Helen peers around the half open door to the first bedroom she comes to and seeing the pale pink and pastel green décor, smiles at the idea of it being Kester’s room and moves on. She taps softly at the door to the second bedroom and waits, eventually pushing it further open and looking inside. Kester lies propped against the pillows, his eyes closed and the flush of sleep tingeing the tops of his pale cheeks, his bare chest rising and falling almost imperceptibly. Helen tiptoes across the room and sets the jug on the bedside table.

‘Thank you’ Kester murmurs

‘You’re welcome’ she whispers automatically.

His eyes fly open ‘Helen?’ he croaks and tries to moisten his lips with his tongue before speaking again ‘What the hell are you doing here?’

‘Giving your grandmother a well deserved break’ She pours him some water and holds it to his lips.

‘I can do it’ he says tetchily

‘Do it then. Here, take it’

Kester pushes himself further up the bed and lifts his hand to take the beaker ‘Sorry’

‘I should think so too’ Helen stoops to collect the used enamel bowl from the side of the bed and heads for the en-suite bathroom

‘Helen, please, leave that’ Kester pleads almost desperately.

‘To Harriet?’ she arches an eyebrow.

‘Oh God!’ he groans, mortified. He sinks back against the pillows again, listening with mounting embarrassment to the sounds of the bowl being emptied and cleaned. He turns his face away when she returns.

‘I shouldn’t have done that, should I?' Helen falters. 'I’ve humiliated you… I thought it would be more…. pleasant for you…that’s all’ She sets the bowl down on the floor again ‘I’m sorry’

‘It’s not that I don’t appreciate it….but… to do that…’

‘Kester, if you’ve cleaned up after a cat, you can clean up after anything’ She tries to make light of the situation and ease the awkwardness between them. ‘How are you? I’ve sent Harriet for a sleep by the way. She’s dead on her feet. Is there anything you need…anything I can get you?’ she asks in a flurry of words as she tidies the bedside cabinet.

Aware of her unease, Kester reaches out to touch her hand and gives her an affectionate smile. ‘Not right now…And I’m fine, thank you…but stay and talk for a while?’

‘I…er’ Helen hesitates, looking round, groaning inwardly when the only available chair is piled high with discarded clothes. ‘You should be resting’

‘If you don’t sit here..’ Kester pats the duvet. ‘I’ll get out’ he threatens with a weak chuckle ‘And I sleep naked’

‘Oh…I…er…’

‘Please, Helen’ Kester sighs, flopping back against the pillows. ‘I’m sick of resting, feel too knackered to get up….and while the naked bit is usually true, I can assure you that I am properly attired under here…There is a limit to what I am willing to let my grandmother know about me’ he growls in explanation. ‘If you pass me a sweater or something from that heap there, I’ll make myself decent enough for visitors. Ok?’

‘No…really…not on my account’ Helen sits gingerly at the end of the bed. ‘It’s all round the village…about the attack’ she ventures.

‘Any more news on Nathan?’ Kester asks anxiously

‘Awake and talking is the latest update I think…according to what Harriet was saying’

‘Thank God’

‘Yes. Thank God’ she agrees. ‘What was it all about, do you know?’

Kester shrugs. ‘Not exactly, only that it was Nathan they wanted but I’ve got no idea who ‘they’ are!’ He grimaces. ‘I guess I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time….’he mumbles.  His eyes cloud and he rolls his head to stare out of the window. His voice sounds hoarse when he speaks again ‘But I reckon if I hadn’t been there…….’ He leaves the words unspoken and swallows hard. ‘Me getting in the way confused them. They didn’t know quite what to do about me so they dumped us both. I suppose that was until they got the nod from somebody…. and Nathan….Nathan got a stay of execution….literally’

‘Ohh, Kester…’ Helen whispers.

Kester faces her again, his mouth quivering slightly. ‘We thought it was them coming back to finish us off when Charlene turned up’ He exhales noisily.

Helen ignores his obvious emotion and the unexpected impulse to reach out to comfort him. ‘Charlene?’ she enquires softly.

He blinks and nods. ‘I think you met her once…when she was leaving here’

‘Oh..yes…I did…er….a friendly girl….But how did she know where to find you?’

