Sunday took her place at the side of her husband and while the doctor cleaned the wound, Tom gripped her hand and screwed his eyes tight shut.

‘Visiting time is over now, Mrs Branning,’ the frosty-faced ward sister informed her sometime later, but Tom was running a very high temperature and Sunday had no intention of leaving him.

‘I am well aware of that, sister,’ she answered. ‘But I’m staying with my husband until his temperature comes down a little.’

The ward sister glanced at the doctor, who had just returned to cleanse Tom’s wound again, and was incensed to see a small grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

‘I’m sure you won’t mind Mrs Branning staying a little longer, will you, sister?’ he said coaxingly and she positively bristled although she didn’t argue with him.

‘I suppose not, just so long as you keep the curtains pulled around the bed,’ she said tightly. ‘It really wouldn’t do to let the rest of the visitors see that we are setting a precedent with Mrs Branning. Rules are made for a reason and the whole of the ward would be in chaos in no time and Matron would be breathing down my neck.’

From Sunday’s determined stance it was more than clear, however, that in order to get her to leave they would have to forcibly evict her. The sister went off in a huff then and Sunday turned her attention back to Tom.

It was late that evening before she got home again to find Kitty waiting for her in the hallway in her nightgown.

‘She wouldn’t go to bed until you got back,’ Cissie whispered as Sunday put her arm about the girl’s shoulders and gave her a gentle hug.

‘We’ve had a little setback,’ she told them truthfully. ‘Tom has developed an infection but the doctors have it in hand and I’m sure he’ll be fine.’ Her arm actually ached from all the hours she had spent bathing his forehead with cold water, but already her efforts appeared to be paying off, for he had not been quite so hot when she had finally left him, and a pleasant young nurse who had come on night duty had promised that she would continue her efforts throughout the night.

It was almost a week later when Sunday arrived at the hospital one day to find the doctor waiting for her with wonderful news.

‘Your husband is mending nicely now, although I have to warn you, he may well always have a limp and that leg will never be as strong as it was. Despite that, he is fit enough to come home tomorrow.’

Sunday could hardly wait to share her good news with everyone at Treetops, and again the house took on a party atmosphere as they prepared for his return. The crisis was over and soon Tom would be back where he belonged. Kitty flew into her arms when she heard the good news and Sunday was shocked to see how tall she was growing. You’ll be a young lady soon, she found herself thinking and wondered where all the years had gone.