‘Thank you,’ said Robert MacKenzie, into her ear. ‘Thank you.’

At the hospital, they had to explain that no, Anna wasn’t Robbie’s mother; no, she wasn’t his stepmother, either. Perhaps that was when she should have told Robert about the baby, but he was so relieved to have Robbie back unharmed that she couldn’t bear to put her worries on his shoulders.

‘I’m pregnant,’ she told the doctor who came to the small, sterile cubicle to check her over. ‘I’m due to have my first scan this week. I’m afraid that—’ Anna couldn’t say the words, couldn’t vocalize her fear.

The doctor nodded her understanding with a brief, efficient smile. ‘Okay, well, let’s do the scan now, shall we? Is there anyone you want to call?’

For a split second, Anna found herself thinking of Robert MacKenzie. She could still feel his thumb brushing over her lip.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I need to call the father.’

Anna asked one of the nurses to tell the MacKenzies that she had gone home. She waited for Liam in the maternity wing, listening to the cry of new lives not long into the world. How strange it was, she thought, that she could want something so badly that three months ago had not even occurred to her could exist.

‘The baby seems fine,’ said the sonographer, as she and Liam stared at the pulsing black-and-white image on the screen. ‘Good heart rate, no sign that there’s anything to be worried about. Would you like a picture?’

‘Yes,’ Anna tried to say, and realized that her voice was hoarse from the lump that had formed in her throat. Looking at an image of the tiny form on the screen was humbling in a way she had never before experienced. Hi, baby, she thought, light-headed with relief. Hi there. I’m your mum. We’re going to have so much fun together, you and I. And I promise never to put you in danger like that again.

Liam took her hand and Anna looked up at him.

‘I’m going to be a dad,’ Liam said, his voice cracking. ‘Just look at that little thing!’

Anna laughed and squeezed his hand, glad that he was there.

Afterwards, they found a café for some lunch, quietly absorbing the morning’s events. Outside, the sun had broken through the clouds and shone on puddles left by the rain.

‘Are you going to tell your folks now?’ Anna asked.

Liam shrugged. ‘I’m not sure whether to do that straight away or when I get home,’ he said. ‘It’s not long until I go now.’

Anna nodded, sipping her tea and wondering if he would bring up the idea of her going with him again. From his face it looked as if he wanted to, but was reluctant.

‘Are you planning to start telling people?’ he asked, instead.