Kate suggested, "and maybe, with any luck, once John has his money he'll quietly disappear off the face of the Earth….sorry."
Kate had always tried to maintain a neutral stance where John was concerned but sometimes it was all too much for her. Caroline's blue eyes opened wide in surprise at the disparaging remark and then she laughed as it greatly amused her…cursing John was usually her area of expertise.
Stifling her laughter, Caroline asked, "I didn't think you were comfortable with the idea of moving into mine…are you sure?"
"Now that your mother has moved out I could …" Kate stopped there realising she had put her foot in it again.
"Don't worry," Caroline said, noticing Kate's embarrassment. "You forget that I've lived with her judgmental tendencies and prejudices my whole life…picking up a few of them myself along the way."
Kate continued, "And John will hopefully be too busy with Judith and the baby to bother us….I could probably do it."
Caroline became thoughtful as she mulled over the possibilities.
"Unfortunately, I don't think the sale of your house would cover what John would expect for his half of our house and I can't afford to pay any more."
The discussion petered out as solutions seemed to evade them.
"Do you want some dinner?" Kate asked, "it's only last night's leftovers but it's still tasty."
Leaving the problem behind her, Caroline cheered up considerably at the mention of dinner. It had been late morning since she had last found time to eat and she was famished.
Kate heated up the remainder of the previous night's spaghetti bolognaise and boiled some fresh spaghetti while Caroline busied herself shaving off slivers of parmesan cheese. The ladies then retreated to the comfort of the sofa. Kate offered Caroline a glass of red wine to have with her meal but as Kate wasn't drinking, Caroline declined also. They turned on the television and settled in for a lazy evening.
With her hunger sated and her head resting comfortably in Kate's lap, Caroline drifted off into a peaceful sleep. It wasn't until almost an hour later, when Kate could no longer put off her need to use the bathroom, that she attempted to wake her "sleeping beauty".
"Caroline…Caroline…" Kate softly whispered so as not to startle her, "I need to get up."
Caroline roused but didn't wake so Kate gently lifted her blonde head, stood up and placed a cushion where her lap had been.
When she returned, it was to see a bleary-eyed Caroline propping herself up on the sofa, attempting to look at least semi-conscious.
"I'm sorry," Caroline apologised, "I'm not exactly scintillating company am I …falling asleep like that?
"It's fine, you've worked all day," Kate reassured her as she ran her fingers through Caroline's fine hair in an effort to tidy the tousled strands.
Once Caroline's eyes were able to fully focus, she looked at her watch.
"Hell! It's after nine o'clock. I'd better be off. Lawrence will be wondering what's happened."
Caroline collected her things and headed for the door but not before Kate managed to steal a rather lengthy goodnight kiss.
"Kiss Caitlyn for me tomorrow and tell her that I will see her on the weekend. I love you. Night."
Leaving Kate with a final peck on the cheek, Caroline dashed to her car.
oooOooo
Partly to keep herself awake but mostly because she was in a good mood, Caroline turned the radio on and found herself singing along to the tunes as she drove.
As she neared her block, the sound of the music was pierced by the urgent wailing of sirens. Caroline instinctively looked in the rear view mirror only to see not one but two fire engines rapidly approaching from behind her, their lights flashing manically. Immediately, she pulled over to the curb and waited for them to pass. As she pulled out again she noticed that they seemed to be heading in the same direction as she was and as she drove on she could still hear the siren's warning blaring up ahead. The closer she got to her house, the louder the sirens became. Caroline could feel her pulse quicken and her palms become sweaty.
"Don't worry," Caroline told herself, "Everything is fine."
Within fifty metres of her home Caroline had to pull over. Fire engines and barricades blocked the street. She could get no closer in her car. Panic seized her mind and her body as she rapidly rushed from the car up to her driveway, her heart pounding in her chest. She was halted in her driveway by one of the firemen.
"Sorry…you can't go in there, love, it's too dangerous," he warned her.
Caroline froze where she was and took in the devastating sight before her. Her house was well ablaze. Flames were licking curtains and furniture and had engulfed the whole downstairs area and were now going in search of more fuel in the upper part of the building. Loud explosions ruptured the usually quiet neighbourhood as glass shattered from the intense heat.
Suddenly Caroline screamed out, "Lawrence!"
Quickly she reached into her coat pocket and retrieved her phone. Desperately she searched through contacts until Lawrence's number appeared. She pressed 'call' and waited. It seemed to take forever for the call to connect through then, to her enormous relief, she heard her son's voice.
"I know I'm late, mum, but Angus' dad is having car trouble," Lawrence explained, unaware of the sheer joy his mother was experiencing at the sound of his voice, safe and sound.
"It's fine….it's fine," Caroline wept.
"Are you alright, mum? It's only a flat battery."
Caroline took a moment to pull her emotions together and then replied, "Yes, I'm okay. Can you put Angus' dad on the phone please, Lawrence?"
"Sure," Lawrence replied, "but you're not going to give him a bullocking about me being late are you because he couldn't help it that his car battery was flat?"
"No, son, nothing like that," she assured him, "just get him for me, please."
Lawrence did as he was told and handed his phone to Angus' dad. Caroline explained to him what was happening and asked if Lawrence could stay there the night and she would pick him up first thing in the morning. Considering the circumstances, he was more than happy to oblige. Caroline then spoke to Lawrence and told him what was going on, desperately trying to play down the enormity of the situation so as not to upset her son too much.
Moments later, Caroline stood there, a lone figure in the background, watching as the drama played out before her. Nausea churned her stomach and bile soured her throat.
It was as the fire was losing its battle against the water being doused on it from the fire hoses that Caroline noticed that John's car was in the drive but there was no sign of John. Her eyes darted across the scene before her looking for him but she didn't see him anywhere. Familiar images of John lying on the sofa, out to it after too many drinks, flashed across her brain. He wouldn't even be aware there was a fire. It was as she dashed towards the nearest fireman to let him know of the possibility of her husband still being in the house that she caught sight of him standing coyly in the shadows. Caroline made her way over to her ever petulant, soon-to-be ex-husband. As she stood beside him, she detected his distinct nervousness at her presence and the reek of alcohol and stale cigarettes filled her nostrils.
"What happened, John?" she asked, accusation dripping from her words.
"What makes you think I had anything to do with it?" he snapped.
"You're the only one here …and you're drunk so just tell me what happened…you're going to have to say it sooner or later so you might as well make it now."
John hesitated as his alcohol-addled brain tried to figure out what had actually happened and how much he should admit to.
"I didn't mean to…it was an accident," he began.
"Oh grow up, John….you're pathetic," Caroline hissed between clenched teeth, barely able to contain her rage and her desire to throttle him.
"I put some oil in the frying pan to heat up and then…" John stopped as he tried to clear the fog from his head… "I must have fallen asleep….and the oil caught fire…I don't really know. The next thing I know there were flames and I couldn't put them out so I ran outside and called 999."
There were no words Caroline could utter that would undo what had been done so she stood there mutely and, as she stood there, she watched as her once beautiful house became a sodden mess of ash and blackened water. Silent tears streamed down both cheeks.