‘Look, love,’ Margaret Rose said to her young daughter, squeezing her tight, ‘it’ll be OK, I promise, and please text. Love ya.’ She then patted Jim’s lower back. ‘Take good care of her, Jim, ja hear me?’

‘Promise, Mags.’

‘Bye, Mammy, love ya too.’

‘Text me when ya get there. Text from da clinic too. Text me when it’s over. OK?’

‘Yeah, yeah, OK, OK, quit fussing,’ Niquita said, impatiently, looking away from her mother.

‘And don’na forget, ta text, ya know, when … ya know. After. Ring me or Mic, if ya, ya know … ya need anything.’ She muttered, ‘Or ya change yar mind. ’Cause ya can, if ya like. Change yar mind.’ She said it ever so slowly.

Niquita nodded and twisted her Juicy bag across her thin body.

Michaela hugged her sister tight and then kissed her uncle on both cheeks.

‘Text me.’ Michaela looked at her mother. ‘’Tis awful quick, ya sure ’tis the right thing?’

‘Hush, you,’ Margaret Rose scolded Michaela.

‘I knows, but I jus wan’na get it done. Now.’

And the two left with the wheels of the rollie case trucking out along the corridor and Michaela swapped her sister’s place on the bed and hugged Margaret Rose.

Margaret Rose looked deeply unhappy. Agitated.

‘Far the best,’ she said to herself over and over, until she fell asleep for an afternoon nap while Michaela drank down her mother’s tea.

Chapter 9

After lunch, two young student nurses arrived attempting to open a bottle of bright orange energy drink between them; the taller of the two women held the bottom while the smaller twisted the top with her hand, curving her hips away in the opposite direction. They began taking turns supping from the bottle, and the smaller woman opened out a window for air. Legend night. But OMG that taxi driver. Creepy. The smaller one had an arc of mascara underneath one eye and some silver glitter on the back of her hand.

Monday-morning rounds were underway in the late afternoon, and the trainees had been drafted in to keep an eye on Shane. There was some concern. It wouldn’t be long. They had no idea how long and no, neither of these young nurses-in-training had ever watched anyone die. Oh God, they might die themselves. OmG like. oMg like. WTF. What if they faint? Poor man, it would be awful watching him die, they didn’t feel they had adequate training for this, and instead of making them worried this made them giggle. The energy drink came down the both nostrils of the smaller one with the black arc under her eye. They took to fits of discussing last night, checking Snapchat and then standing ever so straight at times as though on sentry-like duty. Is he dead yet? Ease. To. Him. Yes, family called. But no sign of them. That’s sooooo sad. Lit. Lol. Soz. I’m just giddy. Lit. But fuck me. How will we even know? His eyes are closed already. He’s kinda cute, right? Right. He’s lovely. Isn’t he? They decided he was lovely.