"So you're going to have to physio just like I do?" said Katie.
"Well not exactly, but some thing like that. I only have to have it on my legs." Jim nodded. Katie had needed it all over her body since she had been young to help her develop.,
"So why don't you just come with me and mum to the phoenix centre? " she asked as she had her cereal. The phoenix centre was a sort of trust in the town which had been set up as a day care centre and care centre for children who had disabilities like Katie's.
"Because one the phoenix centre is for children Katherine, and two because I can't get there right now." he said as he drunk his tea.
"Come on Katie eat up, you have to go to school and I have work," said Elizabeth, as she rushed about getting ready.
"Can't I stay home and help dad," she asked, not particularly wishing to be parted from him again yet.
"No you can't," said Jim to her.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Because you have to go to school so you can get clever." he said as she leant on his chair. Lucky he had the break on he thought.
Laying here head on his shoulder she sighed.
"Go on sprog. I'll see you when you get home." He said as he kissed her forehead.
He knew how lucky he was. If fate had been cruller then perhaps he would have been dead now. And no child of her age should have to grieve for their parent. But he had quite selfishly nearly put her in that situation. And Liz too. How would she have coped being a proper single mum. There would be no way for him to come back. She would have been completely alone.
Hew felt so ashamed of what he had nearly done to both of them. He thanked god every day that he had been given another chance.
-
"She is a lot happier than last night. What happened?!" said Liz as she got in from dropping Katie off.
"You did darling." he replied.
Giving him a quizzical look, she asked for further information through her expression.
"She came down and she gave me a hug last night. What you said made an impact. It just took time to sink in I think. You know how she can be. She has to think things through. And she knows it is me now. That I haven't really changed." he said.
"Good, I am glad you too are talking again. It didn't seem right to me when you weren't." said Liz.
"Nor to me. I think I am just so used to her now. I missed her so much when I was gone." he told her.
"Don't upset yourself Jim. You're home now and so am I. That is all that matters to her and it is all that matters to me."
"And me. You know I think the world of you so I do Elizabeth. You not being here hurt," he said as he reached out for her.
Giving him her hand she smiled as he kissed it.
"I didn't think the three of us were ever going to be like this with one another again. And I am thankful that we are." he said.
"Don't be so soppy." she said she blushed.
But deep down, the proof of his renewed affection for her made her feel as if she was some sort of queen of the world. She remembered at first when they had met he had called her his princess. And he had been one heck of a prince.
"I am going to go put the kettle on." she said as she took her hand back. "Want one?" she asked.
"Aye. That'd be good," he said to her.
"Ok then." she said as she went in to the kitchen.
"Didn't you want to go to the pub for lunch?" he asked. He knew that was where all the factory girls went,
"No I wanted to come home." he said.
"Not just to check up on me, I hope?" he asked.
"Don't think so highly of yourself." She teased him knowingly.
He had thought this was going to be awful, his confinement to a wheel chair. And when he was on his own it truly was. He drove himself mad. But he had his wife back. And his daughter seemed happy. He had both his girls…
"Have you seen our Steven today?" he asked.
"Yeah he was trying to woo Fiona as usual." she said before biting her tongue and looking back at him. buy he didn't seem jealous or angry.
"I thought those two were solid now?" he said to her.
"Well you never know with them so you?" she asked.
"Nah. too much like me and you I guess." he said to her.
"Exactly." she agreed.
But though they were joking about him she did worry about the way they had presented romance to there children and she had to admit, sometimes, she was shocked her youngest son had tried to get involved with it so quickly. She doubted her daughter would. She and Jim had hardly made marriage seem like a solid commitment for life like they should have done. They had made it look like a war.
But she was shocked to find her heart racing again when she was looking at him. She only wished he could hold her as he had been able too.
But one day… when he was better…. If he got better…. When….
"The three of us will be ok Jim. You know that don't you?" she said and he nodded.
"I have my girls with me. Of course I do."
Shaking her head she smiled, trying to stop being so soppy.
"You did ring the physio today didn't you?" she checked as she passed him his tea.
"Of course I did. I don't think I am going to be so keen on it but I have to do it for the little one don't I? She needs me."
"We all do. Your head of this dysfunctional family and that means some thing." She teased him with a smile.
"Aye so it does." he smiled.
He had to start the physio in but two days. He hoped he could do it. Get better. Cause he so badly wanted too.
Katie got in and she was hyper as Liz hadn't seen her in so many weeks.
She had been so down but now she was on high. And it was a good thing because her child like games and giggling were indulged by her dad, whose heart was also lifted by her.
As Liz watched the pair of them she wondered what life would be like with out her little girl. Katie was Jim's inspiration to get better. God knows what state he would be in if they didn't have her.
She was the free spirited daughter they had craved so long.
She was wonderful, and much loved by both her mother and her father. And in that moment of laughter Liz allowed her self to beam at her daughter. What ever happened Katie always kept smiling, that was important. It gave her the faith she needed to know she was doing right by all of them.
