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‘You know, don’t you, that cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition?’ She turned to look at him suddenly.
‘Yes.’ Aksel searched his brain, locating the correct answer. ‘It’s a recessive gene, which means that both parents have to carry the gene before there’s any possibility of a child developing cystic fibrosis.’
‘Yes, that’s right. Tom knew that my brother had cystic fibrosis, I never made any secret of it and I’d explained that since both my parents have the gene there was a good chance that I’d inherited it from one of them. Not from both, as my brother did, because I don’t have the condition.’
‘There’s also a chance you haven’t.’
She nodded. ‘There’s a twenty five percent chance of inheriting the gene from both parents. Fifty percent of inheriting it from one parent, and a twenty five percent chance of inheriting it from neither parent. The odds are against me.’
She didn’t know. The realisation thundered through his head, like stampeding horses. Aksel hadn’t really thought about it, but taking the test to find out whether she’d inherited the faulty gene seemed the logical thing to do, and he wondered why Flora hadn’t. He opened his mouth and then closed it again, not sure how to phrase the question.
‘When we came home to Scotland, we went to stay with his parents for a week. I told them about myself, and talked about my family. Tom told me later that I shouldn’t have said anything. His parents didn’t want their grandchildren to run the risk of inheriting my genes.’
‘But that’s not something you have to keep a secret...’ Aksel had tried to just let her tell the story, without intervening, but this was too much. Anger and outrage pulsed in his veins.
‘No. I don’t think so either.’
‘But... Forgive me if this is the wrong thing to say, I’m sure your whole family would rather that your brother didn’t have cystic fibrosis. That doesn’t mean it would be better if your parents had never married, or your brother hadn’t been born.’
Tears suddenly began to roll down her cheeks. Maybe he had said the wrong thing. ‘Thank you. That’s exactly how I feel.’
‘So they were wrong.’ Surely someone must have told her that. ‘What did your parents say?’
‘Nothing. I didn’t tell them, or Alec. It would have really hurt them, and I couldn’t tell my own brother that someone thought he wasn’t good enough. He’s a fine man, and he’s found someone who loves him and wants to raise a family with him.’
The defiance in her voice almost tore his heart out. Flora had stayed silent in order to keep her brother from hurt. She’d borne it all by herself, and her tears told him that with no way to talk about it and work it through, the wound she’d been dealt had festered.
‘Did he listen? To his parents?’
‘Yes, he listened. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that they were funding his grant, and they threatened to withdraw their support if he didn’t give me up.’
‘Don’t make excuses for him, Flora. Don’t tell me that it’s okay to even contemplate the thought that my daughter, or your brother, are worth less than anyone else.’
She laid her hand on his arm, and Aksel realised that he was shaking with rage. Maybe that was what she needed to see. Maybe this had hurt her for so long because she’d never t
alked about it, and never had the comfort of anyone else’s reaction.
‘No one’s ever going to tell Mette that she’s anything other than perfect. I’m not going to tell Alec that either.’
She’d missed herself out. Flora was perfect too, whether or not she carried the gene. But, still, she hadn’t found out...
‘You don’t know whether you carry the gene or not, do you?’
She shook her head miserably.
‘Flora, it’s no betrayal of your brother to want to know.’
‘I know that. In my head.’ She placed her hand over her heart. ‘Not here...’
Suddenly it was all very clear to him. ‘You just want someone to trust you, don’t you?’
Surprise showed in her face. ‘I never thought of it that way. But, yes, if I take the test I want someone who’ll stick by me whatever the result. If it turns out that I don’t carry the gene, then I’ll never know what would have happened if I did, will I? I suppose that’s just foolishness on my part.’
It was the foolishness of a woman who’d been badly hurt. One that Aksel could respect, and in that moment he found he could love it too, because it was Flora’s.
‘Anyone who really knew you would trust you, Flora. I trust you.’
She gave a little laugh. ‘Are you making me an offer?’