Kester gratefully uses the few seconds to compose himself. ‘According to the police this morning, she tailed them from where it happened….or her and her mother did’ he gives a brief incredulous gasp. ‘She was waiting outside the car park for her mother to collect the car and saw the lot. It was me she recognised. Her mother turned up and they tore off after the van. Pictures and video on her cell phone, there’s no way they can deny anything once they’ve tracked them down’

‘Thank goodness she was there’

‘It was pretty hairy, I can tell you that much. Until she spoke, I really thought we’d had it’ He smiles sheepishly ‘I’d got Nathan apologising and hoping it’d be quick and me…’

‘And you?’ she asks

His eyes fix on her face. ‘Me regretting all the things I hadn’t done with my life…things I’d still got to do’

Helen lowers her head, smoothing the duvet cover under her hand. ‘I expect we’d all have those regrets…’

‘But I felt incredibly calm….’ he says, pressing further back into the pillow, his brow creasing while his mouth looks faintly amused ‘It was weird…in the space of a few seconds…I was bloody livid I was going to miss the rest of my life but then I was calm, so amazingly calm…’

‘The mind can protect…in times of great stress, it can protect…there are a number of theses written on it..’ Helen states simply.

Kester looks at her and smiles. ‘I’ll take your word for that ….but then when I realised that perhaps I wasn’t going to die after all….I don’t know how I felt…still feel…It’s not relief…..I don’t suppose what they pumped me with helps’

‘Perhaps not… Do you think you ought to have another sleep? You’ve gone very pale again…or…or do you need the bowl?’ She leans forward ready to collect it from the side of the bed.

He stills her with the lift of one hand. ‘A bit woozy, that’s all. That’s the most talking I’ve done since…..’ he swallows.  ‘I want to get up…I’m fed up with laying here’

‘I really don’t think you’re ready for that yet’ Helen scolds.

‘You’re as bad as Harriet. I’ve got to move myself…I’ve got to go and see Nathan…collect Eric and Marjory…get back to work!’

‘Now that is being particularly foolish. I have already offered to collect Mr and Mrs. Samms…and work isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things, is it? I am sure your….team…have things under control…and Nathan will understand if you are not there….Harriet will explain to him if need be’

‘Bully’ Kester mutters, his eyes already closing

‘Am I?’

‘Only in a nice way’ He reaches his hand for hers and Helen rests her fingers against his palm. ‘I thought of you’ he mumbles almost incoherently as his fingers curl then relax, and fall away.

Helen sits for a few moments watching Kester sleep before easing her hand away with a smile and an amused shake of the head. ‘You never give up, do you?’

‘I called at the house…but…’ Helen Marchant looks behind her then back at Harriet ‘Someone has just told me that Kester has been beaten up?’

‘Helen, how kind of you to be worried.’ Harriet smiles reassurance ‘Not Kester, thankfully, but poor Nathan. Come in…please’

‘But I was told…’ Helen steps into the hallway and follows Harriet into the kitchen ‘That he was taken to hospital too…I was.. I was wondering if I could be of any help at all…. there always seems to be so much to do when something like this happens’

‘He’s home’ Harriet glances at the ceiling to mean that Kester is upstairs.

‘Oh…I’m sorry’ Helen lowers her voice ‘I presumed you were collecting his things to take in. He’s not been hurt?’

‘I believe they used something similar to chloroform on him. He’s still being dreadfully sick but no, not hurt badly, thank goodness.’

‘And Nathan?’

‘That, unfortunately is another story. They operated last night to repair a ruptured spleen. Thank God it was only a small tear or he could very well have been dead by the time anyone got to them but he’s awake and he’s talking. I shall go in again later as long as I feel that Kester can be left. I have telephoned Mr. and Mrs. Samms’

‘His parents?’

‘No…aunt and uncle, they live abroad. They will be here as soon as they possibly can’

‘Please give Mr. Samms my regards….and…presumably his relatives will need collecting from the airport? I could do that….if you would like me to’

‘My idiot of a grandson is insisting that he will be able to meet them. If you can talk any sense into him, I would be very obliged!’

‘Kester…listen to me?’ Helen grimaces

‘He certainly won’t listen to me…It was just a thought’ Harriet smiles ‘anything is worth a try. Would you like to come up and say hello? I’m just about to take him another jug of water’

‘Oh…I don’t know….he might not…’

‘I’m sure he would welcome a visitor and I could make the most of the chance to sit down and relax for a while, it’s been a very distressing time. I should be glad to hand over the reins even if it were for just ten minutes. He insisted he stay here when it would have been so much easier for him to be nursed in his old room. I was too worried to leave him on his own. The hospital wanted to keep him in but he wouldn’t hear of that either! I am so desperately tired’

‘Harriet’ Helen says firmly, taking the jug from her hands ‘Go and have a nap. I’ll sort Master James out!’

‘Oooh dear’ Harriet bites her lip ‘You do look rather formidable’ she snuffles with amusement.

‘I have the rest of the afternoon free. Please go and rest’ Helen gives a tight smile. ‘Please…. before I lose my nerve’

‘Hel-en’

Go!’ Helen smiles and with head erect, walks from the kitchen.

Tawny House, Manor Road

Chapter Five