Luckily, it had been a family lunch so Maria had bustled the kids out of the kitchen, enabling me to have my mini hysterics in peace, at the same time allowing Matt to patch me up. All that remained from that day was a tiny little scar at the base of my chin and an ingrained reminder in my youngest nephew never to leave his hop-up out of place.
We finished lunch and the thunder was now gaining in both volume and frequency. I’d planned to take the boys out for a walk after lunch but the weather had other ideas.
‘Can we watch a film, please?’
‘OK. And then if the weather clears up we’ll go for a little walk, all right?’
‘OK,’ they said, already going to the cupboard where I kept a selection of their favourite DVDs.
‘We can start having another look at the blog thing, if you like?’ I said to Charlie. ‘If you still want to stay.’
‘Sounds good.’
As I spoke, I noticed something glinting on the floor of the balcony. So that was where it was! I’d thought I’d lost it – the beautiful Mont Blanc pen my brother had bought me for my birthday last year. I grabbed a pad for notes, and made to go and get my pen from under the lounger. I stopped as the boys’ voices rose.
‘I want to seeDespicable Me.’
‘I want to seeMinions.’
‘Despicable Mehas Minions in it, st—’
‘Liam!’ I warned him sharply.
He stopped immediately. Calling anyone stupid was a definite no-no in their house and their parents’ house rules automatically transferred to mine.
Liam looked a little sheepish and reached for theMinionsDVD.
‘It’s all right,’ Niall said, picking up his brother’s choice instead.
‘I like Gru. He’s funny.’ He handed his older brother the case, and Liam quickly set about loading it into the DVD player. I gave a glance to Charlie, rolled my eyes, then turned back to dash out and grab my expensive pen before it rolled off somewhere and I really did lose it.
Everything went quiet as I bounced backwards off the glass. However, the preceding loud bang and slight crunchy noise my face had made as it impacted with the door Charlie had kindly drawn closed earlier was still resonating within my own head. Distracted by the boys, my mind had momentarily forgotten that little nugget of information. I staggered backwards and felt for the couch. Missing it, I found the floor instead. I lay there for a moment hoping that the dampness on my face was just my eyes watering. Through slightly blurred vision I saw three faces looking down at me.
‘Awesome,’ Liam said softly, breaking the silence.
Knowing my nephew’s penchant for goo and gore, I had a pretty good idea that it wasn’t just tears running down my face. I had missed out on the gene that dealt with such things in a sensible, controlled manner and, at his exclamation, felt a wash of ickyness flood over me. I was immediately glad that I was already on the floor. It saved a step in the proceedings. Charlie crouched down next to me.
‘Boys. Why don’t you go and watch your film? I’ll be there in a moment.’ I squelched down panic at the fact my voice now sounded all weird and nasally.
They remained staring at me. I didn’t have the willpower to say it again and I was beginning to feel sick from what I was now absolutely certain was blood leaking into places it wasn’t supposed to be.
‘Right. Let’s sit you up,’ Charlie said, and, without waiting for an answer, scooped me up and moved us to the smallest sofa. The boys followed.
‘Liam, would you be able to get me a cold flannel from the bathroom, please?’ Charlie asked.
‘Um hmm,’ Liam replied, still not taking his eyes off my face. ‘Do you want Auntie Libby’s first-aid kit too?’
My brother had equipped me with this some time ago. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was for the boys’ benefit or mine. Worryingly, but in a way somewhat comforting, I seemed to be the one who had got the most use out of it so far.
‘Yes, please.’
‘OK.’ He finally tore his gaze away and hurried off through to the bathroom.
Through my own streaming eyes, I saw Niall’s face crease.
‘What’s the matter, sweetheart?’ I forced the words out.
‘You’re crying, and your nose is all leaky and bumpy.’
