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“Gi, call the surgery and get the emergency number. See if we can get Lydia out here before her morning starts.”

“Right,” Gio said, picking up the cordless phone.

“No,” said her father. “I’ll have no fuss.”

“You’ll do exactly as I tell you,” Sophie barked.

“What about the garage? I’ve got a business to run.”

“Gio’s going to go and open as soon as he’s done on the phone,” Sophie said. “Now come on, let’s get you to the couch.”

“I’m not sick.”

“Fine, you’re not sick, but at least that way you can watch telly while you’re waiting for the doc.”

That seemed to placate him and she helped him into the living room, his weight heavy on her arm. She settled him and went back to the kitchen.

“Lydia’s on her way over,” Gio said.

“Good, now go on and open up the garage.”

“But—”

“No buts,” she said firmly. “He’s not on his deathbed, and you know what he’s like. He’ll worry a lot less if he knows the garage is open. Go on, I’ll give you a ring as soon as Lydia’s come and I know more.” She needed Gio out of the way. He’d panic. He was terrible in an emergency. It would be better for him to keep himself busy.

She ushered him out of the house and went back to her father. He was looking a little better now that he was lying down. His color was slightly pinker.

“There’s nothing wrong,” he grumbled as she came in.

“Did I say there was?” she said, sitting down next to him on the edge of the couch. “And if there’s not, well, it won’t be a problem, will it? Lydia will check you out and you’ll be right off to work.”

“I will be that,” he said.

“Or she’ll give you a sick note and you can stay home and watch the telly all day. Sounds like a win-win to me.”

He grinned a bit at that. “Doesn’t sound bad at all, put like that.” He took a wheezing breath and then reached out to take her hand. “Only don’t…”

“Don’t what?”

He looked up at her, his face pained. “Don’t let them take me away.”

“Why would I do that?” she asked, thinking that an ambulance to the hospital would be the most sensible thing she’d heard in a long time.

“They took your mum away,” he said, turning away from her. “She wanted to stay, but they took her.”

“Dad…” She took a deep breath. “Dad, you’re not mum. You don’t have cancer. If Lyd needs you to go to hospital, it’ll only be for tests. Try not to worry so much. I’m right here with you.”

She squeezed his hand tight and knew that he was afraid. It was hard to stay angry with him, hard to imagine that he was the same man that had been so angry with her just last night.

Unless that had something to do with this. Unless she’d worried him into this with her stupid decisions and her stupid heart.

“I’ll be at that concert tomorrow,” he said, turning back to her with a grim smile. “You want to bet on it?”

She laughed. “It’s only a concert, dad. It’s not important.”

“You’re in it. It’s important to me. I don’t want to miss it.”

“Well, you’d better do what the doctor says then, hadn’t you?” she said, patting his arm just as the doorbell rang.