He pulls me close into a hug, and I rest my face in his shoulder for a second, inhaling his sandalwood scent. “You should have dealt with this a long time ago,” he says. “And never let it get this far. Now, you’re patently worn out and need to rest and let the hospital deal with this.”

“But I need to be in contact with Freda.”

“Not necessarily,” Aidan says, joining the hug and kissing my forehead. “You could, in theory, transfer your care down there. There’s a good epilepsy nurse there.”

“But what if I need—” I stumble over my words, and Misha moves to my side. “What if I need surgery?”

“That’s what you’re frightened of?” Aidan asks calmly, his green eyes busy on my face. I nod, and he hugs me. “If you need that, then we’ll deal with it. All of us,” he adds, pulling back and stroking my hair. “Because we’re a family, Charlie. You’re not on your own, so please don’t try to act as if you are.”

“Charlie, we’re ready for you.” My epilepsy nurse Freda’s voice comes quietly from behind me, and my heart starts to beat heavily. Shit.

I look at Misha, one thought on my mind. “Will you come in with me?” I ask, holding out my hand.

He takes it immediately, his hand warm and tight on mine. “You sure?” he asks. “Maybe you need your mum or dad?”

I shake my head. “Just you.”

“Go on,” my dad urges. “We’ll be out here waiting for you.”

I nod and let my feet carry me into the room. My pulse pounds in my temple, and my hand is sweaty, but Misha keeps hold of it as he sits down next to me. We face Freda as she settles at her desk.

She smiles at me. “Charlie, please don’t look so terrified,” she says.

“Is it—” I stop and clear my throat. “Is it bad news?” I finish in a rush. Misha’s hand tightens almost imperceptibly, but then we both relax as she immediately shakes her head.

“We don’t believe so, Charlie. Some of the tests won’t be back for a few weeks, so we can’t be absolutely sure, but we believe that we might have isolated the problem. Now, you say your seizures started again in June, and according to our records you picked up a new batch of medication just before that point?”

“As usual, yes.”

She frowns slightly. “Medicines, when they’re first created, are under patent and can’t be produced by anyone other than the owner. After a certain period of time, this patent lapses and other companies are then free to produce the medication. In some cases, the components can differ from the original medicine. Not widely, but enough sometimes to make a difference.”