‘I’ve no idea. All I know is I wish he was going straight to rehab, to a place where the staff were trained for the type of brain injury he’s had.’
‘You’ll see him in a couple of weeks and maybe it’ll put your mind at rest.’
‘Maybe.’ She drummed her fingernails on the tabletop. ‘How long do I wait though, Sally?’
‘For rehab?’
She shook her head. ‘How long do I wait for him to wake up, to know whether I’ll ever get him back again? Kissing Connor last night wasn’t something I planned. He’s a nice guy and we were having a good laugh together, but there was no intention from my side. The kiss just happened.’ She covered her face with her hands. ‘I’m a horrible, terrible person. If Anita saw me she’d tell me as much.’
‘If Anita saw you, she probably would, yes.’ Sally spoke again before Lydia was completely crushed. ‘Of course she’ll feel that way. Theo is her son and for her it’ll be like another piece of his world falling away. But your world already has fallen away. Even the doctors have no idea when or even if he’ll ever come out of this. I think if this were Theo in the same situation, he’d probably find himself doing exactly the same.’
‘Do you think so?’
‘I know so. And he’d also tear himself up in the same way you’re doing.’
They ordered a pot of tea and moved away from talking about Theo. God knows, Lydia needed to. Instead, they sat and watched the world go by in front of the window, waxing lyrical about the banal normalities of life, admiring those outside absorbing the spring air and sunshine that filtered onto the laneway and between the old Cotswold stone buildings.
‘Gerry and I are booking a ski holiday for next year,’ Sally announced, taking out a brochure from her bag.
‘That sounds nice.’
‘Come along if you like.’
‘No chance, you know me and skiing. We don’t mix.’
‘You’re not that bad. I’ve seen worse.’
Lydia grinned. ‘Thanks.’
Sally flipped through and found the page she wanted. ‘Gerry is adamant we’re going to Switzerland so I won’t argue.’
‘Now Switzerland I could do…those chocolate shops are amazing.’ Lydia remembered her trip with Theo fondly.
‘I forgot you’d been there before.’
‘Totally worth it,’ Lydia confirmed as Sally showed her more photos in the brochure. ‘And look,’ she jabbed a finger at a picture of people crowding into a viewing space. ‘There’s a viewing point. I could sit there and sip hot chocolate, read a book, wear sunnies and watch everyone else falling over.’
‘So why don’t you?’
‘I wasn’t serious.’
‘I am. You need a holiday. We’re not going for a while so you’ve got time to save.’
‘It’s not the money. It’s Theo and the unknown.’
‘Well we won’t book for another couple of months, you know what Gerry is like about picking the right accommodation, getting everything lined up.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘So just think about it, promise me.’
‘I promise.’ She took the brochure again and flipped through the pages, but she stopped pretty quickly.
‘Zermatt looks brilliant, doesn’t it?’ Sally had noticed her friend’s focus on the details, reading the paragraphs alongside the photos. ‘What?’
‘Oh nothing, it’s just, well I’ve met this guy.’ Lydia pointed to one photograph in particular.
Sally pulled the magazine closer. ‘Him? He’s gorgeous, who is he?’
‘He’s a ski instructor. He raises a lot of money for charity.’
‘No, I mean who is he to you? How do you know him?’
