Graeme proposed the toast. “Marcy,” he said, “I know I speak for every one of us here when I say how happy we are to have you home. You’ve been through a very traumatic experience, one that most of us here can’t begin to imagine, but we want you to know that our respect and affection for you has deepened a great deal these past months—and given how profound it was before, that’s pretty deep.” As they all smiled and laughed, she was aware of Henry turning to look at her again and felt glad that he wasn’t on her left side, then sick that it was even an issue. “We also want you to know,” Graeme continued, “that each and every one of us will be there for you anytime you need us, whatever it might be for. You are and will always be our dear and treasured friend. To Marcy, welcome home.”

As everyone echoed the last words Claudia said, “Can I just quickly add that as well as being a dear and treasured friend, she is a deeply loved mother and grandmother, and is, without any shadow of doubt, the most special person in the entire world. To you, Mum.”

“To Nana,” Jasmine put in, teary-eyed.

Marcy looked at her drink and tried to say some words of her own, but in spite of how grateful she was none came. It didn’t seem to matter, for everyone was drinking and repeating the toast and seeming to understand that she might feel a little overwhelmed.

She did—and when she sipped the champagne, she felt dizzied and strange, as if the world around her was receding into a distance, or she was detaching and moving away. She realized it was the alcohol, not having had any in months, but even when the conversation started up again the feeling didn’t quite go away.

It was Wilkie who finally grasped the nettle and asked about her ongoing treatment, and Marcy was relieved; she didn’t want her condition to become the elephant in the room, always there, never mentioned. However, she didn’t want it to be the only thing anyone ever discussed with her, so she made herself a promise that after today she’d try to change the subject soon after it came up.

For now she left it to Claudia to explain about her physiotherapy, how her hand and neck needed to be splinted at night to prevent too much tightening of the skin, and the possibility that her new left eyelid might retract over time, and if it did the graft would have to be done again.

“Where do they take the skin from?” Leanne wanted to know.