‘Adam, can you hear me?’ The nurse’s voice roused him. His eyes gradually opened as she took his temperature.

‘They’ve fixed your hand,’ Ali said. She was standing by his bed, her eyes rimmed red. He squinted at the heavy bandaging and swollen fingers.

‘They caught him, all thanks to you.’ She put her arm around the boy by her side.

‘What’s your name?’ Max asked.

‘Jamie,’ the boy said.

Max searched Ali’s face, but she wouldn’t look at him, fussing instead with unpacking a bottle of Lucozade, a bag of grapes and a bar of milk chocolate. He looked at the boy properly now. His thatch of blond hair, a cheeky grin; older than Emily or Chloe. Maddy! He tried to sit up. ‘What time is it?’

‘Eight thirty.’

‘I have to go!’

‘They might let you out tomorrow.’

‘No, you don’t understand, I have to go right now.’ He was supposed to be driving Maddy and the girls to Margate the next morning.

‘I don’t understand, where do you need to be?’ Alison asked.

The nurse beside the next patient came over.

‘You’re not going anywhere tonight, my love, it’ll be lights out shortly. Come on,’ she said, pulling the covers up to his neck, ‘you’ve had a general anaesthetic, not to mention painkillers. You’re lucky there wasn’t more serious damage.’

He pushed his head into the pillow and closed his eyes. He’d have to confess about Maddy and his daughters.

Ali gave the boy some change and told him to get himself a drink from the vending machine.

‘He’s a good boy,’ she said.

‘We need to talk.’ He pressed his throbbing brow.

‘It’s been hard finding the right moment.’

‘I should have told you sooner…’ he began.

‘The thing is…’ She sat on the bed close to him.

‘We’ve all done things in the past…’

‘I know and I’ve been meaning to…’ She shook her head as she smoothed the sheet.

‘What?’ He touched her hand, waited for her to speak. She searched his eyes with hers.

‘I couldn’t go through with it.’

He frowned.

‘Jamie…’

‘What? What are you saying?’ His heart fizzed to life like a firework. He made a move to sit up.

‘Jamie is your son… our son.’ She leaned over and hugged him, but he pushed her away. He tried again to sit up but groaned in agony.

‘Shit, Ali! What the fuck are you playing at? Why are you only telling me now?’

‘I’m so sorry.’ She stood back and dabbed her eyes with her fingers.

‘How could you carry on letting me believe he didn’t exist?’ He screwed his good fist up and slammed it down on the bed, making her flinch.

‘I said I’m sorry.’ She stepped back.

‘When were you going to tell me? Were you going to?’