Chapter 28
The morning of Dee and Patch's wedding dawned and the mall was almost instantly in uproar. Lex was dragged out by his wife to help pick flowers for the bouquets. Amber was worried that if Trudy took out her Zulu knots, she would never get them back in again. Pride was busy trying to write a Best Man's speech as he had been asked to take Mega's place at the very last minute. Siva and Salene were busy chasing Mouse around the mall because she didn't want to remove her usual tribal markings. Ebony and Jay were helping Nocona and Naduah with the younger children. Sammy was nowhere to be found. Bray was standing over Amber's shoulder going over the details of their wedding for the next day. Moz, Aeryn and Skye were helping Dee get ready and were having rather loud arguments over make-up, which Dee appeared to have no say in whatsoever. Cat had gone to the hospital with Patch, Angie, Josh, Cloe and Jetta. Kaz and Zed, having arrived only shortly before Mega's funeral, were being looked after at the hospital by May and a few others. Paul, Ryan, Alice and Denver had left earlier to go and see Helena. Slade and Jack were sitting in the Cafe, tinkering with an old video camera.
"I think I've got it!" Jack exclaimed.
"Okay," said Slade, "Try it out on something."
"Right."
Jack picked up the camera and flipped open the viewer. Pointing it right at Slade, he pressed the record button. A red light flickered on then, as Jack pressed the zoom in button, a spark jumped from the button and the red light disappeared as Jack dropped the camera.
"OW!"
"What happened?"
"I dunno, it just gave me shock. Something must've shorted."
Taking the camera out of Slade's hand, where he had caught it, Jack once again took the battery out and began unscrewing the panelling.
--
Jay watched Ebony playing with Avenir. She was good with the child, he had to admit that. He was sure that Ebony would make a good mother, but whether or not he would make a good father was beyond him. He had told her that much yesterday morning, before they had joined the rest of the mall in the cafe. He had told her all about the conversation he had had with Amber on the roof; it was that which had persuaded Ebony not to go against him when he nominated Amber for the post of City Leader. It was also their agreement to start trying for a family that had allowed Jay to persuade Ebony into not taking up her nomination, which she had arranged for Siva to place, although there was now no way he could stop her running his campaign for him. Ebony handed Ava back to her mother and turned to where Nocona had just deposited Zac, beside his older cousin. Brady shied away from Ebony and sucked her thumb contemplatively. When Ebony got down on her hands and knees to play with the two, Brady shuffled over and hid behind Jay's legs. Zac played happily with his building blocks.
"You can tell you are your father's son, Zac," Ebony laughed, at which point the toddler rather clumsily picked up a nearby rattle and hit Ebony on the forehead with it.
"Perhaps there's a bit more of his mother in him that you thought," laughed Jay, then, nodding down to Brady, who swung herself round his leg, looked up at him, still sucking her thumb, and sat down heavily on his foot "what about this one?"
"Oh, she's her mother's daughter, definitely," Ebony said, "You are allowed to pick her up, you know."
Jay stooped to pick up the three year old and rested her on his right side. With her free arm the little girl cuddled into Jay, hiding her face from Ebony.
"Well, she likes you anyway," Ebony smiled. Jay smiled in return and brought the child over to where Ebony sat with Zac. Brady tried to burrow deeper into Jay's chest.
"It's okay, Brady," Jay said, soothingly, "There's nothing scary about Ebony. Come on, what's wrong?"
"Eb'ny 'tole my daddy," the child mumbled.
Ebony's face fell. That was something the little girl had got from her mother, undoubtedly. Worse that that: in part, the child was right.
"I wan' mummy," Brady moaned, then started to cry, all the time clinging onto Jay and trying to keep as far away from Ebony as possible. Jay looked round to where Naduah was sitting with Ava on her lap while Nocona was busy rummaging through a large bag.
"What do I do?" Jay said, beginning to panic as the child's crying started to upset Zac too.
"Take her up to her mother," Naduah said as she tickled her daughter's tummy whilst Ava tried to grab her own toes and shove them into her mouth.
Jay obeyed, while Ebony hushed Zac, who immediately blew bubbles at her and went back to his building blocks.
--
Paul crept up to Helena's bedside and gently shook her awake. He signed to her that he had brought his friends from the farm and beckoned them over. Alice came first, carrying Denver who, as soon as he was shown Helena, reached out his little hand to her and grasped a finger of the delicate hand she extended towards him. Next Ryan came over and immediately Helena gasped in recognition. Ryan frowned.
"I recognise you!" Ryan said in amazement.
"From the mines," Helena cried, "you helped me a few times."
"That's right, the guards kept picking on you when you were ill because they said you weren't working hard enough."
"Is this your wife and baby then? I overheard you speaking of them when you were working."
