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Back All You Need Is Love
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. OCTOBER
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. Acknowledgments
  53. More from Jessica Redland
  54. About the Author
  55. Also by Jessica Redland
  56. About Boldwood Books

‘They both know and they’ve been really supportive. Liv has already said that, if I wake up and can’t face it, I’m to give her a call and she can cover but I’m sure it won’t come to that for a long time. It’ll take more than a Parkinson’s diagnosis to hold me back.’

Poor Mum. She was putting on a brave face and she’d even tried to sound upbeat as she’d described her condition, but this had knocked her for six and I could tell she was struggling to cope with it. She’d always been a bundle of energy, balancing her valuing roles, bear-making, travel, the shop, and being a mum. If Parkinson’s was slowing her down, it followed that she was going to have to slow down her workload at some point. And she wasn’t going to like that. At all. I suspected that things were about to get very difficult.

11

Sam

‘Oh my God! I love Whitsborough Bay!’ Tania exclaimed, eyes shining with excitement. She was one of the nurses from the neurology department and she’d insisted I join her table in the crowded pub. She’d done a round of introductions but I’d already forgotten most of the names. I hated being the new guy.

‘My grandparents used to hire a static caravan there every summer and my brother and I would go and stay with them.’ She grinned at me. ‘You’re so lucky to have lived there.’

Lucky? I had been when Nikki had been with me. I smiled politely. Whenever I mentioned being from Whitsborough Bay, the response was always the same – gushing childhood memories like Tania’s or complete oblivion as to where it was.

‘My grandparents used to do the same,’ said another of the nurses. Ellen? Helen? Helena? Something like that. ‘I remember there being this pool when I was little which filled with seawater. It was freezing in there.’

‘I think it had closed down when we started going,’ Tania said. ‘I remember the slide pool, though.’

And then they were off, reminiscing about holidays spent in my hometown while I sat on the periphery wondering what the hell I was doing there.

It was a Friday night and nearly two weeks had passed since the wedding that wasn’t. That had been one seriously tough weekend. I’d always be grateful to my brother for being there and helping support me through it. I’m not sure what I’d have done if I’d been on my own. I’d known it was going to be hard but the outpouring of grief had been unexpected and overwhelming. And probably long overdue.