“You most certainly are not, young man,” said Maeve, flinging off her blanket. “Half dressed and half drowned, you look an absolute fright! You stay here, my lad, and get some rest. I’ll be accompanying Alfred to the hospital. Margate, I presume?” she asked Georgina, who nodded.

“Don’t fuss, woman,” wheezed Alfred, his eyes closed again.

“When have you ever known me to fuss, you crotchety old bugger?” Maeve retorted. “I’m only coming to make sure they don’t accidentally mistake you for a sasquatch.”

Alfred’s lips twitched into a smile.

“Could murder one of your bacon sandwiches,” he whispered.

“Behave yourself, and I’ll see what I can do,” said Maeve.

The ambulance pulled away, followed by Maeve’s car, and the others left shortly after. Sally offered to drop Gemma home, since she’d come down in Maeve’s car.

Annie stood by the door and waved until Sally’s car rounded the bend. The rain had mercifully stopped, but the cold wind still howled as though anguished, and the ocean thundered in response.

Georgina had given Annie some advice on what to keep an eye out for with regards to John. For the next twenty-four hours, she would be watching for chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness or confusion, and fever. Annie hadn’t felt so responsible since the boys were small.

“You can sleep in my bed, and I’ll take the sofa,” said Annie when they got back up to the flat.

“I’m not taking your bed,” croaked John. “I’ll take the sofa, I’ll be fine. I’m just glad to be warm again.”

“It’s not a big sofa and you’re rather a big man, you’ll be squashed.”

“I’ll be fine.”

It was clear he wasn’t going to be persuaded. Annie went into her bedroom and returned a moment later holding her fluffy dressing gown with the cat-ears hood.

“Take that shirt off and I’ll chuck it away,” she said, thrusting the dressing gown at him.

“I’m not wearing that!” said John.

“I don’t have anything else that will fit you. It’s dry and warm, and I promise not to take photographs of you in it while you’re sleeping.”

John looked unconvinced.

“You’ve got no other clothes,” she reasoned. “I can put your jumper and jeans through the wash now and they’ll be dry by morning. I won’t look,” she said, holding out her hand and making a show of turning her head and screwing her eyes tightly shut.