Accident

By Tess Dacre

Granny Steph and Grandad John rush to help their young friend and her children when their dad is killed in an accident. Read about their developing relationship and how they help two other single mothers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tess Dacre
• Release date: Mar 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005514723

Tess Dacre

I love to read. One day I found I was bored with reading, and thought "why not give writing a try?" Now I love to write too. I've done some, and it's given me a huge admiration for those who write full length books. My imagination and tenacity gives out at about 25,000 words! I've garnered some lovely comments on my writing. Thank you all. I hope you enjoy reading my stories as much as I've enjoyed writing them. If you did, please review. Thank you.

Book preview

Accident

By Tess Dacre

Copyright 2009 - 2022 Tess Dacre

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Photo credit: Mike Monaghan - www.bluesunsetdesign.com / Foter / CC BY

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Chapter 1 - Accident

The phone jangled us from sleep.  Heart thumping, I reached over to answer it.  Phone calls in the night are mostly bad news.  Who?  What?

Hello?  Not the most original greeting.  Laced with fear of what it might be.

Crying.  No, not crying, sobbing.  Female.  Desperately trying to control it to speak to me.  Swallowing her sobs.  My heart rate increased.  Must be really bad.

John.  More sobbing, but that one word was enough.

It’s Jill.  Something bad.  But she’s too upset to speak.  I relayed to a bleary-eyed Steph.

Jill, it’s OK.  Oh my poor girl.  In your own time.  I tried with my voice to comfort and calm our distraught friend.

J... John, ... it’s N... Nick ... Oh God ... He’s b... b... been in an ... an ... accident ...

Steph’s head was next to mine, and I could see the relief in her eyes that it was not one of their beautiful children, but shock that her husband was hurt.

It’s OK Jill.  It’ll be OK.  I comforted, whilst I froze in fear.  How bad, I wanted to scream, but that wouldn’t help Jill.  Gently, gently.  In your own time.  I tried to keep the apprehension out of my voice.  Having got out the basic information, Jill seemed to calm slightly and become more fluent.  Her words and sentences were still punctuated by sobs and gulps as she tried to control her distress and tell us what was going on.

Very quickly we gathered that Nick was in intensive care and serious.  Jill was phoning from the hospital and was on her own.  One of their local friends had pulled on some clothes and come to be in the house for their children.

We’re on our way.  Chin up, Jill.  We’ll phone Karen for you.  We’ll be there soon.  It was a lie and we both knew it.  We had a couple of hours drive, and it would take us a few minutes to get ready.  We clung to each other in our distress for a long moment, then sprung into action.  Steph phoned Karen.  We hadn’t needed to ask for numbers as it was our friend Jill’s home number.  A quick update, although we knew little at that stage, and Karen promised to arrange for someone to go to the hospital to be with Jill until we could get there.  I went into the loft for a suitcase and we threw in enough for a few days.

Got your mobile?

In my handbag.  Oh wait a minute, charger!  Steph raced off to get it.  In a very few minutes we were driving.  Two hours when you are desperate seems like eternity.

We had first met Nick and Jill at a ruby wedding anniversary in our old neighbours’ house.  They were introduced to us because they had just bought our old house.  We got on well with them right from the start, with lots in common, and conversation flowed freely.  In fact it was disappointing to break it off with them for politeness sake to talk to others on our table.  After the party they offered to show us over the house, as it was 15 years since we had moved out.  It was a lovely trip down memory lane.

The four of us became firm friends, and when they had their two children, we filled the role of local honorary grandparents.  We enjoyed our time with them and with their children, and they were frequent visitors to our house.  When we retired we moved a couple of hours away to a small village, but we still kept in touch and visited to see them and the children.

Nick was a project manager for an engineering firm.  Jill had been a bio-chemist, then funded her own doctorate in nutrition.  She was one impressive lady.  Not to mention that she was a stunner.  Tall, slim, loooong legs, long chestnut hair, and an engaging face.  I was fascinated by her eyes, which did help to keep me looking at her face!  I had never met anyone with different colour eyes, but she had one piercing blue and one dreamy green with blue edges.

About an hour into our drive, the friend Karen had sent to the hospital, Rachel, phoned.  Jill was too upset.  It was not looking good.  I had to pull over, as I was blinded by tears.  We held each other and wept.  For Nick, for Jill, for the children, and for ourselves.

Suddenly there was a tap on the window, and we noticed that there was a blue light flashing behind us and a policeman knocking.  I lowered the window.

Are you all right?  Have you broken down.

No Officer, I’m sorry.  I couldn’t see to drive.

Why is that Sir?

I gave him a brief synopsis.

Would you be prepared to let me drive your car, Sir?

It was a generous offer that we were both relieved to accept.  Only then did we realise how generous the offer actually was.

If you would like to transfer to our car, we can get you there more quickly, and I’ll follow on in your car.

It was probably way outside their brief, and generous.  We accepted with alacrity.  With the blue light and empty roads, an hour became forty minutes.  We bundled into the hospital and were directed at reception to the relevant area.  My phone started ringing in the lift.  When I saw it was Rachel, I ignored it as we were almost there.

As we came round the corner, Rachel was looking harassed and lost.  Jill was sobbing in her arms, and I had a horrible premonition.  I raised my eyebrows in enquiry and made a cutting motion across my throat.  Rachel nodded briefly to confirm our worst fears.  Tears filled our eyes and we surrounded Jill.  She clung onto Steph, her body wracked with the pain of loss.  We stayed clinging to each other for some time.  Rachel was the first to move.

I’m sorry – I’ve got to get back to the family.  She gave Jill a last hug and turned to go.

Jill gave her a squeeze, but was still too upset to thank her properly.  I did it for her.

Thank you, Rachel.  Be careful driving.  I said, and I went off to find out what happened next.

Steph.  I said quietly when I got back.  They’ve taken out all the tubes, cleaned him up and he’s ready for goodbye.

Eventually Jill slumped in Steph’s arms, with the occasional hiccough.

"Come