He was lost in these thoughts until, a while later, the door opened. He turned, expecting to see the nurse, but it was someone else. A younger-looking woman with tight brown curls and a wide, cat-like face. She had two pink milkshakes in her hands.

‘Hello, Forest.’ She held out one of the glasses to him. ‘My name is Frankie.’

He nodded, accepting the milkshake. The glass was cool to the touch. ‘Thank you.’

‘That’s quite alright. Can I take a seat?’

He hesitated a moment too long, then nodded.

‘Thank you.’ She sat across from him and sucked from her straw. She looked slightly doll-like, made even younger by the way she drank her milkshake with childlike enthusiasm. ‘I’ve been asked by your grandmother to come chat with you. I’m a counsellor.’

Ah. He froze, and instantly changed his assessment of her. That childlike enthusiasm now looked very much calculated.

So, the games had really begun.

Ivy, it seemed, was desperate to know about the fate of her eldest son and daughter-in-law.

Understandable.

He felt that familiar guilt.

‘Thank you for coming,’ he said politely.

‘That’s okay, Forest. I won’t take up much of your time. How about I just stay however long it takes us to finish our milkshakes. Deal?’

Damn. Now if he drank too fast, or too slow, she’d read something into it. He took a sip and nearly sighed with pleasure. It was good, nice and thick and cold. Lots of ice-cream. Too much ice-cream. It was so thick, it would be hard to drink it quickly.

Was this planned? Or was he being paranoid?

Damn.

‘This is my dog, Zeus,’ he said.

‘Yes, I’ve heard,’ she said. ‘But I’m interested in you, Forest.’

She’d dodged his deflection. Double damn.

‘You’ve had a very long day,’ she continued.

‘Yes, I’m tired,’ he said. ‘I’m not sure I’ll be up to talking for long.’

Clumsy. But he wasn’t at his best right now. Now was not the time to match wits with a counsellor who looked barely old enough to be out of high school, let alone university.

She sipped from her milkshake. ‘Just until we finish our drinks.’

He took a sip. She watched him, letting silence fill the space.

Had it gone on too long now? Was it awkward? Should he say something?

‘How is Ivy?’ he blurted, to fill the silence.

‘She’s worried about you. Are you worried about her?’

‘Yeah.’

She nodded, making an affirming noise. ‘I would be too. It’s a lot to take in at her age. Her grandson, appearing after seven years. If I was her, I’d be feeling a lot of different emotions. What do you think you’d feel, if you were her?’

‘I’m not sure.’

‘Do you find it hard to put yourself in her shoes?’ She sipped her milkshake slowly.

So did he, matching her pace.