Christian was delighted to hear of his mother's plan for Linda and supported it whole heartedly. He considered moving his family into Linda's house for the time that she was away. Isabelle was totally up for it even though she would have to work in the day, it would be a little holiday for them too as Ekero was so beautiful
It would make a change from living in the city. Christian had no intention of invading his mother's privacy, he was aware that she was at her most private when heading into treatment but he wanted to be there for her if she did need anything or Frida needed a break. He could also use the time to work on an overdue software upgrade for the security system. He felt the need to do so as Frida and Mama would be alone there sometimes when he was at work. His thoughts also led him to the fact that he needed to teach Frida how to use the system, she would need to get in and out. He frowned at his realisation that she wouldn't have been able to get out for the whole time she had already been here. He tutted in irritation at his lack of consideration. He would go over today and sort that out.
He called his Mama to let her know he would come and bring the baby as Frida had not met her yet but she did not answer, he decided it would be a surprise and he smiled widely as he got off the phone and made preparations to leave for Ekero. It was a 50 minute drive from his flat. He hadn't seen Aunty Frida yet so was much looking forward to it. He was glad she came. Linda said it had made such a difference to Mama. He was looking forward to seeing it.
The drive to Ekero went smoothly but he could not help the wave of impatience as he saw the crowd of people at the gates. He punched his gate code into the pad in his car once he was close enough. The gates started to swing open and he became aware of him in his peripheral vision. He rolled his eyes THAT one was persistent. He did not see the man that was causing the most concern though and that bothered him in itself. He resolved to check the camera feeds once he got in. As he edged the truck forward he could see people moving forward as the gate opened. This was a vulnerable point that he needed to address. He pushed the button for the gates to shut as he got the truck in but it was still blocking their access. He then moved the truck out of the way of the gates as they closed. No intruders this time but Frida shouldn't have to cope with that. He was glad now he was coming to stay. Clearly he needed to sort out a secondary gate system so that one gate closed before the other opened. He decided he would change his mind and work from home for the week he was here, then he could focus on Mama and a proper security upgrade.
The time that these thoughts had taken found him pulling to a stop in front of Mama's house. Luckily her house and Linda's was far from the road so couldn't really be seen. He hopped out of the truck and was finally relaxed. He waved at the nearest camera in case Mama was watching then got Nike out of the back and all her bits and pieces. She must have been watching, he grinned as he watched the front door fly open and Mama run down the steps with her arms outstretched. "Christian!!! This is a lovely surprise!!! I'm so happy to see you! Why didn't you call?" Agnetha chided happily. "Because then Mama, it would not have been a surprise would it?" Christian pointed out laughing. Agnetha stretched her arms out for the giggling baby. "and here is my darling, she kissed and hugged the baby and turned to carry her indoors. "Frida?? Frida?? Come quickly" Agnetha carolled happily. Frida came at a run wondering what was happening. When she realised who was here she was delighted but said to Anna "I'm too old for that shit Anna. I thought something had happened to you!" She got her breath back then greeting Christian with a massive hug and a kiss. "God, it's been too long! I'm so pleased to see you darling" " Likewise Aunty Frida, I couldn't be happier that you are here" murmured Christian. They had a long hug and then Frida went to look at the baby in Anna's arms. "Oh my goodness, aren't you just the sweetest little thing!! Gosh Anna, she looks like Christian at that age doesn't she?" Agnetha agreed totally. " Yes and look at Christian!" she smiled. "He used to look like me when he was younger, now he just looks totally like Bjorn did at that age" Frida looked up at Christian and laughed "yeah, no doubt at all who's genetics are in you!! It's like looking at a clone" They all laughed.
