Miss Mercury

New Decade

Amelia and Michael are on their way to Carlow in Ireland. On boxing day Amelia received a call while at Roger's.

The Taylor's, herself, Michael, Brian and Anita were all sat around the table when her phone rang, seeing it was Jim she got up to answer it.

"Hi Jim, Merry Christmas," She beams even though he can't see it, he usually rings Christmas day but he hadn't this year. The person that answers her is not Jim but a woman.

"Is this Miss Amelia Mercury?"

"Yes, who is this?" She frowns wondering if someone has stolen his phone.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, given what day it is but my name is Imogen, I'm Jim Hutton's nurse. He asked me to ring you when I believed he's coming towards his last days."

Amelia's heart sank she couldn't be hearing this right, "Nurse for what? Last day's of what?" She couldn't stop the panic rising in her voice, she can hear in the other room that the chattering has stopped.

"Oh god, he did tell you he was ill did he?"

"Ill with what? Please I'm asking you to be blunt, what's going on?" Tears start sliding down her face, she looks up hearing footsteps to see a very worried Brian in the doorway.

"Jim has lung cancer and he's coming towards the end of his life. I'd say he has a week at most."

"Oh no... um, I'll be on the next flight out. Please just tell him to hang on until I get there," She hung up and the tears flood down her face. Brian shuts the door before pulling her into a tight hug and she cries.

"What's happened?" Brian whispers rubbing her back.

Calming down her sobs Amelia clings to Brian, "Jim has lung cancer, by the sound of it he's had it for a while. The nurse says he doesn't have long left, a week at most."

Wiping her tears away she pulls back from him, "I need to sort a flight to Dublin."

That was five days ago due to a stupid snow storm her first flight was cancelled three times but finally, they arrived in Dublin and are in a taxi on the way to Jim's home town.

Michael had come with her, she originally wanted to come alone but he didn't want her to be on her own when it happens.

It's New Year's Eve and Amelia is anxious to get there, Imogen rang her yesterday saying she really needed to be there soon.

Pulling up outside the cottage Michael tells her to go straight in he'll sort the taxi and bags, she gives him a grateful smile and rushes inside.

Imogen leads her to the right room and leaves them alone, "Jim?" Amelia sits in the chair next to his bed linking her hand with his. Like her dad his moustache is gone, hair greying on the top though he has a lot less hair than he used to.

"Milly?" He opens his tired eyes and smiles, "Imogen rang you then?"

"Yes, she did. Why didn't you tell me before? I could come for Christmas, I would have visited more. You never said anything the last time I came, is this why you couldn't come to New York?" Though hurt she couldn't bring herself to be angry with him, not now.

"So many questions," He chuckles coughing a little, "Like your dad, he could never ask one at a time. Yes, this was why I couldn't come though I really wanted too, I heard about the Tony Award, congratulations. But to answer your first question, I didn't tell you because you already had to live through all that with your dad, I didn't want to put you through that again. Your life is busy and I didn't want you putting it on hold for me."