She jerks her head towards the door with a knowing smile, and I follow the gesture.

Oh God oh God oh God.

Now I really am dreaming.

Because standing right across the bed from me, looking like a walking thirst trap in a dazzling white t-shirt and jeans, is Brendan.

I blink and reflexively reach up to brush my hair out of my eyes. I must look like shit. I must smell like shit. I haven’t showered in days. I’m groggy as hell from that nap, and I’d put money on having blanket creases on my face, and this guy looks perfect. Just perfect.

We stare at each other for a moment. The expression on his gorgeous face is so far from the usual easy smugness. It’s more akin to total devastation, and I realise in a rush that the very fact that he’s here means he knows. He knows everything. Instinctively, I reach my hand up to grab Athena’s for comfort. She squeezes hard.

‘I can’t believe you’re here,’ I say lamely to both of them, but mostly to Brendan.

‘We came on Brendan’s jet.’ Athena bends and kisses me on the cheek. ‘He was worried about you. We both were.’

I brave eye contact with Brendan again.

‘I hope it’s okay that I’m here,’ he says. He sounds far more subdued than normal.

Rather than open that can of worms, I shoot him a look I hope communicates my conflicted feelings about seeing him. ‘How did you find out? Did you tell him?’ I ask Athena.

‘No,’ he says. ‘I called you last night and one of the nurses answered the phone. She wouldn’t give me any information except that you were in intensive care, so I called Athena.’ He pauses. ‘She filled me in.’

‘So you found out my secret and decided to just show up?’ I can feel the defensiveness rising. ‘After what happened at that lunch, you think you can just fly across the Atlantic and everything's fine?’

Even as the words leave my mouth, I know I’m being a bitch. Dropping everything to fly over here is a massive deal for him. But I’m so exhausted, and I’m all out of fucks to give. He doesn’t get to erase all that nasty shit he pulled last week with one grand gesture.

‘No. No. Not at all. I know’—he clears his throat—‘I fucked up. But I was hoping I could come and lend a hand anyway.’