The ringing of the telephone broke Jill roughly from her sleep. She groaned, swung her legs from the warmth of the bedcovers and shot somewhat unsteadily to her feet. She flicked the light switch in the living room as she entered, her eyes immediately closing tightly at the bright glare. She snatched up the receiver on the fifth ring. A glance through half closed eyes at the clock told it was nearly two o'clock in the morning. An urgent patient visit was the only reason she could she would be called so early. "Hello Doctor Weatherill." She said, forcing professionalism into her sleepy tone. The voice that met her was, however, not who she was expecting. "Gordon!"
He was hesitant as he spoke, obviously wary of the lateness of the hour. "Is it okay to talk?"
"Of course it is." She settled back into the cushions of the settee, allowing herself to relax once she knew she wouldn't have to attend to a patient. "What's happened?" She prompted when he was silent.
"I would have called earlier. But the children got up again and they've only just gone back to sleep."
"It's alright." She soothed, hating how despondent he sounded, and how she couldn't hug him like she so desperately wanted to. "What happened at the school?"
He sighed, and she could picture him running a hand through his hair, messing up the strands as often happened when he was frustrated. "Tom got into a fight."
"Oh." She released a breath. She knew of no occasion when either of the children had been in any serious trouble at school. The situation had suddenly become a lot more serious. "What did the headmaster say?"
"That he would be lenient on Tom considering the circumstances." The pair were silent for a few moments until a sound like the slamming of something solid against wood met Jill's ears. Gordon then rushed forth, his voice building in its despair. "I just don't understand it Jill! One minute they're happy and excited, running around screaming about Christmas. And the next minute they're crying. And now violence! I didn't bring my children up that way."
"I know you didn't." She said softly, trying to calm him as much as she could over the phone. "Look… Shall I- Do you want me to come round?"
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"I don't mind, honestly."
"I know you don't." He sighed once more. "But the children might wake up again, one of the neighbours might see.
"Alright." She put a stop to his words; this wasn't the time to discuss the limitations of their secret relationship. She turned her attention back to his children. "It's perfectly natural that Katie and Tom would still be upset, they've had a trying year. And it's also natural that they would be excited about Christmas. But… It's only a thought. But do you think perhaps the upset is worse and the trouble at school has occurred because of Christmas?"
"I'm not following you." He replied after a moment's silence during which he'd obviously mulled over her words.
"It's their first Christmas without their mother, yes? Christmas is a very family-orientated time and perhaps this is just brining Caroline's absence to the front of their thoughts more often. And perhaps they're feeling guilty, do you think? About enjoying Christmas without her?"
Gordon was silent again, and Jill let him be, realising he needed to consider her words carefully. She leant back into the soft cushions behind her, lifting the telephone cord over the arm of the settee to facilitate the manoeuvre. Despite herself, she could feel her eyelids start to droop; the soft breathing of Gordon in her ear reminding her of the nights she had spent in his arms, falling asleep to the feeling of his exhalations in her hair.
"You're amazing Jill." Startled from her relaxed state, she released a noise of surprise, thankfully inaudible when he continued. "Thank you sweetheart. For everything. You've made things much clearer. And I promise, when everything has settled down, we'll do something special together, to make up for everything."
"Don't worry about me. You just concentrate on your children."