Threes a crowd. - Now Complete.

Part 36

It was dark and blowing a gale when Jane arrived. She pulled the car up as close to the house as possible then helped Mary from the seat. They half ran to the door, keen to get out of the cold wind. Jane tried the door. It was locked. She tried her key in the lock and thankfully the door opened. The tiny kitchen was dark but Jane could see a dim light in the other room. She pressed the switch near the door and light flooded the room. She blinked for a moment, her eyes adjusting to the brightness. Clutching Mary's hand she moved forward.

"Paul!" She called, "PAUL!"

There was no answer.

The door to the next room was slightly open. Slowly she pushed it open and squinted through the gloom. Suddenly she saw a sleeping mound lying on the tatty sofa.

"PAUL!" She rushed over to him and shook him gently, "Paul, wake up! PAUL!"

Paul stirred slightly. Jane spotted the whiskey bottle clasped in his hands. Prizing it from his hand, she placed it on the floor. She shook him again.

"Daddy tired mummy."

Jane turned to a confused Mary. "Come and help me wake him up."  She smiled at her daughter. Surely hearing Mary's voice would get through to him.

"DADDY" Mary called. Before Jane could stop her, she clambered up onto the sofa and jumped on Paul "Daddy, wake up!" she shouted. "Wake up!"

There was a definite 'hmph' sound from the heap.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Paul flailed his arms to protect himself.

 Suddenly Mary screamed.

 "Mary?"

 A bleary eyed Paul peered at the child now sobbing on his knee. He saw Jane.

"Jane?"

Jane picked up her sobbing daughter. "Shhh." She soothed and hugged her.

"Daddy hurt Mary!" she sobbed. "Daddy mean!"

Paul looked from Jane to Mary, confused.

"You caught her with your elbow when she startled you!" She explained. 

Paul sat up and leaned across the Mary and Jane. 

"Hey sweetheart," he slurred, "Daddy didn't mean to bump you Mary! Shall I kiss it better?"

Mary shied  away from Paul, unused to the longer tousled unwashed hair and several days worth of beard growth.

"Daddy prickly!"

"And daddy smelly!" said Jane, "Goodness Paul, when did you last have a wash! You stink!"

Paul fell back against the sofa. Jane could see he was worse for wear, no doubt as a result of the whiskey he had consumed. Jane sat next to him and took his hand.

"What are you doing to yourself Paul? Why are you hiding away up here on your own, drinking whiskey like water?"

"Might as well!" he mumbled, "No one's really bothered about me, are they?"

"You think?" Jane took his other hand. "Look at me Paul! Look at me!"

He looked up, struggling to focus. 

"Do you really think Mary and I would have driven all the way here from London if we didn't care?" She shook his hands to stop him dozing, "Well, do you?"

He shook his head. 

"Mary? Is she OK? I hurt her."

"She's fine....just tired." Jane glanced at Mary who was beginning to nod off. "I'll get her ready for bed and give her some supper."

"There's no food in." 

Jane grinned. She'd expected that. "Then it's a good job I brought some with me then, isn't it!"

It didn't take long to get Mary fed and settled in the house. Actually, the house on Paul's Scottish farm was little more than a shed. It had just four rooms. A kitchen, a tiny living room , a bathroom and a bedroom. Jane had put Mary in the middle of the double bed in the bedroom and, once Mary was asleep, she had gone back to Paul. He was dozing after managing to eat a little and drink some coffee.

"Hey Paul!" She shook him again, "Wakey, wakey!"

Paul mumbled but opened his eyes. "Sorry. Is Mary OK?"

Jane nodded. "Sound asleep." She looked him up and down, "Time to get you sorted. Come on McCartney, I've run you a bath. You stink! Get up!"

She helped him to his feet and then walked behind him as he climbed the stairs. 

"Get undressed before the water goes cold!" she ordered him then chuckled at his attempt. "You're useless!"

She started to undo his shirt buttons as his fumbling finger couldn't do it for himself. Paul placed his hands on her waist to steady himself. Even through his slightly drunken haze, her close proximity was intoxicating. He couldn't help himself as he moved in to kiss her softly on the lips.

"Sorry!" He 'd realised immediately he'd stepped out of line.

Jane smiled. "Paul, let's get this straight.  There is no you and me anymore. It won't happen! I'm here because of Mary, she needs her dad, nothing more!"

"I know." He nodded slowly, "and I want to be the best dad I can. It won't happen again."

Jane left him alone whilst he bathed and scrubbed.

He emerged a some time later, clean freshly shaven and smelling a whole lot better. As he wandered into the living room he smiled. Paul found Jane dozing in front of the log fire. 

"Jane love?" His voice was quiet.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. She smiled. "That's better! You look more like you now. Mary will be pleased."

He laughed. " She wasn't keen on the hairy bearded daddy was she?"

"Not really." She yawned widely. "Gosh, I'm tired! I'd forgotten how long that drive from London is!"

"Fancy a cuppa before bed?"

"Oh please! Thanks Paul!"

"Right," said Paul, placing his cup on the floor, after Jane had yawned several more times, "I'll go and get some blankets.I'll sleep down here. You can have the bed with Mary."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Jane laughed, "There's no where down here you can sleep!"

"The sofa."

"Paul, that's not even a proper sofa! It's cushions on some old crates! No!"

"I slept there before."

"Only because you were pissed out of your brain!"

Paul started laughing. "Poetically put Jane. Very poetically put!" He tried to stop laughing long enough to ask, "So where do you suggest I sleep?"

"Upstairs. Look, Mary's already in the bed. She can be in the middle, you lie on one side, me on the other. We'll be fine plus you'll help make sure Mary doesn't go wondering in the night!"