Chapter 9

Iris knew that her sister was worried about something, the moment she strolled into her bedroom.

At first she thought it might have been because of the nights events; that Laurie might have been worried about Iris. But it soon became evident that that was not the cause for the furrow in Laurie's brow, or the shadow in her dark blue eyes.

"What?" she asked softly.

Laurie sighed as she sat down on the edge of Iris's bed.

"I think that there might be something wrong with dad."

Iris fought down the instant queasiness in her stomach and strove for a calm strong tone of voice. "I'm almost certain that if it was that serious, then he would have said something to us by now." Although she was painfully aware of the veiled hints that he had been dropping lately.

She realised that it had worked though, when she saw the sag in her sister's tense shoulders, and Laurie gave a little smile of relief, that Iris did not seem to be panicking.

"You think that maybe I am overreacting," she said hopefully, but then her brow furrowed again. "But, Iris, you didn't see him last night ... he looked like a ghost!"

"Well, let's try not to fall to pieces just yet, not until we know for sure, that it's something serious."

Iris remembered how weak she had felt last night, by the time that they had reached home, and she had been curled up in the back of the jeep, whereas their father had had to rush back and drive the jeep out to them, then drive them all home again.

"I can certainly understand why he might have felt so tired last night – I know that I did!"

"Yes, maybe you are right," Laurie still sounded doubtful and worried, and so Iris looped her arm through her sister's arm and gave her a bright encouraging smile.

"Let's go and talk to dad, and find out for sure ... I'm confident that it's not too serious though?"

Their father was sitting at the kitchen table and slowly eating at another high fat and high protein breakfast.

But Iris could not help but notice how slowly he ate, how wearily he lifted up his fork to his mouth.

He looked up and caught her worried gaze, and his tired eyes narrowed for a moment almost as though it pained him to see that look on her face, before falling away again.

"You girls should eat something," he mumbled. "After last night's events, we all need some nourishment."

"It's nothing!" he snapped impatiently. "I'm not a young man anymore – as the doctor was telling me the other day, but other than that I am in good health."

"The doctor?" Iris leapt on the admission with a speed that he should have expected, but which still threw him off balance.

He blinked his eyes as he sipped at the fresh coffee, which Laurie had brewed, while Iris had washed the dishes.

He sighed, and put his mug back down on the table.

"I'd been suffering a few headaches recently, and so I thought that I would go and get a check up..."

"And?"

"Doctor Glenn gave me a thorough going over, and he said that for a man of my age, I am in remarkable health ... aside from my blood pressure."

"But it's nothing to be too worried about?"

He hesitated again. "High blood pressure is always something to worry over, especially in our race, since we don't usually suffer these things, but he thinks that with suitable medication and supervision ... a little less stress in my life, and I should be fine."

"Stress?" Iris sat forward, and her brow creased with worry. "What stress?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "You know the sort of things that are playing on my mind right now. You know that I worry for you girls – if anything were to happen to me."

"And this is making you ill!" the tears welled up in Laurie's deep blue eyes, and the guilt was written all over her lovely expressive face.

Greg felt a twinge of shame, which he shrugged of determinedly. This would be for their own good – eventually.

"I just want you girls to be safe, I need to know that in the event of my death you will be protected; and we need another male in the family for that!"

They were both silent as they rode the train back to London later that day. This should have been an exciting time for them both, with Laurie starting her first job tomorrow, and Iris settling in to what she thought would be a super new job ... if she could keep her hands off her boss.

But now concern for their father, was uppermost in their minds, and made them silent and subdued for almost the entire journey.

They were about five minutes away from the station, when Laurie suddenly sighed deeply. "What do you think we should do?" she asked softly.

Iris shrugged her shoulders as she stared out at the slowing landscape. "I'm not sure, Laurie. I don't know what to think at the moment ... although I do understand dad's concerns – I just don't know what we can do about it."

"Dad said we need another male..."

The image of James flittered through her mind, and her pulse skipped its beat along with her heart.

"Have you got anyone in mind?" Iris smiled stiffly.