Never walk alone- Walk on - 13. Chapter 13

Andrew and Ryan sat on their bed, huddled close together, their backs leaning on the padded headboard, and stared numbly at the bedroom TV. It was tuned in to SkyNews and the footage of the disaster unfolding just off the Scottish coast was once again being shown. Only now, it was hitting much closer to home, and they stared at the TV in horror, red eyed.

The ringing of Ryan's mobile at 2.30am had woken them and both knew that any call at that time of the night could only be bad news. And it was!
It was Donald calling from the dockside at Fort William where those rescued, and the recovered bodies had been brought ashore. He was absolutely distraught when he spoke to them. Beth and Nicky had been on board the ferry when it capsized and both were reported as missing. Nicky had gone to one of the islands close to Fort William for her weekly clinic that she held and Beth had accompanied her. The children, Jamie and Fiona had been left with Beth's parents for the day. They had sailed very early on the first ferry over and although the sea was rough, the trip was accomplished with no problem whatsoever. The storm, however, increased during the day, but although everyone knew it would be uncomfortable, the ferry continued its sailings during the day. It was, after all, not the first time the vessel had sailed through similar storms. According to the survivors, the trip back to Fort William was very rough and a few passengers were seasick on the cabin deck, and there had also been one or two injuries. Nicky, with Beth in attendance, had gone down to see if they could help when the ferry was struck by a massive rogue wave and capsized. The windows on the upper decks had been smashed by the wave when it hit, and the survivors all managed to swim out of the submerged lounge area and clambered onto the hull. Divers had gone down the outside of the vessel and peered through portholes to see if their was any sign of survivors inside the hull but had been thwarted by the severity of the storm. A tug that had been sent out, had managed to get a tow line onto the upturned hulk and had very slowly made its way back to the safety of Fort William.

Ryan and Andrew were now watching as the tug inched its way towards the quay, where a huge straddle crane and divers were ready to slip thick, wide straps under the ferry and raise it out of the water onto the concrete slipway. The authorities had already announced that further survivors were unlikely and that the effort was no longer focused on rescue, but on recovery.

It was almost 6am S.A.time before the wreck was out of the water, lying tilted on its port side, the damage inflicted by the wave and the violence of the capsize evident to see. Rescue teams swarmed over and into the wreck once most of the water had drained out and within 10 minutes, the sad sight of the first bodybags began emerging. Andrew and Ryan held one another and wept as, eventually, fourteen victims were recovered, knowing instinctively that the mother of their children was in one of the body bags.

Their fears were confirmed two hours later when Donald called again to break the news that he had positively identified both Beth and Nicky. They had been found together in one of the cabins in which a pocket of air was trapped, and appeared to have succumbed to hyperthermia in the icy water, and not drowning.

The bedroom door suddenly opened, and Cameron and Elizabeth burst excitedly into the room with Rascal in hot pursuit He leapt up onto the bed, his tail whipping back and forth energetically. They both scratched his head and back before he scooted under the covers.

"Dad! Daddy! We're late for school. You didn't wake us up", Cameron yelled.

With all the drama in Scotland, and their being totally engrossed in the TV, they had totally lost track of time, and were surprised by the twins walking into the bedroom just after the call with Donald ended. Cameron and Elizabeth stopped uncertainly at the foot of the bed, noticing their dads distraught faces and red eyes. Andrew gazed at his two children and he could not help the fresh tears that ran down his face. He held out his arms and they both clambered onto the bed into his arms, where he held them close. Cameron, his voice muffled as he buried his face against Andrew's shoulder whispered,

"Daddy! Why are you and dad crying? Why are you so sad?"
Elizabeth squirmed out of Andrew's embrace and reached for Ryan, who took his daughter into his arms

"What's the matter dad? What's happened", she asked softly.
Ryan held her away from him so that he could see her face.

"Baby girl, your daddy and I got some very sad news". He turned her so that she could see the TV. "You remember last night we were watching TV and the news was saying about a ship that had overturned".
She nodded and Ryan glanced around to see Cameron was listening as well.

