Page 13 of A Found Family at the Cornish Country Hospital

‘I got all the good fortune I could ever have hoped for when I married you.’ Jase took hold of Aidan’s hand again. ‘And whatever happens with the baby, I’ll never forget just how lucky that makes me.’

Family dinner night was a must-attend event at Jase’s parents’ house every Wednesday evening. If Aidan was on lates, or working nights, Lin, Jase’s mum, would package up the meal with every little detail the same as if he’d been there. On the last dinner he hadn’t been able to get to, she’d put a little jug of apple sauce alongside the roast pork dinner, a pot of cream to go with the crumble, and even two after-dinner mints, so he didn’t have to miss out on those either.

Lin, and Jase’s father, Ray, had welcomed Aidan into their family as if he’d always been there. It was the same with Jase’s sister, Natasha – who everyone called Tash. They were just the sort of family who used shortened names as a sign of affection and acceptance. They were also the only people who called Aidan, Aid. But what made him smile the most, was their insistence on calling Tash’s husband Tone, even though Aidan was sure everyone else called him Anthony. His wife and stepson certainly did. He was a really nice guy, but quite serious and strait-laced, which made Anthony feel like a better fit. Not with the Taylors, though. Everyone got a diminutive form of their name, and their only grandson Reuben was always called Rube by his grandparents.

Reuben had already been in his late teens by the time Aidan met him, which would have been a difficult enough age to introduce a new family member. But that same year, Reuben had lost his father, Ricky, as a result of liver cirrhosis. It could have made Reuben bitter, and less than welcoming of his uncle’s new boyfriend, but instead it had bonded him to both of them, and it had helped Aidan and Jase’s relationship progress faster than it might have done otherwise, too. They’d done their best to be there for Reuben, and Aidan didn’t carry any baggage about the man who’d left Tash to raise a baby by herself when she was just twenty-one. Ricky had come good in the end and his relationship with Reuben had really started to develop in the months before his death. But it had taken him the best part of five years to get involved in his son’s life in any way at all, and for more than ten years after that he’d been unreliable and often absent. All of that had understandably coloured the way Lin and Ray viewed him. When Reuben had started to put him on a pedestal after his death, and hold him up like some kind of paragon of perfection, it had caused some tension. Aidan and Jase had been able to help defuse it. They’d been there for Reuben when he’d wanted to talk about how great his father was, without feeling the need to offer a counter argument, or even hint at one. Now, almost ten years later, Reuben had grown into an incredible young man, with a far more balanced view of his late father, and the world as a whole. He was a huge part of the reason why Aidan and Jase wanted to become parents.

‘Here they are, my handsome boys!’ Lin hadn’t even heard their news, but the hug she enveloped them in, the moment they came into the house, was already almost as powerful as the Heimlich manoeuvre. In her go-to style, Lin was wearing a sequin encrusted top, and a cloud of Opium perfume that had apparently been her signature scent since the 1980s. Eventhough he choked on it every time, after ten years, it smelt like home to Aidan now.

‘Give them some space to breathe, woman.’ Ray’s chastisement of his wife was always playful, and she poked her tongue out at him in response.

‘You just want me out of the way, so you can take them down and show them the new addition to your shed.’

‘It’s not a shed, it’s a man cave.’ Ray raised his eyes to the ceiling. ‘Women, eh? Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Although, in your case, you got it spot-on and got yourself a fella who understands exactly where you’re coming from.’

‘That shed’s just a place for you to hide out when I want a hand with the washing up.’ Lin’s attempts to berate her husband were ruined by the fact that she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. The two of them bickered all the time, but it was always in a playful way, and Aidan had never once doubted his in-laws’ love for one another, or for anyone else lucky enough to be a part of their family.

‘We’ll have a look at the new addition to your sh…man cave, later, Dad.’ Jase clapped his father on the shoulder. ‘But we’ve got something we want to tell you first.’

‘Oh God, you’re not ill are you? Or Aid?’ Lin turned towards them, an anxious expression replacing her smile.

‘No, it’s nothing like that, it’s good news.’ Jase reached out and touched Aidan’s hand, an understanding passing between them that even the chance of becoming parents was something to be celebrated. ‘Is Tash here yet?’

‘Yes, she’s in the conservatory with Tone, and even Rube was on time for once. I keep telling him he’s working too hard, but will he listen to a word I say? Of course not!’ Lin was fussing like an old mother hen, but she was never happier than when her family were around her. When Aidan was Reuben’s age, he’d probably been dreaming of winning the lottery. But at thirty-eight, this was his dream now. He wanted to fuss around his own children one day, when they came home for family dinner night, to welcome them through the door as if nothing could bring him greater joy than seeing them. He even wanted to worry, the way Lin did, about all the things that might go wrong, because having a family who were safe and well meant more than anything else ever could.

