Page 35 of Mending Hearts at the Cornish Country Hospital (The Cornish Country Hospital #6)

‘Teddie looks like he’s having fun.’ Eden smiled at the sight of her son walking along the bales of straw that created a border for the ‘dance floor’.

He was holding his grandfather’s hand, and jumping off the corner bale, and then dragging Dave back further down the row of bales, climbing up again and repeating the process.

‘He’s keeping your dad busy!’ Karen laughed. ‘He’s been such a sweetheart, no trouble at all.’

‘Thank you.’ Eden squeezed her mother’s arm. ‘Do you fancy a drink? I thought I could grab us all one before Gwen’s dance display. They do a mocktail apparently, a nojito. It sounds a bit fancier than a Diet Coke and I feel like I’ve earned it. I’m sure you and Dad have too, running after Teddie.’

‘Ooh, that sounds good. Gwen’s amazing, isn’t she? I’m thinking of starting the belly dancing class she runs. She said it’s good for your pelvic floor and for your…’ Karen broke off then. ‘You probably don’t want to hear the rest.’

‘If it’s about you and Dad I definitely don’t.

’ Eden pulled a face. She really didn’t want to hear about her parents’ sex life, even if she was secretly glad that them having one meant their relationship was probably healthier than it had been in years.

There’d been a time when she was almost certain their marriage wouldn’t last. Things had become more strained between them when her mother had eventually accepted she had a problem and her father had finally faced up to it too, but it all seemed to be behind them now. ‘I’ll be right back.’

‘Okay sweetheart, no hurry. Teddie’s having the time of his life.’ Her mother smiled and it was lovely to see her just enjoying the day and not staring at her phone, engrossed in researching whatever her latest obsession might be.

‘Thanks, but I won’t be long, I don’t want to miss the dancing.’ Eden walked in the direction of the bar, until she got to where Drew was standing. He wasn’t with Benji any more, and she couldn’t resist the urge to stop and talk to him.

‘It was lovely to meet Benji, he’s great.’ Eden smiled as she spoke, and Drew mirrored her expression.

‘He is, isn’t he? I always say he’s like sunshine in human form. I wish I had half that joie de vivre.’

‘Me too.’

‘I think you’ve got plenty of joie de vivre.

I always feel happier when I’m around you.

’ Drew widened his eyes, as if he realised he’d said too much and wished he could take it back, but his honesty was so refreshing.

After all those years of barely being able to recognise what the truth was with Jesse, it was so nice to know that Drew meant what he said.

She’d taken his comment as a huge compliment, and she loved the idea that she made Drew happier, because he made her happier too.

She still didn’t know if that meant they’d only ever be friends, but even if that was their destiny, she was incredibly grateful she had him in her life.

She couldn’t stop herself from hoping that it might be something more, but the ball was in his court and, even if she had wanted to test the waters again, now wasn’t the right time.

‘I think that might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.

’ Eden touched his arm, wishing they were alone again, on the beach at nightfall, where all their inhibitions could had been obscured by the darkness.

Maybe then she would have been ready to risk putting herself on the line and kissing him for a second time.

She had a feeling she’d know how he really felt then, even if Drew still couldn’t put it into words, but the light hadn’t faded yet and they were surrounded by people, some of whom would be watching their every move.

So she dropped her hand and maintained her distance, changing the subject back to something far more neutral. ‘Do you know Benji from volunteering?’

‘Yes, he goes to the day centre run by the Three Ports Autism Trust.’ Drew smiled again. ‘I could be having the worst day I’ve ever had, but if I see Benji suddenly everything’s okay again.’

‘I can imagine, he seems so happy.’ Eden couldn’t stop the shuddering sigh escaping from her lips.

A familiar sensation of fear creeping up her spine.

‘That’s all I want for Teddie. I just want him to be happy, but sometimes I’m so scared of what the future might bring and of other people being unkind to him, especially when I’m not around to protect him. ’

‘I understand why that might scare you, but he’ll be okay because you’ll fight his corner for him whenever he needs you to.

I’m not saying you can protect him from everything, but he will be happy.

You’ll make sure of it.’ Drew’s response was so resolute, it made it easier to believe.