"Well, my angels, it seems mom Beth and Nicky were on that boat. Uncle Donald just phoned to tell us that mommy and Nicky have both gone to heaven. They both died", he told them, his blue eyes brimming with tears. Rascal, somehow sensing that something was amiss, crawled out from under the covers and stretched out with his head on his front paws, gazing at them. Both the children were quiet for a long while as they absorbed what he had told them before Cameron asked,

"Does that mean we will never see mommy again, dad?, his little face filled with anguish. Ryan nodded.

"Yes, my boy. We won't see her again. But we can always keep her in our hearts, so that we never forget her, or Nicky. They both loved you very much".

"But what about Jamie and Fiona? They don't have any mommy's now!", Elizabeth cried earnestly. "Who is going to look after them now?" Cameron nodded in agreement, looking very serious.

"Well, we don't know right now, my babies", Andrew replied. "But we will definitely find out", he added, glancing at Ryan, who nodded.

"Ry, I want us to go to Scotland. Today if possible. Jamie and Fiona are going to need us. We are, after all, their fathers. As will the rest of the family there".

There was a knock on the door and they all glanced up to see Yvonne standing in the portal.

"Good morning! I just came to check where the children are. They are late for school!", she said and then looked more closely at the family on the bed, taking note of their obvious distress.

"Oh my! Mr Andrew, Mr Ryan! What's happened?"

"Come in and sit down Yvonne", Andrew said. Once she was seated, Andrew and Ryan filled her in on the nights events and she cried as they told her the news.

"Oh I'm so sorry. That's awful. Ms.Beth and Ms.Nicky were such lovely people. It's so sad"

"Thank you Vonnie", Ryan replied. "Yeah, it is sad. They were so young. Drew was just saying we must make arrangements to go to Scotland as soon as possible. Could you arrange some breakfast for us? Cam and Elizabeth will not be going to school today. We'll shower and get dressed, then come down for something to eat. Then get ourselves organised for Scotland."
He hesitated, then added,

"Oh crap! We're supposed to be meeting Michael this morning as well".

"Okay", Andrew added. "We get ourselves ready for the day. Ry babe, you go meet with Michael. Have breakfast at The Cameron! Maybe make arrangements for him to go see the new yacht on his own. If we need him to come back here once this crisis is over, we can fly him back.
Yvonne can do breakfast here for us, while I look at flights and car hire, and then between us we can start packing. We're going to need warm clothing, it's the middle of winter over there. So we'll have to get it out of storage and get it all washed and dried as well before we pack. When you get back, we'll have to see what we're going to do with Rascie. There's not enough time to get all his documents sorted out for this trip. Oh, and I'll have to contact the school to fill them in as well! Have I left anything out?"

"Yes. Contact Marge and tell her what as happened". Ryan looked at Yvonne. "Vonnie, will you please come in as usual so that Byron can still come here after school?".

Yvonne nodded.

"Yes sure, Mr Ryan. No problem"

"Thank you. Would you mind if we leave Rascal with you as well. Then, at least, Byron will have Rascal to keep him company. I will arrange for my parents to pick in up before you leave and to drop him in the mornings".

The remainder of the morning was hectic. While Ryan was out, Andrew searched for flights and eventually made reservations on Lufthansa via Frankfurt-am-Main to Glasgow. It was the quickest flight and most convenient and the almost two hour layover in Frankfurt could be spent in the lounge where they could shower and have a good breakfast. He also arranged a SUV rental for the drive to Achnacarry. Andrew had contacted Donald to tell him that they were on their way to Scotland and the Lochiel was insistent that they stay at the castle.

Ryan had called his parents to pass on the devastating news, and they arrived just before lunchtime, bringing with them pizza for lunch. The twins had been very subdued during the morning, alternating between their bedroom and the lounge, where Andrew had the TV on Sky to get updates on the tragedy. Rascal was ever present, instinctively sensing that something was badly wrong and was either on Cameron's bed or stretched out on the couch keeping a watchful eye on his people.

