‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘I’m not here to cause trouble. I know Andrea only ever wanted to protect Violet. She never wanted any harm to come to her. And I was hoping to let her know that I’ve convinced Heather to drop the kidnapping charges against her. She’s told the police that she was mistaken about Andrea taking Violet without her permission, that she’d forgotten she agreed to the trip up the coast.’

‘Really? How did you do that?’

‘It’s a long story, but Heather knew she wasn’t blameless in all of this. Listen, when . . . if Andrea wakes, could you please tell her that Violet is very safe with her grandparents and I know they’re going to help Heather through her rehab. So now I think it’s time for both of us to step back and leave it to family. Do you know what I mean?’

Jill nodded. ‘I do,’ she said. ‘I know exactly what you mean.’

Shaun moved towards Andrea again, gazed intently at her for several seconds and then turned away with a look on his face that told Jill it was hard for him to do so.

‘When she wakes,’ he said, and this time he put a strong emphasis on the word when, ‘please tell her I’d love to talk . . . if she wants.’

‘Of course,’ said Jill. ‘I’ll make sure she knows you were here.’

Shaun left the room and Jill moved in closer to Andrea. ‘Well, that was certainly interesting,’ she said, taking hold of Andrea’s hand. ‘I wonder if you’re going to want to tell me about Shaun or not?’ She paused. ‘You know you do have to wake though, right? You absolutely have to. It’s been almost two weeks and that is quite enough, do you hear me? The doctors are saying you should have woken by now. They’re getting worried. But not me. I’m not worried. I refuse to give up and I’m going to sit right here next to you, talking and talking until you —’

That was when Andrea squeezed Jill’s hand.

*

Andrea

It felt as though everything was taking place around her in scenes from a stop motion film. She would open her eyes and see a doctor moving towards her. Open her eyes again and the doctor would be right up close, examining her face. Open her eyes again and the doctor would have moved back away.

There were voices, beeps, and things prodding her. Her throat felt painfully dry and she wanted to ask for water but couldn’t find her voice.

There was Jill, beaming but crying, all at once. Her face was different though, it was blemished by a long, thick scar down the side.

Eventually, she fell back to sleep and when she woke again, the world seemed clearer.

Jill leaned over her and stroked her hair. ‘You’re back with us,’ she said.