RIDE THE TIDE

Chapter 7- Bed and Breakfast:

The hospital looked more like a church than a medical building, thought Penny. Once through the door she realized the façade did not match the interior. Here it was all modern efficiency. They climbed the stairs to the first floor. Tom stopped at the nurse’s station and they were led down a wide hallway.  The room was small and dominated by a white hospital bed and Tom’s father.  As sometimes happened with Penny when she was in a stressful situation she felt she was outside of herself. She could see herself going through the motions. She walked with Tom over to the bedside holding onto his hand. 

His father appeared to be sleeping and there were tubes and wires protruding from every direction, connected to monitors on the other side of the bed. He had a wide forehead and a shock of white hair worn rather longish. His brows were dark and tilted upward. Penny noticed his hands and recognized Tom’s.

The old man must have sensed his son was there. He opened his eyes and met Tom’s watery gaze. He moved his hand and Tom reached out and took it.  “Tom.” He said in a deep whispery voice.

“I’m here, Dad.” Tom’s emotions had spilled over and were wetting his face.

The old man looked past Tom at Penny. “Ah, yes.” He said and a slow smile spread across his face. Then he closed his dark eyes and drifted back to sleep. Tom leaned over him kissed his forehead and motioned for Penny to follow him out of the room.  The nurse was still standing in the hallway and Tom asked her about his father. The sad expression on her face did not change.

"There is no need to stay the rest of the night," she explained. Your father is comfortable. Your sister left about an hour ago."

“Right, then,” Tom whispered. He reached for Penny and held her close for a minute before they walked back to the car. He looked at his watch.  “We’ll go and knock up Davey for a bed. It’s too late to go home.”

Yes, it was too late to go home.

It wasn’t far from Harrogate to Knaresborough where Tom’s younger brother owned a public house. Winding up the narrow streets, Tom pulled into an arched drive and parked behind the pub. The ancient stone building opened onto the street. There were trailing window boxes and tubs of flowers around the entrance. THE BLACK BULL was emblazoned in gold across the door. Tom called Davey on his cell phone to let them in.

Davey met them at the back entrance. He was as tall as his brother and larger in build. His

long blond hair was sticking out in every direction in waves and curls. Penny, noticing his dark eyes and brows so like his fathers, wondered if their mother was blond. He was barefoot and wearing a pair of old pajama pants, obviously interrupted in sleep. “Hi ya, Tom,” he said and enveloped him in a bear hug. “So good to see ya! Have ya seen Dad? Yeah, it's bad. Who’s this ya got there?” he asked looking over Tom’s shoulder.

“This is Penny Walden, Davey. And before you start, I intend to marry this lady,” Tom added with a smile.

Penny barely was able to say hello before she was folded into Davey’s muscular arms.  She found her nose pressed against the blond mat of hair on his chest. “Ah, ye’ve done good, me lad.” He pulled her back to have a look at her. “A russet-haired wench, ta boot.”

“Leave off, Davey! Have you got a spare bed?  We‘re about knackered.” Tom  yawned widely.

Davey led them down a long narrow hall to the front desk.  The room was dark but Penny could see the dark wood and the shine of brass. There appeared to be lace curtains in the front bay windows and plush seating along the wall. “Well, it looks like the only thing I have is the bridal suite,” Davey grinned. Penny recognized that grin.

She followed Davey and Tom up the narrow stairs to the first floor.  The bridal suite occupied the corner of the building.  The wallpaper was faded blue and sprigged with flowers. There was a dark red carpet over the old uneven floor boards.  The furniture was a mismatched collection of different periods with a large four poster bed, covered in lace netting, dominating the room.  Davey was busy checking out the bath to make sure there were towels and soaps. 

Tom was staring at the lace canopy. “You’ve spared no expense, have ya, Davey?” He gave Davey a twisted smile.

“Ah, well, you know the ladies like that sort of thing, Tom. Bed’s comfortable. If you need anything else, don’t call me till daylight.” With a little wave and a wink Davey was out the door.

Tom had brought his carry-on and one bag up and Penny had her duffel.  She found her toothbrush and went to the bathroom. Quaint, but pretty, she thought.  There was a large soaking tub with a shower attachment over the faucets. The toilet tank was mounted high on the wall with a chain that said 'pull'. She had been running on pure adrenalin and now it had worn off. She was exhausted. Tom had already stripped and turned the bed covers back and Penny climbed in next to him.  He drew her close and said he just wanted to cuddle her tonight. Penny was already asleep.

