Free Guilt Edged by Judith Cutler

want to go along yourself just to warn Griff – that would make sense. And you know what, after your gallivanting round France and all that stuff happening to you last weekend, I think taking time off from dashing to Ashford wouldn’t be a bad idea. Tell Aidan you can alternate. Better than both of you sitting beside Griff’s bed competing for his attention – now that wouldn’t do him any good at all.’
    I nodded. ‘I’ll text him. And then I’ll be down for our picnic.’

SIX
    â€˜I told you that there was no need for you to visit Griff this afternoon,’ Aidan said tartly as he locked his car, coincidentally parked next to mine.
    I wanted to yell at him that he had no right to tell me anything. But his weeks in New Zealand had transformed him from his usual sleek, debonair and possibly pampered self to a weary and battered old man. I knew that such an ordeal would have aged anyone. All the same, without raising my voice, or at least not very much, I said, ‘As I said in my text, I’m anxious that the shock of seeing anyone he didn’t expect wouldn’t be good for Griff. I know how you feel, Aidan—’
    â€˜Indeed you do not!’ Not just blazing eyes but a jab of his index finger, too.
    Just as I’d started to feel sorry for him! ‘Well, I know how I feel. And I just want to protect Griff.’
    â€˜I hardly think your concern is necessary.’
    â€˜Maybe it isn’t. Maybe I’m just stressed out of my mind and I’m being totally unreasonable. Look, give me just five minutes with him, since I can’t bear not seeing him at all today, and then he’s all yours for both visiting sessions. And then we should work out a visiting rota.’
    â€˜When’s he being discharged? I need to book nursing staff.’
    â€˜You’ll have to ask him. But he may want to come home to the cottage,’ I pointed out. ‘First of all, at least.’ I willed a smile into place. ‘I’m sure you’re already working out some lovely place to take him to convalesce,’ I added as he went puce with fury. ‘Calm down, Aidan, or you’ll end up in the next bed to him,’ I said flippantly.
    Then I realized there were tears in his eyes. Anger? Frustration? Love? I understood all three. ‘Just go,’ I said quietly. ‘I’ll see him for a couple of minutes at the end.’ Retreating to the car, I couldn’t stop the tears – hell, more of them! Hadn’t I shed enough? – and even more annoyingly I couldn’t work out what they were for.
    Then a text arrived. A text? I was ready to tell it to wait till I saw it was from Aidan. They wouldn’t let him in since he wasn’t a relative. The buggers! I was halfway across the car park before I drew breath.
    So in the end I’d done it my way, having informed the jobsworth trying to exclude Aidan that if anyone would make Griff better it was his oldest, dearest friend, who would be sharing the visiting with me, starting with now and continuing this evening. My success wouldn’t endear me to Aidan, of course: he was the sort of man who liked to make things happen, not to have to wait for others to wave magic wands. But I’d bounced in to see Griff, hugged him – no tubes at all today! – and told him I was on my way because someone else was waiting to see him. He knew at once, of course – and I’d rather I hadn’t seen his face light up.
    So when out of the blue I had a phone call from Tristam – he must have got my number from Brian, I suppose – asking me if I fancied a drink, maybe a club afterwards, that evening, I responded saying a drink and some food would suit me better. I added that since he was trade and he could tell me about pictures, I could put him on expenses. I didn’t really think I could, but at least I was earning. He didn’t strike me as the sort of person