The Nurse by J. Corrigan (list of ebook readers txt) 📕

dabs at her eyes. ‘His medical problem was an issue for his father.’

‘In what way? Is it inherited?’

‘It is, but only if both parents carry the gene; it’s what is called an autosomal recessive disorder. Basically, that means that both Daniel and his wife are carriers, but don’t show symptoms themselves.’ She pauses. ‘Daniel Deane is a perfectionist, Theo. He didn’t like the fact that his son wasn’t perfect. Liked it even less, probably, when he discovered it was half his fault that Abe had the disease. Abe was sick for most of his childhood. His relationship with his dad wasn’t that great. Luckily, though, he was very close to his paternal grandfather, Zakaria. He loved Zakaria, and was devastated when he died.’

Theo jots down Zakaria in his notepad. ‘You don’t mind me making notes?’

She manages a gaunt smile. ‘I’d expect you to.’

‘Are you close to Abe’s parents?’

‘I’m not. I’ve met his mum several times, his dad only once. He was as opposed to our marriage as my own folks were.’ She peels up the sleeves of her cardigan, revealing slim, smooth forearms.

‘Are you planning to see them while you’re in England?’

‘No. And I have no wish to.’ She takes a sip of her drink.

Theo contemplates telling her what he now knows about Rose, her relationship with Daniel Deane. It’s been told in confidence, but this woman sitting in front of him deserves the facts.

‘I’ve had my first meeting with Rose Marlowe, Natasha. And there could well be a motivation for what she did, though I don’t want to betray her trust in me.’

A shadow of uncertainty falls across her features, but is replaced quickly by a look of acquiescence. ‘Then don’t tell me. I understand.’

‘Let’s just say that Daniel Deane was not a stranger to Rose. She knew him back in 1991.’ He hopes Natasha will join the dots.

‘Abe changed his surname to mine when we got married. That was the extent of his disgruntlement with his parents. Daniel didn’t visit him in hospital. Not once. So I don’t see how Rose could have made any connection to Abe… If she did, it would have been through Abe’s mum, Daniel’s wife.’ She leans forward, her forehead creased in concentration. ‘Has Rose Marlowe admitted to you that that was her motivation… knowing his dad?’

‘No, she hasn’t, but there has to be a link.’

She nods, her expression sad.

‘What was Abe’s relationship with his mum like?’ Theo asks.

‘Not very close to her either. Pretty desolate childhood despite the relative affluence. Often the way, isn’t it?’

‘It is.’

She carries on. ‘Abe told me that in the early days of the Deanes’ relationship, before he was born, his mum worshipped Daniel. But that wasn’t the case during his childhood. I don’t know the details, but Daniel had a series of affairs that his wife was aware of and accepted. I don’t know if that was because she adored him and would put up with anything just to keep him, or because it suited her. I think maybe they had… an open-style marriage. But Abe could never pinpoint the problem they both seemed to have in their relationship with him – but it bothered him, followed him around like a shadow.’ She pauses.

‘That was sad for Abe,’ Theo replies. ‘But then he found you.’

‘He did. We were happy in America.’

He swallows. Sometimes the pain about Elliot comes from nowhere, and at the most random moments. ‘Remind me, how old was Abe when he…’

‘It would have been his twenty-third birthday in the September of 2015. Born in September 1992.’ She pulls out a couple of photos from her handbag. ‘This is him a few weeks before he left to go to England. The day I told him I was pregnant.’ She begins to cry.

Theo touches her arm. ‘We don’t have to carry on…’

‘It’s fine, I want to.’ She wipes enormous damp eyes with her cardigan sleeve.

Theo peers at the photo. A serious but good-looking man stares back. His hair is scraped away from his face, the full hairline of youth. He takes a look at the other photo. A profile shot. Abe’s long curly hair is in a ponytail. ‘A bit of a hippy?’ he asks, smiling and handing her a clean tissue he’s found in his jacket pocket.

‘Maybe. I just think it was another way to be as different from his parents as he could possibly be. He was coming to the end of his medical degree. He was marked out to be a great doctor, would have been a great doctor.’ She settles her gaze on him. ‘Do you have kids, Theo?’

‘One. He died.’

‘I’m so sorry.’

A part of him wants to share more with Natasha, who’s sharing so much with him, but he cannot.

She tucks a stray hair behind her ear, sits up taller in the chair and changes the subject. ‘How do you plan to structure your book, Theo?’

‘I want to tell both Abe and Rose’s stories.’ He watches for her reaction. ‘Victim and—’

‘Perpetrator? I can see why you want to do it that way. I think you’ll do a good job.’ She leans forwards, elbows resting on her knees. ‘I like your work.’

‘That means a lot.’ He moves a little closer to her. ‘Why did Abe come to England?’

‘He wanted to try and smooth things out with his parents. His mum had wanted to come to America to see us after he told her I was pregnant, but Abe put her off. I don’t think he could face it, but then he had a complete change of heart and decided to go to England. He wanted to make things up with them, now that he was going to be a father himself.’ She pauses, and tilts her head. ‘When I got the call telling me he was in hospital in Derbyshire, I was surprised. His parents’ home is in Herefordshire. But he was in the Peaks, walking, as you know. He never mentioned to me that that was his plan, and we told each