62
Ryan
“Er, guys,” Evan interrupts us during one of my top Ryan O’Connor moments: the one where I make an idiot out of myself in front of a woman.
“Honey,” Christine reaches out to him, and he comes over and joins us. He sits on her bed too, hugging his mother.
“You didn’t come home, you weren’t answering your phone…I called a taxi and came to the café. The back door was open… You were just lying there on the floor, there was so much blood…” Evan squeezes her tighter. “I called an ambulance and mentioned Dad’s name to the paramedics. They brought you here and then Dad called the police. I didn’t even think of it, I was so scared, and I thought you were…”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.”
Evan pulls away from her.
“The café…”
“I know.”
“But why? What was the point?”
She sighs sadly and strokes Evan’s hair.
“I can’t answer you.”
“What’s going to happen now? What will you do? What willwedo…?”
“You don’t have to worry honey, it’s just a café,” she says, fighting off tears.
Evan looks at her, his eyes frightened. He’s not just talking about a café either, but about their whole world. A world they’d be lost without.
“I have to call Granny and Granddad.”
“Have you not called them yet?”
He shakes his head.
“They’ll have heard by now, surely. It’s probably best if I call them.”
“It’s late,” I interject. “It makes no sense to worry them in the middle of the night.”
She nods in agreement. “I’ll do it tomorrow morning.”
“You should get some rest, we’ll give you some space. We’re just outside if you need us.”
She looks at me, confused, and I understand why.
“I’m staying, Christine. And there’s nothing you can do or say to make me change my mind. Get used to it, okay?”
“Nick’s out here, too,” Evan tells her.
“Yeah,” I say, through gritted teeth. “It’s impossible to get rid of him, whether you want him there or not.”
Christine gives a small smile. Her face is all beat-up, and big dark circles frame her eyes. She has a bruise on her forehead and another on her cheekbone – but despite all that, she’s still stunning.
“Come on, kid,” I say to Evan, taking him by the arm and making him get off the bed. “Let’s give her a few hours of peace.”
“I’m really not that tired. Well, actually, I’m knackered, but I’ll never be able to sleep after everything that’s happened.”
“Do you want us to stay with you?” Evan asks. He saidus.
