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503
“That was
hospital over there,” he says, his face
ashen, drawn. “Holly’s been in an accident.”
My head snaps up.
“What?!” Megan gasps. “What happened—is she
okay?”
“She’s fine.” He nods absently, still staring at the
phone. “The nurse said she’s just fine …”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Megan sighs, relief flooding
her features.
Thank God!
Jack looks up, his face pale. “And so is her baby.”
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Holly
“Everything’s okay?”
stare at the midwife
incredulously. “Are you sure the baby’s okay?”
“The baby’s fine.” She smiles, wiping the ultrasound
jelly from my stomach. “Perfect. You’re lucky girl to have
got away with just cuts and bruises—if that car had been
going any faster it would’ve been
completely different
story.”
“Thank God.”
rest my head back against the
pillows, my hand warm against my cool belly. Thank God
can’t believe it. Can’t believe I’ve been so lucky.
“You should get some rest,” she advises me. “You’ve
been through lot, young lady, and it would do the baby
good too.”
nod, suddenly exhausted. “Okay.”
“And if you’re good, I’ll see if can get you some
chocolate mousse with your lunch—we only get it on
Mondays, and there’s always bit of scrum for it, but I’m
friendly with the kitchen staff, so I’ll see what can do.”
She winks. “It’s heavenly.”
“Thank you,”
tell her, my throat swelling with
gratitude. “Thank you so much.”
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“You’re welcome. Now rest, okay? They’ll be kicking
you out of here in the morning, so make the most of it.”
She grins at me, and smile back.
“Sarah!” another nurse calls. “Sarah, have you got
minute?”
The smile freezes on my face.
“No rest for the wicked.” She winks. “Don’t go
anywhere, I’ll be back with that mousse.”
stare at her as she walks away, the feeling of
disbelief stronger than ever.
Sarah?
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Rosie
She’s pregnant? Holly’s pregnant?
Oh, God, all this stress, and she’s pregnant?
gaze out the window as we rumble along the
runway, the past couple of hours
blur, my head still
whirling with the news, trying to spot the signs missed—
in her moods, her actions, her words
The test
realize suddenly. She was asking me
about getting tested
close my eyes. can’t even imagine what I’d do in
her situation, what she must’ve been going through all this
time. God, it’s bad enough having to deal with
Huntington’s, but knowing you could be passing it on to
your child? And she didn’t tell anyone. glance at Jack, who’s staring blankly out of the plane window. He’s been
in state of shock ever since we got the news. At least we
managed to get stand-by seats—at least we’re on our way.
But he didn’t know. She didn’t tell him. She didn’t tell
anyone. Unless
Andy Andy gave her his phone, kept coming to visit
her, spent the day with her
He knew! Holly must’ve
confided in him. smile. only wish I’d done the same.
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glance at my watch. Six and half hours. Six and
half more hours and we’ll be there. Jack will be with Holly
and I’ll be home. My stomach lurches.
Who knows what’ll be waiting for us.
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Holly
step outside the hospital door, and the sun is
blinding. It’s new day, and it’s beautiful—crisp and fresh
and clean.
clean slate, think, taking deep breath, the
fresh cold air alive in my lungs. second chance. For both
of us
spot
pay phone and fish some coins from my
purse, crossing my fingers as dial Dad’s cell. Please pick
up
Hello, this is Jack’s phone …
My heart aches to hear his voice—even his voice
mail—and again can’t believe ever left.
“Dad—I—it’s me
I’m coming home.” My heart
swells. “I love you.”
smile as hang up, rushing to catch
cab that’s
just dropping family off.
“Where to, love?”
“Just
second.” reach into my bag for the hotel
address—I need to pick up my stuff before heading to the
airport. can’t wait to get home, to feel Dad’s arms around
me, have him tell me that everything will be okay—that
he’s excited about becoming granddad! To be back with
my family.
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My eyes fall on the little pink address book nestled
in the corner of my bag, glinting in the sunlight.
My family
510
Rosie
“Welcome to London. You may now unfasten your
seat belts and turn on your mobile phones,” the flight
attendant a
only to get stuck behind people slowly retrieving their
luggage from the overhead bins.
“Come on, come on!” Jack mutters as the queue
inches its way off the plane.
We hurry into the airport, only to be stuck in yet
more queues for passport control, baggage collection,
customs
watch Jack, his eyes closed in exasperation,
the strain etched in the lines on his face.
almost leave my luggage behind.
Finally we’re outside and into taxi, speeding away
from the airport, heading south. Jack stares out the
window, his face blank, his fingers tapping impatiently on
the door handle. It seems to take forever. stare out at the
green fields, the patchwork landscape, heading home.
It’s weird hurtling through the familiar countryside,
the familiar towns, with Jack by my side. It’s like we’re out
of place, like he’s been inserted here from another
world—his world—though of course this is his home
country too, he’s even been to this town
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“Oh, my God,” he says suddenly, and look at him.
He’s as white as sheet.
“What?”
ask anxiously. “What’s wrong?” Then
realize. Outside, the enormous white walls of the hospital
loom ahead, tall and foreboding.
“Oh, God,” say quietly as the taxi pulls up outside.
“This is the hospital she’s in?” stare at him incredulously.
“Here?”
He nods, the lines on his face catching the shadows.
“I should’ve realized, I—” He shakes his head as we
pass the familiar sign and pull into the car park.
ST. ANNE’S HOSPITAL, MAYBRIDGE
Where it all began.
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Holly
stare at the house and check the address again.
This is it.
Behind me, the cab pulls away and disappears
around the corner. No going back.
gaze down the street at the neat little cottages
crammed together like sardines, with their identical
walled-in front yards.
plastic gnome sits fishing in
frozen pond, his painted smile wide and jolly despite the
cold, and grin, thinking of Josh. Yoda
take
deep breath and walk carefully up the
driveway, my feet crunching treacherously in the gravel.
bite my lip as reach the door, raise my hand to knock.
What if this is
mistake?
hesitate, shoving my
hand back into my pocket and looking up at the door.
There is an iron horseshoe hanging above the doorframe,