Page 153 of Take My Hand

“Oh, sweetheart.” I swallowed back the huge lump in my throat, hoping that the tears which were threatening didn’t come. Now was a time to be strong. “I heard you acted brilliantly when the car hit you.”

“I just knew I couldn’t go into the back of the lorry.” Her words were slow and deliberate. Her pain meds were kicking in. “I didn’t know what else to do. I hit the bank.”

“I know, but better that than the truck.” Glancing over at Jack, I gave him a tight smile, and he gave me a sharp nod. “We’re going to leave you to sleep, but I’ll be here when you wake up if they let me.”

“Go home, baby,” she murmured, barely awake.

Kissing her forehead, I moved back and let Jack take my place to say his goodbye. When we walked through the door, I glanced back, not sure that I could leave her but knowing that I had to.

“Do you think they’ll let me stay?” I asked Jack.

He shrugged, his hands deep in his pockets, his gaze on the door of Maya’s room. “Maybe. I don’t know. I think I’m going to find a Travelodge or something close by and see if I can get a room, and then Mum and Dad can use it when they get here.”

“You don’t need to get back home tonight?” I glanced at the clock on the wall, and it was almost two-thirty. “Or should I say this morning.”

“Heather told me to stay as long as I’m needed. She’s taking the kids to her mum’s today anyway. Why don’t you do the same? Find a room.”

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.” I scrubbed a hand over my face, suddenly overpowered by tiredness. “Maddy is away so I don’t need to get back for her. I just need to let my head barman know he’ll have to sort the bar out tomorrow.”

“Come on then.” He beckoned to the corridor with his head. “Let’s go and find somewhere. I just want to have a quick chat with the doctor if he’s still around.”

My shoulders sagged with relief. “Good, I wanted to, but didn’t want to overstep. I just want him to clarify that she’s going to be fine.”

Jack nodded and gave me a pat on the back. “Let’s go and find him.”

It took everything for me to walk away from Maya’s room, but I just kept telling myself that she would be there the next day, because the alternative was unthinkable.

Chapter Fifty-Five

Will

The very moment the sun rose, I was up and out of bed getting, dressed to go to the hospital. When I popped into the hotel restaurant to grab a takeaway coffee Jack and his and Maya’s parents were already there. They were sitting at a table laid for breakfast, all staring into mugs.

“Hey, Debra, Ian, great to see you again, although obviously not under these circumstances.”

Ian stood up and put a strong hand on my shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “Good to see you, too, Will.”

“You don’t look like you’ve had a minute’s sleep, love.” Debra gave me a sympathetic smile. “Sit down and have some breakfast with us.”

I looked over towards the buffet, where all the food was laid out under heat lamps, not sure it was what I wanted, or if I could eat anything at all.

Ian looked me in the eye. “It’s going to be a long day. We can’t go in until nine and then she’s got to have her cast on before we can take her home, so you may as well eat something, son.”

“Okay,” I said with a sigh, taking the empty seat at the table. “You’re probably right.”

“We should all just go and help ourselves,” Jack replied, yet no one made a move.

Apart from a couple of guys in work gear and high-vis jackets and a woman wearing a bright pink trouser suit, we were the only people in there, and no one spoke for a great amount of time. Finally, Debra picked up her phone and looked at the screen.

“Still too early to go. Maybe we should eat something.”

We looked at each other and then made a half-hearted effort to get up from our seats. Each of us sighed as we trooped to the buffet and added food to our plates, just enough to satisfy that we’d tried to eat as though everything was normal.

“Have you thought about what the plan is for when Maya comes out of hospital?” I cut my sausage, even though I had no intention of eating it.

“She can come to us,” Jack offered. “We can put George in with the girls.”

“I could come and stay with her for a wee while,” Debra suggested. “I’ve only got my volunteer work at the hospital. I can easily rearrange that. I mean you’ve got work, love,” she said to Ian, “but there’s nothing stopping me from staying with her.”

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