Page 61 of A Promise Through Time

“You did tell a lie,” Tina reminded him.

“Tina stay as far away from him as ye can.”

“Hamish, to be fair I’m a Da now. I’m nae the man ye knew before ye left.”

“Tina, could ye do me a favor and cuff that idjit on the head to knock some sense into him?”

“Don’t worry Hamish, I’ve got this under control.”

“So, Donal isn’t coming home with you?” Elle asked. That was a very big question.

“Let’s not talk about that now. I was just calling to let you know I’m alright. I’ll be staying until Elena is well enough to go back home and then I’ll get on the first plane there.”

“I’m here if you need to talk,” Elle said.

“I know and I might take you up on that. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Can I talk to Donal for a sec, privately?”

“Sure.” Tina clicked off the speaker and handed the phone to Donal who looked unsure of what to do. “Hold it to your ear.”

“I’m here,” Donal said.

Tina wished she knew what was being said, but the one-sided conversation went on for a while. At some point, Hamish joined the conversation and before Donal handed the phone back to her, he said, “Hamish, I miss ye, my friend. Yer a lucky man.”

“Okay, I’ll be in touch,” Tina said hanging up the phone.

***

“’Tis a wonder!” Donal exclaimed. “Thank ye.”

“How was it to speak with your old friend?” Tina asked.

“I am grateful for the gift ye’ve given me.” He never thought he’d speak to Hamish again and though Hamish immediately took on his old role of captain with Donal, he didn’t mind it one bit. He’d missed his counsel these past months.

“I’m starving, let’s see if we can get some food,” Tina said.

They checked in on Elena and she was still sleeping peacefully. So they decided it would be fine to head downstairs to the dining room. They were met at the bottom of the stairs by Maggie.

“I was just coming up to see if ye needed anything,” she said.

“Food,” Tina said. “I haven’t really eaten much lately.”

“The food at Breaghacraig didnae suit ye,” Maggie observed.

“Not at all. Mary tried to feed me, but a girl can’t exist on bread and oats alone.”

“Head into the dining room. I’ll keep an eye on Elena for ye while ye eat.”

“She’s sleeping, hopefully she’ll be down for a while.”

“I’ll just hang out in the room so if she wakes up there’s someone there.” She headed up the stairs.

They picked the table by the fire to sit at. Dylan appeared from the kitchen.

“Hey, you’re back,” he said.

“Dylan, this is Donal. Dylan is Maggie’s husband.”