We go see Millie during afternoon visiting hours, where she tells me all about the episode I missed on The Bachelor (he’s down to six contestants now and we hate two of them) and we strategise a way to tell her work what happened. Eventually, we compromise on a strategy: Millie agrees to tell her boss that she couldn’t go on the trip but that she kept in touch with some divers who did go and is hoping to use some of their findings.

By the time we head home it’s hard for me to remember that the last night of sleep I had was on a tiny boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

But I remember Hugh. I remember everything about him. His smell, the way his lips taste, the way the hair on his forearm is so lightened from the sun that it practically glows. I remember how the name Millie sounds in his mouth and the way his eyes look when he’s staring at the ocean. I remember how he made me feel – simultaneously like I was on the most exciting terrifying roller coaster of my life and also like I had finally found a place to call home.

I keep expecting time to take away the sting of not hearing from him, but with every passing hour it cuts me deeper. Pippa texts me to ask about my sister and the scrap of pride I have left is the only thing that keeps me from asking if Hugh ended up on the waterfall tour with them.

I miss Australia. I miss the accents and the smell of the ocean and the bright, long, sunny days. I miss the spirit of the place, the feeling that people were living for more than just their next pay cheque.

I get into bed as soon as we get home from visiting Millie and even though I’m exhausted, I can’t fall asleep. I toss and turn, missing the rocking of the boat beneath me. Missing Hugh’s gentle breathing from the bed below mine.

When Millie gets discharged the next afternoon, we bring her home together, all four of us loaded into the Highlander, Millie and I in the back seat. For the next few days, our family operates in orbit around Millie. We are at her beck and call, helping her get comfortable and ensuring she stays off her feet, welcoming in the home health nurse around the clock, and convincing Millie that her boss will be understanding when she calls her to ask for medical leave.