You Promised

Chapter Twenty Nine

A few weeks pass, the days blur together so that time is meaningless. Jayne improves in hospital and we are told that she can come home soon. Henry spends his time with her, helping her try and stand and generally recover. Anna and Thomas are gone away to London with Mrs. Greene who wants to be away from the "stress" of being here.
I lie in bed, twirling my fingers between my fingers and humming Adam's favourite song. My bedroom door creaks open with a small knock. I peep over the covers and smile as blonde ringlets bounce their way to my bedside.
'Morning Lily!' I say sleepily. 'What are you doing here?'
Her little blue eyes peep over my bed. 'Is it true Ami? Will you be my sister?'
I beam at her and help her sit on the bed next to me. She starts playing with my fingers as I answer her with a delighted nod. She pauses to consider this for a moment before slowly nodding along with me. 'Does this mean we'll share bedroom? Because Mary shares room with her sister.'
I smile again. 'No dearest. I won't be sharing room with you because I'll be married to your brother so I'll share with him.'
She nods, clearly happy that this makes sense in her crazy ten-year-old mind before shuffling down under the blankets beside me. She pokes her forehead over the duvet before grabbing my teddy bear from the pillow. She scoots back underneath the covers and soon all I can see of her is tuft of blonde hair peeping up from under a blanket.
I hear movement from downstairs, followed by a muffled complaint from Jenny which is thankfully unheard through the floorboards. I sit up and snatch the covers away from Lily. She shrieks and frantically searches for the blankets.
'Ami.' She moans sadly, burying her face in the side of my bear. I grab her under the arms and haul her downstairs.
'John? Could you mind Lily for a moment?' I holler into the kitchen.
'Your baby not mine.' John shouts back.
'I'm not a baby!' Lily screams.
'She's not mine John.' I say, trying to silence Lily's cries of indignation as I drop her on John's knee. His threatening echoes up the hall as I go back into my bedroom. I quickly prepare myself for my day before going downstairs to relieve my brother.
'No Lily, don't put that on my face please.' John feigns patience as he gently passes her to me. I laugh before setting her down so I can make breakfast. 'Ami, come here for a minute.' John calls. I come back into the room to see him holding a letter in the air while little Lily tries to jump for it.
'It's from my brother so it's mine.' She tries to explain to John before I snatch it from his hand. My fingers push through the envelope and clutch the letter inside. I slowly draw it out. On the edge of the letter, there is a Red Cross with letters around it. I squint to make out the letters but most of them are faded and all that I can make out is 'Military Hospital.'

My darling Ami,
I know you are worrying right now. Stop it. I hope you are well and I want to let you know that I am too. That explosion only grazed me. (That was a bad joke). Seriously I am alright. A mine went off near our trench and several of us got hit by shrapnel, I'm not the worst off, believe me. I long you see you Ami, I keep remembering the night we sat outside your house and danced under the stars. There are no stars here Ami but at least I can think of that night, some men here don't have memories of the ones they love.
I should be out of here within the week, I think they're worried that I may have hit my head or something. Aside from a headache there's nothing wrong with me. The man in the bed beside me in the ward is seriously injured. His arm was amputated yesterday and he keeps forgetting about it and trying to reach for things, then he starts screaming about bombshells and his unfortunate comrades and then the nurses rush in to try and calm him.
I hope that you are getting these letters my love, I have sent one every second day since I arrived here but apparently there was a mail problem yesterday so it may not have been sent. I'm probably glad that you didn't get it, it was pretty much the same as this one and I don't want you to get bored with me.
Please respond to me darling. I love you more than anything and I hope that everyone is well on the other side of the channel.
Love always,
Your Adam xx

My heart floats out of my mouth and back to its proper place in my chest. I peep open my eyes to see John grinning at me. 'Good news?'
I hum in contentment. 'Oh yes.' I breathe. I rest my head on my interlocked fingers and say a quick prayer of thanks. The letter is dated almost a week ago, but it relaxes me even so.
I rush into Father's study to get some paper to write him a return letter. I scribble for what feels like an hour. Finishing with,

Well, the post leaves at 12.30 and I don't want to miss it.
I love you my dearest darling,
Your soon-to-be missus,
Ami xxx

P.S please don't write poetry as some others do!

Satisfied, I run down the dusty street with Lily, hand in hand to the post box. I sweep her off her feet so she can slide the letter into the box. We saunter around the centre of the village for a while, laughing and pointing at various things in shop windows.
The sky's fleecy clouds vanish to be replaced by ominous heavy clouds that sink below the skyline as I drop Lily back to her house where she's being looked after by her aunt.
I head home, repeating Adam's words in my head as I go. I'm struggling to imagine his soothing voice saying his loving words. I can see however, all too vividly the mine exploding in a burning shower of fire and death around him, flinging him backwards against the wall and his beautiful face cringing in pain.
I shake my head, as though the physical action could push out the horrid thoughts. When I get home, tea is then drunk to wash the remainder of those awful images out of my mind.
John and I sit in the garden with Jenny throwing grass at our backs.