Page 43 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

She rolled him over and saw that he was alive, at least, relief flooding through her in a wave that almost had her throwing up. He clutched his hands to his chest and panted short, shallow breaths as he stared up at her, eyes dark and wide with fear in his sickly pale face.

‘My Antheia,’ he managed, his voice reedy.

Chapter Nineteen

The hospital smelled like any other. Antiseptic and rubber.

Nina sat on a plastic chair, trying not to jig her legs or bite her nails or chew on her lip. Trying not to think the worst. Theo had been rushed away as soon as they’d brought him in, his face pale and covered in a sheen of sweat, his hands pressing over his heart as he gasped for breath.

The doctors and nurses had been professional and calm, switching to English as Nina began garbling her story of finding Theo at the side of the road. They were reassuring and kind, but she noticed that they spoke in soft urgent Greek to each other, their expressions serious.

Nina swallowed. She felt sick.

She replayed the last few days in her mind, going over and over the conversations she’d had with Theo, remembering how angry she’d been with him, how she’d left him on the stairs the last time she’d seen him, knowing he was so upset. She’d do anything to turn back time, to go back and hug him and tell him everything was okay, tell him that she knew he’d never deliberately hurt her and that losing the bracelet was just an accident.

She leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes and willing herself back in time, tears seeping from under her lashes. Please let him be okay, she thought, and I’ll never be angry with him again. Her hand strayed to her empty wrist.

‘Coffee?’ a voice said, and she opened her eyes to see George holding out a plastic cup. ‘Yia-Yia said you like it milky, I’ve done my best but it was a machine so . . .’

Nina smiled shakily and took the cup, the scalding liquid burning her fingers through the thin plastic. ‘Thanks,’ she said, taking a tentative sip. The coffee wasn’t brilliant, but in that moment it tasted like some kind of godly nectar. The heat and flavour coursed through her, bringing the world back into focus, and she was grateful to George for being there with her. Perhaps he wasn’t the person she’d have chosen as company, perhaps she’d really have wanted Eirini with her kind efficiency. But he was here, and she was grateful for that.

He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it looking skew-whiff, and in other circumstances it would have made her smile. He looked like a kid with a bedhead.

‘It’s the least I can do,’ he said. ‘Anything else you need?’

She sighed. She needed a miracle to cure Theo. She needed a time machine to go back and be kinder to him. She needed her mum.

She shook her head, and George sat next to her, stretching his long legs out.

As the doctor approached, they both jumped to their feet, Nina spilling hot coffee on her hand as she did so; she barely noticed the pain. Her heart was beating so fast she thought she might pass out.

The doctor was smiling. That had to be a good sign.

‘Good news,’ the doctor said, her English perfect. ‘Your father will be fine.’

Relief hit Nina like a wave, and she swayed as the room spun. When it settled, she found George’s steadying hand on her elbow. She fought to concentrate on the words the doctor spoke.

‘. . . tests all clear, you’ll be happy to know. We think it was a panic attack, but he is calm now and you can see him.’ She began walking, and Nina hurried after, glancing at George. He smiled, giving a geeky little thumbs up, then sat back down in the corridor, and Nina felt another rush of gratitude that she was not alone for this.

The doctor led her through a door into a ward with several beds, each occupied by an older man. Nina scanned the room, her eyes quickly finding Theo, sitting propped on pillows in the bed at the far corner. He looked smaller, somehow, his face pale and eyes puffed. She swallowed hard. It wouldn’t help him if she broke down.

‘Here,’ the doctor said, smiling as she gestured towards Theo. ‘Just waiting for the last test results, but we have no concerns. You can go home once we have all the information back.’ She smiled at Theo, and continued speaking in English, presumably for Nina’s benefit. ‘You might want to find ways of decreasing his stress levels . . . Not too much coffee, some yoga even.’

Nina smiled, while Theo waited till the doctor had left before huffing, ‘Yoga. This is not my style. And coffee is life!’ He looked at the coffee cup in her hand. ‘You come to taunt your baba?’

He sounded shaken and she could hear the strain in his voice, despite the jovial words.

‘Baba . . .’ Nina expected her voice to sound light and bright, but instead she sounded shaky and scared, even to her own ears. She reached out her free hand to take Theo’s. ‘You’ve just had a panic attack that put you in hospital; camomile tea is the most exciting thing you’ll be getting.’ He hiccupped a laugh, squeezing her fingers with one hand, and surreptitiously wiping his eyes with the other. Nina blinked to keep her own tears at bay. ‘You know, if you wanted attention so badly, you could have just asked me to take you out to dinner or something; you didn’t need to be this dramatic!’ She tried a laugh. It came out unsteady.

‘Well, I like to be keeping you on your feet.’

‘On your toes, Baba.’

‘This is what I said.’

They smiled, and then they were silent for a moment. Nina needed a minute to catch up, her body and mind going from the terror of thinking she was losing him, her teen nightmare come to life, to the relief of knowing he was okay and the guilt of wondering what part her own actions had played in putting him here.

‘Baba . . .’ She put her coffee down on the bedside table and wrapped her hands over his. He looked up at her, heavy pouches under his brown eyes. ‘I’m sorry I was so annoyed about the bracelet. I was really – I was really horrible to you and I’m just . . .’ Her voice caught and she couldn’t continue, tears blocking her throat.