Page 79 of Summer at Croftwood Cinema
The drive to Worcester was torture. Patsy was desperate to see Matt but terrified that he would blame her for what had happened. Oliver had been reassuring her that Matt wouldn’t hold her responsible but somehow, her mind had flipped back to when she and Matt had been at odds with each other over almost everything and in her mind, that was the Matt that was lying in hospital. Not Matt who she’d shared the most impossibly wonderful night with. Not Matt who had lovingly whispered about her constantly surprising him. She was so sure that the Matt who liked her would have disappeared into a black hole created by Dan, that by the time they got to the hospital, she was ready to persuade Oliver to go in alone while she waited in the car.
‘He’ll want to see you, not me,’ Oliver said kindly. ‘I have an inkling that he likes you.’ He smiled and rolled his eyes.
‘He might not now my husband has beaten him up.’
‘I’m not sure that’ll make any difference, Pats. Come on.’ He held his hand out and she took it. It was the right thing to do, face up to what had happened; what she’d caused. At the very least she owed Matt an apology.
Matt had his eyes closed and aside from his hair, he was barely recognisable. His face was bruised and his left eye was hugely swollen. He had a dressing on his forehead and his right hand was bandaged.
Not caring that Oliver was watching, Patsy reached out and gently pushed his hair back from his forehead, repeating the motion again and again, finding it soothed her as much as she hoped it was soothing to Matt. He began to stir, moving then wincing before he woke up, his one eye too swollen to open.
‘Hey,’ Patsy said gently.
He turned his head carefully and gave her a smile when he recognised her.
‘Patsy.’ He reached for her hand, then his expression darkened. ‘Are you okay? Did he hurt you?’
‘No, no. I’m fine. How are you feeling?’
‘Bit sore.’
‘Hey, mate. Is all of this an excuse to get out of tidying up last night?’
Matt smiled. ‘I’m sorry I missed it.’
‘No worries. You’re on the rota for next time.’ Oliver squeezed his arm. ‘Thank you.’ He looked at Patsy. ‘I’ll wait outside.’
She nodded, unable to pull her gaze away from Matt. The longer she looked at him, the less she noticed his injuries.
‘What happened?’ She was desperate to know but then maybe he didn’t want to talk about it.
‘I just wanted to make sure he’d gone.’
She rubbed her thumb back and forth across the back of his hand as he carried on.
‘I wanted him to get on the bus to Worcester. He said that’s where he lives. I wanted to make sure he was leaving.’
He was looking at Patsy, willing her to understand.
‘And then he attacked you?’ she said gently.
He nodded but a tear slipped out of his good eye, betraying how he was really feeling. ‘I’m okay.’ He managed another smile but then closed his eyes for a minute while he squeezed her hand. ‘Nothing like that has ever happened to me before. It was terrifying.’
She nodded. ‘I know. I’m so sorry. I had no idea he was capable of anything like that.’ To anyone other than her.
‘You couldn’t have known.’
Patsy put her hand to his forehead again and began stroking it with her thumb, hoping that it would convey how she was feeling when her heart was too full to turn it into words.
‘I love you, Patsy,’ he murmured before dozing off.
He had said it. That was what she had wanted to say to him but even after everything that had happened, had worried that it was too soon.
‘I love you too.’ He was asleep which might be for the best. He wouldn’t remember that either of them had said it.
It was too soon.
But it was what she had needed to say to break the ball of emotion that had sat at the top of her chest ever since she’d realised he was missing last night.