Alice blushed and looked at her feet.
"No," said Ryan, his voice growing solemn again, "My wife had a miscarriage and by the time I got back to her she had moved on and found someone else."
"Oh, that's terrible," said Helena, now feeling rather awkward, "I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry about it. I'm okay with it now. I wasn't to begin with, but I am now. Um, look, I want to speak to Patch. I'll be back in a bit."
As Ryan left, Helena felt worse. First, she'd put her foot in it, unknowingly. Then she had scared him away, her hero. But she had other guests and so, after watching Ryan leave, she turned back to Alice, Denver and Paul.
"Um, so, before I put my foot in it again," Helena said, turning to Alice, "Are you two, um?"
"What? Together?" Alice laughed, "Me and Ryan? No, he's all yours baby. If you can get him to stop thinking about Salene, that is!"
"Salene?"
"She was his wife, the one who lost their baby. Now she has just decided to resign her post of City Leader and join her new sweetheart running the school."
"Why?"
"Well it appears," said Alice, lowering her voice conspiratorially, even though the only person within earshot was Paul and everyone knew the news anyway, "that she is pregnant again, this time with Pride's, her new lover that is, baby!"
"Poor Ryan."
"Yeah, he's a bit cut up about it. He generally spends all his time up at the farm, but these past few days we've been down here all the time and the farm has been left to the other helpers."
"What did you mean when you said he was all mine?"
"Well, honey, it pretty obvious to me," said Alice, jovially, "That you are head over heels in love with the boy!"
--
Patch walked into the old hospital chapel. Josh and Cloe had done a good job, finishing what he and Mega had started. Sometimes it seemed like an age since he had seen his friend, egging him on to propose to Dee or teasing him about his dislike of being called a doctor. At other times it seemed like only yesterday when he, Aeryn and Dee had hurtled up the hospital stairs to the roof to where he had lain, bleeding profusely. He and Aeryn had saved Mega's life at least twice now. Would it have been any different if he had been there this time? Would he have been able to save him again? He would never know now and that was the thought that was killing him. Patch looked round suddenly as he heard a noise behind him. It was Ryan.
"Hey," he called, "How're you doing? Nervous?"
"A bit," Patch answered, "I just wish, y'know, that circumstances were different."
"Yeah, man, we all do."
--
Lex stood with a basket of flowers draped over his arm, leaning against a tree.
"Babe, we're only making three bouquets. Maybe we do need a few for their hair, each, but still, I think we've got enough. If you go on like this, there will be none for Amber and Bray's wedding tomorrow."
"Humph," Tai San sat back on her heels distractedly. She had picked more flowers that she had meant to, but she was still preoccupied thinking about what Josh had said the day before. She couldn't tell Lex that, though. Not yet anyway.
"Come on, tell Lexy what's wrong. You've been out of it all morning and you were pretty spaced out yesterday too."
"Hmm? Oh, I guess it's just a bit weird, having a funeral one day and a wedding the next."
"I know, but Aeryn's right, he would've wanted it this way. And what is it they say: 'with mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage'?"
"That's not a saying, it's from Hamlet, by Shakespeare."
"Yeah, well, I couldn't think of saying that was better suited."
"I'm amazed you thought of it at all! When did you learn Shakespeare?"
Lex looked down at his feet and all around him, unable to answer.
"Let's get back to the mall before these flowers wilt," he said, then started walking.
--
Dee turned and looked at herself in the mirror. The beautiful, high-waisted, white wedding dress looked like something out of a Jane Austin novel. Her hair was tied up in a twist, with strands fanning out all around and two long locks hanging down in front to frame her face. Her make-up, once all arguments had been settled by the bride herself, was perfect. Now they were just waiting on everyone else.
--
Mouse was very happy with her pretty pink dress, but she had still refused to let anyone touch her tribal markings until she saw that Amber was getting the same treatment. The younger girl's hair had been washed, brushed and curled so that tight ringlets now fell around her face, held in place by a few sparkly pink clips. Amber's hair, now devoid of Zulu knots, also hung in curls about her. The long, blonde tresses had been pulled back and a portion of them held back from her face with a large, pink, sparkly clasp. Her make-up was just receiving the finishing touches when Tai San hurried in with the bouquets. Threading a pink wild rose behind each of the girl's left ears, she hurried off to give the bride her posy.
--
Lex rummaged through his closet. He knew he had a suit somewhere. Eventually he found it and proceeded to start getting changed. Tai San stuck her head round the door just as he was pulling on the suit trousers.
"Wash first!" Tai San called. She turned to go, then, as an afterthought, turned back and added: "and get a shave!"
Lex huffed, pulled on a dressing gown, Tai San's as he never usually bothered with one himself, and headed for the bathroom to do as he was told.