Tom had been drifting from sleep to semi-consciousness for some time.  It was the hoovering in the hallway that finally brought him out of it. He turned his head to see his watch on the bedside table.  It was 9:30 already. He looked at Penny curled next to him, her tousled hair covering her face, one hand under the pillow and the other curled by her face.  He wanted to touch her but decided to let her sleep.  He had been pulling and pushing and dragging her for two days. They could relax a little now, slow the pace down a bit. Having her with him filled him with strength and happiness. He eased out of bed and headed for the bath.

Tom found a plush terry robe in the bathroom and tied it around him. Nice touch, Davey, he thought.  Penny was still asleep so he quietly slipped out the door and walked down the hall turned left and banged on the door. There was no answer so he went in search of the hoovering and found a robust girl working around a bed in one of the rooms.  He asked her to do him a favor and left her wide eyed as he walked back to his room. Penny was beginning to rouse, making little mewing sounds.  Tom sat down in one of the plush wingback chairs and watched her wake. Before long there was a discreet tap at the door and Tom took the tray. There was hot tea, bread and butter, jam and strawberries. Penny was all smiles.

Penny slid down in the hot soapy water for a good long soak. After their breakfast in bed Tom had fed her the strawberries and they'd made love. He was always so thoughtful and loving toward her. She knew he was worried about his dad and yet he made time for her. Would she ever be able to give as much to him? She slid down under the water to wet her hair; a good scrub and she would get herself together.

Digging in her duffel bag she pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a pink and white striped shirt. She found gold hoop earrings and her black flat shoes.  Her hair was towel dried and finger combed. There didn’t seem to be a brush in her duffel bag and there was no hairdryer in the bathroom. Tom had gone downstairs in search of Davey and to call the hospital, so she decided to find them.

They were standing across the bar from each other in the tap room. Penny thought they made a handsome pair.  Tom in a dark blue long sleeve knit shirt with the sleeves pushed up, black jeans and his boots. Davey was a surprise. She wouldn’t have known him from the big blond bear she met last night. His honey-blond hair, which must come below his shoulders, was pulled straight back in a pony tail.  He was clean shaven and dressed in a starched white shirt and black bowtie with black close fitting slacks. There had been no mention of a Mrs. Davey; Penny would have to find out about that.

Tom was leaning on the bar and Davey was wiping a glass. Davey saw her first. His face lit up in a smile and he said with an exaggerated American accent, “Looking good.”

Tom gave her a wink. "Watch out for Davey. He's a pervert. Not even bairns and old grandmothers are safe around him."

Penny gave him a crooked little smile and Davey grabbed his heart. He also gave her a rather intense look from under his dark lashes. Davey was a rake.

Tom said very quietly to Davey, “I will kill you.”

Davey gave him a broad smile and said, “I know you could and would, so I won’t.  Oh, by the by, I had a call this morning from Akkers. She said Johnny didn’t come home last night and where did you take him?”

“Ha!" Tom scoffed. He recounted the appearance of Johnny at the airport.

Davey nodded. "He showed up here with a couple of his mates one night in that costume and I ran him out."

They agreed he was a fucking idiot and his old man was past it. Penny had been sitting on the long bench against the wall listening to the brothers talk.  Sometimes it was hard to understand them. Their accent was so strong.  You go back to your roots in more ways than one. She had developed a Charleston drawl the eighteen years she spent there but fell back into the North Carolina twang when she went to Terry’s.  Tom’s speech was more Oxford, she thought.  Davey was pure Yorkshire. She decided she liked Davey, rake or no rake. But she was a little concerned for Johnny. After all, he had been left at Heathrow with an unknown amount of money.  She knew Tom was so angry he had no idea how much he had given him. There could have been enough for a train ticket or a plane ticket.

Tom straightened himself up and told Davey, “As much as we have enjoyed your hospitality, brother, I think we need to be on our way. I want to stop by the hospital again before we go home.”

“What hospitality? There’s a bill out front for ya,” Davey said with all the seriousness he could muster.

Tom and Penny gathered up their belongings and loaded them back in the car.  Penny had a look at Knaresborough and found it absolutely charming.  The old stone bridge over the River Nidd looked like a postcard. Tom told her they would be back and he would show her around.

The ride back to Harrogate seemed shorter in daylight.  Penny was wide-eyed trying to see everything. Harrogate itself was a charming place, so many flowers everywhere and picturesque houses. The hospital was larger than she thought it was last night.  Ivy covered part of the front of the old structure.

The nurse explained Tom’s dad was about the same.  He'd managed to drink his tea this morning but didn't want anything to eat.  He was still in that same semi-conscious state as he was last night.  He didn’t wake this visit. Tom stood by the bed and touched his face, but the old man did not respond. He gazed at him for a long time and then turned to leave.

"Let’s go home."

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