The Gift of Second Chances

By Louise James

SYNOPSIS

He woke wondering where he was. He could hear someone coughing, looking cautiously around he could see a man in a bed across the room from where came the coughing he realised he was in hospital, just then a nurse came in to read his notes.

‘Good Morning Greg .You are awake at last. Have you been dreaming about your new baby?’
He suddenly remembered Olwen had sent a message that their first baby had arrived and he was called Craig a name they had chosen when he had come in himself to have a new heart. Of course he had been given a new heart, no wonder he was stiff and sore.

He felt very near to tears. He had been given a wonderful wonderful second chance. A beautiful wife, a baby son and a new heart. A gift of second chances.


Other books available:
The Blackberry Pickers
From Unicorns to Wild Geese
A Rough Kind of Magic

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Apr 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665588171

Louise James

Louise June James was born in the county of Staines Middlesex in October 1938 to middle aged parents who had already raised a family eighteen years before. The family moved to a cottage in the welsh hills during the war. Louise was educated at St. Michael’s Convent in Abergavenny. Writing since the age of twelve for a monthly Herb Magazine with small articles and poems. Louise’s childhood in a remote rural area stimulated a great imagination while living and playing in the countryside, developed a deep love of nature. When a teenage marriage failed she worked at several jobs in export and despatch offices. Her hobbies at that time were breeding and showing German Shepherd dogs, reading and painting. She married again in 1964, farming with her husband in the Black Mountains. Louise had three sons from this marriage and wrote her first book(not published) The marriage failed in 1980 she raised her teenaged sons unaided, managed a pub for four years then taking a course in Management Extension for the hotel trade. At this time her interest returned to writing poetry for pleasure and studying Astrology and the supernatural. Louise married Bryan James in 1989. His struggle to overcome the effects of a brain haemorrhage moved her to write a book for all who have come close to death or suffer some form of disability thus producing A rough kind of magic although it received favourable comments it was not published. Bryan and Louise moved to Sussex in 1990 where Louise worked in the book department at W.H.Smith where she was inspired to write The Blackberry Pickers in her spare time . Before it was completed Bryan was taken ill with M.E. and had to give up his job as farm manager. They moved back to Hereford where Louise has been able to continue writing and publishing several poems and her three books.

Book preview

© 2021 Louise James. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/29/2021

ISBN: 978-1-6655-8818-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-8817-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

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Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Dedication

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Ginny Gretton who has always been there for me also her husband Robert friends for fifty- six years.

Dot Summers ‘Remember the days, My friend?’

Special Friends Chrissie and Bob Thompson. Special thanks for all your help and support,

Jude Cure and May Arado for your patience and understanding,

All my friends you know who you are

Chapter 1

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Dan Weaver sighed with relief as he saw the sign for Craigwen on the signpost. It had been a long hot journey from London and although they had started early enough the traffic had been heavy as they left the city then roadworks followed by a diversion which had taken them miles out of their way. The mini bus had five children and another carer as well as himself. The children had been very good, thanks to Jeanette Murray his colleague who had kept them occupied with stories songs and games. She was a pretty girl of twenty five or so and could easily look after her charges. It was a job she had always wanted to do and was very excited to have found. The other carers she got on well with but she had never worked with Dan before and they were to be together all summer. He seemed very attractive she was looking forward to getting to know him better.

Dan was not looking for romance. He had recently ended a relationship that was going nowhere. So far he had kept safe but he had noticed how pretty Jeanette was and how efficient she was with the children he thought this holiday may not be all work after all.

Dan had heard all about Graig-y- dorth and the work they did there, he was looking forward to meeting Greg and his part Irish wife Olwen and their family.

As they entered the village, he suddenly noticed it had become overcast and a strange mist began forming about them. Considering it was July and had been a very hot day, he immediately thought thunder, wishing this journey over he looked at the sat-nav turning right as requested, the mist grew thicker, the road more winding and visibility much poorer.

Jeanette came and leaning over his shoulder. ‘Are we lost?’ She asked.

‘I hope not but I don’t like the way this lane is going.’

‘Shall I ring the centre to see where we are?’

‘I’ve already tried but no signal. As the minibus went over a bump, Dan stopped the engine.

‘I’m going to go and find some help. I have put the hazard lights on and the radio. I’ll be as quick as I can. Will you be alright’

‘Of course I will and the children are mostly asleep. I can cope’

Looking into her gentle brown eyes, he suddenly realised that she probably could. In fact Jeanette was used to coping. As the eldest of six she had often had to take charge when her mother was ill or having another baby. Her father was a good dad and she loved him dearly but he was not a practical man, looking after young children always stressed him. Jeanette being practical and more than a little bossy made a good older sister. She loved children and left school to go to university, then looked for a job that gave her scope to do what she most enjoyed which was to become a travelling carer to disabled or distressed children where she was in her element. An attractive girl with soft hazel eyes, thick tawny hair and a sweet smile she had a job to keep away the attentions of the male carers with whom she often spent a lot of time but she was determined to stay single until she felt the time was right. She hadn’t worked with Dan before but thought him very easy to get along with, at least on this long assignment for a whole summer she would find out if he was as nice as he appeared.

Dan at twenty eight felt he was happier on his own. There were always pretty girls at the centre where he worked and he met many more on these assignments, so far apart from a date or two he had kept his heart intact. A kind man very fond of children, he enjoyed his job and was looking forward to the summer. He hadn’t met Greg and Olwen Morgan but had heard how Greg had had a heart transplant about five years ago and then he and Olwen had converted his Grandfathers old farm into a home where deprived children could enjoy adventure holidays and disabled ones could do some of the things they never thought they could. Dan was looking forward to meeting Greg and his family.

Jumping down from the bus he hesitated as to which way to go. ‘Better try a bit further on’ he muttered to himself. He walked a few hundred yards before he saw a blurred light to his right following the light he found himself in a farmyard. Two dogs rushed barking but seemed friendly enough.

‘Gyp, Tally. Leave the man alone. Are you lost? Driving or walking?’ Two lads appeared behind the voice,

‘Yes please. Can you help? I’ve left a mini-bus with five kids in down the road and I’m looking for Graig-y- dorth study centre.

‘Oh you are on the wrong road for this weather. If it was not for the fog you could have got through but we’ll not send you over the mountain in this. Come on, we’ll guide you back to our gate and turn you around. Tony! Fetch the big torches they’re in the barn.’

The second lad ran off coming back with two enormous lamps which lit up the yard. They accompanied Dan back down the road.

Jeanette meanwhile was getting nervous, the children were mostly asleep except for Franny and Steven who were involved in some game on their notepads. Jeanette was not a country girl and began to imagine awful things lurking out there in the mist, whoever heard of fog this thick in the beginning of July. It must be these horrible mountains and things lived in mountains didn’t they? She could hear noises and something bumped the minibus, she almost screamed as the door flew open and a man’s head wearing a cap appeared and a voice said.

‘Don’t worry Miss. We’ll soon get you going again.’ She gave a huge sigh of relief as Dan jumped back in the driving seat, started the engine and began following the two big torches that she could now see leading the way. They waved Dan into the farm gateway where he was able to reverse then one torch led him back to where he had turned off. With shouts of instructions and more of thanks the torch left them and the bus was back on the normal lane.

‘Are we okay now?’ a shaken Jeanette asked. Dan laughed. ‘I hope so we had turned off too soon and were heading up the mountain.’

Soon