--
Cat headed back to the mall to tell everyone that they were ready at the hospital. As she entered the mall, she caught sight of Jack and Slade excitedly running around the balcony, chasing Trudy and Brady with a video camera. Brady was giggling delightedly; her mother was not amused.
"Jack, put that thing down," Trudy wailed, "I'm not fit to be seen on camera, I have to go get changed!"
"You look fine to me," said Hawk coming up from behind her and grabbing her round the waist. When Brady suddenly cowered behind her mother's skirt, Trudy looked down and saw Cat.
"I don't know what it is about me she doesn't like," called Cat, apologetically, "I really didn't mean to scare her."
"Oh, it's okay," said Trudy, picking her daughter up and balancing her on her left hip, "she gets like that with some people, there usually isn't any reason for it. Now boys, I really must go get changed."
Leaving Jack, Slade and Hawk having fun with their new toy, Trudy headed of to her and Hawk's bedroom to get changed for the wedding.
"I wonder why you don't like Cat so much," she said to her daughter.
"Sh's not real," complained Brady.
"Don't be silly Brady, of course Cat's real. She's just new here and no-one really knows her yet."
"Sh' knows Lex."
"That's because he and Tai San found her and brought her here, that's all."
Trudy was sure she hadn't managed to convince her daughter. Sometimes Brady got the strangest ideas onto her head and there was nothing that would get them out again.
--
Back in the hall, Cat shook her head at the three young men, laughing over what they had taped so far. Hearing a noise from the side of her she turned round.
"What do you look like?" Cat chortled as Lex walked back from the bathroom.
Unfortunately, and unknown to Lex, this was heard by the three budding film-makers on the balcony who immediately quietened and found a new target for their camera. The sight of Lex in a short, blue silk dressing gown was too good a one not to attempt recording for future posterity and many days of teasing.
"I, um, had to go, um, shave and so on. You know," Lex nodded to Cat, still unaware of the three observers. As Cat's face creased into laughter lines, he continued, "Look, don't start. I don't have a dressing gown and I needed one so I borrowed Tai's."
"And very nice it looks on you too," Cat replied, barely suppressing laughter, "but I take it you're not going to the wedding like that?"
"No, of course I'm not! I just didn't want to mess up my good suit that's all!"
"Uh-huh. Well, I'll leave you to get changed, but don't think you'll be allowed to forget this incident."
"Oh, I'm sure I can persuade you to keep it just between us. Do you really think anyone else would believe you even if you did mention it?"
"No, but then, they might believe the three, no four other witnesses up there," Cat pointed to the balcony while Lex looked up, mortified to see the camera.
"You are kidding me!"
"The camera never lies, Lex," called Jack, in hysterics.
"I wanna word with you, mate!" Lex shouted up the stairs, accusingly, "But it can wait until after the ceremony."
--
Finally, everyone was ready and Dee was led to the hospital and then, blindfolded, to the chapel. When the blindfold was removed, she gasped in awe.
"Y-you said you wanted a traditional wedding," stammered Patch from the far end of the room, "so I figured there was nowhere better for us."
"It's beautiful!" Dee exclaimed.
"It had to be," her betrothed replied, "It's for you."
The wedding ceremony was performed with no major hitches and Jack only tripped over someone's feet a few times trying to get the perfect shot of the couple saying their vows.
"Dee," said Patch, holding both her hands in his, "I swear that, from this day forth, I will love you with all my heart and I will use every last ounce of strength in my body to protect you and serve you all the days of my life."
"Patch," Dee whispered, as tears started to smear her eye make-up, "I swear that, from this day forth, my heart, my body and my soul and yours and yours alone and I will be your strength and your guide whenever you need me to be, even when you don't think you need me there, I'll be there."
"I'll always need you," he whispered.
"If you will now exchange the rings," prompted Salene, then, after the couple did so, she continued: "By the power invested in me as City Leader, I now proclaim you man and wife!"
The cheer that erupted from the aisles behind them was immense. Soon everyone was filing out to let Jack get room to take photographs and so on of the happy couple, the bridesmaids, the best man and Lex. As they were walking down the corridor, Cat stepped up beside Tai San.
"Are you okay, Tai?" Cat asked.
Tai San looked up, startled at Cat having used Lex's nickname for her.
"Yes, I was just thinking, you know, if things had only been different."
"True, but like Aeryn said, Mega would have wanted it this way. I think there's a line in Hamlet that sums it up: 'With mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage', you know."
"Funny, that's what Lex said."
"Really!" Cat's face paled almost imperceptibly.
