Chapter 7

The weeks at the hospital went slowly by. Yvonne was on the night shift during Reg's second week and, watching Reg and Eleanor, she decided that boss's daughter or not she, Yvonne, did not stand a chance.

Reg worked hard at his physiotherapy and Anita was pleased with him. So was Mr Renfrew. At the end of his second week he was down to a small dressing on his knee which could be changed so that he was able to start hydrotherapy as well. Mr Renfrew was confident that he would be discharged at the end of the three weeks as he had forecast.

That threw Daphne. Maggie had been kind and understanding about the hospital visits but Daphne was sure that she would not give her weeks off to look after Reg. Ron had no bright ideas either. Reg reported this to Eleanor who looked thoughtful but made no suggestions.

"Daddy," she said at home later that evening, "Reg is going to be discharged next week and there's going to be no one to look after him as both his parents have full time jobs."

"Doesn't the hospital organise carers?"

"Probably but I expect that whoever will have to be paid."

"Don't worry, sweety. Young Reg is still on full pay and a carer won't make a big dent in that."

"That's true but he'll be lonely and bored."

David looked at her and saw that she was genuinely concerned. "Go on then," he said with a gentle smile.

"Well, at the moment I'm totally tied up with this cost analysis. With my laptop and my mobile I could set myself up at the Woolstencrofts' kitchen table and work there just as well as I could in my office. If I needed to I could always come into the factory to pick up extra information that I wanted and couldn't get from anywhere else. Does that sound all right?"

David smiled again. "Not for me to say, Miss Davies. You'll have to ask your line manager."

"Meany!" She wrinkled her nose at him. "No, you're quite right, Daddy. I'll have a word with Ray in the morning."

Bridget waited until she and Eleanor were on their own. "Are you falling for Reg?" she asked gently.

"Oh, Mummy, I don't know. I've certainly come to like him very much. He talks to me a lot now, not just music but all sorts of things. He may be dyslexic but he's got a very good mind by my reckoning and, surprisingly for someone who's not well read, he's got a pretty extensive vocabulary. Face it though, Mummy, I've really only known him for ten days or so."

"When you say you talk about all sorts of things give me some examples."

"Well you know what I told Daddy about his ideas on distribution."

"Yes but that's work and a part he's closely connected to."

"Well, we've talked about membership of the EU and the problems of the Eurozone. He's got some well balanced ideas on immigration, same sex marriages and all the other current fads. He watches TV quite a lot and picks up a lot from that. He also finds things on the internet."

"But I thought he could hardly read."

"Discussions."

"Oh! What about social interaction?"

"Complete novice. He's shy because he's an only child and was bullied at school for being thick. I've got through to him and he's all right with older women like Sister but he gets all tongue-tied and bashful with the younger nurses. There's one that's clearly got a crush on him but where most guys would take advantage of it he's completely at sea. She told him she thought he was a hero and he said that all he could do was shake his head and blush. Mummy, he's sweet and nobody's fool but desperately uncertain of himself. I hope I'm helping to bring him out of his shell."

"I'm sure you are, darling but isn't some of that still gratitude?"

Eleanor thought about that.

"That's still there, Mummy, but I think now it's a question of getting to like somebody and wanting to help him reach his potential."

Bridget smiled at her. "Good for you but watch out for your heart overruling your head."

Eleanor blushed slightly. Her mother noticed but said no more. She did though report the conversation to David as they went to bed.

"Darling," he said gently, "don't fuss about it. She's a very sensible girl. If, in the end, she decides he's the one then she'll have thought about it deeply and there'll be no doubt in her mind."

"Don't you think that emotion might carry her away?"

"Didn't that play a part in your decision to marry me?"

"Yes, a lot."

"And was that a mistake?"

"No, my darling. The trouble is it's still there when I know I ought to smack you."

"Oooh!

"Watch it, boy!"

Chuckling they moved into each other's arms.

First thing the following morning, although feeling uncommonly reticent about asking her line manager a personal favour and having taken several deep breaths, Eleanor went in to see Ray Fuller.

"Good morning, Miss Davies," he greeted her with a smile. "What can I do for you today? You're looking a bit solemn."

Eleanor smiled shyly, something quite out of the ordinary and Ray registered.

"Um, Ray, I'm totally involved now in this cost analysis that you asked me to do."

"Ye-es? How's it coming on?"

"Well but I think it's going to take me at least another three weeks."

"I'm not surprised."

"Well, um the um thing is that um Reg Woolstencroft is going to be let out of hospital next week."

"Oh! That's good."

"Yes! Um, it's just that both his parents work and, um, while I'm sure the hospital will provide a carer to do lunch for him and perhaps help with his physiotherapy he's going to be a bit lonely and he might suddenly need help when the carer's not around."

Ray resisted the urge to tease her. "So you want to care for him?"

Eleanor nodded. "I could carry on with the cost analysis there and come in if there was something I needed help with here."

Ray struggled to remain dispassionate. "It sounds reasonable," he said, "but thoroughly irregular so I think I ought to clear it with the Chief Executive."