Chapter 12

It did not take long for Reg to fall asleep again. Eleanor decided to slip away to do some work and, more importantly, set up the dyslexia assessment. She also briefed Ray, saying that she planned to return to her previous regime of working at the Woolstencrofts'. He was happy with that.

On her way out of the ward she stopped to chat with the nurses telling them that she and Daphne would back at six.

"He never even mentioned food," she said to Rita.

"Told you."

She managed to arrange an assessment for two o'clock on Friday week. It would last an hour and a half. Daphne, needless to say, was delighted and praised Reg for making the decision.

"Bullied into it," he smiled.

"I didn't use any water," Eleanor grinned at Daphne who winked back.

Reg looked mystified but neither of the women enlightened him.

Reg was discharged the following morning and Eleanor took him for a pub lunch.

"Oh blimey!" groaned Reg. "Does that mean I have to give you a kiss again?"

"Yup!"

"The demands made on me in my frail state."

"You're asking for a smacked bottom, young man."

Reg nodded sadly. "And now she's going to take advantage of my frail state."

"Dead right!" She reached across the car, pulled him towards her and kissed him sweetly. It was another two way kiss.

Reg had a baguette and chips which solved the problem of only being able to use one hand.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need everything cut up for me when we get home," he said. "Yvonne did it for me at breakfast but you should have seen me chasing it round the plate with only a fork."

"I'll feed you."

"You would too, wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

Reg reached across and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

"You're special, Eleanor," he said softly.

"So are you." She patted his thigh.

That had become rather intense and they both relapsed into silence until they got home.

"Where do you want to be?" she asked.

"With you."

She smiled radiantly at him and parked the wheelchair beside the chair she normally used at the kitchen table.

"Um, Eleanor, could you help me up?" he asked.

Looking mystified she did so. He put his good arm round her and pulled her gently to him.

"Your thank you kiss," he said.

It was a long gentle kiss and her arms went round him. They broke and then without another word went back for more. At length they broke apart and she helped him back into his chair before sitting on her own.

There was another long silence broken by Reg when he swivelled his chair to look at her.

"Um, Eleanor, have you done much kissing?"

"Some. I had a pretty steady boyfriend at uni."

"Did you kiss like that?"

She shook her head. "We kissed passionately but never like that."

"Did you get that feeling of something flowing between us?"

She nodded, her eyes looking into his.

"Did that happen when you kissed passionately?"

"No." It was little more than a whisper and her eyes never left his.

"Um ... do you think it's possible to-to ... um ... f-fall in love in just f-four weeks?"

"Yes." He only just heard her.

There was another, shorter silence while they stared at each other.

"I-I love you, Eleanor."

She moved swiftly to kneel at his right side and reached for his face with both hands.

"I love you too, Reg."

His right hand reached for her head. "Oh God!" he whispered. "Oh thank God!"

Eleanor stood up and then bent over him. She kissed him. "Very, very much I love you, my darling Reg. Come on. We're going to have a snuggle."

She wheeled him into the sitting room and helped him sit on the sofa with his broken arm lying on its armrest. She lay along the sofa with her right arm round him and her head against his left shoulder. Without thinking he pulled her close with his right arm.

"Are you comfy?" she asked.

He smiled at her. "I've been comfier but I'm very happy."

"So am I and it's all your fault."

He bent his head and kissed her. "Happier still?"

"Yes, Reg, although I'm not sure that's possible."

They managed to stay like that for half an hour talking lovers' nonsense interspersed with frequent kisses before Eleanor prised herself off him.

"Ooph!" she exclaimed. "I was about to seize up." She sat beside him with his arm round her shoulders and she holding on to his hand.

"Going back to what you were saying earlier about whether it was possible to fall in love after only four weeks, I've been falling for you from about the end of week one. The trip to the Peak District pretty well did it finally but what really sealed it was our row and the fear that we'd never get together again."

"Same here but I was fighting it even though you'd said all that stuff about your parents not interfering. The thing is that if we get married I'll never be able to afford a house any bigger than this one but then came the row and I realised that my life without you would be worthless."

"That's one of the reasons I wanted you to do this dyslexia thing so that you could realise your potential and start to make some really decent money and I know you can."

She told him the story of her grandfather. Reg pulled her more tightly against him.

"You ought to have told me earlier," he said and kissed the top of her head. "Then we might not have had the row at all. You've inspired me."

She smiled up at him. "And you'll succeed, my darling. I know you will."

"With you beside me."

"That works both ways. Sweetheart, I couldn't be happier than I am sitting here with your arm round me but I've only done a couple of hours work in the last two days."

"Spoilsport."

"Yup but you can come and sit with your arm round me while I work."

"Are you sure that's all right, Miss Eleanor?"

"It better had be unless you want a bonk on the nose."

"Oh well! In that case..."

"Poop!"

"Why?"

"You just are but you're my own personal and darling poop."

"Oh well! In that case..."

"Poop!"

They both got helpless giggles and had to have another hug and a kiss before going back to the kitchen table.

"Are you any good at drawing?" Eleanor asked.

"What do you want me to draw?"

"A proposed layout for the enlarged warehouse."

"Why?"

"It's part of our plan."

"Sure but it's not part of what you were asked to do which was a cost analysis of having our own transport fleet."