Gemini Rain (42 page)

He took a deep breath speaking in English to them, ‘
Emma
, Keith you know your Mammy loves you very much but at the moment she’s not well and the doctors,’ he hesitated, ‘the doctors are going to try a test…’

Everybody was sitting sile
ntly in the kitchen
Jean-Pierre was telling Chantal and Pierre what was happening. Pierre suddenly stood up running to the bedroom to find David hugging a now crying
Emma
and Keith,
Debbie
followed him. Both children let David go, Keith ran to
Debbie
,
Emma
to Pierre holding
her
he screamed
at David, ‘This is all your fault! Why can’t you think of others, just this once Papa think of what we want and not of your own selfish
needs?
’

Jean-Pierre stood at the doorway nodding his head in disagreement but as David looked at his son then his father he determinedly vowed,
‘
things are going to change,
and I’m
going to change for the better, for everybody.
’

Chapt
er 49

Gerard signed the papers and sighed, the doctor thanked him in English Gerard just blankly stared at him, a weak nod was the only response he could give. As he was returning to the hospital room where his daughter now rested he recounted to
Debbie
, his earlier call to
Carl
in
America
telling her of his son’s objections. 

‘Are you now having reservations Gerard?’ she stopped him before they entered the room.

‘Do you think I would have signed those forms?’ answering her with another question but then explaining, ‘Lauren has always known what she wanted and she always succeeded. I’ve never objected to her dreams and ambitions in life, up to recently I’ve been extremely proud of her, the one time I wasn’t I was in the wrong and foolish to think otherwise.’
Debbie
opened the door but he stopped her from entering, ‘Jean-Pierre is right, if Lauren wants to live now she will, that’s why I didn’t hesitate in signing.’

Debbie
smiled, tears were beginning to well up in her eyes but she took a deep breath, she had to be strong Lauren would want that too. But today’s date kept haunting her,
‘
are we doing the right thing? Am I the only one to kno
w its Peter and Lauren wedding anniversary
?
’

David was talking quietly to Paul and Marc both were updating him, filling in the gaps Jean-Pierre didn’t know about the investigation. The three men turned as
Debbie
and Gerard entered the room.

‘We’re just waiting on the doctor to return,’ Gerard choked,
Debbie
put her arms around him as they both sat down. Joel put his hand on David’s shoulder as the doctor entered the room he walked silently over to the machines checking once more with Gerard.

Gerard gestured a yes to him and the young doctor switch off the ventilator machine; gently he removed the tube from Lauren’s mouth.

David held her hand to his cheek again, ‘Breathe Lauren, breathe!’ he said silently as he stared at her face. But slowly the beeping sound from the heart and pulse monitor was decreasing from a steady beat.  David closed his eyes afraid to look at the monitors. All was silent except for th
e music coming from the Emma’s i-pod
in the corner; it was pl
aying Lauren’s favourite song, T
he Corr’s version of
Fly Little Wing
by Jimi Hendrix.  It brought back a wonderful me
mory to him of a birthday party
it felt so long ago now.

Lauren looked down into the room bemused as she watched everybody sitting there,
Debbie
, Pat, Paul and Marc, Veronique, Joel and David and Daddy! ‘What the hell is everybody doing here? What are they waiting for?’ she asked herself.  Feeling great warmth and sunlight shining at the back of her, she turned stretching out to touch it, it was tempting her to reach out to it, but then a shadow appeared in the light, it started to walk through the light to her, ‘Peter!’ she cried, totally confused.

‘Hello Lauren,’ he said softly, ‘listen they’re playing your favourite song,’ he smiled. 

She turned back to the hospital room, frustration wrote all over her face.

Peter laughed, ‘Come on let’s pay a visit to the kids,’ as he put his arm around her waist. Suddenly Lauren could feel herself flying through the air over Marseille
, entwining her body with Peter
she looked at him as he gently kissed her
forehead
.

‘I’m sorry Peter, I did, I mean I do love you.’

‘Ah, yes I know that and it’s about time you realised I love you too!’ he softly scorned her, ‘but we’ve got to be honest, love can wane under pressure and we never gave each other a chance, did we? Now there are others and I’m just a memory, don’t live on that alone Lauren.’

The scene changed, they were standing in Jean-Pierre and Gabrielle’s sitting room. Lauren looked around; Claude and Helene were sitting holding hands watching Gabrielle reading a story to the four children. Jean-Pierre was in his usual chair, one eye on the paper one eye on the children.

Lauren bent down to kiss
Emma
and Keith then Chantal and Pierre, she laughed aloud turning to Peter, ‘Pierre will go mad if he finds out I did that.’  Then she looked once more at Jean-Pierre, he was staring directly at her his pipe nearly dropping from his mouth as she smiled back to him and winked.

‘Time to leave Lauren,’ Peter put his hand on her shoulder, once more they were in the hospital room.

Jean-Pierre couldn’t believe what he just saw, as Lauren disappeared a flash of lightening spread through the room, the children gasped with fright. Jean-Pierre rose from his chair, Gabrielle turned to him her face full of concern, leaving the room he immediately dial
l
ed David’s mobile.
Emma
followed Jean-Pierre with
her
saucer-like eyes then as he closed the door she lowered her head, big sorrowful tears began to plop down onto her nightdress. Pierre put his arm around her asking Gabrielle, ‘please continue with the story Mammie.’

David’s mobile was turned off so Jean-Pierre left a message recounting what just happened.

Lauren was once more watching
the people in her hospital room
she commented to Peter that they all looked so sad, so anxious.

