FOLLOW YOUR HEART

Chapter 23 - A Moment Alone

Shawn wrote in his journal:

"30 October, 2020

What a strange and crazy day..."

Camila was sitting up in bed, naked, with her glasses on, tapping furiously on her laptop. She seemed to have calmed down a bit now.  He couldn't stop staring at her, she was so fucking gorgeous, and he loved her so much. It had been a strange and wonderful day. They had visited Stratford-Upon-Avon as planned, by themselves as it turned out, because Tally asked if they could drop him off at an old friend's place just outside town and so they visited Anne Hathaway's cottage and Shakespeare's birthplace, had a pub lunch where they were recognised and took a few selfies and signed a few autographs. Despite the cooler weather, the skies were clear until shortly after lunch when the clouds arrived and the day grew grey and miserable.

Tally picked them up in his Audi early afternoon to take them on his errand. He pulled up in front of an old manor house that had been converted into a nursing home. He drove in and parked and Shawn looked at Camila with a look of confusion.

"Come on then," Tally said with a smile. He leapt out of the car and grabbed a cardboard box from the trunk and they followed him inside.

"Hold this," he said, shoving the box into Shawn's hands while he went to the counter. They couldn't hear what was being said and had no idea, but a moment later he came back with a nurse wearing wearing white pants and a pink smock and they all followed her down a hallway and into a room.

"We'll be back in a second," the nurse said, heading back out.

The room was large with big windows that would let the sun in on a nice day. The hospital bed was large and made up with a pretty floral comforter and the room was furnished like a hotel room but with small homey touches. He followed Camila to a small shelving unit on which were displayed a number of photos. Many were strangers, but there were a few of a woman with a young boy through the years and if they hadn't worked it out by then, the photos, the music box and then the painting over the bed all led them to the conclusion this was the room belonging to Jamila Putri Singh, George's mother, Garry's daughter.

The door opened again and the nurse walked in pushing a wheelchair. He knew Putri, or Jamila as she preferred to be called, was about fifty eight years old, but she actually looked a lot younger. Her hair was still black, no grey to be seen, and her skin was smooth and unlined. She was smiling until she saw them, and then she appeared to become anxious.

Camila came and stood beside Shawn and he reached out and grasped her hand. Jamila looked a lot like her beautiful mother, but there was no doubt she was Garry's kin. She had her mother's brown eyes but the shape of her face and her mouth was all Barrington.

"You have some visitors Mila," the nurse said and Camila looked up at him in surprise. She hadn't expected the woman to use the same diminutive of her name as she did. Shawn squeezed her hand.

"Hello," Jamila said brightly."  Are you friends of my father?"

Shawn felt his heart thump. Even her expressions were similar to Garry's.

"Yes, we are," Camila said softly, walking towards her and taking her hand.

"Oh, is he coming to visit? I don't suppose so, he's probably still mad at me."

She looked sad and Camila jumped in quickly. "No, he'd love to come, but he's not well."

"Oh that's not good. Neither am I." she said simply, dropping Camila's hand.

Shawn looked up at the nurse who just smiled and then looked down at Jamila. "Come on love, you are fine, how would you like to get up and come sit in your chair by the window and you can talk to these nice people if you want?"