And the Rest Is History(76)

I’d put Matthew to bed, quietly closed his door and sat down to watch a little TV. When I awoke, hours later, cold, cramped and groggy, someone was outside, fumbling with the door knob.

I didn’t make the mistake of leaping to my feet to challenge whoever it was. For a start, I’m not good when I wake up. I’m never sure where my feet are, and it’s hard to be taken seriously when trying to challenge someone from ankle height because you’ve fallen flat on your face.

I checked Matthew’s door was still closed and that I was between him and whoever was out there, and reached for my old walking stick which I still kept propped against the bookcase. The door finally opened and a dark figure slipped through, closing it noiselessly behind him.

I raised the stick, said, ‘OK, buster, don’t make a move unless you’re really, really fond of hospital food,’ and Leon said, ‘Well, there’s a fine welcome,’ and I dropped the stick in shock.

‘Leon? Leon?’

‘You sound astonished. Perhaps we should take a moment to discuss who you were expecting? And why are you sitting in the dark?’

Quite automatically, I said, ‘I fell asleep watching the TV.’

‘Bad habit. Shall I put the light on?’

I nodded. In a dark room. There’s no hope for me.

The light clicked on and I stared at him. It was Leon, dressed in battered Time Police armour. His hair was now almost completely silver and he was wearing it brushed back from his face, which was deeply lined with weariness. He had a fresh scar on one cheekbone and another on his chin.

He shrugged off his pack, dropped it to the floor and grinned at me. ‘Don’t I get a hug?’

I couldn’t speak, but my feet moved of their own accord and I nearly knocked him off his feet.

‘That’s my girl,’ he said, wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in my hair. ‘You smell so good. It’s been a long time and I’m sorry I haven’t been able to get back to see you before this. I’ve missed you so much. How’s Matthew? How long have I been away?’

I didn’t know what to do. What to say to him. I couldn’t get my head around what was happening. Leon was still hunting Ronan. He didn’t know he was dead. So I said nothing.

‘Talk to me,’ he said,

Still with my head buried in his shoulder, I shook my head. He laughed a little, tightened his embrace, and we stood together for a long time.

Eventually, he said, ‘I’m sorry I’m cold and wet, but I’ve just rescued three idiots from a snowstorm at Stonehenge. I thought I’d just check in and make sure you made it back all right.’

Oh my God. Sometime last year, the three of us, Peterson, Markham and I had managed to lose ourselves in a blizzard. We’d been on the point of unconsciousness when Leon turned up and saved us all. He appeared out of nowhere, picked us up, dusted us off, pointed us in the right direction and disappeared. But not before telling me how much he’d missed me. Pondering this remark afterwards, I’d come to the conclusion I might have died. It had never occurred to me in a million years that he might be the one who’d died.

Still with my head buried in his chest, I nodded.

‘Are you ever coming out?’ And I could hear the smile in his voice.

Still with my head buried in his chest, I shook my head. He smelled of hot metal and sweat and Leon, and I was never going to let him go. I could feel the melting snow seeping through my T-shirt and clung more tightly. I had been convinced it was me who had died. It wasn’t supposed to be Leon. It was never supposed to be Leon.

‘I can’t stay, Max. We’re closing in on him. Any day now. His pod’s shot and he must be nearly finished. We’re all rendezvousing in an hour and then we’ll make one final push to corner him. I just came to tell you – it’s over. I’ll be home by this time tomorrow.’

No, he wouldn’t. He’d never come home again. Tomorrow they’d catch Ronan and he would kill them all. I clutched at him, gripping so tightly that it hurt my hands. Every part of me wanted to tell him not to go. And why. But I couldn’t. In my personal timeline, it had already happened. And it was about to happen in his as well and there was nothing I could do about it. Not unless I wanted to bring catastrophe down upon us all.

I remember thinking it was such a good job he was already wet. He wouldn’t feel my tears soaking through his clothing.

He was already picking up his pack. ‘I have to go. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have come at all, but I wanted to let you know it’s nearly over. I’m just going to stick my head around Matthew’s door and then I’ll be off.’

He gently moved my hands away and crossed to Matthew’s room. He opened the door and looked in, stood still for a moment or two and then softly closed it again.

‘How is he?’

I was proud of my voice. ‘Absolutely fine. He rarely drinks from the toilet now. On the downside, he has taken to peeing in the shower.’

He laughed. ‘There’s always something, isn’t there. Don’t worry, I’ll sort that out when I get back.’

He shouldered his pack and looked around. ‘That dead dog on the wardrobe is going to have to go. I’m really not sure I can live with that.’

He was moving towards the door. He was leaving.

I ran after him and seized his arm. ‘Leon …’ and stopped. What could I say? What could I possibly say? If I threw myself into his arms, sobbing and begging him not to go, then he’d want to know why and I couldn’t tell him. I mustn’t do anything to change my past. His future. He was going to his death and I couldn’t say a word.