“As soon as she’s comfortable. She’ll be heavily sedated and you might find the paraphernalia a little alarming, but try to bear in mind that it’s doing a good job of . . .”

“Of what?” Claudia cried, without really wanting to know.

Patiently he said, “Of keeping her out of distress. She’ll be intubated and ventilated to maintain her breathing, and we’ll be passing fluids into her veins to keep her circulation flowing—at the moment all her blood vessels are leaky from the inflammation.”

Not sure she could take any more, Claudia forced herself to listen as he continued.

“Dressing changes will happen every couple of days,” he informed her. “You’ll be asked to leave while that’s happening, but otherwise visiting hours are quite relaxed during this critical time.”

Wishing he hadn’t used that word, Claudia tried to thank him, but her voice had become hoarse, and her legs were suddenly so weak she needed to sit down.

Seeming to understand this, he gave her a reassuring smile. “One of the nurses will be out to speak to you again when we move her,” he said, and with a nod toward Andee and Graeme he left.

Claudia’s distraught eyes found Jasmine’s. “She’s going to be all right,” she said, sounding far more definite than she was feeling. “She’ll get through this.”

“I know.” Jasmine’s voice was small and childlike. “She’s Nana. She doesn’t let anything get the better of her.”

Claudia turned to Andee.

“Don’t go there,” Andee warned, clearly reading her mind. “Just don’t.”

Claudia took a breath, wondering how Andee could tell she was blaming herself, but there was so much in her head now, so many terrible thoughts, that she had no idea how to articulate them, much less assemble them.

Handing her phone to Graeme, Andee said, “Can you return these calls?”

After he’d gone Andee sat Claudia down and held her hands again, as Jasmine leaned against her mother. “We need to focus on why this has happened,” she said gently but firmly. “Let’s start with why wasn’t Marcy at the dress rehearsal with you?”

Claudia’s head swam as she tried to think back. It felt like part of another world, something that had happened too long ago to remember. “She should have been,” she replied. “She wanted to come. We were all in the car ready to go, but she’s had a terrible cold these last few days. She decided as we were leaving that she was too sick to come with us, that she should try to get herself in better shape for the opening night.”

Jasmine said, “I can’t do the opening night now. We have to stay here with Nana, and anyway, Dad’s violin was in the house.”

Claudia turned to her, realizing to her horror that she was right.