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“Hey Vick, I was thinking of going out with the kids today, is that okay? Did you want to come?”
Vicky’s voice was muffled through the phone. He could hear someone moving around and laughing in the background. Vicky tried shushing them, telling them to ‘give her a sec’ but to no avail; she wasn’t going to make them do anything when she was laughing along with them.
“Uh yeah Dave, that would be great actually. I was just about to call you. Luke was going to take me somewhere today and I wanted to know if you were free.”
The penny dropped. The person laughing in the background was this Luke guy. “Oh, aye, sure Vick. Is that him? Is he there?” It wasn't jealousy that David felt, not exactly. He was happy that Vicky found someone, truly, he was. But it felt desperately unfair that everyone else should be so happy when he’d lost the one person that loved him in that way. The kids loved him, so did Vicky in her own way and his parents, but they had all been walking on eggshells ever since he came home from Afghanistan. Julia never did, she just took it all in her stride and accepted him for what he was. But she was gone now, and he was left with even more trauma to work through.
That’s why he called Vicky. He was trying to work through it all. Enough time had passed that he felt he finally could. He wanted to give being a proper Dad another go, he wanted to try co-parenting with Vick again. He thought he’d start with the things he could do and then move towards the things he couldn’t right now. Most days he tried not to think about her, even though loving Julia was one of his greatest joys. He tried not thinking about any of it. Not the Blackwood, or Thornton Circus, or St Matthew’s, or the long slow walk to the park with a bomb strapped to his chest. Remembering hurt too much, let alone talking about it. He’d get there eventually. He’d been seeing a therapist, Kate her name was, and she’d given him some exercises to do whenever he felt panicky. She knew Julia actually, her husband practiced law with Julia before her meteoric rise to politics. It was strangely comforting, talking to someone who knew her before she became the Right Honourable Julia Montague. Kate only knew about their professional relationship though, so he wondered what she’d have to say when she learned they were so much more. He’d worry about that later though, it was his time to be a dad now.
“Dave don’t be weird about it,” came Vicky’s voice through the phone, “you know I’m seeing someone.”
“No no, it’s fine. I was just wondering if you needed me there sooner is all.” Not entirely a lie. He did genuinely want to know if he needed to be there soon, but he couldn’t deny the spike of curiosity that shot through him with the knowledge that this Luke was there spending time with his kids. Was he a nice guy? How did he treat Vicky? Were they serious? He supposed he’d just have to trust Vicky’s judgement.
“Oh um okay. Well yeah, if you’re free you can come over now.”
David was already in the car.
It wasn’t a long drive to Vicky’s house. When he got out of the car, the kids ran towards him and hugged him tight. Vicky was waiting in the doorway, handbag slung over her shoulder. A man was standing behind her, he looked kind enough. David walked up the footpath and was introduced to the new boyfriend, he didn’t hang around through, and ushered the kids towards the car.
The kids were chatty, which made for a huge difference from the silent, tear filled car drives they had before. They seemed happy and healthy, and that's all David could ask for. He’d been scared that everything that happened to him and their family would somehow damage them, but that didn’t seem to be the case. He felt a massive rush of relief, he wouldn’t have been able to cope if the events of the past couple months had damaged his kids as much as it damaged him.
They were headed to a cafe the kids liked, apparently the staff there added marshmallows and cream to their hot chocolates, so naturally it was the little Budd’s favourite place to go.
The only part that worried David was that he had to drive by the hospital to get there. He hadn’t been anywhere near that place since the afternoon Julia… left him. He tried to keep his cool, to not let the kids know he was upset. They’d think it was their fault when it was anything but.
He swallowed and focused on his breathing, just as his therapist had told him to. He could feel his heart rate start to slow down back to a normal rhythm. He’d have to make sure he told Kate her techniques were working. They were just driving along the front of the hospital when David felt his heart skip a beat. A black jaguar pulled out in front of them. David knew that car, he knew the number plates off by heart. It was the same make and model used for ministers.
“Hey guys, we just have to make a stop first okay? We’ll get our hot chocolates later,” he told the kids. He glanced at them in the rear-view mirror to gauge their reactions, but they didn't seem bothered.
He kept close tabs on the car, being careful not to stay too close but not to be so far away so as to lose it in the busy London traffic. He dipped and swerved amongst the traffic. He was pleased to note that the new driver was good, always careful to keep changing lanes and to stay away from heavily populated areas. He made it difficult to follow, but David was a man on a mission. He had to see if his suspicions were proven correct.
His palms started to sweat the closer they got to Battersea. It was happening, but he was so confused. He followed the car as it drove alongside Battersea park. David’s breath was coming in short sharp bursts now. He slowed down as the jaguar parked at the curb. David decided to park a few houses away on the opposite side of the road. David told the kids to stay where they were and that he’d be back in a second. He got out of the car and walked slowly up the street towards Overstrand Mansions. He tried to keep calm, it could be her ex-husband coming to tie things up for all he knew. He watched as the front passenger door opened and a protection officer stepped out and walked swiftly around the back of the car to open the back door. A white sneaker appeared, and then another. Then a couple of crutches followed suit. Julia, very much alive although looking worse for wear, slowly got out of the car, refusing the helping hand her protection officer offered her. She stepped gingerly towards the front gate, more than ready to finally be inside her own home. He hastened forward, not even stopping to think that she was surrounded by security. He couldn’t lose her. He had to make sure that she was real, that she was okay, that she… still loved him.
She was almost at the front door when he finally made it to the gate. Her protection officers pounced and he felt strong hands pin his arms behind his back, stopping him from going any farther. It didn’t matter that these POs had known him for years and that he was her former PO, to them, he still posed a threat to their principal. Julia didn’t turn back to look at them. He was sure she heard the scuffle though because she stopped at the door, waiting to be told what to do by her POs.
He had to say something.
“Love?” His voice came out strangled and broken, but it was strong enough to carry over the distance between them.
Julia finally turned at the sound of his voice although it was slow and awkward with her crutches. Her eyes were filled with tears and a watery smile stretched across her face. “You can let him go,” she said to her POs. He jogged up the footpath and met her at the door. His hands reached for her face, desperate to feel her, to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Tears were streaming down his face and he struggled to speak. He hugged her instead, as tightly as he dared without hurting her, and kissed her hair.
“I’m here. I didn’t think you’d find me after everything. They told me you thought I was dead,” she spoke into his chest.
“I didn’t know what to think. I’m so glad I did find you! I love you, you know that don’t you? After all this time, I love you.”
She laughed, and cried. She was overwhelmed with it all. She started the day just glad that she could go home, never had she thought that David would come running back into her life again.
“I love you too.” She kissed him then, long and deep. And when she pulled away she looked at her POs. “You weren’t supposed to hear that,” she said to them.
“Yes Ma’am.”