Chapter 10:
„So… as I said it ist he three of us now. We have to be patient. It could easily last till dawn for Matthew to return.", Robert said. He gave Cora the second blanket, feeling her shivers. Since it was only April it could get quite cold during the nights and the fact that she had spent half oft he night only wearing her light spring coat did not help. He was sure Sybill and Mary asked her to come under blanket they had had when he found them but on the other hand he knew, that Cora wanted her girls to be warm.
„Mamma could you keep on singing for a while please?", Mary asked as he lay down on the bench, her head on Cora's lap and Robert covered his eldest with the second blanket.
Cora waited for him to sit beside her and snuggled against him before she started to sing, brushing Mary's hair with one hand.
Angels watching ever round thee,
All through the night,
In thy slumbers close surround thee,
All through the night,
They should of all fears disarm thee,
No forebodings should alarm thee,
They will let no peril harm thee,
All through the night.
After the verse Cora looked down at Mary who had fallen asleep. She fell quiet, continuing to stroke her daughter's hair.
„You know I listened to you singing this song very often, when the girls were little", Robert smiled. „You did?"; Cora was surprised.
„Yes, I was standing behind the closed door."
Cora looked up at him and smiled. „What happened to us? It seems a great distance developed between us and I have no idea why ther is one nore how to close this distance again!", she whispered.
„I was thinking about the same thing today when looked for you. However, it is mostly my fault. Since this dreadful day when you slipped in the bathroom", when he spoke these words she could feel her body clenching. „I did not really touch you because I thouhgt it would be wrong and you were just too fragile. I know now this was wrong because then you needed me more than any time before. Then the hospital was moved to our house and you had so many duties…."
„Yes you are right back then i really needed you but on the other hand I was also afraid of touching you. I was afraid you blamed me for losing our son I should had paid more attention to the floor. then I would have seen the piece of soap. I believe the hospital work was just coming at the right time for me. I could escape into workm, so I would not see you often.", tears streamed down her cheeks now.
„I could never blame you… it was a tragic accident.", he mumbled trying to not awake Mary with his deep voice and digging his head into Cora's black hair. „Today when you and the girls were not coming home and I did not know what happened to you, I went nearly mad. I was very angry at myself because I had not thought of the election and let you and the girls go to town. I promised if you all are allright, I would make you happy again. Then when I identified your singing and saw Mary and Sybill snuggled up against you, I felt like the happiest man alive. I would say even happier than on the days the girls were born.", he turned chin up, so she was looking right into his eyes and said: „ I love you, let's try to forget those bad times and close the distance." Then he kissed her.
„You know darling I just wanted to say the same thing", she smiled when they parted again.
„Thank god for this car accident", Mary mumbled smiling „ My parents are a couple again." She already had woken up a while ago but she did not want to disturb her parents.
„Mary you heard all that?", Robert said embarassed.
„Of course! I thought if you cannot talk now you'll never talk", she turned her head and looked directly up to her parents, grinning broadly. At this moment Robert thought a second Cora was looking at him. Her mother was smiling at her then bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehad: „Thank you! But you know you should not eavesdrop…"
„Mother I was not evesdropping I was just pretending to be asleep… that is something totally different", Mary said.
„You know Mary, you are just like your mother sometimes….", Robert laughed.
Cora wanted to protest but then noddend slightly an kissed him on his cheek. Then they waited for Matthew to come and Mary finally did really fall asleep. As well did Cora who fought against it but lost the battle against her exhaustion. When Robert looked down on two of the four women he loved most in the world, now sleeping peacfully, he could not help but smile.