“What?” said Emma. “That’s awful.”

“I wasn’t pleased,” he agreed, smiling wryly. “I could have gone bankrupt or just skipped out on the debts, but I didn’t want to do that. I contacted the credit-card companies and I managed to set up payment plans with all of them, and then I did some sums and I worked out that if I lived very simply for a few years, I could pay the debts in full and begin again. So that’s what I’m doing.”

“But that’s rather noble,” said Emma.

He thought about it for a moment.

“I don’t think so,” he said then. “I think it’s more a case that it was something that happened to me when I was young and dumb, and I don’t want to be defined by it for the rest of my life. And even though these debts weren’t my doing, still, if I didn’t pay them, they’d be following me around always. I can’t say the last few years have been fun, but this way, in a couple of years’ time, I’ll be fully free and able to start over. And poor little Sarah will be racking up a whole new set of credit-card debts on her own card or on someone else’s, so I guess I’ve come out of it ahead after all.”

“Well, I still think it’s noble,” said Emma. “Don’t you, Lulu?”

Lulu opened her mouth to reply, but as she did, the door to the waiting room opened, and Dr. Chisholm stood leaning against the jamb, looking exhausted and old. He stood there for a moment that felt like an eternity, looking at them all with his kind, kind eyes. Then, very slowly, he raised his thumb.

At the same moment, the men returned with sandwiches and Emma’s mobile phone rang feebly, crackling against the spotty reception of the waiting room.

“I’m going to kill you,” said Lulu a few minutes later, standing at the foot of Sophie’s bed. “We’ve been here half the night drinking disgusting hospital coffee, and Mom and Dad have had to cut their trip short.”

“Sorry,” said Sophie mildly. She was pale, and still a little groggy from the sedation, but apart from that was looking and sounding, impossibly, as Sophie had always looked and sounded before the world had changed forever. “Was it very dramatic?” she asked hopefully. “Did I nearly die?”

“You’re going to be fine now,” said Emma firmly. “That’s the main thing. You’re going to be fine.”

“You nearly killed us,” said Lulu. “Emma and I have lost half our lives with worry this evening. But you, it seems, are going to be just fine. Which is just almost too typical, isn’t it?”

“They’re going to keep you here for a day,” said Emma. “But I gather that’s just a formality. After that you’ll be able to go home, and it’ll all be over. You’ll have to stay away from shellfish from now on, that’s all.”

“No shellfish?” said Sophie, aghast. “No mussels? I love mussels.”