Minding Frankie - Maeve Binchy [64]
It was a few moments before he pulled himself together and called an ambulance.
Just as the train was pulling into Dublin, Moira got a text message on her cell phone.
There had been an accident. Frankie had cut her head. Noel had taken her to the A&E of St. Brigid’s Hospital, and he thought he should let Moira know.
She took the bus straight from the railway station to St. Brigid’s. She had known that this would happen, but she felt no satisfaction at being proved right. Just anger, a great anger that everyone else’s bleeding-heart philosophy said that a drunk and a flighty young girl could be left responsible for raising a child.
It had been an accident waiting to happen.
She found a white-faced Noel at the hospital. He was almost babbling with relief.
“They say it’s just a deep graze and she’ll have a bruise. Thank God! There was so much blood I couldn’t imagine what it was.”
“How did it happen?” Moira’s voice was like a knife cutting across his words.
“She rolled over when I was changing her and fell off the table,” he said.
“You let her fall from the table?” Moira managed to sound taken aback and full of blame at the same time.
“She hit the chair.… It sort of broke her fall.” Noel was aware of how desperate this sounded.
“This is intolerable, Noel.”
“Don’t I know that, Moira? I did the best I could. I called an ambulance straightaway and brought her here.”
“Why didn’t you get Dr. Carroll? He was nearer.”
“I saw all the blood. I thought it was an emergency and that he’d probably have to send her here anyway.”
“And where was your partner while all this was going on?”
“Partner?”
“Lisa Kelly.”
“Oh, she had to go out. She wasn’t there.”
“And why did you let the child fall?”
“I didn’t let her fall. She twisted away from me. I told you.…” Noel looked frightened and almost faint from the stress of it all.
“God, Noel, we’re talking about a defenseless baby here.”
“I know that. Why do you think I’m so worried?”
“So, what caused you to let her fall? That’s what it was—you let her fall. Was your mind distracted?”
“No, no, it wasn’t.”
“Did you have a little drink, maybe?”
“No, I did not have a little drink or a big drink, though by God I could do with one now. It put the heart across me and of course I feel guilty but now I have you yapping at me as if I threw the child on the floor.”
“I’m not suggesting that. I realize that it was an accident. I am just trying to work out how it happened.”
“It won’t happen again,” Noel said.
“How do we know this?” Moira spoke gently, as if she were talking to someone of low intelligence.
“We know because we are going to move the table up against the wall,” Noel said.
“And we didn’t think of this sooner?”
“No, we didn’t.”
“Can I have a word with Lisa when we get back to Chestnut Court? I’d like to go over some of the routines with her once more.”
“I told you, she’s gone away.”
“But she’ll be back, won’t she?”
“Not for a couple of days. Anton has been asked to take part in a celebrity chef thing in London and it’s going to be televised. He’s taking Lisa with him.”
“Is this Anton happy about his girlfriend living with you, do you think, Noel?”
“I never thought about it one way or the other. It suits her. He knows we aren’t a couple in that sense. Why do you ask?”
“It’s my business to make sure Frankie grows up in a stable household,” Moira said righteously.
“Yes, sure. Well, now that you’re here, will you help me get her to the bus stop?”
“How do you mean?”
“You know, open doors for me and things. I didn’t bring her pram, you see. I was afraid I wouldn’t get it into the taxi.”
Moira went ahead of him, opening doors and assisting him through the maze of corridors. He did seem concerned and worried about the child. Maybe this was the wake-up shock he needed. But she must be very firm with him. Moira had found over the years that firmness always paid off in the end.
· · ·
Noel didn’t want to let the baby out of his grasp.