The four sisters were silent. The severity of the situation had hit them all differently. Rose paced up and down the clinical waiting room. The constant clicking of her high heels on the hard floor was driving her sisters insane. This pointless exercise was a pathetic attempt to try and put Emmet's very public declaration to the back of her mind. She knew she shouldn't have been so awful to him. It wasn't his fault she had been in Ibiza when her father fell and Emmet wasn't to know he would need an ambulance while they were at the cottage. She blamed herself really. She should have put her father first not her infatuation with Hyacinth's 'dishy' neighbour. She had known something wasn't right this morning but she had been more concerned with Emmet. Just why had she let men rule her head nearly all her life?
Violet muttered something about how she should have been there for her father more and she should have never put Bruce before her family.
Daisy looked out the window, focusing on the people outside and what their stories might be. Still half in denial. Half blaming herself for not noticing how poorly her father had become after his fall and not changing the bandage on his leg.
Hyacinth, meanwhile was following the hospital staff around like a demented dog, demanding updates on their father's condition. It was that or sit with her sisters. Something she didn't want to do right now.
"They still won't tell me anything." Hyacinth said to no one in particular, as she came back into the waiting room. She chose to sit on the opposite side of the relatives room to the only other three women present.
"They will, when they know what's happening. The more you bother them, the less likely they will be in a rush to tell us anything." Daisy reasoned, still looking out of the window.
Hyacinth chose not to respond. While Daisy was the only sister up until now she was actually talking to, she still blamed Daisy for Daddy's situation.
A quarter of an hour dragged by in awful silence.
"What are you going to do about Mr Piano Man, our Rose?" Violet eventually said, just trying to make conversation.
"Nothing, with a bit of luck." Hyacinth muttered, loud enough that her sister could hear.
"Oh I don't know." Rose sighed. "I can't think about that now. I'll speak to him when we know where we stand with Father. What I'll say I don't know." She snapped.
"Sorry would be an appropriate start." Daisy said curtly, her mind on things less trivial than her sister's love life.
"I know, Emmet took me by surprise that's all. Shouting that he loves me while I wait for news about me father." She cried, overdramatically as usual.
"Well for what it's worth, I think he really wants to make a go of things. I don't think that Caroline's in the picture now. He seems the faithful sort." Violet replied.
"It was a romantic gesture, declaring he loves you like that. Showing that even in the darkest of times he wants to be there for you." Daisy added, the romantic in her coming back out.
"I suppose so." Rose sighed once more. "I just can't think about it at the moment. Me head's a mess."
"You know Rose, you need to grow up and stop interfering with other people's lives and feelings. You've already done your best with Violet and Bruce and not to mention my Sheridan and Richard. I will not have you interfering in Mr Hawksworth's life. Tricking him into thinking he loves you. You ought to be ashamed, girl."
"Oh you are speaking to me now? There is a god!" Rose said sarcastically. "I haven't interfered with anyone's life our Hyacinth. That's more your style. All I did was try to help Violet and Sheridan. I keep telling you he only came to me as he didn't know how to approach you. And I didn't trick Emmet into loving me. I didn't even know he did until just now."
Rose's complexion was getting redder by the second, it was almost matching her violent shade of lipstick. She would have shouted and lost it at her sister if her father wasn't fighting for his life. Somehow it didn't seem worth it.
"At least our Rose cares about my feelings and not my social status." Violet cried, taking a swipe at her eldest sister.
"Will you two not do this, not now, not here." Daisy said. She couldn't cope with anymore unnecessary drama.
"Quite right." Hyacinth interjected. "Though if it wasn't for you and your neglect of poor, dear daddy we wouldn't be here now."
"Excuse me?!" Daisy said, getting agitated.
"Well if you hadn't been so careless with daddy. Daisy you should have kept a better eye on him, dear."
"Our Daisy has always done her best by Father. She's the only one out of us who's always been there for him." Rose snapped. "You ought to see her in the night with him when he gets confused or up to mischief. It's always our Daisy who does everything for him. I know I should have done more. All three of us should have but you can't have a go at our Daisy for overlooking something just the once." Rose shouted.
Nothing else was said until a nurse came into the waiting room. Hyacinth leapt up and greeted the junior nurse. "Matron, what is? How's daddy. Please tell it to me straight. I can handle whatever it is you've got to say."
"I'm afraid your father has contracted sepsis. We think the injury to his leg after his fall became infected and was left undetected." The young female said.
"He will be alright won't he? Our Rose had that when she was about 16. She was alright." Violet replied, knowing she was probably kidding herself.
"I'm afraid your father's age isn't on his side. We've placed him in an induced coma while we try and treat him." The nurse explained.
"How long will he be in a coma for, nurse" Daisy asked, holding back the tears. Reality was finally hitting her squarely in the face.
"It's too soon to say. We have to let the antibiotics do their work and take it one day at a time. The doctor will let you know if there's any developments." She replied in a matter of fact fashion, appalling Hyacinth.
"Can we see him?" Rose asked sobbing.
"Not yet he's being moved into intensive care and it's past visiting hours. Come back tomorrow visiting is 12-2 and 6-8. I'm afraid it's only two visitors at a time."
"Thank you" was all Hyacinth managed to muster.
"So what happens now? Do we just go home?" Daisy asked.
"He will be okay, he will pull through. He's always been strong and so active." Violet tried. "I mean you had this sepsis thing didn't you our Rose? After you went for that abortion off the dressmaker on Inkerman street. You were fine."
"Rose was not fine, Violet." Hyacinth said sternly. "Rose was gravely ill for a very long time. And anyway she did not have an abortion." She lowered her voice and fiddled with her pearls.
