Page 44 of Lessons in Love at the Cornish Country Hospital
‘Yeah, it won’t change anything, but I might as well let him furnish the flat I’m going to get when I go to uni.’ Zara laughed, and to Wendy’s surprise and relief, Chloe did too.
‘I made you one of my famous chocolate logs too.’ Gary handed over the tin and it was no exaggeration to say the contents were famous. There was more chocolate than sponge involved, and it was the best cake Wendy had ever tasted, although she could only manage a small slice at a time, even though she considered herself a semi-professional connoisseurof cake. She was convinced it could turn the worst Christmas around too. She just hoped Chloe wouldn’t need anything to turn her Christmas around, once she’d handed over the letter that felt as though it was about to burst into flames in her pocket. She might as well get it over with.
‘I’ve got something else for you.’ She took a deep breath, holding the letter out to Chloe. ‘Danni and Charlie dropped it off, just before we left. She wanted you to have it today.’
‘What does it say?’ Chloe had gone deathly pale, and she didn’t reach for the letter, her hands still clamped to her sides.
‘I don’t know, sweetheart, I haven’t read it.’
‘Will you read it to me now? I don’t think I can do it.’ Chloe bit her lip and, as she held Wendy’s gaze, it was easy to see just how scared she was of what it might say.
‘In front of everyone?’
‘Yes.’ Chloe nodded, and Wendy peeled open the envelope and took out the letter, all the time willing it not to say anything that would hurt Chloe, but knowing there was a chance that even people as kind as Danni and Charlie might find it impossible not to lay some kind of blame at her door.
‘Okay, here goes.’ She blew out her cheeks, before starting to read. ‘Dear Chloe. We wanted to write to you today as Christmas is a time of year when anything is supposed to be possible. I’ve got to admit that, when we first got Caleb home, I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to forgive you for what we went through. But in the last couple of weeks, it’s got easier and easier to do that. What happened has made us realise just how lucky we are, and that’s something we won’t ever be able to forget or take for granted again, the way most people do. It’s changed the way we do things, but I really believe those changes are for the better. I’ve already written to the CPS saying I won’t support a prosecution, and I’m going to write again in the New Year. The only thing I hope for, is that you find a better way of living, anda new perspective because of all of this too. Good things can come from the most difficult of situations, and it turns out that at Christmas anything really is possible. Yours, with hopes that the year to come brings you brighter days. Danni, Charlie and Caleb.’
Wendy didn’t know how she managed to get the whole letter out, especially as the words were already blurred by her tears when she reached the second line. And by the time she looked up, everyone around her was emotional too.
‘I can’t believe they’ve forgiven me.’ Chloe finally reached out and took the letter from Wendy, scanning over the words again, until she was crying and laughing at the same time. ‘They’ve really forgiven me, haven’t they?’
‘They have.’ Wendy held out her arms, and Chloe rushed into them. ‘It’s going to be okay now, and if Danni writes to the CPS again in the New Year, I can’t see them wanting to bring a case against you.’
Suddenly Chloe stepped back. ‘I got a call from the police yesterday, telling me they weren’t going ahead with a prosecution and that they wanted me to know in time for Christmas. They said they’d be writing to Danni and Charlie to let them know. And when you told me Danni had sent me a letter, I thought it was because she was so angry about the police dropping the prosecution.’
‘They might only get notified in writing, and you’ll probably get a follow-up letter too.’ Wendy tilted her head as she looked at Chloe again. ‘You don’t look as happy about the news from the police as I thought you would.’
‘I’m not.’ Chloe shook her head, a slow smile spreading across her face. ‘At least I wasn’t until I got Danni’s letter. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t going to be punished, because I felt like I deserved to be.’
‘No, you don’t. You’ve been through more than enough.’ Wendy squeezed her hand. When Danni had turned up with the letter earlier, they were the exact words she’d said. Chloe had been through so much, and no punishment the courts could hand out would be any worse than losing Beau. ‘You can start looking forward to the future now, and when you can come home.’
‘Home.’ For the second time, Chloe went deathly pale, as if the idea of leaving the facility was suddenly horrifying. ‘I can’t say I like it here, but the thought of being on my own is even worse.’
‘You’re not going to be on your own, you’ll be coming home. To our house.’ It was something they’d already discussed and agreed upon as a family, and Gary was as on board with the idea as everyone else. So, when Wendy fixed Chloe with a look, she was ready to argue for as long as it took to persuade her that moving in, until she was really ready to be on her own again, was the best solution for all of them. Except there was no argument from Chloe, just another broad smile as she flung her arms around Wendy.
‘The girls are so lucky to have a mum like you, and I feel even luckier to have you as a friend.’
‘I’m so glad you feel that way and I don’t even mind you seeing me as a mother figure, as long as you don’t actually call me mum. That would be a bit too weird!’ Wendy pulled a face, as everyone else laughed.
‘Okay, I promise not to call you mum, but I will find a way to thank you for what you’ve done for me. I’ve got no idea what, because I can’t think of anything that would ever be enough.’
‘Just be happy, that’s all I want.’ As Wendy wrapped her arms around Chloe again she realised it was true. All she wanted for any of the people she loved was for them to be happy, and there was no question now that she included Chloe in that number.Everything they’d been through had taught her that love really could be found in the most unexpected of places. There was no such thing as loving too many people, or being loved by too many people in return. For years, Wendy had thought she was unlovable, but all she’d needed was to open her heart to let that love in. Just like Danni, it had changed the way she lived her life for the better, and she’d never forget the lessons she’d learnt along the way.