Eden’s greatest fear, far beyond how Teddie’s diagnosis might affect her own life, was that it might impact upon his happiness and she meant what she said: all she wanted was for her little boy to be happy.

‘Thank you.’ Eden wanted to reach out more than ever, but she curled her hand into a ball instead. ‘I’m going to get my parents a drink; one of Gwen’s volunteers has come up with some interesting sounding cocktails and mocktails. Can I get you one?’

‘I’ll get them.’

‘No, you won’t!’ He laughed at the look of determination of Eden’s face, and held up his hands.

‘Okay, okay, at least let me help you.’

‘I’ll allow that.’ She smiled and they walked the rest of the way to the bar together.

Less than ten minutes later, they were heading back towards Karen and Dave with four of the nojito mocktails, the smell of mint and lime mingling in the air.

There were still a few minutes until the final dance performance, and Karen was deep in conversation with Gwen, but her father and son were nowhere to be seen.

No doubt Teddie had got fed up with the climbing on the straw bales and her father had probably taken him off in his buggy to make sure he didn’t get agitated.

‘Here’s your nojito, they smell delicious.’ Eden handed her mother the drink. It was in a proper cocktail glass, even if it was made from plastic. ‘These were a great idea Gwen, do you want me to get you one?’

‘Thank you, lovely girl, but I think I better wait until after the final dance, otherwise I might need to stop for a comfort break halfway through. I need to go and round up the others now too.’ Gwen blew Eden a kiss, before heading off.

‘She really is an amazing woman.’ Karen turned toward Eden, after Gwen walked away. ‘I’m definitely signing up for one of her classes.’

‘I think it’s a great idea.’ Eden was glad to hear her mother’s plans; joining Gwen’s dance troupe would be far healthier than spending hours online. ‘Where’s Dad?’

‘He needed to go to the toilet, but he said he’d rather nip home than use one of the portaloos.’ Karen shrugged. Her parents lived opposite the hospital, and the fair was being held in one of the fields behind St Piran’s.

‘Where’s Teddie?’ Even as Eden asked the question her blood seemed to cool in her veins.

There was no reason for her father to take Teddie home with him.

Her son was still in nappies, and it wasn’t as if Teddie could have asked to go to the toilet.

Despite the fear already making goose pimples crop up on her skin, every part of her was willing her mother to tell her that Teddie was with her father.

But even before Karen spoke, she knew with a crushing sense of horror what was coming.

‘He’s over there on the straw bales.’ Her mother’s eyes widened when she turned to look and realised there was no sign of her grandson in the place she’d last seen him. Eden’s stomach lurched as a wave of nausea washed over her.

‘Oh my God, Teddie!’ The drinks she was holding slipped out of her hands. There was no build up to the panic; the desperation to find him and the sheer terror of not being able to, rose up in an instant, yet Eden couldn’t move. She was frozen with fear.

‘When did you last see him, Karen?’ Drew’s voice was urgent, but somehow still calm. When Eden’s mother didn’t answer immediately, he took hold of her by the shoulders. Not roughly, but firmly enough to get her to focus. ‘It’s really important.’

‘A minute ago at the most. I just turned away to talk to Gwen. I can’t believe he went so quickly, no one could expect that to happen.

’ Karen was visibly trembling, but Eden wanted to shake her even harder, and shout at her for turning her back on her grandson, even for a moment, but she still couldn’t move or even speak.

She was terrified that if she did it would make his disappearance real.

There was a chance that if she didn’t react, she’d look again and he’d suddenly appear, from behind one of the straw bales, because the alternative was too awful to think about.

‘He can’t have got far. You go towards the tombola in case he saw you over there and went looking for you.

’ Drew put his hand in the small of Eden’s back, forcing her forward and out of her reverie.

‘I’ll go to the other side of the fair, and Karen can get an alert put out on the loud speaker in case Teddie is mixed in with the crowd, and no one realises he’s actually on his own. ’

‘He can’t be lost.’ A sob caught in Eden’s throat as the realisation hit her that it was the only way to describe her son’s whereabouts.

Nausea rose up again inside her making her stomach roil so violently that for a moment she thought she was going to throw up.

Her little boy, her baby, who couldn’t utter a word to anyone even if they tried to help him, was out there alone.

Her breath started to come in shuddering rasps.

Then Drew grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight.