"Mum he squeezed my hand."
Katie was beaming.
Ever since she had seen her father for the first time last week she had seen him improved day by day.
She had been true to what she had said and she had insisted every night after school that before going home that she should see her father. And her mother who saw her daughter coping better than she had predicated aloud her too.
"Good. Shows he is getting better." the tears had stopped for Liz now and she had been thinking. If he did wake up and it was looking increasingly like he was going to then she was going to try and get the two of them back together. When she had been sitting by him she had had a chance to think on them properly. She knew what she wanted. It was him.
She had never fallen out of love with him. Not deep down. This had proved it to her and she wanted him.
"Do you think he is going to be home for summer break?" she asked.
It was two months away….
"I hope so." She said to her.
"And then we can go to Blackpool like we did last summer." Smiled Katie hopefully at her mother.
Liz shook her head. Maybe the two of them but not with Jim. He had a lot of dark times ahead by what the doctors had said to her. Even when he woke he was not going to be able to walk and for a man who got frustrated by the smallest of things it was not going to be easy for him. He had always been so active to. The things he had taken for grated were gone now.
"I don't think so. Let's just focus on getting daddy better yeah?" she said to her and Katie nodded miserably. She had only hoped that maybe… it didn't matter.
Things were not going to be as they were for a long time yet. Even she knew that.
It was then that she saw her auntie Judy come to the door.
One thing which Liz had picked up on since Jim had been ill was how many friends between the two of them must have and how well liked they must be…. or there daughter was.
Most people had been so kind and had offered to take Katie in and out of school and whilst Liz preferred to do it herself a lot she couldn't bear to be away from Jim….just in case. If the end came she didn't want him to be alone when it happened. She had never thought about the end before but now she had, she decided subconsciously she had always though they'd got together some how. They were like two sides of one coin after they past twenty odd years.
Every one else had chipped in to take her and Judy and Garry Mallet were wonderful with Katherine had known her since she was three. They were desperate for a child of there own, and Katie was good practice
"Hey you." she said to her.
"Hey Aunt Judy, you come to pick me up?" asked Katherine.
"Yup, we have pizza for dinner and the Lion king to watch." she said as she embraced her before turning to Liz.
"How is he?" she asked her friend with sympathy.
"On the mend we think," Liz nodded.
"Good." Judy nodded kindly. "Right madam shall we be off?" she asked, and Katie nodded as she went to give her mum and kiss and just as she and returned quickly to her father.
"See you tomorrow daddy." she said and once again he squeezed her had and it offered a great deal of comfort. He knew it was her, he was sure.
"Liz, do you want me and Garry to keep Katie all night instead of you rushing back pick her up." said Judy to Liz quickly. She and her husband wanted kids so much and Katherine was generally easy going and joy to have. She enjoyed having her. Plus, it'd give her friend time to relax.
Liz shook her head.
Her daughter was wetting the bed again. It'd be embarrassing for her she was sure. Katie hated the fact her brothers and god mother knew. That was enough.
"No I want too. Its nice to tuck her in after a day here. I'll come round for her by eight." said Liz. "but thank you for the offer."
Elizabeth smiled and winked at her daughter. The two of them were closer than they had been in a long time and that was the only silver lining in this whole sorry mess.
-
Days passed and Katie to use to the fact it was going to be a while till she saw her father well again. But the scariest thing was when her mother told her he might never walk again.
So much was going to change and she knew it. Things might never ever be the same again.
The first big change she saw in her life was the return of her mother to number 11.
When he did return home, her father was going to need round the clock care and her mother it seemed was unwilling to let another women but her self do it.
He was going to need her once more. She would be there for him.
The second change was Andy's return. It was not gluing to be for too long but it was nice to have him, back for a bit.
So she, the twins and soon her dad were all home as well as her mum. It was going to be like old times.
"What I don't get is why you want to look after him!" Andy said to his mum. "I mean he is going to be hard work you know dad is!"
"But just as you said he is your dad. And he is Steve's and he is Katie's daddy, and I owe him!"
"You owe him nothing mum." Said Andy. He remembered how his dad had treated her. If they got back together it'd end in tears.
"Well then lets just say I want to look after him because I want to save every one else the hassle. Andy I loved him and lived with him over twenty years and in that time I learnt he is awful patient."
"So?"
"So I do not want to lumber him with people he doesn't know." she said to him trying to explain.
"You make him sounds like a child."
"Maybe that is because right now he feels the fear a child might. He might never walk again Andy. Do you know how he feels? I don't, but I'm guessing pretty crap." she said to him.
"He hurt you. Mum I don't want to see you hurt again." he said to her.
"Now we get to the route of all this. Well I am not going too." she insisted. "I intend to look after my husband the divorce is but a piece of paper Andy. I never stopped caring and neither did he. And think what it might lead to. Me and him getting back together again. We were never perfect together but we weren't half bad either. Think how good it'd be for Katie to be with her mum and her dad all the time again. No more going from house to house. I want my old life back. I miss being a mum and wife." she expressed her feelings to her first born.
"I - mum-!"
"I know sweet heart. But I am going to be careful so don't worry. You just enjoy your trip and go home and I will see to your father and sister and the three of us and Steven will be fine, trust me son. I know what I am doing."
-
"Katie good news, daddy is coming home tomorrow"
Andy was gone as his mother had thought he would be and Liz was moved fully back in to the house, and now Jim was coming home.
"So does it mean dad is better?" she asked.
"Not yet all better but I have a feeling that he will be in time."
Things were going to work out for the three of them. She was going to make sure of it.
-
No matter what her mum and Steve had said nothing prepare Katie for seeing her father in his chair for the first time.
That was the scariest thing of all for the six year old.
She had known it was coming but some how now it was real she felt to weird about it. He didn't get sick! He was her dad. At least she hadn't thought it was this bad.
In the hospital it had been hard but at least when she had been there with him she had been able to comfort her self with the idea that he was going to walk through the door when he came home because the doctors would make him better.
Some how with him in a chair it wasn't really like it has her daddy… He wasn't the Jim she had known know. He was poorly, just a bit like she was.
He wasn't strong any more. He had always been so strong. And suddenly that was gone.
"I'm going to go play in my room." she said to her mum before dashing upstairs. She couldn't face her dad being like this for ever…. Not like this.
"I've been home two hours and she hasn't come near me once Liz, she was fine at the hospital, so what's changed?" Jim said to Liz. He didn't get it.
When he had been on his way back the one good thing he had been thinking was the fact he could settled his daughter on his lap and read her a story. He had missed reading to her. That had always been his job to give her a story before bed every night.
But how could he when she was terrified of him. Well not of him but of the flaming chair.
Putting his head in to his hands he sighed heavily as Liz came over to him.
"She is just going to have to get used to it. You know she isn't always that adaptable to change. You know what she's like, she adores you. Give her a bit of time and she will be your little girl again just like she was before all this."
"She still is only know she, she is so cold with me Liz."
He was clearly getting upset.
She didn't know what to say. Part of her felt like being cruel and saying some thing like welcome to my world, he had always been her favorite. He had rarely had to face his daughters rejection like she had. Ever since Katie had been young it had been daddy this and daddy that. But now …. He wasn't who she had always believed in and it was hard.
Liz could be so hard though.
"Jim listen to me, she is going to come round. She has to. You know that this is going to be hard, and not just on you. But we are going to get through this as that is what we do. We cope." she said as she gave him a kiss.
"I am going to be here and we are going to get through this as a family." she said and he nodded, as she soothed him, it felt good to be so close again.
It had been years since they had been so tender towards one another.
He was glad to have her home. She had been gone to long
"So what is going on for the next few days?" he asked her. If nothing else he knew life was going to persist. And he was so out of sorts and home life having been away for the month.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Katie is going to go to school and we are going to start getting you on the road to recovery." She said positively.
He nodded.
"I know it is going to be long, but I believe in you. You can do it you know. You'll walk again." she said to him.
"Maybe. But for now I just want to drink."
"Oh my lord man you are never going are you?" s he shook her head,. "And any how you can't, doctors orders!" she said to him.
"I know but-!" he protested.
"No. Just chill out ok, a few of the guys are going to be over in a bit so you are not going to get much of a chance to rest today." she said to him.
"What?"
"Well me and Steve were talking and we just thought it might be nice for you to see some of your friends."
"Oh Elizabeth." he sighed. She had got it so wrong.
He wasn't in the mood to see any one.
"Come on they have been worried about you and it won't be for so long," she said encouragingly. But the idea didn't grow on him.
So the boys came over, Gary and Kevin and to Jim's disdain Les, which didn't help, especially when his daughter came down and flew straight to Gary's arms. Just as she would have to his a few months ago….
Jim watched with jealousy simmering just under the surface of his skin angrily as she smiled and laughed with him.
"Hey sweetie you ok" he asked.
"Yeah!"
"You been a good girl for your daddy?" he asked and Katie tensed. She had hardly said a word to him..
"Of course she has." said Jim in her defense. "your always good aren't you lass?" he asked and she nodded.
"Can I come over and platy with auntie Judy?" she asked.
"I don't think so tonight Katie. Dad wants you with him doesn't he?" he replied reading his friends pained expression. "His missed you."
Not the answer she had been looking for.
Running off upstairs again, Katie shut the door of her room glad to be by herself and out the spot light.
"What's getting to her?" asked Kev.
"She's just a bit tired you know." said Liz. "There have been a lot of changes for us all." she sighed.
"Of course."
Looking at Jim though she knew he had been through the most had he had tears in his eyes. Their daughter's behavior was hurting him more than the loss of his legs ever could.
"Perhaps lot better go!" she said and they nodded seeing the father's grief.
"Why won't she talk to me Elizabeth?" he asked once his friends had left. It was too much for him to take in.
Having hurried the others out, Liz quickly returned to him.
"I don't know. But I am going to find out." she said as she went up the stairs.
When she got to there daughters room she saw the six year old on her bed.
In her arms she had her dolly and around her all the little bits every little girl needed to look after there dolls.
The usual… bottles, pretend nappies, the lot…
"You playing mummy and daddy's?" she asked Katie who nodded. Her mother knew it was one of her favorites.
"Katie?" she asked and the girl looked up at here, "you ok?" she checked and she nodded. "Well that's good, but I don't think daddy is. I think daddy's sad." she told her as she gently sat by her.
"Because he legs are still poorly?"
"No… not this time. You've not given daddy a cuddle and that makes him sad. Why won't you give dad a hug?" she asked.
"Because…. I don't know. But its weird mum. I didn't think he was going to be so - "
"Not like dad?" she asked.
Katie nodded.
"Dad is normally so strong and now its like -"
"he's weaker than he was?"
Katie nodded.
"Well I know it seems like that but it isn't true. Dad is still very strong. Stronger than he had been when he went in because he managed to come back out."
Katie shrugged. She didn't understand.
"I just want him to be able to pick me up and give me a hug."
"Dad can't right now. You knew he was going to be sore when he got home still." she said gently as she put an arm round her.
"I know I did but mum… I wish he wasn't. I don't like dad being hurt and I don't know how to make it better for him." She said as she leant in to Liz.
"Give him a cuddle. That'll work."
-
It was one in the morning when Jim's' door creped open.
He had been crying since eleven when Liz had pit him to bed. He felt pathetic. He couldn't do anything for himself and it was awful.
When he looked up though he tried to wipe the tears away.
His daughter hadn't approached him even when Liz had come down from speaking to her and she had been silent through dinner.
But here she was, tired but clearly unable to sleep. Gently she climbed on to the bed and took his hand, biting her lip with nerves.
"I am sorry I have been mean." she said as she sat on his bed. She had been thinking about him and she hadn't been able to rest.
Jim tried to tell her he understood this was all scary to her but the words wouldn't get out. But here she was, tired but clearly unable to sleep. Gently she climbed on to the bed and took his hand, biting her lip with nerves.
"Mummy told me you were still poorly. Do you think a cuddle would make you better? She says it'd help."
He nodded. It would… some how.
Gently she crept under the covers with him and he held her tight.
"I missed having you here dad."
"I know princess. But I'm home now. And dad is on the mend… promise."
"Mum says you might not… your legs…"
"Are going to work fine in a while. You think I am going to let there chair get to me, nope." he said as he held her. "I'm going to be chasing you round the park in no time. So don't worry about yer old dad. He'll be fine! As long as I have you and mummy I am going to be fine, so I will. "