Later after catching up over cake and tea Christian had settled Nike in the spare room for a nap and they were all sat outside on the veranda and Christian said "Mama, I'm going to move into Linda's while she's away, it's not to keep an eye on you at all. You know that but just so I'm here if you need me. I want to take the opportunity to upgrade the security system again and we need to show Aunty Frida how to use it, to be honest Mama, we could do with the break from the city if that's ok with you." "Oh Christian I'd love that its been so long since you've stayed here but I didn't send Linda on holiday for a break just for you to feel you had to look after me!" "Mama I don't, I have things I need to do here, we need a change of scene. We won't disturb you, we'll just be here if you want us" Agnetha smiled, delighted. "As long as I'm not a burden, I'd love it. You might not see much of me though for the first few days. I usually feel terrible and I'm horrible to everyone" "I know Mama, it never matters and you'll never be a burden do you understand? You're my Mama and I love you. It'll never matter how 'horrible' you are or how ill you are I love you" There was a silence after that. "Thank you" was all that Agnetha could manage to say.
Agnetha wasn't feeling very hungry so they had a small lunch later on in the afternoon, she settled on the sofa with the baby watching a Disney movie on the tv. Christian took the opportunity to teach Frida how to access the security system and he impressed upon her the importance of making sure that the compound remain secure. She asked about the level of danger Agnetha was facing. " We have several that we know of, I've never seen them interact with each other though. There's nothing at this time that can be officially done so we keep security tight. There are letters often with major threats included but nothing concrete. That's all I can tell you. They try to breach the fences regularly. For now all police can offer us is an exclusion zone" Christian sighed and said "we comply with everything that is suggested to us by them. I upgrade the system as often as necessary. It's not enough but it has to be" Frida patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Ok, run it through with me once more and get me coded" she teased. Armed with all her new knowledge and able to work the doors, the gates and the shutters she felt much more in control.
They went to check on Agnetha and found her fast asleep with the baby, Christian gently took the baby and Frida covered Anna with a blanket. They left the room quietly and settled in the conservatory. "Aunty Frida, she doesn't deserve this life. She has done nothing but love, maybe too much it's true but she deserves to be free, not cooped up in here. What if she can't beat this? What if we lose her? It's not fair!" Christian voiced his deepest fears. Frida felt his heartache and realised what a difficult position both he and Linda were in. "Now Christian, listen to me. Your mother will beat this, she has much to live for. She won't give up. You know that." Frida said firmly. "She has one more round of chemo after this. She's over the worst. She's been doing this for over a year. I know how you feel, I really do. She needs us now. She needs to sing and be Agnetha Faltskog again" Christian looked at her and saw the fire of total conviction in her eyes and felt comforted. "What she also needs Aunty Frida is Papa".
"Christian, it isn't wise to meddle with such things. Your parents have always had a complicated relationship and it's not for me to tell you. I can't deny that your Mama loves Bjorn deeply. You know this to be true already. It is that love that drives her to do the things she has done. "I know" Christian sighed. "I'm always telling Linda to leave her be, to leave them be, that we don't know how they were. It just pains me that they are both so unhappy without each other" Frida frowned. "I haven't seen Bjorn for a while, since the anniversary last year. Is he that unhappy?" "Yes" was Christian's short answer. "He told Mama he was coming to Ekero for her. When does her next round start? Did Linda say Monday through to Friday? Every day?" "Frida got up and went to get her diary. "Yes, Linda told me we must be there at 0830 every day so he can't come next week." "Do we know when Linda is leaving or where she is going?" asked Christian. "No, it was a surprise to her so when she left she was going to talk to Jens and the kids" Christian needed to run over anyway and ask if it was ok if he stayed in her house while she was away so he said "I'll run over and have a chat with her now"
Frida went to check on Agnetha and she was still sleeping peacefully on the sofa. Good, let her be she thought. She needs as much as sleep as she can get.
A while later Christian came back with Linda and the kids by which time Agnetha was stirring and Nike was getting hungry.
