Chapter Text
January brings the cold, a cold that at times can enter your bones and refuse to leave. That must be what makes the Woolpack a welcome retreat even on a Thursday night. This is a village, not a student town so it might not be expected to be overly busy but there were quite a few in. Alex was working and Aaron, while seeking to convince himself he was not feeling relieved at that, was having a quiet drink by the fire.
He was soon joined by his uncle with a face that said there was no need for a conversation, he was sitting here to avoid having to talk to anyone else. In that regard uncle and nephew were quite similar at times. Chas was behind the bar and Vic was picking up plates from around the bar. He could not but help overhear her conversation with Bernice.
‘Well honestly he is just ok, Seb is keeping him on his toes and sleep is hard come by’
‘Gosh, and any sign of Rebecca waking up’
‘Not at the minute and of course he feels dead guilty about that, it’s all a bit much but we are doing our best for him, for them both…it’s just you know Robert he doesn’t say much well not to me anyway’.
Aaron listened and took a sip from his pint. He looked up to cee Cain looking intently at him.
‘You alright?’
‘I’m fine but I think there is someone who might need a hand’
‘It’s not that flippin busy’
‘I’m not talking about here’. Aaron follows his uncle’s nod to where Vic is.
‘He was in the other evening and said he didn’t want to chat’
‘He may not want to but I reckon he needs to, he needs a mate to step up’, Cain got up and tapped Aaron on the shoulder.
‘What did you say to rush Aaron out of here?’, Chas asked as Cain reached the bar.
‘I told him he may have a friend who needs him’
‘Adam is God knows where though’
‘I wasn’t talking about Adam’
‘Cain, I’m not sure that’s a good idea’
‘Well I am, Robert needs a mate and Aaron is that’
‘Just so long as that is how it stays’
‘Sis, I love you, and I love that lad, you know that. He is an adult now and we need to trust him and support him in what he decides what to do’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean that the doc might be a nice guy but Aaron will never feel for him the way he does about Robert. Believe me I know what I’m talking about, now mine is another pint’.
oOo
Seb had finally decided that sleep was as good an option as trying to scream the house down. He had managed to go through five changes of clothes today and Robert was just sitting on the couch when he heard the knock on the door. He moaned inwardly but having smelt himself earlier felt that if it were Diane he might grab the chance to have a shower.
‘Aaron’
‘Hey’
‘What…I mean is there something wrong? Is Liv ok?, it’s not Adam…?’
‘Only thing wrong is I’m freezing me whatsitts here so can I come in?’
‘Of course’, Robert stood aside and Aaron walked into the house.
He looked around the living room and tried to hide his astonishment. The place looked like a bomb had exploded. If the Mill had ever been like this Robert would have had a fit.
‘Haven’t had a chance to tidy, Seb is just gone down, sorry’, he frantically cleared a space on the armchair.
Aaron sat down and looked at Robert who he had never seen as haggard in his life.
‘So how are things?’
‘Good’
Aaron looked at him and Robert smiled.
‘Well not really, but I can’t complain. It takes getting used to, a lot of getting used to really and I just don’t think I’m up to it. Plus I feel so guilty for being the reason they were in the car in the first place. I keep replaying Chrissie in my mind, I just do not know’
‘I know I’ve said this before Rob but this was not your fault, it was an accident, an awful accident. They were going to be going to the airport anyway so it could still have happened’
‘Yeah, look would you like a brew?’
‘I will but I think you might need to freshen up, maybe do that and we can have it then’
‘Are you saying I smell?’, Robert smiled.
‘I’m saying you look like you need hot water running over you to keep you going’
Aaron looked around the living room and realised suddenly that Seb was in the pram. He looked in and saw him close up for the first time. He was like Rebecca in places but he had his father’s eyes and nose for sure.
‘Looks like you are a miniature version of the wrecking ball that is your Dad eh? Little man?’
He smiled to himself and realised it was the first time that he didn’t get a massive knot in his stomach when thinking of Seb. He set to work trying to put a shape on the kitchen. He knew Robert would take a long shower so he had time.
