Operation Eiffel Tower (12 page)

Jack nodded. It was what Paul used to do when he looked after them. As soon as Mum and Dad went out, he’d make hot chocolate. Then they’d rearrange the furniture in the living room to make a den and sit and play cards until Billy or Ruby fell asleep where they were. Hot chocolate was a good idea. ‘Thanks,’ he whispered.

Lauren flicked on the kettle and emptied two sachets into cups and a third into Billy’s plastic beaker with a spout. She put cold milk into Billy’s beaker and hot water into the cups.

When she put his cup down, Jack wrapped his icy cold fingers round it and just sniffed at the steam coming off it.

Lauren sat too. Billy climbed down from the chair and toddled towards the back door with his beaker of chocolate milk.
Does he even know what’s happening?
Jack wondered. Billy sat down heavily with his back against the door and sipped his drink.

‘Will Ruby be all right?’ Jack asked Lauren.

‘Yes. Maybe. Oh, I don’t know.’

They sat and finished their drinks, waiting for the phone to ring. Jack asked if they could try ringing Dad’s mobile, but Lauren said no; it was better just to wait. So they waited.

And waited.

It felt like they’d been sitting still for weeks, but it was maybe only an hour, when Jack heard the front door open. He pushed his chair back and ran to the hall, ‘Mum!’

‘No, sweetheart. It’s just me,’ Auntie Joyce said. ‘Caro called me and asked me to come. Wait while I get my coat off and the kettle on, then I can tell you what I know.’

Once Auntie Joyce had her tea in front of her, she sighed. ‘Ruby’s in surgery,’ she said.

‘She’s alive?’ The relief in Jack’s voice was clear for everyone to hear.

Auntie Joyce’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, honey pie. Of course she’s alive! Did you not know that? I’m sorry. I should have raced round here to tell you.’ Auntie Joyce leaned forward and kissed the top of Jack’s head. Normally he would have hated that, but today it felt nice.

‘She’s alive.’ Auntie Joyce paused. ‘But she’s not well. She has internal injuries. That’s what they said. I don’t really know what. I mean, there’s a lot inside you that can go wrong, isn’t there? But they are trying to fix it.’

‘How long before we know?’ Lauren asked.

‘Hours, I think,’ Auntie Joyce said. ‘She’ll be in surgery for a while and then it will take a bit longer for her to wake up.’ Auntie Joyce stood up and went over to the sink. She rinsed her cup under the tap and left it to drain. ‘You kids should just get on with things until we know.’

‘Can’t we wait at the hospital?’ Jack asked.

‘Sorry, sweetheart. No visitors for a while, just your mum and dad. What would you normally do now? Play on your computer? Go outside? We could walk down to adventure golf if you like.’

‘No!’ Jack said. ‘We need to stay in the house, in case anyone phones.’

‘Sure, sure,’ Auntie Joyce said. ‘Good point. We’ll stay in, then. What would you like to do?’

Jack looked at Lauren. She had pulled her hair around to the front of her face and was busy making lots of small plaits with it. Her eyes were fixed on the tight strands. Billy had found a toy car under the fridge; he was driving it in a circle between his legs.

‘We could make a den,’ Jack suggested.

Lauren glanced over at him.

‘A den?’ Auntie Joyce asked.

‘Yes. Like Paul used to. In the living room. We get blankets and duvets and things and push the sofas together. We build a den. And, I don’t know, we sit in it.’

Lauren nodded slowly.

That was all Auntie Joyce needed. ‘Up,’ she said. ‘Up, go and get the things, the duvets. Chop-chop.’

Jack felt a small flicker of excitement. Lauren gave him a watery smile. Then they were up and out of the kitchen. Jack ran upstairs, Billy trotting close behind him. In his bedroom, Jack whipped the duvet off his bed and slung it over his shoulder. He threw a pillow at Billy. ‘Catch!’

Then he went into Mum and Dad’s room –

Mum’s room; it was just Mum and Billy’s room now.

He went into Mum’s room and took her big duvet too. With both duvets balanced on his shoulders he was like a big, walking ice-cream cone. Billy climbed up on to the chair next to his cot and tugged his crochet blanket out through the bars. Teddy Volvo rolled out from it, so Billy reached through and grabbed him too.

Jack heard Lauren tramping back downstairs, so he followed her.

In the living room, Auntie Joyce had drawn the curtains. The room was dark, with a rectangle of light falling into it from the hallway.

‘Push the sofa,’ Lauren said.

Jack dropped his bundle, then helped Lauren shunt the sofa around, so that it had its back to the room. It was a tight squeeze, but they just did it. The sofa opposite wouldn’t spin round, it was too heavy. Instead, they just wiggled it closer to the first one. Billy jumped up on to it. He buried his head in a cushion and stuck his bum up in the air. He might have been giggling, he might have been crying – Jack wasn’t sure.

‘Move over, Billy,’ Lauren said. ‘Incoming duvet.’

She threw Mum’s duvet up so that it landed over the backs of both sofas. Now there was a little dark cave in the middle of the living room. Jack pushed his own duvet inside, to make the floor. Lauren added her own bedding to the roof, so the duvets hung down low on all sides.

They crawled inside.

Jack could make out Lauren and Billy’s shapes, but he couldn’t see their faces – it was too dark. He held himself still and listened to their breathing. Billy sounded a bit snotty.

‘Lauren,’ Jack whispered.

‘Yes?’

‘Is it going to be all right?’

Lauren didn’t answer. Jack heard the creak of the sofa as she leaned back against it. Billy curled up on the floor and rested his head against Jack’s leg. Jack sighed. He dropped his hand on to Billy’s head and stroked his hair.

Then he felt Lauren’s hand reach out. They bumped fingers and Lauren slid her hand round his, holding it tight. Jack smiled in the darkness.

