When he is done, he takes a blank sheet from the sheaf and sits at the table with the business card in front of him.

You do not know me, he begins to write, and for my own reasons, I wish to remain anonymous. But there is something I wish to draw your attention to. Something I think might be of interest …

When the letter is finished, he folds it carefully, along with the printout, slides the documents into the envelope, addresses it. In the morning he will send it.

That night, he sleeps soundly for the first time in weeks.

20

Leah

The corridor is stifling, heat trapped between the brown nylon carpet and the white ceiling tiles. Jake is standing some way from her, flicking through his phone. He had offered his seat to an expectant mum. In Leah’s lap is the orange file they’ve given her, along with a laminated sheet of paper containing her number in the queue. Along the corridor, she sees several women using the laminated sheets to fan air into their hot faces. One woman talks loudly into a phone; another discusses curtain samples with her partner. There’s a toddler here, a little boy of no more than two years old who runs up in front of the occupied chairs, full of childish energy.

Leah has waited for this day for so long. Excitement and nerves gather in her chest. She has a book with her, but the words blur on the page. She’s too distracted by her thoughts to read. Every time a door opens, her eyes flick to the woman who’s called, taking note of her bump. Her own pregnancy has become clearly visible. What had been a thickening of flesh around her waistband has moulded itself into a small mound. Instinctively, her hand goes to it, sending waves of reassurance and love through the layers of skin and flesh. Leah knows that in a few minutes, she will get to see her baby for the first time. As part of the consultation, her doctor will perform a brief scan. When she anticipates that moment, a wash of nervy joy goes through her, and she sits up a little straighter.

‘How could you?’