Juliet listened to everything the consultant was telling her. When he’d finished, she burst into floods of tears.
‘No need to cry, Miss Price. It’s good news.’ The consultant was smiling broadly.
Oliver, relieved and delighted, enthusiastically shook the consultant’s hand. ‘Fantastic. Excellent news. We’re so grateful.’ Glancing at Juliet’s tear-stained face, he added in bafflement, ‘I’ll never understand women. Not as long as I live.’
‘Sometimes,’ the consultant said happily as Juliet flung her arms round him and kissed him on both cheeks, ‘I don’t mind not understanding them.’
‘I can’t believe it,’ Juliet sobbed, all the pent-up emotions of the last week exploding out of her like a burst dam. ‘I was so scared, I thought he was going to ... to ... oh, thank you so much, you don’t know what this means to me ...’
‘No need to thank me,’ the consultant assured her. ‘Tiff’s the one who did the hard work.
Children have the most astonishing powers of recovery. You never give up hope. It couldn’t happen this fast with an adult, trust me. But these youngsters, one minute they’re so ill you can’t imagine they’ll survive, and hours later they can be sitting up in bed demanding pizza and a Gameboy.’
Juliet wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve. Tiff hadn’t reached the pizza and Gameboy stage yet, but he had regained consciousness and was still recognisably Tiff. The consultant, sweeping into the ITU, had informed them that the results of the latest blood test, lumbar puncture and brain scan showed that Tiff was off the danger list. His body had escaped the devastation of rampant septicaemia. He hadn’t sustained brain damage. It was the miracle Juliet hadn’t dared to hope for.
‘Mum?’
Her face still wet with tears, Juliet swung round to find Tiff with his eyes open once more, huge and as dark as pansies against the pallor of his thin face.
‘It’s OK, darling.’ Lovingly she stroked his cheek. ‘I’m crying because I’m happy. You’ve been a bit poorly, but you’re getting better now.’
‘Why’s he here?’ Tiff’s gaze had settled on Oliver.
Juliet wavered. He had to be told now, that went without saying. But not right at this minute.
‘He ... um, came to see how you are, sweetheart. Everyone’s been asking after you.’
Uninterested, Tiff looked away from Oliver.
‘Where’s Sophie and Jake?’
‘They’re at home. Look, here are some of the cards Sophie made you.’ Eagerly Juliet held them up; making cards had been Sophie’s way of willing Tiff to recover. ‘How about this one, with a picture of Bean on the front and—’
‘Jake was carrying me.’ Tiff’s forehead creased with the effort of remembering. ‘Carrying and carrying me. Will he be here soon with Sophie?’
‘As soon as you’re well enough for visitors.’ Juliet gave his hand an encouraging squeeze.
‘But they’re the ones I want to see.’ Tiff’s dismissive glance over at Oliver was excruciating; Juliet winced on Oliver’s behalf.
‘I know, sweetheart. We’ll have to ask the doctor. Sophie’s missed you too.’
Tiff’s eyelashes drooped with exhaustion. Still clutching Juliet’s hand, he closed his eyes and drifted off again. Oliver approached the bed.
‘Look at him.’ Juliet felt her heart expand with love. ‘He’s going to be all right.’ As a huge yawn overtook her she added, ‘I feel as if I could sleep for a month.’
‘Right. Well, he’s out of danger now. On the mend.’ Oliver glanced at his watch. ‘Why don’t you grab a rest while he’s out for the count? If you don’t need me any more, I could shoot up to London. See what’s been going on while I’ve been away.’
Juliet nodded. Not allowed to have his mobile switched on in the hospital, Oliver had been reduced to hurrying outside every couple of hours to check out the ever-increasing number of messages and deal with the most urgent to the best of his ability over the phone. After six days, he must be desperate to get back to work. It was completely understandable.
It was also, if she was honest, something of a relief.
‘That’s fine.’ Awkwardly, she offered her cheek up for the kiss Oliver seemed determined to plant there. ‘Well, thanks for ... everything.’
‘Ring me if you need to. I’ll be in touch tomorrow anyway.’
Feeling horribly guilty, Juliet said, ‘Any word yet from Estelle?’
Oliver briefly shook his head. ‘No.’
‘Will you try and find her?’
‘It’s not my place to find Estelle, even if I could. I was the one who cheated on her. I let her down,’
Oliver said wearily, ‘and she left me.’
‘For someone else who let her down.’ Juliet felt terrible; she’d always really liked Estelle.
‘I know.’ Checking his watch again, Oliver jangled his car keys. ‘Double betrayal. OK, I’m going to make a move. Will you tell Tiff ?’
‘That you’ve gone up to London?’
Oliver gave her a measured look. ‘That I’m his father.’
‘Oh, right.’ Inwardly shrinking away from the prospect, Juliet nodded. ‘If you want me to.’
‘It’s not a question of that. Everyone knows now. We don’t have any choice.’ After a last look at Tiff, Oliver left.
While Tiff was asleep, Juliet phoned Jake from the call box in the corridor outside the ward. Less than twenty minutes later the doors of the ITU swung open and Jake burst in. Still exhausted but too elated to sleep herself, Juliet hastily rubbed her hands over her face and stumbled to her feet. The next moment she was wrapped in a rib-crushing embrace. Jake smelled deliciously of wood shavings and varnish and was wearing paint-smeared jeans.
Fresh paint, she discovered, gazing down at the streak of lilac on the front of her skirt.
As if it mattered.
Jake was grinning too. ‘Sorry, I just couldn’t wait. I had to come straight away. It’s the best news in the world.’
‘I know.’ Letting him go, her eyes filling with tears of joy all over again, Juliet watched him pull up a chair next to Tiff’s bed and gaze at the boy intently. Within seconds, as if by telepathy, Tiff’s eyes opened.
‘Jake! You’re here!’ Breaking into a broad smile of delight, he raised his thin arms a few inches from the bed. Careful not to dislodge the IV drips running into his arms, Jake gave him a hug. In return, Tiff’s left hand curled round Jake’s neck.
The look on each of their faces said it all; deeply moved, Juliet almost couldn’t bear to watch.
‘I’m here,’ said Jake, ‘and so are you. Now, Sophie’s desperate to see you but when your mum asked the doctors, they said it wasn’t a good idea. Not for another day or so, at least. But all you need to do is carry on getting better, then they’ll move you to the children’s ward. Once you’re there, Sophie will be able to come and see you as often as she wants.’
‘Has she missed me?’ Tiff looked pleased.
‘Absolutely. We’ve all missed you.’ Jake smoothed a lock of Tiff’s hair back from his forehead.
‘Nuala and Maddy are looking after your mum’s shop. When I went over to tell them you were getting better, they both cried.’ Jake shook his head in disgust. ‘What a bunch of girls.’
‘ Mum did too.’ Grinning, Tiff said, ‘Did you cry?’
‘Watch your language. We’re men,’ said Jake. ‘We never cry.’
‘It’s because we have willies,’ Tiff agreed, indicating Juliet with a knowing nod of his head. ‘And they haven’t.’
Jake stayed with Tiff while Juliet showered and changed into clean clothes. She put on the long turquoise dress and lilac cardigan Jake had brought along for her – not perfect, but it could have been a lot worse – and applied lipstick and mascara almost as if the nightmare of the last week had never happened.