Page 20 of Mending Hearts at the Cornish Country Hospital (The Cornish Country Hospital #6)
‘I’m here because of Connie too.’ Drew looked up at her, his vision blurring. He didn’t want to cry. He had no right to tears. It was Connie’s parents whose hearts had broken, but he didn’t dare blink, because if he did there’d be no holding them back.
‘Oh Drew, did you…’ Eden didn’t seem able to say the words.
‘We took care of her like she was ours.’ It was what Drew would tell Connie’s parents if they asked to speak to him, because it was the truth, the least painful truth he could tell them.
‘I can’t imagine how hard that was.’ Eden put her hand on his arm, and he didn’t want her to take it off, but he shook his head.
‘It’s far harder for her parents and everyone who loved her. I was just doing my job.’
‘I know, but it’s hard for us too. We do the jobs we do because we want to help.
I became a nurse to make people better and when I can’t it breaks my heart, especially when it’s a child.
’ Eden gave a shuddering sigh, her words catching in her throat as she continued.
‘You’re right though, I can’t stop thinking about her parents, or how I’d feel if it was Teddie. ’
She started to cry, although he could see she was trying not to, her shoulders shaking.
He wasn’t sure what to do, he knew what he wanted to do and what the ‘normal’ thing would be, but he had no idea if it was what Eden would want.
Drew didn’t trust his gut, it had let him down too many times in the past, but just for once he decided to risk it.
He put his arm around Eden’s shoulders and she leant into him, still sobbing.
As hard as it was to see her hurting like that, it suddenly felt as if holding her was where they were both meant to be and part of him was already dreading having to let her go.
‘It’s just so awful.’ He had to strain to hear, her voice choking with tears. ‘I don’t know how her parents will ever be able to get over something like that enough to carry on.’
‘They’ll never get over it. I just hope they can find some way to get through it and keep moving forward.
My mother never really did after my sister died…
’ Eden’s head shot up in response to his words and he knew he had to tell her the rest. And just like before, he realised to his surprise that he wanted to.
He hadn’t told anyone about Flora in years, but today he needed to say her name out loud and to tell her story.
Eden listened without saying anything as he explained how Flora’s illness had progressed, and how his mother had unravelled in the wake of her death.
He told her about his father too, the respected barrister turned high court judge, who continued building his career without pausing for breath or appearing to mourn his daughter.
He certainly didn’t support his wife or son through their grief.
By the time Drew had finished speaking, Eden was holding his hand, his other arm still around her shoulders, and the weirdest part was that it didn’t feel awkward at all. It felt right.
‘I’m so sorry, Drew, losing Flora must have been unimaginably painful.
You were so young too, and you didn’t have anyone to turn to.
’ She was crying again, letting go of him to wipe her eyes and he immediately missed the sensation of her hand in his.
‘Looking after Connie must have brought it all back and you still did your best by her. I don’t think you’ve got any idea how amazing that makes you. ’
Knowing Eden thought that way about him made it feel as though a wave of warm water had washed over him, but he still didn’t see what he’d done as anything special.
Not compared to her. ‘Like I said, I was just doing my job. You met Connie and her parents, and had to deal with all their emotions when they realised how ill she might be. That’s the hard part, it’s not something I could ever do. ’
‘I think you’re wrong. Maybe you deal with your own emotions and other people’s a bit differently on the surface, but I’ve been able to open up to you in a way I didn’t know I could any more.
You’ve helped me more than I can say. We might not have spent that long together, but every time we’ve met up it has taught me something and I’m so glad that fate put you in my path.
’ Eden moved closer, brushing her lips against his and his body responded, even as his mind raced, questioning everything about how he should react.
But she pulled away again, before he stood any chance of working it out.
‘I’ve got to get back to A&E. I wish I didn’t have to.’ Her fingers curled around his for a moment, and she squeezed his hand before she let go. ‘Will you be okay?’
‘Of course I will, we both will. We have to be in the jobs we do, don’t we?’ He forced a smile, but it wasn’t like the mask he used to hide behind. He wanted to smile whenever he looked at Eden, it was just much harder to do it on a day like today.
‘We do.’ She hesitated for a moment, her eyes searching his. ‘Don’t feel you have to say yes, but I wondered if we could meet up again?’
‘I’d like that. It would be good to see Teddie.’ He wanted to tell her that it would be good to see her too, but he still wasn’t sure what it was she wanted from him. If it was just friendship, he didn’t want to risk messing up the chance of that because he could use a good friend too.
‘Great, I’ll text you. Take care, Drew.’ She touched his arm one final time before turning and walking away, and from the moment she disappeared from view, he missed her.