Later that afternoon, Cora had slipped into Jack’s room. He was due to be discharged that afternoon—there had been no complications. When she entered, he was back in his street clothes, flinching as he shifted feet, zipping up his bag that rested on the bed.

“Hi.” she said.

“Hey.” He managed a smile at her, though he was pale. It didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I was hit by a truck and repeatedly run over.”

Cora’s lip quirked. “So, great, then?”

“Fantastic.” This time, the smile did reach his eyes.

“I’m sure Frazer already sorted it out for you, but do you need help getting anywhere?” She hated herself for her not-so-subtle question about whether or not he’d seen Frazer.

“Nah, my uncle is picking me up. He wants me to stay with him for a few days until I feel better.”

Someone wanting to look after Jack forced an inexplicable lump into Cora’s throat. It wasn’t everything, and it might not be enough, but it really was something. “That’s great. Did you take him up on his offer?”

His shaggy hair, in need of a cut, swayed as he nodded. “I did. There’s an Xbox.”

Cora laughed—one of the first things he’d told her was that he wished he’d thought to grab his Xbox when he left his parents’ house. “Well, an Xbox. There’s not much more you can ask for.”

This time, the grin lit up his face. “Exactly.”

“Are we still on for next Wednesday?”

“Definitely. Big life decisions to discuss and all that.” His hands sat heavily against the bed.

“Or, you know, we can just catch up and save the big decisions for a few weeks or however long away. You’ve already made one of those this week.”

“Would we call giving a baby up for adoption a big decision?”

Cora shrugged. “Oh, fine, a small one.”

He fiddled with the zip a minute, and Cora couldn’t resist the urge to repeat things she already knew he was aware of. “Jack.” She waited patiently until his eyes met hers. “You still have us around. It’s the point. Not just to kick your ass into employment and study. Call me if you need to talk before we have dates set up, okay?”

His shoulders relaxed. For a moment, his teeth worried at his lip before he asked, “Even though I didn’t keep the baby?”

“Like we’ve always said, this programme focusses on the parents. We want to make sure you have support after all this.”

Eyes back on his bag, his voice was small as he said, “Okay.”

Cora walked towards him and wrapped him up in a hug. For a moment, his entire body froze, before he melted against her. The grip of his fingers was tight against her back, and she didn’t let go until he did.