I stroke her hair as she lies on the gurney. A woman with a wide, friendly smile and the most beautiful dark eyes approaches. The anaesthetist, I guess, judging from the big badge on her scrubs that features a sleeping cloud emitting a stream of Zs.

‘Hi, Tabby!’ she says in a perky voice. I have to hand it to the Americans; they’re way more effusive and cheery than us Brits, and right now Tabs and I will take all the peppiness we can get. She keeps talking. ‘I’m Dr Martinez, and I’ll be your sleep doctor today. Do you know what that is?’

‘You make me go to sleep?’ Tabby whispers, so shyly it’s almost inaudible. I stroke her hair again.

‘Exactly! My job is to help you fall into a special sleep during your heart operation and make sure you don't feel anything. When you wake up afterward, your heart will be working better! Have you ever fallen asleep for a doctor before?’

Tabs cranes her neck to look up at me. ‘Have I, Mummy?’

‘You have,’ I tell her. ‘A few times. But you were too little to remember.’ Which makes one of us, because I’m still traumatised.

‘It’s a lot of fun,’ Dr Martinez tells Tabs. ‘Because guess what? We put a special mask on you and it smells good! Tell me, do you like the smell of cherry, or strawberries, or bubblegum, maybe?’

Tabby’s eyes meet mine again, and I smile. I know just what she’ll choose.

‘Bubblegum,’ she says, a little more loudly this time. ‘But I’m not allowed to eat it at home.’

Dr Martinez laughs. ‘Right? It’s not great for your tummy if you swallow it. But this way, you get to enjoy the yummy smell without all that chewing. When you put the mask on and you start to smell the bubblegum, it might feel like you’re floating or spinning. That means the sleepy medicine is starting to work. You’ll drift off, just like the cloud on my pin right here, and you won’t feel a thing. When you wake up, you’ll be with your mom and your operation will be all done.’

‘Can I have some food when I wake up?’ Tabs asks.

‘For sure. You hungry?’

Tabby nods, and the vehemence of it makes me and Dr Martinez laugh.

‘Yeah. It’s rough having to starve yourself. You can eat as soon as you feel ready for it, so you just let us know, okay? Now, are you ready for some special stickers?’

A nurse approaches us and begins to prep Tabby. I move to her side so I can hold her hand.