‘Aaron, wow, you didn’t have to, thanks’, Robert looked round a tidy kitchen.
‘No worries, I….I wasn’t sure how to work the steriliser or I’d have done the bottles too’
‘I’ll do them now and then we can have that brew, there’s a few chocolate biscuits around somewhere’
They were standing close to each other now. Aaron could get the familiar scent, he’d recognise it anywhere and he had a few bottles of the shower gel in the Mill still.
‘I see you can still afford the shower gel then’
‘Just about mate, let me tell ya, just about’
Robert sat on the couch and Aaron sat next to him. They had the tea dipping the biscuits in carefully as they had so many times before. There was a relaxed silence in the room.
‘You know you are doing a good job Robert’
‘I really am not’
‘You are, that little lad over there is being looked after, so what if the place is a tip from time to time, that’s the way it is. It was the same when Leo was a baby and there were two of them and even I helped out looking after him. It is normal.’
‘Leo had his Mum’
‘And Seb will too, she will get better’
‘She may not’
‘True enough but you can deal with that if you have to.’
‘Sorry, you shouldn’t have to listen to this’
‘Robert, look like you said once you have to be there for everyone. Well I told you that I would be a good friend, and good friends are there for people. I’m here and I care’
‘I don’t deserve it’
‘You do’
They looked at TV for about an hour. It was easy, Aaron recognised that it was easier than some evenings with Alex and he tried not to feel guilty about that.
‘How are things with Alex?’
‘Huh?’, Aaron was not expecting that.
‘Alex, how are things, maybe it’s not my place to ask but we are mates, I’m not being smart’
‘They’re good, he’s busy and stuff.’
‘Good, I see him at the hospital at times, he always says hello and is friendly, not that I deserve it’
‘You do’
‘Ah, I think he might disagree given the way I treated him’
‘That was a while ago in fairness Robert, he got me a cool birthday present’
‘Yeah what was it?’.
Aaron looked at him, he was doing a good job for sure and anyone who didn’t know him would never have guessed that Robert had been the one who had guided Alex to the tickets.
‘Friends don’t tell fibs Robert, you know what it was and thanks’
Robert nodded and smiled.
‘Nature calls’.
As soon as Robert had left Seb began to gently whinge. Aaron looked around the room quickly.
‘Ssh Seb, pal, Daddy will be back soon’
Seb was oblivious to the reassurances and began to steadily wail.
‘Ok, ok come here then’, Aaron gently lifted him from the pram.
‘Now, is that better, eh it is. Wow you are just like your Daddy aren’t you, happy once you get what you want. Don’t tell him I said that though, that will be our secret, won’t it?’
Aaron didn’t hear Robert coming down stairs. Robert stood at the door for a few seconds seeing the man he loved gently talking to his son, a sight that filled him with competing joy and sadness. Aaron turned around suddenly.
‘He was a little upset, I lifted him, is that…is that ok?’
‘Of course it is, you’re god with him’
‘Hey I can always pacify babies even grown ones’
‘Oi, don’t be talking like that about me in front of him’
‘You do know that he does not understand what we are saying, yeah?’
‘He’s clever though, aren’t you little boy?’
Seb had nodded off again and Robert took the chance to bring him upstairs. When he came down they had another cuppa and exchanged the news on Joe Tate.
‘Looks like I’m no longer Dingle enemy number one so’
‘No, you have not been for a long time, in fact you might be called on for assistance’
‘Me?’
‘Yeah, me gran reckons you could be useful in playing him at his own game’
‘I thought you left this kind of thing to family’
‘We do, but sometimes we let friends join in and you are a friend’
‘Reckon I am, think I’d rather enjoy linking with Faith’
They nodded, both not saying what they were feeling, both trying to ignore the connection that went deeper than friendship. A connection made of memories. Intense memories. These were what accompanied their sleep that night, a lay-by, a garage, the boot of a car, a freezing lake, shouting matches, tears and an unshakable feeling that despite everything friends may just not be enough.