Chapter Thirty Eight: Live It Well

Ainsley was cooling down in Emmett's paddling pool when Nathaniel went to find her and explain that they now had full custody of his son.

In due time, they got him enrolled at the local school.

Addison was still seeing a lot of Anton.  She was playing all shy and innocent.

But as the heatwave hit that summer, things went all the way one afternoon.

Bob came back from fishing and rushed into the bathroom with a full bladder.  He was shocked to find Addison in there, clearly just getting dressed from a shower.  The bathroom still had that wet feel from the running water.

"Sorry Bean, didn't mean to do that." Bob apologised.  Then he noticed the strange grin on Addison's face.  "What are you doing showering in the middle of the day anyway?" Bob asked.

"Oh, it's so hot." Addison tried, but her tone wasn't quite right.  She pushed past Bob on her way out.

As he sat down, Bob recalled hearing Anton's motorbike start up as he climbed the stairs.

"Good grief." he said to himself, embarrassed, as he put two and two together.  "I'm gonna have to talk to that girl."

Emmet was visiting with Ainsley one evening.  Eliza, not long back from work, was watching a medical drama on the television while eating dinner.  Emmett crept into the living room from the kitchen.

"Bombs away." he shouted, opening his hands and releasing a double handful of sugar, chilli powder and whatever else he had scavenged from Bob's preparation of the chilli con carne.  Seems Bob had left the spices on the bench and Emmett had gotten into them.

Emmett turned and ran when he found Bob standing over him -and the mess he had just made.

"Oi" Bob exclaimed "Get back here or you'll feel my hand on your backside."

Emmett turned slowly.

"You're going to help clean this up." Bob informed him "And you better hope it doesn't stain."

Not long after, Ainsley was getting ready for bed when she heard a loud thump in the hallway.  

"Mitchell" she screamed, finding him unconscious on the floor.  Probably out before he fell.

The scream bought Raj running from next door.  They called an ambulance, but Mitchell was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.  Sudden cardiac arrest, they said.

In the days that followed, Nathaniel quietly assured Ainsley that there was nothing she could have done.  Sudden cardiac arrest seldom has symptoms and is fatal in about ninety five percent of cases.  Ainsley still felt guilty however, and mourned the loss of her friend.

It reminded Ainsley that life is short.  She realised she had been hanging on to some doubts about Nathaniel, over Billie.  She decided that no one could promise forever even under the best circumstances.  So, Ainsley convinced Nathaniel to start planning their wedding, again.