Alice checked to see how Sean was doing. His face was pale and strained, and she knew that he was nervous about seeing Dara, who had finally come home from hospital. They had talked on the phone and texted each other over the past weeks, but she hoped that seeing each other again wouldn’t bring back bad memories of the car crash.
Catherine O’Loughlin rushed to open the door, flinging her arms around Sean and bursting into tears.
‘Sean Kinsella, I never thought that I’d see you walk back through that door again!’
Sean didn’t know what to say, and just hugged her back.
She led Sean and Alice into the sitting room, where Dara was on a leather armchair. Wearing jeans and a hoodie, he looked pale and very thin and fragile. Sean gave a whoop of joy and flung himself into his best friend’s arms.
Alice and Catherine discreetly retired to the kitchen where they could talk at their ease and leave their sons together.
Alice had made a dozen and half chocolate brownies, the type she knew Dara liked, and had brought them over.
‘Thanks Alice, they’re Dara’s favourites. I’ll make some coffee and give them into them.’
‘How is he?’ Alice asked.
‘Great … it’s so great to have Dara back home with us … but he’s changed. Sometimes I find him crying … thinking about it, going back over it! If only we hadn’t given him that bloody car for his birthday!’
‘That had nothing to do with it,’ reminded Alice. ‘It wasn’t Dara’s fault, you know that, Catherine.’
‘I know, but if he hadn’t been driving he would have been nowhere near where the accident happened that night.’
‘The truck driver, God rest him, had a massive heart attack. It was a freak accident, a one in a million. Dara and Sean had nothing to do with it!’
‘But our boys were there!’ Catherine insisted. ‘They were in the wrong place at the wrong time! Dara’s been so sick. We thought we’d lose him.’
‘I know,’ said Alice, reaching for her hand. ‘It’s been awful.’
‘He has liver problems, no spleen and has had most of his lower body crushed.’
‘He’s alive, they both are! Listen, they are laughing and joking. We got our sons back,’ Alice said encouragingly. ‘OK, so they are damaged, but they’re young, they’ll recover. Every day Sean is getting a bit better, and I’m sure that Dara is the same.’
An hour later Alice got ready to go. Sean was sitting in beside Dara, the two of them listening to one of their favourite bands on Dara’s iPod, and chatting away like old times.
‘I’ll drive him home in another two hours,’ promised Catherine. ‘We don’t want them to get overtired.’
‘It’s going to be Sean’s twenty-first in ten days,’ reminded Alice. ‘He’s not up to a big party yet, so we are just going to have a bit of a family dinner, but we would love it if you and Ciaran and Dara could come along, too.’
‘That sounds great,’ agreed Catherine. ‘We wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
At home Alice did a few things, including checking up on the menus for tonight’s class. Rob had put in a special request to learn how to make a proper shepherd’s pie, and she was also going to show them all how to make choux pastry and chocolate éclairs. Emmet had phoned her to ask if he could come over ahead of the others as he wanted to discuss his new business venture with her. He’d brought her along to see the empty shop, and Alice had had to agree it was an ideal spot for a café. Being an architect, he had all kinds of décor ideas, and he was such a perfectionist he was sure to get it right. She was happy to advise him on food and menus and equipment, and, from her own experience, what she thought he could do to make the café work.
Throwing off her shoes, she lazed back on the couch. As Lexy settled beside her Alex rang.
She liked the sound of his voice, and hoped that no one in his office was listening to their conversation as they arranged to join Joy and Fergus for a bite to eat in Gleesons tomorrow night – it was high time they all met up. They also made plans for a romantic night away on Saturday in Ardmore, in a beautiful hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant and views to die for.
‘And don’t forget the following Saturday we are having Sean’s twenty-first birthday dinner here. I’m dying to introduce you to everyone!’
Sean had already met Alex and had insisted she bring him along, as Liam would be bringing Elaine.