Chapter fourteen
Molly was in the middle of the supermarket when she received the call. It was from an unrecognised number, and she was fully expecting it to be PPI or some unrelenting personal injury firm. She was ready to give them a mouthful. Shopping was bad enough when she felt sick and exhausted, she didn't need any distractions.
'Hello?' She answered aggressively.
It was silent.
'Hello?'
She heard someone move at the other end of the phone, and was about to disconnect the call assuming that it was a pocket dial when she heard a deep, shaky breath.
'Who is this?' She asked instead, frowning. 'If this is some sort of joke, it ain't funny!'
'It's not.' Finally they spoke - very quietly, but they were there. The voice sounded vaguely familiar but it was so quiet and the background noise was so loud, she didn't recognise him at first.
'Who is this?' She asked, but then it struck her. 'Charles?'
Another long, shaky breath. Then she realised what the background noise was - cars whizzing by.
'Charles, what are you doing?'
He said nothing for a few moments, and she began to feel even more sick than she did already.
'I'm sorry.' He said. He sounded lost and broken, and as much as she had grown to hate him recently it made her sad to hear him like that.
'Charles, where are you?' She asked, leaning against her trolley for support as she began to get really worried. He didn't sound right. 'Whose phone are you calling on?'
'I dropped mine.' He said. His voice sounded flat and emotionless. Nothing like the strong Captain who had swept her off her feet on her first tour.
'Charles, listen.' Molly said. She didn't like the sound of that traffic, and she didn't like the sound of his voice. At all. 'Tell me where you are. I'll come and we can talk properly.'
He said nothing again for a few moments, and she was about to talk again when she heard another noise. She realised it was a sob. He was crying.
'Charles you're scaring me.' She said, her heart thumping in her chest. 'Just tell me where you are.'
'I'm sorry.' He said again. 'I don't know what to do. I've let everyone down.'
'What are you talking about?' She asked.
'I've let everyone down.' He repeated. 'I can't do anything fucking right.'
Molly was desperate to get to him. The medic in her was now on high alert. He sounded bad, really bad. That together with the background noise was making her really concerned.
'Charles, don't do anything stupid.' She said, her voice almost pleading with him. 'Think about Sam.'
'Sam's better off without me.' Charlie said. 'He hardly even knows me. I wish I could go back and get it right.'
'Well maybe you can.' Molly said, before she could stop herself.
'What do you mean?' Charlie asked.
Molly hesitated. She had hardly wanted to tell him like this - in fact, she had hardly wanted to tell him at all. But she had serious concerns that he was about to do something stupid, and she couldn't not tell him.
'I'm pregnant Charles.' She whispered, subconsciously moving her hand over her bump. 'You're going to be a Dad again.'
She got no response and for a few horrible moments, she thought the news might have been enough to make him do it. But finally he responded, and she let out the huge breath she had been holding as soon as she heard his voice.
'What?' He asked. 'What.. how...'
'Before you left for Bangladesh.' Molly said softly. 'That last time.'
She heard him cry again, this time huge sobs.
'Please tell me where you are and I'll come get you, we'll sort all this out.' She said.
And then she heard another voice she didn't recognise and some scuffling.
'Charles?!' She almost shouted, attracting the attention of the oblivious shoppers around her, not that she cared. 'Charles?!'
There was another scuffling sound and then she heard the other voice again.
'It's ok. He's safe. We're taking him to the hospital. Could you meet us there?'