Lynda gulped. ‘Thank you, Ray. Thank you.’

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, and the boys looked at the floor and then at each other.

‘Guess we should get going,’ Charlie said.

A set of headlights cut across the yard and flashed into the kitchen.

‘That’ll be James. He was quick,’ Lynda said.

The footy club boys took that as their cue to leave and within minutes they had been replaced by a gentle, quiet man with glasses and a doctor’s bag.

It seemed like James was in with Will for hours, but when Zara looked at the clock she realised it was only one. Lynda was in with him while the procedure took place, and afterwards Will fell asleep peacefully.

‘Are you going to have a cup of tea?’ Lynda asked.

James shook his head. ‘No, I’m going to give you a sleeping tablet and you’re going to bed. The next few days are going to be tough.’

‘Days?’ The word slipped from Zara.

‘Days,’ James confirmed. ‘He’s breathless and he was a little confused tonight. He couldn’t remember if his friends had been to see him today or yesterday. Of course all of that can be attributed to a high temperature, but is also quite common in the last stages. I’m so sorry but I believe that’s where we are. His body isn’t strong enough to fight the infection. The morphine will help with the breathing and the pain. I’d really like you to consider moving him to the hospital. The nurses there are wonderful and he would be comfortable.’

The two women looked at each other. ‘I don’t know, James,’ Lynda said, then sounded decisive. ‘No, at least not tonight. Let’s see how he is in the morning.’

James seemed to know not to argue and pulled out a sheet of white tablets and gave them to Lynda. ‘Take one tonight. Hopefully you’ll sleep like a log and feel a bit better tomorrow.’ He paused. ‘Hearing is the last sense to leave us, so make sure you keep talking to him when you’re with him. All the time. He’ll be able to hear you and take comfort that you’re with him.’

‘Do you think he won’t wake up again?’ Zara asked in a panicked tone. It was all happening so much faster than anyone had anticipated.

‘The infection and morphine will certainly make him sleepier than normal. He’ll probably come in and out of consciousness. Any conversations you have may not make much sense, but he’ll be comfortable.’

Lynda took the tablets and put them on the table. ‘I’ll walk you out,’ she said.

Zara wasn’t sure what the relationship between James and Lynda was, but there was a familiarity between them that went beyond that of doctor and patient. Or patient’s mother. As a journalist, she’d learned to read people’s body language well and it certainly looked like there was something going on between James and her mum. Zara frowned as they walked out into the dark together. Not that she didn’t want her mum to find someone else. And she’d asked Lynda the question not twenty-four hours ago, but she hadn’t answered.