Chapter Five
The specialist carehome Beth is living in is set in the beautiful grounds of what was once a manor house in South London. The place is stunning, with a long gravel drive that leads up to a white brick Edwardian building with sash windows and a bright red door. Daffodils and crocuses peek up through the well-kept lawn. Even though there is still a nip in the air, and it isn’t quite fully spring yet, some of the patrons are being wheeled outside by their nurses to enjoy the relatively warmday.
“It’s beautiful here,” I say as we pull into a parkingspace.
Hudson puts the car into neutral, pulls up the hand brake and turns the engine off. He places his hands on the wheel and leans his head against hisknuckles.
“It gets harder and harder to come here. It’s like a piece of Beth disappears each time. I missher.”
Hudson doesn’t often show vulnerability, my heart aches for him. “Hey, I’m here for you. Every time you visit Beth, I’ll come too. You don’t have to do this alone,” I say, rubbing my hand up and down hisback.
He sits up, facing me. “Thank you, baby.” He cups my face in his hands and presses a soft kiss against my lips. “God, I love you,” he murmurs against mymouth.
“And I love you,” I respond, pressing my lips back against his briefly. “Come on, let’s goinside.”
Getting out of the car, we walk up the steps to the front of the home. I can hear classical music playing as we enter the light and airy reception area. A woman in her fifties with a kind smile looks up at usboth.
“Afternoon, Hudson. We weren’t expecting you today, what a pleasantsurprise.”
“Apologies, Judy, I should’ve called ahead. We’re going on a business trip tomorrow for a few weeks and I wanted to see Beth before Iwent.”
“Oh no, that’s fine. Beth will be pleased to see you, I’m sure. She’s doing well today,” Judy says kindly. “You’ve brought a friend?” Her brown eyes linger on me, curious more thananything.
“This is Louisa, my girlfriend actually,” Hudson says, taking my hand inhis.
Judy gets up from behind the desk to greet me. She holds out her hand to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,Louisa.”
“You too, Judy,” I respond, taking her hand and squeezinggently.
“Beth is still in her room, she’s dressed. Daisy was just about to take her out for a walk in the grounds. Perhaps you’d like to do thatinstead?”
“Sure, we’d love to,” Isay.
“Right then, through you go.” Judy walks back behind the desk, leans over and presses a button. An internal door swings open. “See youlater.”
Hudson and I make our way to Beth’s room. Inside, it is more like a hotel than a care home. The halls are decorated a soft lemon and hanging on the walls are pretty landscape paintings. Underfoot are patterned tiles, similar to ones you might expect to find in a Moroccan home. A lovely scent permeates the place, there is no smell of ill healthhere.
“This place is nothing like I imagined it would be,” Isay.
“It’s designed to be more like a home from home. The health care that is provided here is discreet and kept mainly to the residents’ private rooms. We loved that about this place. Plus, all the staff are highly trained and incredibly caring. This is a vocation, not a job, for the people who workhere.”
We pass by a large floor-to-ceiling window providing a beautiful view of the garden beyond. Over the far side of the grounds I can see a large orangery, the sun glinting off the glass. It’s stunning. “I don’t think you could’ve picked anywhere better than here forBeth.”
“It’s the least I could do. I wish there was more. We’ve investigated all sorts of treatments, but there is nothing we can do for her.” Hudson stops outside a white door with a gold number 10 hanging on it. “Here we are,” he says. His hand is trembling. I must admit, my own anxiety levels are high. I really don’t know what to expect, but I must be strong for Hudson’s sake. He raps his knuckles on the doorlightly.
“Come in,” a voice calls frominside.
“Beth?” Isay.
“No, that’ll be Daisy, her carer. Beth doesn’t talk… at least she hasn’t said a word to me ever. I’m told she occasionally speaks in single words to others, but that’s been a more recent development.” His voice trails off at theadmission.
We enter the room. A young woman dressed in a light pink top and trousers greetsus.
“Hello Hudson, nice to see you again. Beth is out on the patio. She’s having a good day today,” the carer says, by way ofgreeting.
“Thank you, Daisy. This is Louisa, my girlfriend. I wanted to introduce her to Beth, if you think that’sokay?”
Daisy looks at me. She too has a sweet, open face. Her gentle blue eyes regard me with interest. “I think it will be fine. Let’s see how it goes, eh? Followme.”