Maggie was holding a plastic drinking bottle for Callie with a straw arching out of the top. Sharon took over. It looked like a struggle. Maggie was talking at Sharon, telling her how it was normal for a patient waking up like this to have a sore throat. They had sometimes needed to be aggressive getting tubes into her, which would cause damage that was unseen but inevitable. Maggie also explained that Callie was drowsy and would be confused for a while – no telling how long – and that this was all perfectly normal. Sharon was only half listening. She had hung on every word said to her in here for the last month or so, but in that moment she didn’t care. Not about the prognosis, not about odds and chances, not about anything anymore. Callie was awake, looking around, her lips even curling into the beginnings of a smile. Jamie was the other side of the bed, a smile spreading across his face when his sister twisted towards him but fading just as quickly when Callie turned back to search for her straw. Sharon helped her find it, all the time trying to ignore Jamie’s desperate attempts to make eye contact with her. She knew that he was after assurance, a brief smile back, something to tell him that everything was going to be OK. She couldn’t. She didn’t have it in her. They had agreed on the way over that this was not the time to tell Callie anything about what was going on and of course it was the right decision. Sharon wasn’t even sure if Callie knew where she was or what was going on around her.

Then Callie shrugged the straw out of her mouth and locked eyes with her mother. It took Sharon’s breath away. Just to be looking in those eyes again, to be smiling, to be smiled back at. It was everything. Callie opened her mouth and a hacking sound came from her throat. She lifted a shaky hand to it, her face twisted in a grimace. When she opened her mouth again she made the same sound. This time the grimace was more clearly one of frustration, like she was trying to talk and angry she couldn’t.

‘It’s OK, honey, don’t talk, not until it’s comfortable. You’ll be fixed soon enough and we can have a right good chat!’

Callie made the same noise for a third time while still fixed on Sharon, then she was able to force a word. It was obscured by another cough but there could be no mistaking it.

‘Dad!’ she croaked.

And just like that, Sharon thought her heart was going to burst.

Chapter 52

Tuesday

Joel attacked the door to Christopher Hennershaw’s house like he might be able to bounce it open with his fist. There were no pauses, just a barrage of blows, the sort of knock you couldn’t ignore.