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CHAPTER: 4 IMMEDIATE ARRIVAL
Callum arrived late in the evening, he had bought his tickets at the
airport and had hardly any luggage he had been in that much of a hurry.
Sam waited in the car park for Callum to emerge from the airport. Callum
was in an irritable mood and Sam realized immediately just from Callum's
actions and the way he was walking.
“ I hate these bloody airports” Callum growled as he approached
Sam.
“ I know, you must have told me a thousand times Callum. Come on
put your bag in and we'll get moving” Sam opened the boot and took
Callum's bag from him. Callum was distant, it was in his eyes, he kept
on losing his concentration and staring out of the window at the distance.
“ Callum? Callum? You still with me here?” Sam again had lost
Callum half way through a conversation.
“ What? What did you say?” Callum asked, confused, snapping
back to himself.
“ It doesn't matter” Sam sighed sympathetically “ You must
tired, we'll get you to your place you can get some rest and we'll talk
about what we're going to do tomorrow, okay?”
“ Yeah, yeah whatever. One thing though Sam”
“ What’s that Callum?” Sam asked turning into the drive
of Callum's home at Albert Dock.
“ I don't want Lindsey to know I'm here okay, so we keep a low profile
unless absolutely necessary, right?” It wasn't a question and Sam
knew it so he simply agreed, he found that deep down he could understand
Callum's reasons. If he and Lindsey came face to face, Callum didn't believe
that he'd be strong enough to walk away like Lindsey did.
CHAPTER: 5 JIMMY'S THEORIES
“ Alright, good night love” Jackie said placing a hand on
Lindsey's shoulder. She knew Lindsey didn't want her to go bed, and she
knew it was because she didn't want to be left alone with Jimmy.
“ Good night” Jimmy called from the sofa. That was it, Jackie
closed the door on the pair, knowing all too well what was going to happen.
Jimmy would voice his opinion on Lindsey and Shelley's relationship, and
why it was going wrong.
“ How are you and Shelley?” Jimmy asked sounding innocent, but
Lindsey knew why he was asking it, and she knew what would follow it.
“ Dad if you're going to start again......”
“ I'm only asking” Jimmy cut in.
“ Yeah and you're only looking for another argument about Portugal
and....” she couldn't say his name and stopped short. Jimmy looked
at her and saw the despair in her face. Lindsey had been wondering for
the last two months why she had came back to this, why hadn't she took
Kylie and returned to Portugal? When Lindsey looked up she realized that
Jimmy was standing over her.
“ Talk to me Lindsey love” his voice was soft and almost apologetic.
“ Sit down then” Lindsey wasn't sure that she could do this,
she could barely say his name without coming to tears, let alone give
Jimmy the full details of what had happened between her and Callum. Was
she really ready to talk about what a different person Callum had became?about
how he genuinely loved her? about how he had took her away from this miserable
life and soothed her pain and made her happy, even if it was only for
one night? No, she wasn't ready to do that, not yet.
“ Come on then, tell me” Jimmy's voice was still soft, and he
was still ready to listen to her. Lindsey looked up at him, she wanted
to tell him, she wanted to open her heart, she wanted to tell Jimmy what
a different, wonderful person Callum had been, she wanted to tell him
how she had finally found someone who really loved her, who had made her
feel so happy and so special.
“ I can't Dad, not yet. But I promise when I'm ready, you'll be the
first to know” with that Lindsey rose.
“ Lindsey sit down” Jimmy's voice told her that he wasn't asking
her to, he was telling her to. Lindsey obeyed and returned to her seat.
“ Now if I'm right, will you tell me?”
“ Maybe” Lindsey muttered.
“ Now we saw Callum that day at the coast, you went to see him on
the night, you had a bit chat, he seemed like a different bloke, and a
nice bloke you thought. Now I don't think you got up to anything that
night, it was too soon”
“ Yeah” Lindsey sighed, she had heard Jimmy's theories a thousand
times.
“ Then you saw him again that night you were out with Shelley, you
had a bit of a good time with him, so you decide that it wouldn't be so
bad getting off with him after all.......” Lindsey cut him short.
“ That’s not what it was like at all!” she cried, immediately
regretting it.
“ So what was it like? He wasn't holding you at gun-point was he?
So tell me what did happen?” Jimmy's tone was no longer sarcastic,
he knew something had happened and he knew that it had been something
serious.
“ None of your business” Lindsey's voice was sharp and cutting
as she rose and walked upstairs to bed.
CHAPTER: 6 FEELING LONELY
Once in bed Lindsey lay, waiting for the bed to warm up. Lately it
had been feeling a lot colder than usual. She began to cry into her pillow.
As she lay she knew deep down that she would give anything to have Callum's
protective and loving arms wrapped round her, keeping her warm as he had
that night that seemed so long ago, yet at the same time Lindsey could
remember it as clearly as if it had only happened yesterday. As she lay
she ran her hand over her stomach, she hadn’t gained weight, she
hadn’t actually had any of the symptoms, except for the missed period.
This was the second time she had missed and the thoughts were finally
starting to sink in, what if?
Callum finally obeyed Sam's advice and went to bed. He lay there, by now
he should have been used to the feeling of sleeping alone, but he knew
that after spending a night with Lindsey things would never feel the same
again. He sighed and buried himself in the quilt trying to get warm. If
there was one thing about Portugal at least it didn't feel as cold.
Callum wondered if Lindsey felt the same when she slept alone, he wondered
if she ever missed that brief feeling of being snuggled down, safe and
warm in the arms of someone who loved her. These thoughts plagued Callum's
mind every night when he went to bed and they tortured him. But by now
he was becoming expert at holding back the tears.
Lindsey, though, was not as good at this. She lay sobbing into her pillow.
Jimmy heard her sobs as he walked past her room. Slowly he opened the
bedroom door and looked at his daughter. She looked terrible and he felt
terrible for making her like this. Jimmy crept over to her, she turned
her back to him. Jimmy sighed and climbed onto the bed behind her.
“ I'm sorry Lindsey love” he whispered as he put a comforting
arm around her waist and cuddled her in. As old as she was, she was still
his daughter and he still liked to be able to comfort her. “ I promise
no more Callum Finnegan and no more Portugal, we'll put it all behind
us and I'll never mention it again. We'll forget about it yeah” Lindsey
closed her eyes and as she did Callum's face came to her, her last glance
at him before she ran out. She sighed, if only it was that easy to forget,
but she thought that maybe it was worth a try.
“ Thanks Dad” she whispered. Jimmy kissed his daughter gently
on the back of her head.
“ Good night love” he whispered before rising and walking out
of the room.
“ Night Dad” she whispered as he quietly closed her door and
left her alone in the darkness.
Continued Next week.......
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