Autumn passed in happy domesticity and Ellie found herself anticipating the joys of a family Christmas, taking Sam to meet Father Christmas, the decorations and the presents. Unable to remember her son’s first Christmas, she consoled herself with thinking he’d been only a few months old and wouldn’t have understood the excitement of the festivities. However, this year he would certainly be more aware and his parents were determined to make it the best celebration ever.
By mid-November, Ellie had compiled lists for every aspect of Christmas and was firmly set on being super-organised well before the big event. A trip to York Designer Outlet at Fulford was planned with Grace, a girls’ day out, so Phil would be left in charge of their son. It was a day to purchase presents, to put a tick beside many names on her list, and Ellie was intent on enjoying every moment.
The centre was amazing, already decked out for Christmas with giant baubles sparkling from the high ceilings, an enormous tree and a grotto, ready and waiting for the big man himself, who was not yet in residence. Fairy lights adorned every pillar, creating a bright and sparkling magical setting, the mood designed to enchant and encourage shoppers to part with their money.
Their first stop was for coffee and a good chat to catch up with Grace. Now that Ellie was settled at home, they didn’t see each other quite as regularly as before, so there was always much to talk about.
‘Has Josephine decided if she’s coming for Christmas?’ Grace inquired.
‘She has, yes, and I’m delighted. I know things were strained at first but I really like her, Mum, and am so looking forward to seeing her again.’
‘And has she had any thoughts about staying in Spain or coming home?’
‘She’s staying in Spain, at least for the foreseeable future. Josephine’s been remarkably prudent in her decisions and is taking her time over them. For now, her life is in Spain, she and Jim made so many friends, and naturally she’s reluctant to leave them. It could be she’ll change her mind in the future, but Josephine’s still relatively young, very fit, and certainly enjoys the lifestyle over there. We’ve promised to go over in February, which is something to look forward to after Christmas and we often speak on Skype. It’s so important for Sam to know his other grandma.’
‘I’m glad you’re getting on well, you always did, you know, and with Jim too. He was a lovely man, Josephine must miss him dreadfully. But come on, we can’t spend the day gossiping. There are presents to buy and your dad’s credit card’s burning a hole in my pocket!’ Grace laughed and they set off to begin the serious task of shopping.
Even for a Wednesday, the stores were busy; it appeared everyone was intent on getting a head start on their Christmas shopping. Of course, the big temptation for both women was to look at toys and clothes for Sam, but Ellie was determined not to spend too much on him, he wanted for nothing, and she was conscious of having only one salary coming into the house. Grace didn’t wish to spoil her grandson either but couldn’t resist some cute dungarees and a matching shirt.
‘Oh, they make such lovely things for children these days!’ she exclaimed, hiding the price tag from her daughter. Ellie smiled; her mother would buy what she wanted; protesting was futile. Grace joined the queue at the checkout to pay for the dungarees on which she’d set her heart. While Ellie waited, she browsed some more practical items which her son needed, pyjamas and vests, he was growing so quickly and clothes didn’t seem to fit him for very long. As she compared sizes, her attention was caught by a commotion near the till. Turning to see what was happening, Ellie was horrified to see Grace sprawled full length on the floor, unconscious.
‘Mum!’ She ran to the till and knelt beside her mother. ‘Do you have a first-aider?’ she asked the assistant who was standing with her mouth open. A supervisor appeared and took charge, checking Grace’s pulse and asking what had happened. Ellie could tell her nothing but the lady who’d been next to her in the queue told them she just appeared to faint.
‘Call an ambulance,’ the supervisor instructed the till girl, who finally jumped into action. Grace moaned and opened her eyes.
‘What happened?’ she asked.
‘You fainted, Mum,’ Ellie answered, ‘Are you hurt?’
‘No, I don’t think so. Where are we?’ she asked, puzzled at all the fuss. Ellie looked at the supervisor, silently asking her opinion.
‘I think we need the paramedics; your mum was out for more than a couple of minutes and seems a little confused. What’s her name?’
‘Grace.’ Ellie felt useless and was trembling with shock.
‘Grace, do you think you can stand up and we’ll find you a chair somewhere a little less crowded?’
‘I don’t need a chair. Where’s Derek?’ she said, really scaring her daughter then. Finally, a chair was found in a changing room which offered a degree of privacy. The supervisor, a competent lady, stayed with them until the paramedics arrived twenty minutes later. Grace’s confusion was a concern, but the calm way the paramedics assessed the situation and took over reassured Ellie.
‘Can you tell me where you live, Grace?’ the younger paramedic, who introduced herself as Jane, asked.
‘In Spain, of course, but where am I now?’
Jane looked at Ellie who shook her head briefly. ‘And who’s this with you, love?’
Grace studied her daughter for a moment before smiling and saying, ‘It’s my daughter!’
Ellie breathed a sigh of relief to hear her mother say those words. She waited anxiously for Jane and her colleague, Gavin, to finish their assessment. It seemed to take an age.
‘I think we need to take her to hospital for a few tests. We can do an ECG in the ambulance and the results will go straight through to A&E. Do you want to come with her in the ambulance?’ Gavin asked.
‘Yes, of course.’ Ellie thought of her car, but knew she could get Phil to run her back later to pick it up. She had no intention of leaving her mother’s side.
The patient was lifted onto a wheeled chair and pushed, protesting, through the shopping centre and out to the car park. Once inside the ambulance, the paramedics examined Grace more thoroughly and prepared an ECG as promised.
‘What do you think it is?’ Ellie hardly dared to ask.
‘Too early to say, love, but not to worry, she seems to be perking up already.’ It was true, colour was returning to Grace’s cheeks, and she managed to smile, pulling a face as if it was all a lot of fuss about nothing. Then, in about fifteen minutes, they set off to the hospital, a place Ellie wasn’t keen to see again, but there was no way she was going to leave her mother’s side.