‘Paul had a torch. Do you remember?’ Lauren said softly. ‘He kept it on his key ring. It was only little, but it was enough for us to see by; just enough to be able to see the cards in your hand.’

Jack nodded. Lauren must have sensed the movement, because she gave his hand another squeeze.

‘It’s all you need, a little light like that. It’s all you need.’

She let go of his hand and curled around, pulling Billy in close. Jack lay down too and let the warm duvet cradle him.

Chapter 23

Auntie Joyce took them to the hospital the next morning. Mum had stayed overnight with Ruby. Auntie Joyce led them down corridors painted lavender blue. The sunlight tumbled in through the windows, so they walked through patches of warm air and glitter-dust.

But Jack shivered.

Was Ruby OK? Was she hooked up to machines? Covered in bandages? Was she going to die?

Auntie Joyce put her arm round him and pulled him closer.

They followed the signs to the children’s ward – Paediatrics. Jack could tell they were getting close, because the decoration changed. The blue walls changed to sunshine yellow, with pictures of cartoon characters on them.

Auntie Joyce led them through a set of double doors. Beyond the doors was the children’s ward. Jack flashed a glance around.
Where was Ruby?
Some of the beds had children in them, playing games or sleeping. Others were empty as their owners rampaged down the central space. It sounded a lot like a school playground, with yelps and laughs and the odd cry. The smell reminded Jack of scraped knees, plasters and disinfectant.

There was no sign of Ruby.

A nurse smiled at Auntie Joyce, then pointed them in the right direction. They walked away from the noise, towards one of the rooms at the end of the ward. The door was closed.

A man was sitting outside the door with his head in his hands.

Lauren stopped walking. ‘Dad?’

Dad looked up. His eyes were red and his skin was the colour of old chewing gum. He tried to smile, but the light didn’t reach his eyes.

Lauren ran past Jack, towards Dad. ‘Dad? How’s Ruby?’

Dad stood up and hugged Lauren. He blinked a few times. ‘She’s doing fine. She woke up for a while. She said a few words. Doctors say she’ll be OK.’

He dropped back on to his seat with a sigh. Billy climbed up on to his lap and turned his face into Dad’s shirt.

Auntie Joyce spoke. ‘And Caro? How’s she?’

‘I don’t know,’ Dad said. ‘She’s angry. She won’t even speak to me.’

Auntie Joyce patted Dad’s shoulder. ‘Why don’t you go back to the B and B? You look tired,’ she said. ‘I can call you if there’s any news.’

Lauren turned in confusion. ‘But he should wait. He should –’

‘No, love,’ Dad interrupted. ‘Joyce is right. I’ve been out here too long. Your mother . . . well, she doesn’t need me here right now.’

‘But Ruby does!’ Lauren said fiercely.

Dad ignored Lauren. He looked at Auntie Joyce. ‘She can’t keep me out for ever. Speak to her, would you? And tell her . . .’ he paused. ‘Tell her to get some sleep too.’

Dad lowered Billy off his lap on to the ground, then he stood up. He moved away from them without looking back. He was gone.

Auntie Joyce shook her head. Then she pushed open the door.

Ruby lay in a bed that looked five times too big for her. Her eyes were closed and her face was blotchy red and white. A clear plastic bag full of liquid hung next to her bed with a tube leading from it to a needle in the back of her hand.

Mum sat next to her. She looked up and smiled at them. ‘Hi, guys,’ she said quietly. ‘Come in.’ She got up out of the chair, wincing as she moved towards them. She must have been sitting still for ages. Mum gave everyone a short, tight hug. Jack took a few steps towards the bed.

‘How’s Ruby?’ he whispered.

‘She’s asleep,’ Mum said. ‘Has been for hours.’

‘When can she come home?’

Mum frowned. ‘I don’t know. She has to heal properly and they need to make sure she doesn’t have an infection. A week, maybe.’

‘You need a break,’ Auntie Joyce said. ‘Come and have a cup of tea with me. There’s a canteen here somewhere.’

‘But what if she wakes up?’

‘Jack and Lauren will stay, won’t you?’ Auntie Joyce asked. ‘One of them can come and get you if Ruby needs you. Come on, you look exhausted.’

Mum looked at the bed. Her face was a map of lines as she frowned. Then she nodded quickly. She scooped Billy up and followed Auntie Joyce out of the room.

There was a silence. Only the far-off sounds of the children’s ward reminded them that there were other people in the world.

Lauren sat in the chair that Mum had been in, right up close to the bed. Jack looked around and pulled up another hard plastic chair. Ruby lay still; she reminded him of those statues that lie on top of coffins in the cathedral, but more blotchy.

‘She looks OK, doesn’t she?’ he said. ‘Do you think they had to stitch her up?’

‘She had surgery. Of course they had to stitch her up, otherwise her insides would fall out.’

‘Do you reckon she’s all bandaged then? Under the blanket?’

Lauren scowled. ‘We are not going looking for her scars while she’s knocked out. We’ll wait until she’s awake at least.’

‘Is she in a coma?’ Jack asked.

‘No. No, she isn’t. She’s just asleep.’

They sat side by side, watching the tiny little movement of the sheet as Ruby breathed in and out. Jack pulled his foot up on to the chair and started playing with his laces. He undid the knot, then did it up again, tighter.

Then Lauren’s elbow jabbed his side. ‘Look!’ she said.

Ruby’s eyelids flickered, flinched. Then, slowly, her eyes opened.

She smiled at them both. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey, yourself,’ Jack said. He was surprised to realise that his eyes were prickling with tears.

‘Does it hurt? Do you need a doctor?’ Lauren asked.

Ruby thought for a minute. ‘No,’ she said. ‘Well, it hurts a bit. What happened? Where’s Mum and Dad?’