Did I Mention I Won The Lottery? by Julie Butterfield

of love and for a moment all
Rebecca wanted was to climb onto the bed and snuggle into her
mother's side as she had done as a small child.
    But she
couldn't tell Gwen because she hadn’t told Daniel. It was bad
enough that she had left it so long but if he found out others knew
before Rebecca told him he would be mortified.
    So she squeezed
her mother's hand instead and tried to smile a reassuring
smile.
    ‘It's nothing
bad Mum. Truly it isn't. But it is a bit complicated and I can't
tell you all the details right now. But I can tell you that it will
all work out and I will be happy.’
    Gwen looked
into her daughter's eyes for a moment then patted her hand.
    ‘When you're
ready my darling, when you're ready.’

    Rebecca hadn't
had time to make a reservation before she left Darlington, so some
hours later she left her mum at the hospital and caught a taxi
asking the driver to take her to Quebecs Hotel but wait for her
outside for a moment.
    Walking into
the lobby she felt an over-whelming feeling of coming home. How
strange she thought, that a hotel could do that to her but not the
house she had lived in for the last 5 years.
    ‘I haven't made
a reservation but I was hoping...’
    ‘Mrs Miles, how
wonderful to see you again. No problem at all, your usual
room?’
    And within
minutes the taxi had been paid and dismissed, Rebecca's bag had
been carried up to her room, the bed turned down and a
complimentary bottle of wine left in a cooler on the table. Rebecca
sank onto the settee, the lovely comfortable over stuffed settee
and leant back closing her eyes.
    Her mother was
okay and she was back in Leeds at Quebecs. Although unplanned she
couldn't deny it was a blessed relief. She would stay a few days,
just until her mother was back at Parklands and everything was back
to normal and then she would go back to Darlington and stop this
farce. She would show Daniel the bank account and the ludicrous
amount of money it held, tell him about the house, tell him
everything. It was finally time.

    Rebecca had a
troubled night's sleep and woke feeling leaden and heavy. Even the
soft squishy pillows and the all-encompassing quilt hadn't helped
her in her quest for sleep. She slid out of bed and wandered to her
handbag to rescue her mobile. She checked to see if she had missed
any calls in the trauma of the previous day but there was nothing.
Daniel had made no attempt to contact her. She had left a message
for him that her mother was in hospital and he hadn't so much as
sent a text. She wondered whether she should ring him, bring him up
to date, see if he wanted to come down and join her before
realising what a ridiculous idea that was. She phoned the hospital
and spoke to the ward sister who told her that Gwen was not quite
as perky as she had been the day before. ‘I think the anaesthetic
has worn off and she's feeling a little more pain today.’
    The hospital
decided to keep her on the ward that day, just to keep a close eye
on her and then would let her return to Parklands the following
morning if all was still well.
    Rebecca phoned
Mrs Wendover to update her on the news, followed by a call to Sarah
who didn't answer. Rebecca smiled, Sarah could be in a lecture or
still in bed. She left her a message explaining that Gwen was in
hospital and that Rebecca was in Leeds followed by a similar
message for Toby who she also promised to go and visit in a few
weeks. She gazed down at her phone again. Should she phone Daniel?
Did he care? Had he even noticed that she wasn't there? Snapping
the phone closed Rebecca reached out instead for the telephone
sitting on the coffee table and phoned down to reception, ordering
a continental breakfast to be brought to her room and a taxi to
take her to the hospital and then headed for the power shower.

    Rebecca spent
as long as she was allowed with Gwen during the course of the day.
Her mother was looking pale and a little shaky and the nurse said
it was quite possibly delayed shock. But she was