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“It’s still touch and go, love.” The nurse stops on the other side of the bed and attaches the blood oxygen monitor to her finger. “Are you family?”
No, but we’ve been baptised together in misery. It forms a bond that’s just as strong.
“The doctors will be here soon on their afternoon rounds if you’d like to speak—”
“I can’t,” I say bluntly. “I have to go.”
I watch the nurse glance at Adrik, who’s hovering in the open doorway, and then back to me, her brow creasing. A beat later, she’s crossing the room and closing the door in his face with a much snappier greeting than the one I received. “Wait here. We’ll be done in a minute.”
I catch her eye as she returns to the bed and shoot her a silent thanks.
“Are you in trouble?” she asks gently, keeping her eyes on Roisin the whole time. “I can call security if you like. That gentleman out there doesn’t look like the kind—”
“The police can’t help us.”Only Frankie can.“Just keep her safe. Keep her alive.” My voice starts to crack. “I’m not sure when I’ll be able to make it back again to see her.”
Just then, Roisin stirs, her head tilting in my direction. Her dark eyelashes, fluttering.
Shocked, I look at the nurse for guidance. “Is this… Is she…”
“Ada?” Roisin’s voice is so weak I have to lean over the bed to catch it. “I’m so sorry, Ada.”
I take her hand and squeeze it, my chest tight with emotion. “You’ve nothing to be—”
“I’m sorry I never told you about your son.”
My world stops turning.
“Roisin, I don’t understand.” I squeeze her hand, and she moans softly. “Is there something—”
“Danny said...” She lets out a soft sigh. “Tell him I’m sorry, too.”
There’s a beat of silence, and then every monitor is bursting into life around her.
“Her blood pressure’s dropping.” Tight faced, the nurse leans over the bed and slams her hand against an orange button on the wall. “You’ll have to wait outside while we try and stabilise her.”
I stumble away from the bed as a doctor and two nurses come running into the room. “But she’s going to be okay?”She has to be okay.
“Let us do our work.”
“Please,” I whisper. “Don’t let her die.”Not now.
I don’t realise how close I am to the door until a hand is clamping around my wrist and dragging me backwards into the hallway. “Time to go.”
“Wait, Adrik! I need to see—”
“No more lies,” he snarls, shaking me violently. “I just spoke with Semenov. You never talked to him. He is coming to the house later toaddress the situation.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Look, I heard you say her name. I guessed something was wrong, and I had to see her.” One of the nurses closes the door on us. Through the narrow window I watch them fall upon her like hungry NHS starlings, all greedy to make her live.
Please let her live.
“I’m sorry I never told you about your son.”
Her words swirl around my head, forming smoky images that make no sense to me. I gave birth to Frankie’s son. Four days later, Kirill took him away from me in punishment. It was breathtakingly cruel in its simplicity.
Was that madness or medication talking?
