Free A Family Christmas by Glenice Crossland

gone.’
    ‘Mam!’
    ‘No, let me finish. When yer father died I was frightened – in fact before he died. I knew he hadn’t got long to live; I’d been told by the doctor. I began to wonder what’d become of yer all when we’d both gone. What with the worry and the pain in me leg, I turned into a wicked old woman instead of a caring mother.’
    ‘You were never wicked and you’re not that old either.’
    ‘Any road up, I decided that if owt ’appened to me I’d leave you all right, financially I mean.’ Annie wiped the sweat from her upper lip. She felt bad.
    ‘I’m going to call the nurse. You’re not well.’
    ‘No, let me finish. I want you to go to the top drawer in me tallboy. You’ll find one of yer dad’s socks. Inside it you’ll find me savings, and there’s the money yer Aunt Kate gave me when she went away; she said it was for any emergencies.’
    ‘But we had an emergency, Mam, when the miners were out on strike.’ Lucy cringed as she remembered having nothing in the house to spread on the bread. They had had the option of either a sprinkling of salt or a sprinkling of sugar. ‘Why didn’t you use the money to feed us?’
    ‘I objected to where it came from. The man she was keeping house for left it to Kate in his will. She was keeping ’im warm in his bed more like. But I was wrong, Lucy. Kate meant well when she gave it to us. Anyway it’s there for you all now.’ Annie could hardly get the words out. ‘It’ll tide you over until our William’s old enough to start work. Promise me you’ll look after him, love. I know you’re the youngest but I can trust you more than our Jane. She’s not a bad lass, just a bit flighty, that’s all. Promise me, Lucy.’
    ‘Of course I’ll look after him. What do you take me for?’
    ‘A good lass, that’s what I take yer for.’
    ‘I don’t know why you’re saying all this; you’ll be home next week.’
    ‘No, Lucy. Summat’s gone wrong, I know it ’as. Listen, don’t give up yer job; you’re too young to be stuck at ’ome all day, and don’t let our Jane spend the money on daft things. It’s for the three of yer. The others are old enough to be independent. Our William’s well able to get ’imself off to school in a morning and Enid Slater’ll keep an eye on ’im until yer come ’ome at night. There’s a letter in the drawer I wrote to Enid in case owt like this ’appened to me. You can depend on Mrs Slater, remember that.’
    ‘Nothing’s going to happen, Mam.’
    ‘Ee’ll ’ave to go in’t pit, our William. I were ’oping for summat better for me youngest but he’ll need his name on the rent book when our Ben marries, and I expect he will soon.’
    ‘Oh Mam, let me fetch a nurse.’
    ‘Aye, yer can fetch ’er before yer go.’ The bell interrupted Annie and she clung tighter to Lucy’s hand. ‘Keep the money safe, Lucy, and keep a good table. God knows I never did. Tell all me bairns I love ’em.’
    ‘Mam, stop talking like this. You can tell them yourself when you see them.’ By now Lucy was trying to control the tears.
    ‘I love ’em all, Lucy, but you’re the most like yer dad so I’ve a special love for you. I didn’t want ’em to know that so I treated you more harshly to cover up. God bless, love.’
    Lucy escaped before her mother saw the tears. She went to the table in the centre of the ward where a nurse kept a constant watch over her patients. ‘Nurse, my mother isn’t right; she’s sweating and flushed but her hands are like ice.’
    ‘I’ll see to her.’ The nurse went towards Annie Gabbitas’s bed. She knew without a doctor’s examination that Annie had a fever. She also realised the patient was probably suffering from septicaemia. Poisoning of the blood was all too common in amputees, and unfortunately there was little to be done except pray. She applied a cold cloth to Annie’s forehead in an attempt to bring down her temperature. Annie was shivering and rapidly becoming