All That Mullarkey by Sue Moorcroft Read Free Book Online Page B

together.
    Their house, normally airy and tall, seemed to have shrunk at the advent of family with weekend cases and neighbours milling between the sitting room and the hall. Squeezing her way through the clutter, Cleo thought Pauline looked inundated even without Gav’s sister, Yvonne, having arrived a minute before them, smothering her with a hug, sniffing, ‘Allen has to work today, he’ll phone this afternoon. How’s Dad? How’re you? Oops, I must sit down.’ Yvonne was three months pregnant and spent most of her time feeling faint, her skin taking on an alarming pallor and her cloud of hair frizzing from the sweat on her forehead.
    Gav kissed his mother’s white cheek, letting Yvonne totter to the hall chair unaided. ‘What’s the news? Can we see him today?’
    Although looking drawn and grey, Pauline managed a smile for her children. ‘He’s “resting comfortably, but not out of the woods”. Which means they don’t know what’s going to happen, of course. I’m OK, a bit shell-shocked. I’ve got to ring after the doctor’s rounds … oh, can you answer the door, Gavin?’
    Another neighbour had presented herself on the doorstep. ‘Not to bother you, love, but I wondered if there was any news. Or if I could do anything to help?’ Gav ushered her to join two other neighbours grave-faced in the sitting room. Yvonne bustled after, no doubt to regale them with accounts of her journey, her condition and how worried she was about her father. Pauline sat down suddenly at the bottom of the stairs.
    Cleo crouched beside her and took her hands, chilly despite the summer’s day. ‘Haven’t you slept?’
    Bags hung under Pauline’s eyes. ‘Not a wink, darling. Everything’s been so … I haven’t even said hello to you, Cleo.’ Her bottom lip trembled.
    ‘Doesn’t matter.’ Cleo piled the bags into the corner under the phone shelf and helped Pauline to her feet. ‘Come sit in your rocking chair with a hot drink.’ In minutes she had a steaming cup of tea at Pauline’s elbow with two digestive biscuits in a saucer, then she loaded a tray for the sitting room, which Yvonne took over, as Cleo had known she would.
    Stomach-growlingly aware of her own hunger, she returned to delve in the fridge for bacon.
    Through the doorway she could hear the neighbours’ voices dominating the sitting-room conversation, though Yvonne wasn’t giving up the arena easily.
    She half listened as she grilled bacon and kept an eye on her mother-in-law. Pauline’s head had tipped back and her eyes closed, her half-drunk tea cooling on the table. It was the first time Cleo had seen Pauline grey and beleaguered, her face slack as she dozed. If ever someone needed a bit of peace!
    Cleo gave the neighbours fifteen minutes to drink their tea then marched in, disrupting the debate about whether George had looked well recently. ‘I’ve made bacon rolls for you, Gav and Yvonne. The rest of you will excuse us now, won’t you? Everyone’s upset, Pauline’s asleep and we’ve had no time to eat.’ The neighbours, after an instant’s surprised silence, rose to their feet.
    As Gav saw them out, Yvonne rushed into the kitchen after Cleo. ‘I wish I could make direct requests like that! I’m afraid of upsetting people but you don’t give a bugger, do you? I should be doing the breakfast! I just sat down for –’
    Cleo, finger on lips, indicated Pauline. ‘You’re too upset. Don’t worry. You guys look after George and I’ll do the boring stuff, OK?’
    So, for the next few days, Cleo took on the catering. Yvonne didn’t really like not being Queen of the Kitchen but clung to her condition as an excuse to concede the throne. Pauline continued to look as if she’d been hit by a truck. Gav prowled restlessly, pouncing on any errand that would get him out of the house.
    Cleo visited the hospital only once because she didn’t think that her father-in-law needed to be tired by unnecessary visitors. Waxy and weary, George had