Her daughter’s eyelids looked heavy. They blinked a couple of times and then slid back closed. There was a little more movement behind them but it faded away like she had fallen back asleep.

‘She will sleep a lot. At first.’ The nurse was still beaming. Sharon didn’t look away from Callie, and ran her hand over Callie’s fringe. ‘You take all the time you need, little one!’

Sharon reacted to her phone vibrating in her pocket like she had been stung. It was just a banal update notification for her phone, but it served as a reminder. She was still waiting for Danny to get back to her – to hear anything at all. She had considered driving round local hotels to see if she could spot his car before coming to the hospital but there was no time and no certainty that he was even staying in or around Dover. It hadn’t been unusual for him to ignore his phone for a few days in the past; she’d known him to lose it or even leave it plugged in at work for three days before now. But since Callie’s admission to hospital he’d been better. He hadn’t always been in a state to make conversation but he had always answered. Still, she wasn’t worried. Danny had a self-destruct button that he liked to press every now and then. He would be laid out on his bed or a mate’s sofa somewhere – or in a ditch – and either way he would soon sleep off whatever chemicals he had used to rid himself of the real world.

‘Let’s try your dad again, shall we?’ Sharon worked the phone one-handed so she didn’t have to let her daughter’s hand go. The nurse nodded and said she would be back. The phone rang and rang. Sharon could feel the desperation grow in her chest with every tone. Hey, this is Danny Evans, leave me a message if you have to and I’ll get right back to you.

‘Jesus, Danny!’ The phone’s beep was a starting pistol for Sharon to bark into her phone. ‘This really isn’t how I wanted to do this. Callie, she’s coming round! Your daughter is breathing on her own, it’s a matter of time … She’s going to want to see you. We all want to see you! Where the hell are you? Call me back the moment you get this, OK?’