Kate couldn’t look at her. She went in the ambulance with Lizzy.

Of all the things she had expected from life, the events of the last twenty-four hours had not been remotely near them. If someone had told her what was going to happen she would have laughed in their face.

Now, in the middle of the biggest case she had ever worked on, she had problems of a much larger scale and Kate was aware that her life would never be the same again.

Kate sat in the hospital waiting room. The young doctor was smiling at her. She noticed that his hair had scissor marks in it, as if it had just been dry cut. He had a day’s growth of beard covering a weak chin.

‘Well, we’ve stitched her, Mrs Burrows. The cuts were quite deep, but not really life threatening as such. She cut lengthwise along the arm and missed the main arteries. She was unconscious because she had taken some sleeping pills. But she’s awake now, though groggy.’

‘Can I see her?’

‘Of course. She’ll stay here tonight and the psychiatrist will see her tomorrow.’

‘Psychiatrist?’ Kate’s voice was small.

‘It’s standard procedure after a suicide attempt. Don’t worry, everything will be all right.’

Kate swallowed the trite remark. He was only trying to make her feel better.

She stood up and stubbed out her cigarette. It had in fact gone out minutes before but she hadn’t noticed.

‘Can I go and see her then?’

‘Of course. Try not to keep her too long. Sleep’s the best thing for her now. Sleep is a great healer.’

Kate felt an urge to tell him to get stuffed. But she didn’t. Instead she gave him a tight smile.

‘Thank you.’ Slipping past him she went into her daughter’s ward. Lizzy had the curtains pulled around her bed and Kate stepped towards them gingerly.

She saw Lizzy’s eyes open and tried hard to smile.

‘I’m sorry, Mum. I really am sorry.’

‘Oh, Lizzy!’ All the pain and anguish inside her rose like a tidal wave and enveloped her.

Mother and daughter cried together.

‘Everything will be all right, Lizzy, I promise you. We’ll work this out, I swear. We’ll work this out.’

‘Oh, Mum, I wish Gran hadn’t seen my diary.’

Kate could hear the little hiccoughing sounds in her voice.

‘We’ll make it right between us. You just concentrate on getting better.’

A nurse rustled into the tiny space. Kate could smell Pears soap and the smell brought back memories of when she had been younger. When Lizzy had been a baby.

‘I think you’d best get yourself off home now. She really does need her sleep.’

Kate nodded. Kissing Lizzy on the lips, she pushed back her hair from her face and tried valiantly to smile.

‘I’ll be here in the morning, OK?’