After Danny had been hugged and kissed by everyone, he was given dry clothes, checked over by Terence and then taken to see his grandfather while Jane made him a doorstep sandwich.

Hugh had managed to smile at him and ruffle his hair before going back to sleep again, and Danny had had to accept it could be a while before he and his grandfather could share their adventure stories and compare notes.

Rebecca watched as he drank the cup of cocoa and ate the enormous bacon sandwich which dripped grease and tomato sauce down his clean shirt. He’d had a big adventure, and she would probably never learn all the details of what had passed between him and the mysterious John Miller, but it didn’t really matter. Her little boy was home.

As his eyelids drooped with weariness and he sagged against her she rescued the remains of the sandwich from his lap and carried him into the now-deserted isolation room. He was fast asleep even before she’d pulled the sheet to his chin.

*

Terence drew Sandra into his embrace as they sat in the swing-seat on the back veranda and wearily watched the rain turn the backyard into a quagmire. ‘It’s been one heck of a few days,’ he murmured, ‘and I couldn’t have done half of it without you.’

She snuggled closer. ‘We’re a good team, aren’t we?’

He softly kissed the top of her head. ‘Yes, we are.’ He let the easy silence fall between them, relishing this quiet moment of togetherness. ‘I do love you, you know,’ he said some moments later. ‘And I’m sorry I haven’t always been the husband you needed.’

She shifted within his embrace and lifted her head so she could look up at him. ‘You have nothing to apologise for,’ she said firmly. ‘It’s me who should be saying sorry.’

‘Sandra, you …’

She pressed her finger to his lips and drew back, her expression earnest. ‘I lost my way after Michael died,’ she admitted, ‘and thought I could deaden the pain and guilt by drinking. I realise now how stupid that was – how thoughtless and demanding it made me. But at the time it seemed to be the only way to get through each day.’

His soft heart went out to her. ‘Oh, darling,’ he sighed.

She dipped her chin. ‘I wasn’t well, Terry, I can see that now, and the drink was just making it worse.’

‘You don’t have to explain, my darling girl. I did understand, really I did.’