--
The next day, the mall went through the same chaos, but with different faces. This time the wedding was to be held by the phoenix fountain in the mall, which was working again for the occasion. This time Jack and Slade attempted a more daring film shoot by handing Hawk the camera and shoving him into the bridesmaid's dressing rooms. Trudy and Tai San being the bridesmaids in question, they had no qualms about booting Hawk back out again with a silly message to Jack and Slade recorded on the camera.
Lex was once again prevailed upon to give Amber away and Ryan to be Bray's best man and, when all were assembled, forming a long guard of honour to the staircase with Bray and Ryan at the foot of the stairs and Salene a few steps up, Lex offered his arm to Amber and walked her down the aisle.
"Are you sure you're sure about this?" Lex whispered in her ear.
"Too late now!" Amber answered and tried to keep smiling.
"It's not over until you say those vows."
"It's not as if I have much choice!"
Reluctantly, as they neared the alter, Lex held his tongue and kept smiling. He gave Amber one last "you don't have to do this if you don't want to" look, then passed her to Bray. Salene started the ceremony.
Unseen, a young blonde haired man walked in through the mall door. Please let her still be here, he thought, please let her still remember me. Seeing the crowd he walked round to where he could see what was going on. There was a wedding in progress. He didn't recognise the groom, but as the groom was just about to say his vows, the wanderer remained silent. When the bride lifted her head, he caught a glimpse of her face. No, he thought, she can't! There were only seconds in which to make his choice, seconds upon which the happiness of at least three people would depend. He chose to speak.
"Amber," called the stranger, "No, don't do it. Don't marry him!"
Amber looked up as the entire mall turned to look at the stranger in their midst. He was here. He couldn't have known the feelings she still harboured for him; couldn't have known that they had been causing her heart's turmoil for the past few days since Bray returned to normal.
But he was here, and now that he was, she had a choice. Looking round at Lex, she saw him nod his support. Her choice was made.
"Sasha!" Amber cried, running to him in her pale blue wedding gown. Her lost love enfolded her in his arms, overjoyed at having found what he came back for.
--
The mall was in limbo after Amber's escape from matrimony. She had disappeared with Sasha, returning in the middle of the night to collect her clothes with some help from Lex, who was now being continuously glared at by Bray. It was two days after Amber's disappearance that Cat decided it was time for her to leave.
"But you can't go now," Lex protested as they spoke in his room, "I've, we've only just begun to get to know you."
"I have to go, you know I do," Cat told him, "You already know everything there is to know about me, literally, as well as a lot more besides. I will always have a link to you now, as will you to me. You don't need me here, but if you ever do, I'll know and I'll come back. Don't worry, little brother, you're not on your own this time."
"I knew it!" Tai San exclaimed from the doorway behind them. Neither had known she was there.
"Tai San!" Lex cried, jumping up in surprise.
"What did you know Tai San?" Cat asked.
"About you two," Tai San answered, "Your being brother and sister. Salene said she saw a striking resemblance between you, then Josh said he thought he heard you mutter something about little brothers in the cafe. Then I watched the two of you and you were so alike I was sure Josh must have heard right. You even said the same thing to me when I mentioned the effect of Mega's death on Patch and Dee's wedding. You both quoted the exact same line from Hamlet! The only thing I haven't worked out yet is how Lex knew it!"
"Ah, well, it appears you have us," Cat said, "the last mystery there can be easily solved though: I used to read Shakespeare out loud in the house when we were younger, Lex must have learned the line from there. But we would appreciate this if you did not mention our relationship to anyone, it would only occasion too many questions and I really should be leaving anyway."
"Whatever you wish," Tai San answered, "but I would first like to know why Lex did not recognise you when we met in the forest, nor you him?"
"That is simple. I am, as you see, older than Lex. I ran away from home when I was still very young and we had not seen each other since. Therefore, neither of us knew what the other looked like or, indeed, if either of us were still alive."
Tai San nodded. Lex moved forward to her.
"Are you okay about this Tai?" Lex asked, "Believe me, I only found out myself the night Mega died."
"Yes, it's okay, we'll have plenty time to talk about things later."
"I have my bags packed and I've already said goodbye to the rest of the Mall Rats. Lex, will you walk out with me, just as far as a few streets?"
Lex nodded and followed his sister out of the mall and into the city. It was early morning and there was a fine mist around them. They walked together, talking of things that had happened in the past. When Cat got to a quiet spot she turned to Lex and the two siblings embraced. As they did so, the now familiar flow of knowledge and memories passed between them.
"Goodbye little brother," Cat said when they parted, "I'll see you again one day."
"Goodbye, sis," said Lex. As he watched her turn away, he raised his hand to wave then, feeling tears spring into his eyes used it to wipe them away instead. When he next looked up, Cat was gone. She had disappeared into the mists. He was sure, nonetheless, that they would meet again one day, as she had said.
