Chapters (82)
- Cover
- Dedication
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
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‘Yes, I left him wrapped up warm in his car seat in the back of the van while we took our walk. He’s asleep in his cot now with the other two. They’re a little older. I love them all for the short time they’re with me. Am I doing wrong?’
Ian shook his head in despair. ‘I really don’t know. I can’t take all this in. I wish you hadn’t told me. It was easier not knowing. Who are the others?’
‘The boy, James, is the son of a single mother, Lydia Wren, and the daughter was born to Grant and Chelsea Ryan.’
‘I saw their names on Moller’s list. Emma spoke to Grant and Chelsea.’
‘Why?’ Anne asked, immediately anxious.
‘Because we were trying to establish what connection they had with the Moller Clinic.’
‘I see. Mr and Mrs Ryan don’t suspect anything, do they?’
‘No.’
‘If they found out, they would sell their story to the newspapers. They’re already suing the hospital for compensation because their baby’s body disappeared.’
‘So you took her from the hospital?’ Ian asked.
‘Yes. I had their permission at the time, but then they changed their minds. I’ve called her Kerris. It means love. She’ll miss him after he’s gone.’
‘Gone? Gone where?’ Ian asked.
‘When David passes, I mean,’ Anne said quietly.
‘He’s going to die soon?’ Ian asked, shocked.
‘A few months.’ Anne’s eyes filled again. ‘The gene mutation that gives them this condition means they mature more quickly and at different rates. It’s very evident in Kerris. But it also shortens their life expectancy. I know it’s nature taking its course, but each time one dies, it’s harder for me. I look forward to a time when there are no more being born.’
‘I shouldn’t have pressed you to tell me,’ Ian said remorsefully. ‘I don’t know how I’m going to deal with all of this.’
‘You don’t have to. You can go home and let me deal with it, just as I have been doing.’
‘I doubt that’s possible. Now I know, I can’t just walk away and forget.’
‘What other choice do you have, Ian?’
He sighed. ‘I’ve no idea. I can’t share it with Emma, that’s for sure. She’d never cope. It’s better she believes David was born dead.’
Anne nodded solemnly.
‘And you’ve told me everything now?’ Ian asked.
‘Yes. There is nothing else.’
‘I’ll go then,’ he said, standing. ‘I need to think about all this and then decide what to do.’
‘Put it behind you, that’s what you do. Go and get on with your life.’
Ian took a couple of steps towards the door and stopped. ‘Does David look like me?’