Free Found by Elle Field

change her mind at the eleventh hour and devastate him. I may have never met her, but I sense an agenda.
    ‘Arielle!’
    ‘What!’ I snap. ‘It’s not like I’m the one having an abortion.’
    That comes out a little louder than I meant it to, and half the queue in Starbucks turns around to glare at me. OK, maybe I won’t get Piers that coffee then. I slink out of the queue and continue my walk to the hospital.
    ‘Have a think about it,’ she prompts, and I roll my eyes. Getting pregnant so someone can be a granny is hardly a great reason to have a child.
    ‘Right, well I’m at the hospital now,’ I lie, ‘so I need to hang up and switch my phone off. I’ll call you once I’ve seen Piers and sorted out my flight.’
    ‘Oh, of course. Send Piers our love.’
    Why don’t I get their love? Is this because I’m not popping out a baby for them? I feel irrationally angry for no reason whatsoever.
    ‘A-huh. Bye!’ I hang up quickly.
    Irgh, what is with me? I know she didn’t mean it like that – that Piers gets sent their love and there is none for me – but that throwaway pleasantry makes me feel angrier than it should. I blame Etta for springing a funeral on everyone at the last minute. I hope Felicity’s old girls – Maude and Vera – are able to get to London. This is just like Etta. She’s so selfish.
    At the thought of her I angrily pound my way into the hospital. When I get to Piers’ room though, he’s gone, and so are all of his things. Panicking I head back to the nurses’ station, and that’s when I spot Piers in the waiting room with a big grin on his face.
    ‘I’ve been discharged!’
    ‘Amazing!’ I grin back at him. ‘Let’s get a cab.’

Chapter Ten
    After delays at the airport – no steps were available to get us off the plane – followed by an accident on the M4 that saw me stuck in a tailback, I finally make it home a lot later than expected. And I’ve either left my phone on the plane or lost it somewhere in the terminal, so I couldn’t let anyone know I’ve arrived or entertain myself by playing Puzzle Quest. I’ve had better journeys.
    ‘There you are!’
    I dump my bag on the floor and walk across to give my parents a big hug. I’ve missed them, and it’s nice to give them a hearty squeeze; I’m terrified that whenever I hug Piers I’m going to damage him. Ridiculous, but the fear is real.
    ‘Don’t ask,’ I mutter, ‘though you didn’t have to stay up.’
    It’s nearly eleven in the evening and Felicity’s funeral is in less than twelve hours. I feel wide awake since my body currently thinks it’s 6pm. I know I’ll fall asleep when it’s time to get up, but maybe it’s better if I sweep through the day in a robotic daze... maybe .
    ‘How are you, and how’s Piers?’ Mum launches at me, not even giving me a chance to sit down or kick off my Converse. ‘He’s phoned a few times wanting to know if we’d heard from you.’
    ‘I can’t find my phone,’ I explain.
    It’s too late to call the airport or airline now, but I should do that sooner rather than later tomorrow.
    ‘I’ll call him from the landline in a minute, but he’s fine. I’m sure he said that to you?’ I don’t wait for an answer. ‘I do wish I could have stayed with him until he’s settled into a routine. I’m terrified he’ll relapse with me not there to stop him from working,’ I expand as my parents share a look with one another that I do not like.
    Giving him a copy of The 4-Hour Work Week didn’t go down well. He’s still convinced he’ll be able to go back to working in his high-pressured financial world; then again, he’s also still adamant that Doctor Teddy and the doctors in London are all wrong and he’s fit to fly. I’ve brought his passport with me to stop him from flying home.
    We’ve not spoken about Felicity’s death much – I didn’t want to remind him about his own recent brush with death – but maybe I should have: Piers doesn’t seem to