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‘To be honest, I wasn’t sure. But if there was a possibility it could be useful in the future …’
Abby sat on the side of her bed. ‘You do realise it isn’t always successful? Sometimes they can’t extract enough cells from the cord.’
‘What do you think? And why did he tell me to talk to you?’
Abby looked at her sadly. ‘As a physician I think it is a good idea. It’s not going to do you or your baby any harm, in some areas the cord would be thrown away, but the possibilities for the future could be great.’ Her head turned towards the window. ‘I told you things were complicated.’ She ran her fingers through her hair. ‘My son has leukaemia. One of the types of cancer that can be treated with stem cells. So I guess I’m not entirely impartial either, I’m a bit biased about the possibilities.’
Jennifer’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘Reuben has leukaemia? Oh, Abby, I’m so sorry.’
The tears formed in her eyes again. Abby took a deep breath. ‘We don’t really know all the possibilities for stem cells as yet. They can treat some kinds of cancer, some autoimmune disorders, there’s research into Alzheimer’s, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease. But it seems that we learn something new every day. There are still risks, certain genetic conditions can be contained in the stem cells. But, on the other hand, it might be the best insurance policy your child could have.’ She gave Jennifer’s hand a squeeze. ‘You need to consider all the possibilities. And you need to decide if this is the right decision for you. I’ll print out some information that you can read in your own time. If you decide to go for it, the hospital would usually receive a collection kit from whichever company you’ve decided to use. If the collection is successful, they normally have a courier collect it and take it to their storage facility.’
Jennifer nodded thoughtfully. ‘I’ll talk to Charlie about it later. Thank you for tonight, Abby. It’s great to have some company. And I’m sorry about Reuben. Is he going to be okay?’
Abby bit her bottom lip. ‘I’m not sure. He needs to have some tests done again. But I’m hopeful.’
‘Then so am I.’ She leaned back against the pillows. ‘I think you’re really lucky, staying here.’
Abby raised her eyebrow. ‘In comparison to the city? I took you for a city girl, Jennifer Taylor—not a country bumpkin like me.’
‘But it’s different here. What I like most about this place is the people, the sense of community. You lose all that in the big cities. Here …’ she gestured outwards ‘…everyone knows everyone. The guy that is the janitor, Davie, his wife works in the kitchen and his daughter works at the local school. The nurse who looked after me this morning has three generations of her family all living in Pelican Cove. The girl who does the cleaning, her little brother goes to the local Special ed school. I like that.’ She turned and faced Abby. ‘This must be a great place to bring up a little boy.’
Reuben. Tears pricked her eyes again. She was a mess. Was she going to burst into tears every time she thought about him? She had to get a hold of herself.
She gave Jennifer a little smile. ‘It is a great place to bring up a child. Particularly if, like me, you don’t have any family. That’s why I moved here. I holidayed here as a child and there is a real sense of community spirit here. The people here embrace you, and draw you into their community. That’s what I want for my little boy. A real sense of family.’
‘And can’t you get that with someone else?’ The words were heavily weighted.
Abby took a deep breath. ‘Not everyone wants a family, not everyone’s that good with kids,’ she said quietly.
Jennifer reached over and took her hand. ‘I don’t know if Charlie or I are going to be that good with kids, Abby. But in a few days’ time we’ll find out. And hopefully we’ll learn as we go. Things aren’t always what they seem. Luke was in here earlier, talking about you and Reuben. His face comes alive when he talks about you both. Don’t tell me that doesn’t mean something.’
She shook her head. ‘Luke doesn’t want a family.’
‘No. Five years ago, he didn’t want a family. Have you asked him what he wants now?’
‘I don’t know how appropriate it is to have that conversation. It’s been five years. I’m living a completely different life now. One that I don’t know if Luke would like.’
‘No. That’s not it.’ Jennifer folded her arms across her chest.
‘What do you mean?’
‘This isn’t about what Luke wants. This is about what you want.’
‘I don’t understand. What do you mean?’
‘Abby, I’m a lawyer. I’ve spent fifteen years reading between the lines, hearing the things that people haven’t actually said. You still find him attractive, don’t you?’
Abby could feel the colour flooding her cheeks. ‘Obviously.’
‘Then this has to be about Reuben. Is there a problem with his father?’
Abby shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ‘There is no father. Reuben’s adopted. It’s complicated.’
‘Abby, life is complicated. Ah. I get it.’ Jennifer leaned back, nodding her head thoughtfully.
‘Get what?’ Abby was bewildered. She had no idea what was going on in this conversation. She just knew that little bells and whistles were currently going off in her brain.
‘You don’t want to share.’
‘What?’ Abby was stunned.
‘Reuben. You don’t want to share Reuben.’
‘But—’
‘But nothing. Reuben is all yours. You’ve built a comfortable life here for you both. And you’re worried about how Luke could upset all that. You’re also worried about being replaced in Reuben’s affections. It’s obvious they’re naturally drawn to one another. You don’t want to share.’
‘That’s a ridiculous thing to say.’ Abby stood up, lifting the plates and walking over to the sink.
‘If it’s a ridiculous thing to say, why do you feel so uncomfortable?’
Abby sloshed warm water on the plates, scrubbing them furiously. She didn’t have an answer.
Jennifer rested her arms on her distended stomach. ‘That’s the great thing about kids, Abby—or so I hear. They give lots of unconditional love. And once you’ve experienced it, I imagine it’s a pretty hard thing to share.’
Abby finished washing the plates and grabbed some paper towels to dry them. She sat them at the side of the sink and turned around to face Jennifer, folding her arms across her chest in self-preservation mode.
Her voice was low and steady. ‘People must run a mile when they see you enter a courtroom.’
Jennifer nodded. ‘Yup. They usually do.’
‘Next time I need a lawyer, you’d better be available.’
‘I’m always available for friends.’
There was silence for a few seconds. Abby contemplating the words that Jennifer had just said to her. Little pieces were making sense. The way she’d felt when she’d seen them spending time at the beach together yesterday—something that he’d always done with her. Could she share?
Abby wandered back along the coastal path, admiring the beauty of her surroundings. The sun was setting over the horizon, sending orange and red streams of colour across the ocean. The smell of the sea air and the brightly coloured flowers littering the coastal path made her realise that it wasn’t just the community here that made her happy. It was the whole place, the whole environment, the best possible place for she and Reuben to be. But was this somewhere Luke would want to be?
It was an uncomfortable thought because she knew what the answer to that question was. Pelican Cove wasn’t a place for someone who was building their career and wanted to be at the top of their field. Pelican Cove wasn’t the place new research was carried out and new discoveries were made. Pelican Cove was a place where life ticked along happily, and there was time for people and families.
Abby couldn’t live in a city again. Her priorities had changed. This was the life she wanted. And there wasn’t a place for Luke her
e.
She stopped at her white picket fence and looked in towards her house. She could see through her front bay window right inside her living room. Luke was sitting on the floor with Reuben in front of the dimly flickering fire. Reuben was animated, running circles around Luke and talking nineteen to the dozen, and for the first time Luke didn’t look distinctly uncomfortable. He was obviously trying to make an effort—but how did that make him feel?
How did that make her feel?
Reuben had never really had a father figure in his life. Sure, he’d played with some of Abby’s male colleagues, but most of the time it was just her and him. She hadn’t really given much thought to what he might be missing out on.
Something twisted inside her. Was this her fault? She’d always imagined that she was giving her son everything that he needed. But what if he needed more than her?
The window banged. Reuben and Luke had spotted her at the garden gate and were gesturing for her to come inside and join the battle. She gave a little wave and started up the path.
