Again the ceiling held Barney’s attention, his eyes fixed on the yellowish surface punctuated only by stark lighting. ‘The Wedding Dress Ball isn’t going to happen, I’m cancelling the whole thing.’
‘You can’t be serious.’ The Wedding Dress Ball had been running for more than four decades, with Barney at the helm every single time. It was a tradition older than Harvey himself. Everyone in the village looked forward to it and it always raised a great deal of money for Barney’s nominated charity. ‘You run it every year, without fail.’
‘Yes, well not this year.’
‘But –’
‘I don’t want to hear another word about it. The Wedding Dress Ball is off, full stop. I’m past it. I’ve been kidding myself that I can keep it going. I started the event on a whim, I don’t want to do it anymore.’
‘Tickets have already been sold.’
‘Then I’ll give people their money back.’
Harvey had forgotten how rank the coffee was and reached out for his cup, took another sip and grimaced. He looked around for a sink but he’d have to find one out of the ward to get rid of it.
‘Can you find out when can I get out of here?’ Barney complained again without turning to face Harvey.
‘I’ll go and see what the hold-up is.’
‘If you would.’
Harvey was there and back within minutes, pouring away his coffee before he did anything else. ‘They’re waiting for the doc to swing by and as soon as he does, any second now, you’re out of here.’
Barney managed a small smile and faced Harvey. ‘Thanks, son.’
The address always pleased Harvey. No matter whether he was eight years old and waiting to grow taller than the girls in his class at school or thirty-three and six-foot-five, hearing it always told him his place in this man’s life. ‘They did want my assurance that you have someone at home to help you, so I’ve told them that’ll be me. No arguments.’
‘I suppose if I fight you over it I’ll have to stay here,’ Barney remarked with a trace of the usual humour.
‘Too right you will.’
‘Then I’ll take the lesser of two evils.’
‘Thought you might.’
Barney turned over properly in bed to face him. ‘Was it the blonde or the red-headed nurse you spoke to?’
Harvey laughed. ‘Why does it matter?’ One strong hand toyed with the palm of the other, which had a small cut from pulling out a big weed from the beds of the elderflower bushes at his property. He’d been inspecting the clusters of elderflowers that would, come August, produce berries ripe for picking. The rush would be on to get every last one, dish them out to whoever wanted any, and freeze or dry some for his own use.
‘It matters,’ said Barney, ‘because the blonde has the hots for you.’
‘She does not.’
‘She does. You can’t see things from my vantage point, put it that way.’
‘There’s not much wrong with you apart from that hip, is there?’ He ran a hand through the dark brown tufts of his hair that could do with a cut.
‘I want to see you settled, that’s all. Don’t be like me, don’t end up alone.’
‘And you think a fling with a nurse will accomplish that?’
‘Wouldn’t hurt.’
‘Well, I’m settled enough thank you. I have a job I enjoy, I’m not stuck at a desk, I’m out in the fresh air, I have mates to go to the pub for a drink with – you don’t need to worry about me.’
‘Just looking out for you.’
‘And I appreciate it.’ He only wished Barney would let him do the same in return. ‘While I was talking to the nurse I asked about your recovery. She said it’ll be three to six weeks until you’re back to normal activities.’
