* * * * *
When Douglas arrived back from his doctor’s appointment much later, which had included some minor, on the spot surgery for which he only allowed a local anaesthetic and refused the doctor’s demands that he spend the night at hospital for observation, Julia was gone.
“At work,” Mrs. Kilpatrick informed him in a nasally voice, her eyes red and running, “she should be back around four.” She glanced at his arm in its sling. “Are you… okay, sir?” She sounded ill-at-ease with her own question.
“I’m fine,” Douglas started to walk away then turned back. “Are you ill?” he asked and found himself uncomfortable with the personal question. He couldn’t remember Mrs. Kilpatrick ever being sick, not, he had to admit, that he would have noticed if she was or was not.
Mrs. Kilpatrick looked stunned at his question.
“Why… no,” she said then she belied her words with a succession of three quick sneezes. “Just a head cold,” she wheezed when she was done.
Too exhausted to pursue it, Douglas let her be. He wanted to go to his study to catch up on work but was too tired for that as well. Instead, he went to his room, took a painkiller and went to bed.
He woke several hours later feeling slightly better but also acutely feeling the pain in his arm.
And he was hungry.
He walked down the stairs in search of food and heard Julia’s voice coming from the lounge. He turned to the right, rounded the corner and saw her standing in the room addressing the children who were all sprawled on the sofas watching television.
“I’ve asked Mrs. Kilpatrick to go home, she’s unwell, so it’s Chip Shop Night,” she announced.
The room rang with the children’s boisterous response to this piece of news and Douglas saw Julia smile.
“Uncle Douglas!” Lizzie called as her eyes found him and her face turned worried when she took in his sling. She got up and then sat back down immediately, visibly unsure of what to do or how to behave.
“Unka Douglas,” Ruby shouted. Never unsure of how to behave, his youngest niece ran toward him, hell bent for leather, but Julia caught her about the waist and swung her back.
“Uncle Douglas has been hurt, you must go gently,” she warned and Ruby’s eyes widened. Douglas watched and noted that Julia was avoiding his gaze.
When Julia let her go, Ruby approached more cautiously and gave his legs a hug. He patted her affectionately on the head in return.
“What happened?” Willie was standing now and his eyes were on the sling. They, too, were worried.
“Nothing,” Douglas replied, “It was an…” He was about to say “accident” but stopped himself. “Nothing,” he repeated. “I’m fine.”
At the children’s reactions to his injury, Julia’s words of the morning came back to him and so did the feelings of guilt.
Julia spared him a quick (and amusing) “I-told-you-so” glance but Ruby was talking. “Auntie Jewel has the best thing for an owie, don’t you Auntie Jewel?”
“What’s that, Ruby?” Douglas asked, more out of politeness than curiosity.
“I hurt my elbow,” she showed him by jutting out her bent elbow and pointing to a spot that still was a bit pink, “right there and it felt a lot better when Auntie Jewel kissed it. She said her kisses have magical powers.”
Julia’s face paled and Douglas nearly laughed at her horrified expression.
“I bet they do,” he murmured in response to Ruby.
“You should kiss his owie,” Ruby declared authoritatively to Julia.
Julia blanched and Douglas grinned.
She recovered quickly. “Maybe later, I’ve got to get your supper. Orders please,” Julia stated, firmly closing the subject on any kissing of Douglas’s “owie”.
“I’ll come with!” Willie offered.
“Me too!” Ruby jumped up and down.
“We’ll all go, get your coats,” Julia announced as the children scattered.