‘It’s the uncs!’ Reuben shot up from his chair as soon as he spotted them, giving them each a hug in turn. ‘You’ve got to save me from Mum and Anthony trying to press-gang me into joining them on a canal boat holiday.’

‘But you always lovedRosie and Jimwhen you were little.’ Reuben’s mother made it sound as if commemorating his favourite childhood TV show, by going on a canal boat holiday in his twenties, was the most natural thing in the world. But her son was pulling a face that articulated exactly what he thought of the idea.

‘I love you both, honestly, but I might not by the end of a week confined with you in a tiny wooden boat. In fact, there’s a good chance I might have been arrested for drowning at least one of you.’

‘Your mother’s just worried that if you don’t come away with us, you won’t take a holiday again this year.’ Anthony had a gentle lilt to his voice, which made the request sound all the more reasonable. ‘We’re very proud of how hard you’ve been working to grow the business, but you need to have a proper break every now and then.’

‘I’ll go on holiday with the uncs instead.’ Reuben gave Aidan a beseeching look. ‘You’ll take me somewhere, won’t you? Anywhere, as long as it doesn’t include confined spaces, or sharing a bathroom Stuart Little would find a bit on the snug side.’

‘If we decide to go away, you’re more than welcome to come with us, but our holiday plans are on hold for a bit.’ Aidan turned towards Jase. ‘And we wanted to tell you all why.’

‘We’re trying for a baby.’ Jase had barely got the words out before Lin shrieked with excitement, and a flurry of questions seemed to come from every corner of the room. Even Anthony, who’d always said how grateful he was to have become Reuben’s stepfather when he was ten years old, rather than ten months, seemed thrilled about the prospect of getting a niece or nephew.

‘I couldn’t be more pleased for you.’ Tash clapped her hands together when they’d finished outlining the process, and the progress they’d made so far. ‘I just wish you’d done it ten years earlier, then Mum could have stopped nagging me for another grandchild before I started the perimenopause, and she finally had to accept that ship had sailed. I was never going to have another one after Rube came out sideways. Anthony wouldn’t have coped with all of that anyway.’

‘Babies are too fragile and all that responsibility is scary.’ Anthony suddenly seemed to realise there was a chance he might be putting them off, not least because his words had earned him an elbow in the ribs from Lin. ‘But you two are going to be brilliant at it. A teacher and a nurse? I’m not sure there could be a better pedigree for parenthood.’

‘And I can’t wait for all that baby stuff again. Having Tash and Rube here when he was tiny was one of the happiest times of my life.’ A sigh of contentment escaped from Lin’s lips, but then she frowned. ‘The trouble was, I was still working full time then, and so was Ray. This time round we can be hands-on and help out as much as you need us to.’

‘I’ll have to get working on a high chair.’ Ray tapped the side of his head. ‘I think I’ve got some wood that would be perfect for the seat.’

‘More excuses to disappear into your shed!’ Lin was beaming, despite her words. ‘I know you said we need to try and keep our excitement reined in until we know for sure that it’s going to happen, but I already know it is. I can feel it in my waters.’

‘That’s what Aidan said, well not the waters bit, just that he knows for certain we’ll get there.’ Jase leant his head against Aidan’s shoulder. ‘And I’m starting to think you’re both right.’

‘Mothers are always right.’ Aidan blew his mother-in-law a kiss, and a twinge of regret twisted in his gut. His mother might be excited if she heard the news, but he couldn’t be certain about it. One thing he did know was that she wouldn’t show it the way Lin had. She’d be too worried about what his father’s reaction would be.

Aidan and Jase’s news had dominated the whole evening, and it felt as though they’d covered every related topic – from baby names to the best way to induce labour – by the time they headed towards the door to leave. It had been the perfect evening, and the enthusiasm from Jase’s family had made it even easier to believe that the arrival of a new addition was just a matter of time. But then Anthony caught hold of Aidan’s elbow, just as they got to the end of the hallway.

‘Sorry, I didn’t want to say this in front of anyone else. In case it was a bit, you know… awkward.’ Anthony shuffled from one foot to the other as he spoke, and a feeling of dread rose up inside Aidan. It was coming; the bucket of cold water that someone was bound to throw over their plans. He just hadn’t expected it to come from Jase’s family. ‘It’s just I know these things – IVF and surrogacy – can be very expensive, and I wanted to say that if money is ever an obstacle, don’t let it be. I’ve never wanted children, but I can’t think of two people who deserve them more, and if I can help financially, it would be an absolute honour to do so.’

That was when the tears Aidan had been fighting all evening, turned into a sob he just couldn’t keep in. This was family, and it didn’t matter that neither he nor Anthony had been born into it. The Taylors were their found family, and any baby who found themselves a part of that too, would be the luckiest child alive.

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