Two weeks on and the school holidays had started.
Katie had been so excited when she had been thinking off it, that nice long break from school, but now that she was on her holidays she was quite bored. With her father so incapable of a lot of things right now a lot of the time, that when her Aunty Judy would not take her she spent her time in the house playing pretend games with her father or they played card games. When not doing that she was drawing, but there was only so much of one thing a girl of Katherine age could do before she got bored.
The days Katie liked where when he was allowed to stay and sit in on her father's physio sessions.
Michael Wall was the name if his therapist and had so far being very kind and understanding with the Jim even when he had got angry and frustrated with himself.
"Every thing takes time Jim." he would say.
Katie also took great pleasure in saying this to her father to try and coach him in to thinking like it too. He remembered when she had been little and she had had difficulty doing things sayings like that had gone from his lips to her. It was strange to hear it the other way round.
Liz was so much happier here, even if she didn't know what she and Jim were getting back in to. He had been a monster to her. But they had been very happy for a long time when they were young. And a lot of time when she watched him with the daughter she had given to him, she saw him she saw the lad she had loved when she had just met. Suddenly that made it easier for her to picture a future with hike for herself.
God she missed the time when they had been young.
They had been the best of friends as well as lovers. They had been each others world. And in many ways they still were.
"I was thinking!" she said one morning as they got up. "Why don't me and you go out for a meal one day this week?" she said to him.
"Sounds good to me," he said. It'd be a nice change.
"I can get Garry and Judy to baby sit. They need all the practice they can get before December." she said thinking the couples pregnant condition.
"Yeah I guess so. I can't believe there having twins so I can't. Seems like a age since we had our twins as babies."
"I think it was an age ago really. So weird to think it was just the four of us in that little flat. I think I would rather our life now."
"Well I am sorry if I don't agree, but right now with the chair and every thing I am not sure I do. We were so happy there." he said to her pensively.
"I didn't mean that." she said to him. "I mean having a daughter, living together in the house, our own house instead of paying rent." she said to him.
"Aye I know you did." he said smiling.
But still he had to think he had preferred it when they had been in the army housing. He had found a great deal of pride and happiness in the brother hood he had joined. He always had.
But at the same time he knew even if he could he wouldn't go back. She was right he loved living in number eleven. It was really home to him. And he adored the little un.
"Mummy, what's happening today?" she asked as she walked in to the room braking up there conversation.
"Well I have to go to work and you are going to go over to Steve for a bit," she said to her daughter.
She was glad to say since the accident the relationship of her son and his father had improved greatly. They were talking again.
As she left for the factory after giving both Jim and Katie a kiss, she shut the door turned and bumped straight into Michael.
"I'm sorry." she said to him.
"Its ok." he told her with a smiled. He had quite a nice smile she thought.
"So how is he today." he said to her wanting to know what he was walking in to. A few times now he had seen Jim when he was in one of his tempers and he wanted to be ready for it if he was walking in to one of them,
"On a high I think. We have arranged to go out for a meal tonight." she said to him hopefully. It was going to be good. She was excited.
"I'm glad." he said to her. It was probably what Jim needed a nice night out with her. Boast his confidence again.
"Well come on I'll let you in." she said to him, as she put the key in to the door and opened it so he didn't have to knock. "Jim its Michael." she said to him.
"Ok love." he said to her.
"Have a good day!" she said before shutting the door after the physio therapist has walked in run off to work.
"He guys." he said as he walked in.
He was particularly early that day and he saw Katie had not e en got dressed yet and was still in her pajamas.
"Hello Michael. Yer right?" asked Jim.
"Yeah I'm' ok. How are you feeling this morning?" he asked.
"Same as I have for days." he said to him.
That was useless. Even if he was getting better slowly, he was feeling as if his life was over. Even if his wife was back and he and Katie were getting on, he still felt if he couldn't walk and be a dad and play with his girl, and hold his wife, then he wasn't worthy of them and … he was so desperate to walk and to be normal like every one else again.
Michael gave him a sympathetic nod.
Slowly he had watched as the Irish man had slowly gone through the self pity stage and come out to show a slightly stronger man who wanted to fight for his legs.
He wasn't ready to let it bet him yet.
Though whether or not the poor man was fighting a hopeless battle Michael didn't know. No one knew that yet.
So far, since he had been in Jim's life he had seen him in many different frames of mind but he considered him to be a lucky man. He had a loving wife and daughter, as well as a caring son round him.
He had a lot to fight for.
"Well why don't we get going?" he asked and he nodded as he saw his daughter run in to the room.
"Hello!" She said to him.
When he had first met Katie she had been a shy little thing but now she had come out of herself.
"Hey Katie, are you going to help me with yer old man today?"
"Yah." she said as she giggled.
"Not the right answer wee lass. Yer met to say yer not old dad." said Jim laughing. "The cheek of her, hey Mike?"
Things would get better.