‘Of course they are Lauren,’ he replied solemnly, ‘you’re dying.’

‘No I’m not,’ she lightly laughed, ‘I’ve never felt so exhilarated and happy in all my life. I want to continue flying with
you,’ she listened to the song.

Turning to Peter she laughed again, ‘We never got to dance to that song, you always hated it!’

Peter gave a sad smile, ‘It has different meanings for different people.’ Turning to the monitors in the room he grew more concerned, ‘Lauren you’ve got to go back,’ he said softly. 

‘But I don’t want to go back.’

‘Lauren they need you, your time hasn’t come yet. Go home and when the time comes I’ll still be here but now,’ Peter looked down to David, ‘now he’s waiting for you, go home.’

‘What do you think of him?’ she asked him mischievously.

Peter laughed, ‘now don’t be bad Lauren. You’ll never get an answer like that from me!’

‘Ah, go on, just a little hint of what you think’

‘No way! But…’ he hesitated for a moment quickly looking to the light and then to her, ‘Lauren, what’s the French word for
there
?’

Lauren burst out laughing, ‘What on earth has that got to do with anything Peter?’

‘What is the word, Lauren,’ he sounded so serious.

‘
La
, it’s
La
, but what do you mean?’

‘One day you will know. Don’t let him go
there
Lauren!’ as he said those words he pushed her away she began flying again, she turned back but the warmth and light was fading. Peter was gone.

Returning to the bed she wic
kedly decided to take a detour.

David listened to the music
in the background and then the monitors
, refusing to accept that the heart and pulse beats were slowing down. The young doctor pressed a buzzer and immediately two nurses entered the room with yet another machine, it was requested that everybody move to one side of the room. David didn’t move from her side knowing what that dreaded machine was, an A.E.D., which gave electronic shocks to the heart.
  He turned to Gerard questioningly.

‘She states seven days in the Will,’ Gerard answered his silent question.

‘
This can’t be happening!
’
he screamed inside his head, David’s
world was slowly crashing. Closing his eyes to stop the tears from falling, but he could feel them burning down his cheeks, ‘Breathe Lauren, don’t leave us!’

Suddenly he let out a cry opening his eyes wide, everybody turned to him as he blushed with embarrassment and joy knowing exactly what he had just felt. Clasping Lauren’s hand more tightly than before he looked at the monitor with everybody following his gaze, the numbers were increasing the beeping sounds were speeding up.

‘What is it David?’ Veronique asked but he didn’t dare look away from the monitor nervously laughing, almost whispering, ‘It was Lauren!’

His heart was pounding
increasing speed as he listened to the monitor sounds increase too. The love he felt from her was overwhelming and he knew she felt his love for her too. She was coming back to him.

Checking with the doctor the young man just smiled nodding in agreement, the assembled let out a sigh of relief. 

‘I think you should all leave and get some rest,’ the doctor announced, ‘we’ll check on her every fifteen minutes but we don’t expect any change. Hopefully Mrs. Connolly will wake up tomorrow.’

             
‘Will you not try to wake her now?’ David pleaded but the doctor responded no.  ‘Then I’m staying, I don’t want her waking up alone,’ he said softly.

***********

Lauren opened her eyes, she felt so thirsty. Her eyes darted around the room but it was empty once more, feeling a weight at the side of her bed she turned slightly and saw David his eyes were closed, he looked exhausted.  Stretching out to touch him, she smiled remembering her dream, it was amazing what she felt as she passed through him but she knew it was just a dream.  As she stroked his head he opened his eyes, ‘Well hello there mister,’ she hoarsely said, ‘can I have something to drink please.’

David let out a cry of relief, ‘Je t’aime, Mon
Amie
!’ he hugged her so tightly she cried out with pain from the strength of his hold.

As David poured some water for her he recounted the evening but he got the feeling that she already knew what happened, ‘I felt you,’ staring her straight in the eyes as he helped her with the glass, ‘and I got the strangest of
messages from Papa on my cell phone
.’ 

‘Did you?’ she asked coyly knowing exactly w
hat he meant.

David smiled back
it was that sexy smile again the one she always dreamt about. ‘Yes,’ he said with pleasure oozing from his face, ‘you know I did,’ he kissed her lightly on the lips.

C
hapter 50

Gabrielle carried out her daily chores with her us
ual brusqueness but her mind was
somewhere else. It was 1pm. Finishing washing the worktop for the third time she shouted down to her husband, ‘What’s happening, why won’t he telephone us?’ her normally laid back character was losing its patience.

‘Quiet woman, we’ll get a call when something happens,’ Jean-Pierre was sketching in his studio below. At least, he was trying to, error after error was made. He sighed, ‘why won’t he call!’

‘Why won’t they
call?
’ She glared at the telephone again, begging it to ring.  Jean-Pierre entered the kitchen from his studio as the phone
sounded;
it was like an alarm bell, louder than usual. They both looked at each other, who was going to answer? ‘You answer it,’ Gabrielle said but then changed her mind. They both dashed towards the hallway but Jean-Pierre got to the phone first.

‘Hallo,’ he tried to sound steady, ‘Ah, David,’ he had his back to her, straight, confident, ‘Oh, Mon Dieu!’ he sounded shocked.

‘Oh, Mon Dieu!’ she repeated after him, her hands clasping tightly together. But then Jean-Pierre turned to her, a wide smile stretched across his face, he winked to her, ‘I think you better listen to this,’ as he handed her the telephone.