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‘Hang on, I think I’m missing something,’ said Fergus, shaking his head.
Amelia was also bemused. ‘I think I’m missing something too.’ She pushed a tablet from the blister pack and swallowed it with the rest of her tea.
Fergus shrugged, clearly none the wiser as to what Edie was inferring.
‘At least you’re being careful,’ said Edie.
‘Well, I mean, I’ve not been that careful. I was trying to do a spot of cleaning.’ She tried desperately not to claw at her hands. ‘I totally forgot that I normally use special gloves.’
Edie clapped a hand over her mouth, only lowering it to utter, ‘Whoops.’
There was an awkward pause as the penny finally dropped as to what she had been insinuating.
‘Edie McMillan,’ said Fergus, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘You should be ashamed of yourself. I can’t believe the conclusions you jumped to there!’
Edie exhaled, her face apologetic. Meanwhile, Amelia tipped her head back and roared with laughter, tears streaming down her face.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Fergus had logs to leave at Edie’s cottage and he also needed to drop off the promised wetsuit to Amelia. As he neared the door of the cabin, he hesitated when he heard Amelia sobbing. Should he go in and check on her? No doubt she would be mortified if she thought he was outside the door and privy to her heartfelt anguish, so, instead, he gently laid the suit next to the door and tiptoed back to his van. He would text her later to make a plan for their first swim together.
He of all people knew what it was like to be sad and alone. She put on a brave face, but he could tell it was afaçade. She was definitely hiding something about her past and what she had run away from. He wished he could wave a wand and make everything okay for her. But his own personal experience told him that would only come with time. He walked back towards the van, climbed in and sat for a moment. The flashbacks to the day of the accident were decreasing but he still remembered it all vividly.
‘This isn’t a good idea,’ he’d shouted after Ellen as she’d strode away from him. ‘It’s fine to be daring and like a challenge but you’re being reckless.’
‘Are you coming or not?’ She glared at him. ‘I’ll be fine. I’ve been out in much worse than this. Are you scared of a bit of snow?’
Fergus bit his lip. She infuriated him when she was like this — headstrong and determined — although those qualities had also made him fall in love with her. ‘I don’t want anything to happen to you, Ellen. Come on. I don’t have a good feeling about this,’ he pleaded.
She shook her head defiantly, her eyes flashing. ‘You can’t tell me what to do. I’ll be fine. I know these mountains like the back of my hand. Just leave me.’
Fergus shook his head. ‘No. I’m coming with you.’ He sighed. ‘Sometimes you can be so infuriating. Do you know that?’
She tilted her head to the side and gave him a coquettish look. ‘That’s why you love me so much.’
He couldn’t disagree. Her stubborn streak was one of her attractive qualities. She gave him a lingering kiss and walked on with a spring in her step. ‘Let’s go.’
On the slopes, Fergus couldn’t shake the discomfort growing in the pit of his stomach. The wind had picked up and visibility was poor. As Ellen closed her helmet she gave him a dazzling smile and headed off in front of him. He called at her to be careful but his words were whipped away by the wind. Her orange jacket became a small dot ahead, and he willed himself to go faster, a rush of panic coursing through him as he lost sight of her. Then he was behind her, yelling at her to slow down. That was when things started to unravel far too quickly. It was surreal, as though they were in a film with the stunning backdrop behind them. Unease clawed at his stomach as she went faster and faster and suddenly flew into the air and landed in a heap about fifty metres ahead. He came to a stop, desperately fumbling with his gloves and collapsing over her.
At the hospital, the consultant delivered the news in a small room where he sat with Ellen’s parents. ‘There’s no response from her brain. I’m afraid she’s not going to wake up.’
Fergus couldn’t grasp what he meant. ‘What are you saying?’
Ellen’s father put a firm hand on his shoulder, holding his distraught wife with his other arm.
‘There’s nothing we can do. Ellen suffered a severe head injury in the accident. She’s braindead,’ said the consultant.
His words hung in the air and Fergus shook his head. ‘You must be able to do something.’ He waited for someone to say something but all he could hear was the sound of Ellen’s mother sobbing inconsolably. Her father was shocked into silence.
‘I’m so sorry,’ said the consultant.
‘But . . .’ Fergus’s voice pleaded.
The consultant looked at him sympathetically. ‘I’m sorry. But we can’t do anything else for her.’
That was when the news sank in, and he broke down.
Fergus started the engine and drove out of the driveway at Coorie Cottage. Tears started to well in his eyes as the crushing pain of loss swept through him again. It didn’t matter that it happened four years ago. Every time he thought about it, it felt like yesterday. He wished he could tell Amelia that the pain of whatever she was going through would lessen. But what would be the point? It would be a lie.
