The Christmas Bookshop(83)

‘Come on, you,’ she said, taking him in her arms like a child – he was so frail – and, locking the door, walked him up to the flat, made him drink a pint of water, took off his shoes and his jacket and carefully put him to bed with a couple of aspirin and a fresh pint of water next to him.

‘Ssh,’ she said, as he muttered something incomprehensible. His hand was screwed tight shut, gripping something. She carefully unfurled his fingers and extracted the picture. She smoothed it out and placed it carefully underneath the Cherry-Garrard book by his bed, to keep it safe for the morning.

Then she slipped out of the tiny alleyway front door, and once more joined the huge wave of Christmas revellers sweeping down to the Grassmarket, dodging in and out among them, anonymous in the crowd, just like anyone else under the cold-starred sky.





Carmen was dog-tired as she stopped dead on reaching the front door of the house. It was half-open.

‘Um, hello?’ she said, poking her head around. The house was quiet, the children in bed. No sign of Skylar. There wouldn’t be, thought Carmen. She prodded her heart. No. She was cured.

‘Sis? Sofia?’

There came a noise from the kitchen.

‘Oh, you are joking,’ said Carmen. Sofia was sitting slumped over on the floor in a pool of water.

‘Don’t you start,’ said Sofia. ‘I’ve had Federico on the phone all evening.’

‘Why didn’t you call me?’

‘I thought Skylar would come home, then I could just get a taxi to hospital.’

‘Why didn’t you … ?’

‘Please, Carmen.’

‘Okay,’ said Carmen. ‘I’ll get one.’

Sofia sighed.

‘Good luck in Christmas week.’

‘Well, I’ll drive. I’ve only had one glass.’

Sofia shook her head ‘Are you kidding? You driving sober on icy roads is bad enough. No. You’re home now; get me a cab. I’ll get to hospital. Federico’s at the airport.’

‘Okay. Have you called Mum?’

‘Christ no, I can’t handle the entire panic stations.’

The sisters tentatively smiled at one another.

‘Okay,’ said Carmen. ‘Come on, let’s get you up.’

But before she had finished the sentence and pulled up Uber, Sofia was bending double.

‘Ah, bugger.’

‘It’s okay though?’ said Carmen. ‘Babies take ages to come, right?’

‘The first one does,’ said Sofia. ‘Number four just kind of strolls out.’

‘Shit,’ said Carmen. ‘Are you going to make it?’

Sofia pulled herself up, breathing heavily, to collapse in the big chair.

‘You know you call me a control freak?’

‘I have never called you that,’ said Carmen, inputting the info for the route on her phone. ‘To your face.’

Sofia did several more panting breaths.

‘Well. This is the time when it comes in useful. Get me a cab, then you stay here and babysit.’

‘You can’t be alone,’ said Carmen.

‘I can,’ said Sofia. ‘I promise, it’s not a new experience, and it has poo in it. I’ll get them to call you when I’m done, okay? Don’t worry. I got this.’ They were holding hands then, and Sofia suddenly squeezed Carmen’s tight. ‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah,’ said Carmen. ‘Federico will come straightaway, won’t he?’

‘Well, if he has a quick trip to a gym and spa I’m going to be very … ach … ’

She bent over and squeezed Carmen’s hand again.

‘You’re right,’ said Carmen. ‘This is painful.’

‘Just. Don’t. Wake. The. Children.’



They would have got away with it too, if the cabbie hadn’t turned up and immediately honked four times, loud enough to wake the street. Carmen had Sofia’s immaculately packed hospital bag and was about to help her sister out to the cab, when there came the familiar banging feet from upstairs.

‘Oh no,’ said Sofia.

‘Oh no,’ said the cabbie as they opened the door and he saw what he was picking up.

‘Come on,’ said Carmen. ‘It’s a booking for the hospital in the middle of the night – what did you think it was going to be?’

He scratched his head.

‘Is she going to have it in the cab?’

‘No,’ said Carmen, then, quieter to her sister: ‘Are you?’

‘No!’ said Sofia.

‘But if she does, we’ll pay for the cleaning and you’ll be in the papers.’

‘Mummy, where are you going?’ It was Phoebe’s voice.

‘Just nipping out,’ said Sofia.

‘Just nipping out?’ Carmen said.

‘The thing is,’ said the cabbie, ‘I just got it cleaned and … ’

‘Can we come?’

‘Mummy’s just going to hospital,’ said Carmen.

‘HOSPITAL?’ said Jack.

‘Jack!’ said Pippa crossly. ‘You never listen! It’s for the baby.’

‘I forgot about the baby,’ said Jack. ‘Oh. Bye then.’