Just before David and Janice arrived, they were all in the lounge when the official list of casualties was announced and a picture of Beth and Nicky appeared on the screen. It was then that the reality of what had occurred hit the twins and Andrew was consoling them when David & Janice walked into the room. The twins rushed to their grandparents who scooped them up and held them as they wept again and Janice smiled encouragingly as she moved to where Andrew was standing, his eyes also filled with tears, and held him close with Elizabeth between them.
Once they had all calmed down again, Yvonne brought out plates, just as Ryan pulled into the driveway as if he had gotten a whiff of the pizza.

After lunch, Janice helped Yvonne to get any laundry for the trip that was still damp into the tumble dryer and to assist her with packing the twins suitcases, while the boys attended to theirs.

The fight to Frankfurt departed at 6.25pm and they had to be at the airport by 4.30pm, so the afternoon was bedlam, but by 3.30pm the car was packed and they headed for the airport. David and Janice would be taking care of Rascal while they were away.

The flight was very run of the mill and they were all exhausted, physically and emotionally, so after dinner had been served, their seats went into lie-flat mode and they slept until the flight attendant woke them for a light breakfast an hour before landing. As Europe was in the depths of winter, it was still pitch dark when they touched down at 5.30am. Having slept remarkably well for being on an aircraft, Andrew and Ryan felt they were both well rested and ready to face the next two legs to Glasgow and Fort William. The twins were a bit grumpy, but once in the lounge they tucked into plates of bacon, sausage and eggs and seemed to be their normal selves when they boarded the plane for the flight to Glasgow.

It too was very normal, with another small breakfast being served and they touched down in Glasgow shortly before 8.30 where the weather looking as though it was starting to clear with blue patches visible above scudding clouds. But it was bitterly cold with a biting wind adding to their discomfort.

Andrew got the twins bundled up in their warm coats, mittens and beanies and he and Ryan donned warm coats as well. The BMW SUV was waiting for them and it wasn't long before they were on the A82 for the three hour drive to Achnacarry. The route was unbelievably scenic, passing through The Trossachs National Park and skirting almost the entire length of Loch Lomond. A good layer of snow covered the landscape as far as the eye could see, and it began snowing again when they were about ten minutes from Achnacarry. The snowfall got progressively heavier as they drove and by the time they stopped in front of the main doors of Achnacarry just before 1pm, it was almost a blizzard. Andrew's heart broke when he spotted two sad, forlorn little faces peering out at the snow-fall and the arriving vehicle.

Two servants appeared with umbrellas for them and while they attended to the luggage, Andrew and Ryan hurried into castle carrying the twins. Donald met them just inside the doorway, accompanied by Beth's father, Jamie Snr. Fiona and Jamie Jnr now stood between their grandfather and uncle, both looking a bit lost. Andrew went down on his knees and held out his arms and the two little waifs ran to him.

"Oh, my babies", Andrew said, holding them close. "Your dads are here now. Everything is going to be alright", he whispered, tears coursing down his face as Jamie and Fiona sobbed against him. Ryan knelt down and wrapped his arms around the little group, joined immediately by Cam and Elizabeth, now also weeping. When they started regaining their composure, Ryan looked up and was startled to see they were surrounded by a large group of clansmen and women, almost all with eyes wet with tears, But also smiling softly at the heartwarming scene they were witnessing.
Ryan stood up, taking little Fiona in his arms as Andrew did the same with Jamie and moved towards Jamie Snr.
They shook his hand in greeting and then enveloped him in a hug.

"We are so sorry, Jamie", Ryan said, looking at Beth's father, who seemed to have aged since their previous visit.

"Words cannot express the sorrow we feel at Beth and Nicky's loss. It's just appalling", Andrew added, also hugging him as Ryan stepped over to Donald.

After expressing their condolences to Donald as well, they were ushered into the drawing room where Beth's mother Iona was sitting with another group of clanswomen and stopped in stunned surprise!

