I realised Jenny was perhaps more poorly than Gail had initially let on. This heart condition, whatever it was, sounded serious. I watched Gail’s back stiffen in her chair as Simon finished his passionate speech. His words had clearly struck a chord and she was torn between wanting to make Simon happy and doing what she instinctively thought was right for her only precious child.
‘You make it sound as though Jenny doesn’t have long left,’ she hissed. ‘It’s as though you’ve already given up and expect her to die just like your father did.’
Gail screwed her face up into an ugly scowl, and I was astounded to see her look so upset. Her body was shaking with anger, and all I wanted to do was sit on her lap and try to calm her down.
‘Don’t be daft,’ Simon said swiftly, ‘of course I don’t think Jenny’s going to die. It was my idea to move back up to London, wasn’t it? I wanted to make sure she had the chance to get to Great Ormond Street quickly, so she would be on hand for top quality care. I wouldn’t have suggested that if I thought she wasn’t going to make it, would I?’
Gail said nothing as Simon took a deep breath. ‘Gail, I know it’s hard for you up here. That you miss our friends and your family, but we’ve got to make a go of it for Jenny’s sake and we can’t keep tripping up and down to Devon. Our lives are here now.’
‘Easy for you to say,’ Gail spat, ‘your mum’s just around the corner and your old school friends are streets away.’
Simon leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath before he spoke. ‘That’s true, but we’re not here for me. Things have changed. We’re here for Jen, and I know it’s rough on you, but you will make friends soon. Why don’t you go line dancing with Mum on Wednesdays? She’s always inviting you.’
‘Because I’ve got two left feet,’ Gail sighed. ‘Not only that, I haven’t the time. Now we’re home-schooling Jenny, I have to make sure we follow the curriculum. I’m determined that her education won’t suffer any more than it has to because of her health.’
‘Which is why we need to make the most of our time and appreciate each other again,’ Simon reasoned.
Gail looked into Simon’s eyes and then back at her lap, shaking her head sadly. ‘I understand, Si, but surely our friends and our family down in Devon are all a part of making the most of that time we have together,’ she said, the frustration creeping into her voice. ‘I know how hard you work, and I know how tired you are working round the clock all the hours. I know you’ve been sleeping in the spare room lately when you’ve crept in late, so you don’t disturb me, but it’s not necessary.’
‘I don’t want to wake you,’ Simon said, shrugging. ‘Taking care of Jenny, schooling her, running this house, it’s a full-time job in itself Gail. You need your sleep.’
‘And I need you beside me.’ Gail smiled, as she lifted her hand and tenderly stroked Simon’s cheek. ‘You, Jenny and now Percy are my family and my life. I’d do anything for any one of you.’
At the mention of my name, I decided this was as good a time as any to try to ease the tension. I opened my brown eyes wider and barked a little yelp of hello.
‘Oh, look, Percy is awake.’ Gail beamed, pushing back her chair across the parquet floor and heading straight for my basket. ‘Hello, gorgeous, how did you sleep?’ she asked softly, crouching on the floor her face pressed close to mine.
‘Fine,’ I barked gently, licking her cheek by way of greeting. I wasn’t sure how long I had napped, but what I did know was that I felt an awful lot better for forty winks. I stretched my front and back legs out to wake them properly and felt my back click into place. Getting to my paws, I felt my tummy gurgle with hunger and realised it must have been hours since I had eaten. I looked at Gail, worried it was too early in our relationship for me to start complaining about my appetite. But, thankfully, she had filled a bowl with my favourite food.
‘This is your home now, Percy,’ she said, as I scampered across the floor towards my grub. ‘You must do exactly what you like.’
I looked up at her again as she nodded reassuringly at me. Was this really my home? The conversation I had heard between Simon and Gail made me wonder. But my growling tummy stopped me from pondering any more as I chewed hungrily at my late lunch. Smacking my lips together, I realised now would be the perfect time to have the tour of the house I had been promised. So far I had only seen a fraction of the place and was eager to see more. Licking my mouth to ensure I had caught every last crumb, I walked towards the table where Simon was still sitting and nuzzled my head against his leg. We had not spent much time together yet and given he was the one who was considering sending me back, I wanted us to get to know one another.
‘Why don’t you give Percy that tour?’ Gail suggested as she caught my affectionate gesture. ‘You can show him your man cave, otherwise known as the spare room.’
Simon looked down at me and grinned. ‘Good idea. Percy, it’s time for you to see my hideaway where I get a bit of peace and quiet away from these nagging women.’
‘You should count yourself lucky you’ve got two women who love you enough to nag at you,’ Gail teased.
As Simon got to his feet and walked out of the kitchen, I followed closely behind. ‘Here’s the living room,’ he explained cheerfully, throwing open the door to the room we had passed earlier.
I took in the large flat-screen television, real fire and squishy leather sofas that stood opposite one another. With more family photographs and a hand-knitted red throw strewn across the back of one of the settees, the place looked warm and inviting. With the chilly weather outside, I was all set to step inside and head towards the rug in front of the fire, but Simon had other ideas.
‘This way, mate. Tour’s not over yet,’ he said, beckoning me up the stairs.
After a quick peek at Gail and Simon’s bedroom, and the bathroom, which seemed nice enough, Simon proudly led me past Jenny’s room to what looked like a spare room at the other end of the corridor. As we stood outside, Simon reminded me of a little boy on Christmas morning as he stood grinning and hopping from foot to foot.
‘You’re going to love it in here, Perce,’ he chuckled. ‘There are no girls allowed in this room, and I want you to think of this place as being yours as much as mine from now on. Any time those women get too much, you’re welcome to pop in.’
I barked in approval, delighted Simon wanted to share what was obviously a very special place with me. He opened the door and stepped inside with obvious enthusiasm. I sniffed the air and realised this room smelt very different to the rest of the house. I couldn’t put my paw on what it was, but the room was musky. I glanced up at Simon, who was standing by the window, hands in his jeans pockets looking proudly around him. I could see why. The room was a boy’s paradise, with posters of Bob Dylan and Oasis lining the walls, while row after row of DVDs such as Reservoir Dogs and The Godfather stood on a black metal shelving unit above a glass mini-fridge, filled with beer. Another large flat-screen television was mounted on the wall next to a rail filled with jeans and shirts, while an outstretched futon with a rumpled duvet stood next to it.
I glanced up at Simon. He seemed more relaxed now than he had all day. Worry coursed through me. I didn’t know much about families, but what I did know from chatting with other dogs like Barney was that most couples spent their nights together. I knew from the conversation I had just overheard between Simon and Gail that she believed he was sleeping up here because he sometimes worked late, but looking at how much happier Simon
