Brick by Brick

Part Thirty Four

Sitting back on the sofa she sighed, "I don't want to say goodbye...but I owe it to you to live life, to be happy, to create more for Eleanor. I'll talk to her about you every day, I promise, and I'll keep you in my heart forever. But I'll stop grieving you. I think you'd understand. At least I hope you would."

It was hard to lower the phone, to disconnect the call, but she had to close that door, as painful as it was.

Eleanor woke, and that made the aftermath of the morning, the emotions so much easier to deal with. Pulling out her phone again she deposited Ellie on the rug where she'd left her new toys from her grandfather and tried Joel's number.

He didn't answer, but then she hadn't expected him to, not really. Instead, she left him a message; she never normally did, in some ways as stubborn as him.

"Joel, it's me. There are just four days until Christmas. You said you were visiting. We really want you to come, but I haven't heard from you. I've reserved a tree at the local market but I can't carry it alone...you've been my knight in shining armour to date...so I've not got a plan B." She paused for a moment, "sorry, that's below the belt...but I really want to see you before you jet off on your trip. If you can't come, then call me? Please?"

She hated that she was begging, but she was that desperate.

Joel wished he had a bigger car. The tree was drooping in front of his windscreen and he could barely see the left side of the road ahead. Fortunately he only had a few hundred metres to drive. He'd been in the motorway service station when he'd checked his messages. Of course he was going to Cornwall for Christmas. He had nowhere else to go, but that wasn't the reason that he wanted to be there. So instead of arriving on Sammy's doorstep with arms full of gifts and a rather self deprecating and apologetic smile, he now had the suspiciously large Christmas tree to manoeuvre inside too.

Still as he got out of the car and untied the tree from the roof of his now scratched Audi, he felt optimistic. He hadn't treated Sammy fairly, but he hoped that she would understand. Her phone call gave him that hope.

Knocking the door, he wrestled to keep the monstrosity upright, and when the door opened he could only see the top of her hair.

"I got your tree," he offered parting the branches and peeking through it, "but I think it's too big for your house."

He could only see one side of her face, but that half of her mouth lifted into a grin, "I've got a garden shears in the shed?"

He laughed, "I think it might be needed, I mean it'll barely fit through the door bound as it is."

Stepping out of his way she encouraged him into the house, and then followed him to the lounge. The first thing he spotted was Eleanor under a blanket on the sofa watching In the Night Garden but when she spotted him, her interest in her favourite TV show was a thing of the past.

Joel had to rest the key against the door to the hallway in order to catch the toddling child in his arms, "hey darling girl."

As he kissed her chubby cheek, she smacked his other cheek and shouted, "O-L!"

It was as close to his name as she could get, and it made him smile. His heart swelled for that little girl. Her arms wrapped around his neck he turned around to see Sammy stood in the doorway watching them both, and if he wasn't mistaken there was a tear in at least one eye.

"I'm sorry, but disappearing like I did. I need to grow up."

She bit her lip for a moment considering that, then nodded, "yes you do."