The previously bright and cheerful room had been transformed. Black swathes of cloth covered the heavy gold drapes that hung on either side of the three large French doors that opened onto the garden. More black cloth was draped around the walls, dramatic against the white and gold striped wallpaper. But what brought the harsh reality of the tragedy crashing down on them was the twin biers, also draped in black, with the Clan Cameron crest attached at the foot of each bier, awaiting the caskets of Beth and Nicky. Emotion flooded through Andrew and he wept unashamedly as Iona wrapped her arms around him, also weeping. It was a while before they all calmed down and they sat with Iona chatting and reminiscing, sipping hot tea or coffee.

A chambermaid came to advise that all their luggage was in their room and unpacked into the armoires, and Donald told them that a light luncheon would be served in the conservatory in fifteen minutes. The boys excused themselves and followed the chambermaid up the wide stone, red carpeted staircase to he upper floor where they were shown into their room, situated at the front of the castle, or rooms, as it turned out that Cameron and Elizabeth were in an adjoining room, with a cosy lounge area situated between the rooms. Blazing fires burned in the hearths in the main bedroom and the lounge area and even though the twins bedroom, overlooking the back of the residence did not have a hearth, the room was, nevertheless, comfortably warm from the heat that was being drawn through from the other rooms.

The heavy coats were hung up and the boys wore their anniversary pullovers that they had been given by Cameron and Elizabeth, made sure that they, in turn, were warm, and headed back downstairs.

The conservatory at the back of the residence ran almost half the length of the building and was situated in the centre of the back wall overlooking the huge expanse of the rear garden, the green grass now rapidly being covered by a layer of snow which was falling fairly heavily. Doors opened onto stone flagged patios on either side which had stairs leading down into the garden, surrounded by a forest of Douglas fir trees that seemed to protect the area like massive green sentinels.

In the middle of the room stood an impressive fourteen seater table, hewn from a single piece of fir tree, around which were high backed chairs covered in Cameron tartan and deep, comfortable couches in an eclectic mix of plaids, stripes, paisley's and plains lined the three glass walls. The remaining wall, the rear wall of the castle, was home to two huge hearths, one on either side of the entrance door from the main residence, in which piles of logs were burning, helping to warm the room and keep the wintery cold at bay, aided by the double glazed glass that enclosed the conservatory.

Thirty pairs of eyes turned as they entered the room, the conversation momentarily going quiet before picking up again. Jamie Jnr and Fiona ran to them happily.

"Ah, perfect. There you are, me laddies. Lunch is about to be served. We are not going to stand on ceremony", he said in greeting. He nodded towards a large, imposing sideboard/dresser in the one corner,on which stood several steaming tureens. "The midday meal is normally quite light. Today we have Scotch Broth with bannocks, a traditional flat bread made with oatmeal and buttermilk being the main ingredients.
Help yourselves and just sit wherever you feel comfortable", he added in explanation, leading them towards the sideboard.

"Thank you, Donald. If it's fine with you, we'll sit at the table", Andrew said, "I don't think I want to chance these two", looking at the twins, "eating from a bowl on the sofas. I think the table will be safer".

"No problem, Andrew. As I said, wherever you are comfortable".

Andrew served bowls for the four children and got them seated at the table, while Ryan served up for Andrew and himself, adding a plate with six wedges of bannock and butter for all of them. Only after they, Donald and Jamie Snr had served themselves, did the rest of the gathered clan members approach the sideboard to serve themselves.

While the clan members all scattered round the room, chatting quietly, Donald and Jamie Snr. joined them at the table.

"Iona sends her apologies", Jamie Snr. said when he sat down. "She has gone to lie down. The doctor prescribed some sedatives to calm her and they make her sleepy".

"No apology is needed Jamie. We fully understand", Ryan assured him. "We can imagine how she feels, if our own grief is anything to go by".

"When is the funeral going to take place?",, Andrew enquired, looking at both Jamie Snr. and Donald, who to it upon himself to reply.

