Chapter 35

Steven was giddy with happiness. He found himself sitting in his car grinning like a fool. He smacked his cheek to bring himself down to earth again but that just made him laugh. Some ten minutes later he had himself under control again. He had about an hour and a half to kill. Half an hour would be spent cleaning himself up. It was a twenty minute drive home so he still had a spare twenty minutes or so. He would tell the Damsels the good news in that time.

He drove home, made himself some coffee and got out the biscuits. He sat at the kitchen table with the morning paper but did not read it. His mind was too full of Becca. He did not linger and moved on to shave and shower. He was ready by half past eleven and drove to the school. He rang the bell. A girl he did not know opened the door.

"Hello," he said, "I'm Steven Hardacre, Becca's uncle."

"Come in, I'm Harriet Bentham. Have you got good news for us?"

Steven's happy face told her the answer. "Yes," he said. "She's come out of her coma."

"Wonderful!" She clapped her hands. "The Damsels will be thrilled. So will Mum. Come into the kitchen and I'll go and round everyone up. I promise not to tell."

Steven smiled at her and she ran off. In what seemed like moments everyone had gathered including Mrs Bentham and Peter who stood very close to Maisie. They all waited in silent expectancy.

"She's out of her coma..."

There was a cheer and lots of excited hugging.

"And," Steven went on, "she has agreed to marry me."

There was a stunned silence and then with shrieks of joy the girls descended on him each determined to give him a kiss and a hug. Mrs Bentham was last.

"Congratulations," she said. "So many of my conversations with Becca have centred on you."

Nell edged shyly forward and held out her left hand to him. On her finger was a brand new engagement ring.

"Nell, my sweet!" Steven whisked her off the floor and kissed her. "Tom's a very lucky fellow. How super! Becca will be thrilled."

"Please don't tell her, Uncle Steven. I want to do it myself."

"Of course you do, my dear. Not a word, I promise, although Isobel may have let the cat out of the bag by now."

Nell shook her head. "I've sworn her to secrecy."

Steven gave her another kiss on the nose and put her down.

"When can we go and see her?" asked Kim.

"I don't know. I was chased out before doctor's rounds so I'll have to see what he says. I'll get the word round this evening."

Excited chatter broke out and Molly let it run for a minute before driving them all back to work. That caused plenty of good-natured rudery.

Molly turned back to Steven. "Thanks for coming to tell us, Uncle Steven." She kissed him sweetly. "She's very precious to all of us."

"I know, my dear. You're all pretty special to her too especially those who were there at the beginning."

Molly smiled and nodded. "I'm a bit jealous of her too," she whispered, blushed scarlet and fled.

Valerie Bentham grinned at him. "You're a wicked seducer of impressionable young girls," she teased.

"If you only knew. I've been resisting Becca's advances for the last two years."

"More fool you."

Steven nodded ruefully. "I must go or my child bride will bash me up."

She laughed. "Give her my love."

"Thank you. I will."

When he entered the hospital the receptionist called out to him.

"Mr Hardacre. Mr Lovering would like a word with you. He's in his office. Do you know the way?"

"Turn left half way down the corridor and second or third on the right."

"That's it."

Steven knocked on the door and was called in. Mr Lovering rose from his desk with a wide smile and shook his hand. "I believe I have to congratulate you," he said.

"Oh gosh!" exclaimed Steven. "She's telling the world already."

"Yes and it's doing her no end of good. Now that she's come to I can see what you see in her. Not only is she very beautiful but she's one very smart and amusing young lady."

Steven nodded happily. "She is all those things."

"What's her boyfriend going to say?"

"That's the only fly in the ointment. He's a very nice lad and is going to be badly hurt, I'm afraid."

"Hmm! Well now! I'd like to keep her in for another seventy-two hours if only to keep her from overdoing things. We'll move her to the ward tomorrow and she can then have visitors but no more than two at a time in addition to you or Isobel. Visiting hours are from two till five and six to eight. I'd rather no one stayed for more than quarter of an hour and you must turf them out if you think she's getting tired. The nurses will keep an eye on her too."

Steven nodded. "Thank you," he said. "The Damsels will be queuing at the door."

"Is that the Decorating Damsels?"

"Yes, Becca founded them."

"My goodness! I've heard nothing but good about them. She must be an even more remarkable young woman than I thought."

"What about young Edward Johnson? He'll be coming in in ignorance to do his stint at six this evening."

"That's fine." He did not add that he doubted he'd stay long.

They said their farewells and Steven went on up to Becca's room.

"I'm sorry I'm late back," he said. "I got nobbled by Mr Lovering."

"You're forgiven provided I get a kiss."

"But of course." He obliged.

"Well, I think I'll push off," said Isobel. "You won't want me about the place but I'll pop in tomorrow sometime. I'm due here anyway in the morning."

She kissed them both, waved gaily and was gone.

"Have they started feeding you properly? I see all the tubes and wires have gone."

"If you call a cup of tea and two digestive biscuits feeding me properly, yes."

"You must be ravenous."

"Not really but I am quite hungry."

"Oh darling, I'm so happy I'm almost flying."

"So am I, you old mule. Can I have another kiss? Every two minutes by mouth is what the prescription says."

It was a long very loving but tongueless kiss.

"The trouble is," said Steven, "there's only a minute's interval between the end of one kiss and the start of the next."

"Poor old man. Don't worry, my darling, we'll soon have you trained."

They both giggled.

"I've told the girls that you're out of your coma so you can expect them to descend on you tomorrow."

"Super!"

"I, um, also told them we were engaged."

"Meany!"

"You told Mr Lovering."

"Oh, all right. Next kiss, please. You're late."

"Mmm!" she said as they broke. "You're a good kisser."

"Years of experience," said Steven airily. "You wait, little girl. I haven't got into my stride yet."

"Ooh!" She chuckled and stroked his cheek. "I love you."

That earned her another kiss.

"Steady," she said when they broke. "You're beating the clock."

"Making up for the lateness of the last one."

"You're so considerate."

"Darling, what are we going to do about Edward?"

Becca sobered up immediately. "I think it's got to be 'I' rather than 'we'. He was my boyfriend and I'm responsible for his feelings for me. I think you just leave us for ten minutes. I don't think he'll stay any longer than that."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It's going to be horrid one way or the other but to have you in the room would be to add insult to injury."