Linda had bought with her an enormous casserole and the kids were carrying extra bits and pieces between them. Jens was on his way, he was just finishing a phonecall. Christian was carrying an gigantic pan of mashed potatoes. Agnetha was awakened by chatter and laughter and she smiled happily, eyes still closed as she listened. The smell of beef stew with dumplings was enough to get her off the sofa and she followed the noise to the kitchen where everyone was crashing about laying tables and sorting plates. "Guys, this is a wonderful surprise! I'm so happy" she said. She settled down at the table with Frida opposite her and Linda and Christian on either side of her. "How come you're all here? Not that I'm complaining!" "Well Mama, we all have a lot to chat about and share so we thought we would do it over dinner. I was just about to serve up when Christian came hammering on the door. We just eked it out a bit.
So there they sat around the table chattering and arguing with one another. Talking about plans and holidays. They didn't talk about Agnetha's treatment, that wasn't a conversation that was had in front of the children. Agnetha was delighted to hear of Linda's plans to go on a roadtrip with Jens and the kids. Apparently there were a number of places that they had been planning to for a while and they had worked them all into one trip, Christian talked of their plans to stay at Ekero with Linda's blessing and his plans for the upgrade of the security system. The children were so excited. It was decided that Linda and her family were leaving early on the Sunday morning and Christian would come with his crew before they left.
Agnetha couldn't have been more content having her family all around her, she was at peace but she was aware that there was always going to be a hole in her heart and an unoccupied space at the family table. That space belonged to Bjorn.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Christian saying. "So Mama, on Sunday morning I will bring Papa with me. It is the best time." She swore then that her heart stopped dead. "Christian, you can't, it's not safe for him! I'm not ready to see him" she looked round the table looking for support, Linda said "Mama, he'll be fine. Here is the safest place for him to come. Has it occured to you that here he will also feel safe and relax? He never is relaxed because Lena is always yelling at him or telling him off" That thought stopped Anna in her tracks. "Mama, he told you he will come for you. He wants to see you as much as you want to see him. We told you how we would get him in" Agnetha was torn. "But, but I'm not ready" she stammered. Frida leaned over the table and stroked Agnetha's hand soothingly. "Anna, you've been ready for decades, you just can't admit it. He would break those gates down for you and you know it. You'll never think you're ready. But you are and if you don't you'll regret it" Linda smiled and added."Mama, he needs to see for himself that you are safe and well. Well,you know what I mean. You've cut him off for years. Don't let him down now" Agnetha hesitated. She suddenly wanted to see Bjorn more than she'd wanted anything for so long. She wanted to see him sat around the table with all of them. "Mama?" Christian said quietly so that the older children wouldn't hear him "he needs you as much as you need him, won't you understand that he has no peace? It isn't my place to say, he must tell you himself but Ekero could be as safe for him as it is for you"
"I'd like that" she said quietly "I do want him to come. I do" she sighed gently as she finally admitted it not just to herself but everyone else in the room.
Every one started to drift away a short time later, the children were tired and Agnetha was exhausted. Frida sat with her on the sofa for a while."I'm so scared Frida. I'm scared of everything. I'm scared that I won't win this battle, I'm scared that Bjorn will hate me for not speaking to him, I'm scared that he'll get hurt or worse, I'm scared that I'll disappoint him, I'm scared for you. I've been selfish, what if you get hurt" "Anna, you have to stop this, we've been over and over this. I am here because I choose to be. I want to be here with you. We've faced far worse together. Christian keeps us safe. I know the dangers and I accept them as do your children and grandchildren. We have to trust. We are here because we want to be and because we need to be. Bjorn too, he deserves to come here even if you never tell him about your illness you two need to spend time with each other."Frida told Agnetha firmly. "While we are on the subject, I want to see Benny, I need to see Benny. There's something wrong with him and it's time I found out what it is he's hiding" Of her own volition Agnetha said gently, "then you must bring him here, you could use the guest house down by the beach if you need to, just don't tell him about me"
And just like that, after decades of impenetrability the emotional defences of Ekero began to fall.