"The day after tomorrow, Andrew, Thursday at 11.00am. Nicky's parents are travelling from Hong Kong as we speak. They will arrive tomorrow morning. Then, on Thursday morning early, Beth and Nicky will be brought here, to Achacarry, where anyone who wishes may come to pay their respects. At 11.00am, they will leave Achnacarry for the last time carried by clansmen, who will take them to the chapel here on the estate. After the service, they will be carried to the family graveyard where they will be laid to rest together. Following the internment, everyone will be invited back here for a wake. It seems Beth might of had some sort of premonition, and left very detailed instructions should something ever happen to both her and Nicky. They also updated their wills a short time ago. As a witness to those wills, I can tell you that you are both in them. Jamie, Iona and I have agreed that you must be told that Beth has requested that Little Jamie and Fiona must go to you, if you so wish".

Andrew gasped, tearing up, and Ryan choked on a spoonful of broth.

"Oh my God", Andrew whispered, checking on Ryan at the same time to see if he was alright. "There is no doubt we would be honoured to have them. But we would not want to wrench them away from everyone and everything they know. It's bad enough losing the two people they considered their parents. Now they have to leave here and the familiar people they grew up with".

"Do you think Beth and Nicky did not think about that", Donald replied. "Let me assure you, we had long discussions about the provision in the wills. But they were adamant. You are their fathers! And, with your agreement, they wanted the children to go to their fathers. Their grandparents and I agree. Jamie and Iona are no longer young. As much as they love Little Jamie and Fiona, they know only too well, that they cannot take on their care. You two are the best, and only, ones who can do that. We have all seen how much you care about them when you have been here. And when they have been to Cape Town, they talk about you all the time. We see the excitement when you Skype with them. It is a joy to see. Even today, when you arrived, your actions were first and foremost for the children. You comforted them first, and more importantly, they went to you for comfort. As small as they are, Beth and Nicky sat with them and made sure they knew that you were their fathers. Just as you have ensured that Cameron and Elizabeth know that Beth was their mother. They know that you are their fathers. We are not disputing that it will be hard for them. But in the long run , it will be what's best for them. Beth knew that without a doubt. She trusted you both implicitly. Of that, we have no doubt"

Ryan reached out and took Andrew's hand and they looked at one another, shock mirrored on their faces. Ryan nodded subtly and smiled, then looked at the four children sitting with them, very quiet, sensing something momentous was being discussed. Andrew stood up and couched between Jamie Jnr and Fiona, both turning towards him. He took one of their small hands in each of his and smiled at them, looking straight at them.

"Jamie! Fiona! Did you understand anything that grandpa and Uncle Donald just spoke about", he asked them gently. They both regarded him with serious expressions, their sorrow evident in their eyes. Jamie nodded.

"Yes daddy", he replied, bringing a lump to Andrew's throat. "Mummy and Mama Nicky said that if they ever had to go to heaven, and we were still small, that we will go to live with you. I know mummy and Mama Nicky have gone to heaven. So now we must go with you", his little son said softly, before tears welled up in his eyes and he threw himself into his daddy's arms, sobbing. Andrew hugged him tightly, watching as Ryan leaned over to pick up Fiona, who was also crying, and cuddle her.

"Jamie, it's not important what we want. What's important is what you and Fiona want. We will not take you away unless you and Fiona want to come with us. We love you both dearly and would never do anything to hurt you or force you. Do you and Fiona want to go with us when we go back to Cape Town?"

Andrew glanced sideways as Ryan knelt down next to him, still holding Fiona who clung to him tightly. Cameron and Elizabeth came to stand next to them as well, concern on their little faces.
Andrew felt Jamie's little head moving against him.

"Yes daddy. We want to go with you". Andrew saw Fiona nod her head as well.
Andrew tightened his arms again and kissed him on the forehead.

"Okay, if that is what you want, then you will go back to Cape Town with us when we leave. You and Fiona will come to live with us and Cam and Elizabeth".
Little arms squeezed round the back of his neck and Andrew felt Jamie relax.

"Thank you, daddy", he said softly and seconds later the little boy was asleep in his arms.
And just like the Devlin-Major family grew from four to six. And one puppy!