Brendan’s gaze flickers to me and back again. ‘Well, do you know that LEGO is way cheaper in the US than in the UK? Maybe I’ll see if I can pick one up and we could build it tomorrow. It would be a fun bed project. What do you think, hmm?’

I suspect the cheapness of LEGO in the US is a downright lie, but I know what he’s doing. He’s warming me up to him splurging and assuaging any potential unease Tabby might feel about accepting such a gift. It’s on the tip of my tongue to protest, but Tabby’s face is positively alight.

‘Can we, Mummy? Would that be okay?’

I force a smile. ‘Of course, darling, if Brendan’s sure.’

‘I’m definitely sure,’ he tells her. ‘I’ll get the hotel concierge to sort one. It’ll be epic.’

‘Thank you,’ she whispers. She’s looking at him as if he’s her fairy godfather. Then she turns to me and tugs on my sleeve. ‘Mummy. I need the loo.’

We get a nurse in to disconnect Tabs from her endless wires so she can make the short trip to the ensuite bathroom.

‘Let’s play a game,’ Brendan says. ‘We’ll both guess how low your sats will go while you walk to the bathroom, and the person who gets closest to the right number wins.’

I smile to myself. Clearly this guy knows exactly how an oximeter works.

‘Okay,’ she says, beaming as I lift her gently off the bed.

‘Eighty-five,’ Brendan says, and she scoffs.

‘Ninety-six.’

‘Punchy. No way can you keep them up that high. But you need to be honest and tell me what the number is when you get to the bathroom. No cheating, okay?’

‘I don’t cheat,’ she says, scowling at him.

He laughs. ‘We’ll see.’

‘You feeling okay to walk, angel?’

‘Yep. I need to walk so I can play the game.’ She slides her hand in mine. She’s always had such tiny hands with delicate fingers. She’d make a great pianist if she ever had a piano to practise on.

‘Nice and slow, Tabby,’ the nurse tells her as we set off at a gentle pace. Tabs keeps her hand up in front of her so she can watch the oximeter. We take a few slow steps. ‘Ninety-eight,’ she says. Four more steps take us into what is a big, spotless bathroom with a proper shower. I lower her onto the loo, and she sighs. ‘Ninety-seven,’ she calls out.

‘You’re cheating!’ Brendan shouts back, and we both laugh.

I shake my head at her. ‘He’s very silly, isn’t he?’

She beams, and my heart constricts. ‘He’s fun.’