"Oh leave it out our Hyacinth, there's no need to cover for me anymore. I did have an abortion and that's why I got ill." Rose said. "Anyway how did you know?"
"Paula Turney saw you going inside the house. She knew what you were there for because her sister had gone there for one earlier the same week."
"Didn't Lauren Turney die suddenly?" Daisy asked.
"Yes just as our Rose was going into hospital. She got an infection that got worse and her heart went into shock. They put that down to the woman on Inkerman street." Violet reminisced. "I think she went to prison for manslaughter and running a backstreet abortion clinic in the end."
"Did you know about what I did Dais?" Rose asked her sister.
"Well, when Violet told me what she heard I put two and two together, especially as you had asked me for money."
"So that's why you never asked me for it back." Rose muttered.
"Shall we be making tracks? There's no point us hanging around here. Am I alright to crash at yours again Dais? I don't want to go home back to that swine." The third sister said, desperate to leave the awkwardness behind.
"Course you can our Violet. You don't need to ask. Anyway we need a lift home."
"You shouldn't be driving that vehicle Violet. A Mercedes was intended to be chauffer driven, especially for ladies." Hyacinth muttered. Violet chose not to bite back. She had had enough of her sister's snide comments.
Violet pulled the Mercedes into her eldest sister's drive. The journey from the hospital was severely silent.
"I suppose you all better come in and we can arrange a visiting rota for Daddy." Hyacinth said begrudgingly. Whilst she loved her sisters dearly, right now she didn't want much to do with any of them.
"Stick me down for whatever shift. There's something I've got to do next door." Rose said as she got out of the back of the car, smoothing her skirt down.
"Best of luck our Rose." Violet smiled, hoping her sister and Emmet could make things work. Daisy gave Rose a reassuring smile and Hyacinth just rolled her eyes.
Rose felt her heart jump up into her mouth as made her way gingerly up the drive. Her hand trembled as she wrapped on the door. She still had no idea what she was going to say to Emmet.
She was somewhat relieved to see Elizabeth answer the door.
"Rose, how nice to see you. How's your father doing?"
"Not well, they've put him in a coma. He's got sepsis."
"Oh Rose I'm so sorry. I'm guessing you aren't here to see me."
"Um no, is Emmet in? I'm sorry it's so late. We've only just got home from the hospital." Rose explained, her voice breaking.
"It's fine, I'll leave you to it. He's in the front room. Make yourself at home." Liz waited for Rose to go through the living room and shut the door. Elizabeth pressed her ear against the door. She hoped Rose could make Emmet smile again. He had been distraught since returning from the hospital.
"Hello stranger, can I come in?"
Emmet smiled as he saw Rose stood in his living room. She looked slightly dishevelled. Her hair was tousled, her eye makeup was smudged and an eyelash had come away, due to crying and tiredness.
"I'm sorry-" they both said in unison.
"I'm sorry for saying what I said in front of everyone. It was stupid to say it when I did. It just sort of came out." Emmet explained as he walked over to her. He took hold of her hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze. Rose returned the squeeze and smiled, holding back the tears.
"It's fine." Was all Rose managed to say.
"I meant every world I said though, well the good parts. I mean it Rose. I am in love with you, I really am."
Rose felt butterflies rise up in her stomach. She hadn't realised until now how much she had longed to hear it.
"I know you meant it Emmet. I'm sorry for how I spoke to you at the hospital and for sending you away. I was out of order. My head was all over the place. I know its not an excuse but father must come first." She said sitting down on the sofa, placing her head in her hands.
"How is your father?"
Rose burst into tears. "Oh Emmet he's not good at all. And our Hyacinth still isn't talking to us or our Violet and it won't be long before she stops talking to Dais. She blames her for Father being so ill. She says she neglected 'im."
Emmet joined her on the sofa and put his arm around her. Rose nestled her head into the nook of his shoulder and let the tears flow.
Emmet didn't say anything he let her cry as he held her. Once she stopped crying Emmet went and fetched her a large glass of brandy. He returned to find she had fallen asleep on the sofa.
He left her be and covered her with a blanket, even if she never did feel the cold. He didn't want her uncomfortable. "I do love you Emmet." She muttered sleepily as the blanket enveloped her.
She stirred when the phone rang a short while later, Emmet answered it. It was Violet, saying they were ready to go home. Rose rubbed the sleep from her eyes and surrendered her surviving eyelash as it started to come away on her finger.
"I better go, they will be waiting for me." Rose said rising from the settee. "I'm sorry I fell asleep."
"It's fine. I understand. Oh Rose do you think we can a make a go of things?" He blurted out. "I know it's not the best time." Emmet tried.
Rose smiled. "I would love to make a go of things. When you said you wanted to give it a try with Caroline it broke my heart. I know it shouldn't have. I know we came to an arrangement but I fall easily. And I fell for you good a proper, Emmet Hawksworth. I meant what I said when you wrapped me in that blanket. I do love you. I want to be with you and I know you probably are wondering if I can be faithful. But I can and I will be. I do Love you Emmet."
Emmet sighed with relief and picked Rose up in a frantic embrace.
"This might sound daft coming from me of all people but I don't want to rush into anything. Not yet I need to focus on Father." She said looking into his deep brown eyes.
"I understand Rose, I hope he pulls through." He kissed her gently, pushing her blonde tousled curls out of her face.
"Me too, I better go, don't want to keep our Violet waiting. I'll call you."
"When?"
"Soon, I promise. Goodbye Emmet."