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‘Maybe we’ll get good news tomorrow,’ Charlie said, taking her hand. ‘A new day and all that.’

‘Yeah, hopefully,’ Mia said.

Charlie’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his breast pocket. His face softened into a smile. ‘Ah, thank God, Olivia raced back. She’s waiting for me at home.’

Hearing ‘Olivia’ and ‘home’ in the one sentence made Mia want to cry for her mother, but she could see how relieved and happy Charlie was not to be going home to an empty house. ‘That’s so good of her,’ she said.

‘She must have broken the land-speed record getting here,’ he said, chuckling softly to himself. ‘What a woman.’

Mia’s heart thawed, just a little, towards Olivia.

12

‘Morning, girls,’ Mia said brightly. She was determined to put her best foot forward and be positive.

Izzy opened her eyes, registered where she was, and her face broke into a wide smile. ‘Hi, Mia,’ she said, sitting up.

Mia marvelled at how instantly she was awake. It was hard to believe that in just eight short years she’d be like Riley.

‘Jesus, curtains,’ her daughter grunted, pulling the duvet roughly over her head.

‘I’m not closing them. It’s time to get up,’ Mia said. ‘Your dad has a delicious breakfast on the go, so have a shower, get dressed and come down. I’ll help you, Izzy. I washed your uniform last night, so it’s all ready for you.’

‘But I never did my homework,’ Izzy said suddenly. ‘I’ll be in trouble.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Mia said soothingly. ‘I’m going to bring you in and explain everything to Miss Dixon.’

‘What’s that smell?’ Izzy said, sniffing the air.

‘That’s your uncle’s French toast,’ Mia said. ‘Come on, let’s get you dressed and your hair brushed and plaited. Then we can eat.’

An hour later, everyone was fed, Riley had graduated to full sentences and Mia was anxious to get the girls to school, then go on to the hospital. Adam had texted to say no change and no updates yet, but Mia was itching to be near Sarah.

‘Everybody got everything?’ Mia said. ‘Then let’s go.’

Izzy was quiet on the journey to school, and Mia kept glancing at her in the rear-view mirror. She was obviouslypreoccupied, and Mia could only imagine how unsettling this was for her. Sarah disappearing so suddenly wouldn’t make any sense to her. Mother and daughter had never been apart and did everything together, so Izzy’s world had been turned upside-down. Mia prayed that Sarah would pull through quickly and they could all get back to normal.

At the school, Mia brought Izzy to her class and watched her until she was seated and ready. Then she motioned to Miss Dixon to step outside the room. ‘Vanessa, Izzy’s mum was hospitalized yesterday.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ the teacher said, looking concerned. ‘Will she be all right?’

Mia swallowed. ‘They aren’t clear yet on the problem. They’re running tests. Anyway, Izzy is upset and naturally worried about her mother, so I just wanted to let you know. I’m heading to the hospital now, but if there’s any trouble, you can get Riley over from the senior school to sit with Izzy or call me on my mobile.’

‘Sure, no problem. I’ll keep a close eye on her. Good luck.’

‘Thanks.’

Vanessa went back inside and Mia took a deep, steadying breath. She hadn’t realized it was going to be so hard to say the words aloud. It made everything sickeningly real.

She went to the headmistress’s office, bracing herself for the conversation. Mia enjoyed working with Fiona Kelly, but she wouldn’t say she was a friend. At sixty-two, Fiona was a good bit older than the other teachers and kept a slight distance from them, Mia included. But she was extremely professional and compassionate in her own slightly cool way.

‘Morning, Mia.’ The head frowned. ‘Has something happened? You look shaken.’

‘It has, actually,’ Mia said, shutting the door behind her. She sat down opposite Fiona at the desk. ‘My sister collapsedyesterday. She’s in the hospital. They aren’t sure what’s wrong with her, but it could be a brain injury.’

‘Oh, Lord, that’s terrible,’ Fiona said, leaning forward. ‘I’m very sorry, Mia. I know you and Sarah are close.’

Mia nodded. ‘We are,’ she said. ‘So it’s a difficult time. We’re really hoping she’ll come round soon.’