‘I did,’ said Maura, her eyes never leaving her son as she gently pushed his fringe back from his face. ‘Liam brought me. Sister said I can stay until twelve today. Liam has gone to the market and he’ll take me back.’

‘Hello, who is this then?’ said the nurse as she flicked the brake on the linen trolley off and pushed it away from the bed. Her eyes were fixed on the sister’s table in the middle of the ward and the woman who had walked in through the ward doors. Visitors were forbidden during the morning, without express permission from sister and the woman appeared to be in deep conversation with the staff nurse on duty. ‘Ah, looks like they know each other,’ said the nurse and turned back to Maura. ‘Would you like a bit of toast? Did ye have time for a bite before you left home?’

Maura’s stomach rumbled at the mere mention of food. ‘I did not. I was so busy making sure everything was set up for when the kids got up, I forgot about myself.’

The nurse smiled. ‘I thought as much. I’ve seen more meat on a butcher’s pencil than there is on your bones. I’ll be back in a jiffy with a bit of tea and toast for yourself.’

As the nurse walked down the ward, Maura watched her go. She felt her heart fill with gratitude for the young woman who had cared for Harry with as much attentiveness and affection as she would have one of her own. The staff nurse called her over and Maura noticed that the visitor asked her a question before she walked down the ward towards Harry’s bed. As the woman came closer, Maura recognised her as someone she had occasionally seen at the Sacred Heart church on Sunday mornings when they went to mass with Liam and Maeve.

‘Hello, Maura,’ she said. ‘You don’t know me, but you know my son well enough back in Liverpool – he’s Dr Cole and I’m a good friend of Kathleen’s.’

Maura’s face lit up just at the mention of home. Dr Cole had brought Harry safely through most of his late-night asthma attacks. His mammy was smartly dressed and carried a handbag looped over her arm. Her brown felt hat was held in place with a pearl-topped hatpin and her face resembled Kathleen’s with cheeks as soft and as puffy as fresh pats of dough and eyes as twinkly blue as only Irish eyes can be.

‘Does Dr Cole know Harry is here?’ asked Maura, confused but at the same time, delighted.