Page 70 of The Black Trilogy

But the anaesthetic soon wore off, and I mustered up a smile.

“Welcome back,” Luke said, stroking her hair back from her forehead.

“My tongue feels too big for my mouth,” she mumbled.

“Do you need more painkillers?”

She shook her head. I suspected they’d put something good in her drip.

A commotion in the corridor made us all turn our heads, and Tia’s mother swept in to join the party, followed by a cross-looking doctor.

“Tia, you’re awake! I was so worried, darling, but the doctor says you’re going to be just fine.”

Tia mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, “No thanks to you,” but Mrs. Halston-Cain had already turned to the doctor.

“When can she come home?”

The doctor scanned Tia’s chart, still looking far from happy about her mother’s presence.

“Assuming there are no setbacks overnight, she can be discharged tomorrow. I’ll check on her in the morning.”

“That’s wonderful, isn’t it darling? I have tennis first thing and the spa in the afternoon, but I’ll make sure Mrs. Squires is at home to look after you.”

Tia took on the same air of resignation as Luke had earlier when talking about his mother. “Okay. Whatever.”

Now Mrs. H knew Tia wasn’t at death’s door, she lost interest and looked at her watch.

“I’m late for the rotary club meeting, darling.” She air-kissed Tia on both cheeks, continental-style. “I’ll see you at supper tomorrow.”

While the members of the Lower Foxford Rotary Club were no doubt wonderful people, I found it somewhat tragic that she considered them more important than her own child. The woman was so wrapped up in herself, she’d barely acknowledged Luke either. Had she even noticed I was in the room? I doubted it.

No wonder Tia was lonely.

And that loneliness was something I understood. The donor of my own chromosomes had been no better.

“How are you feeling?” Luke asked his sister, and I knew he was asking about their mother’s visit rather than Tia’s arm.

“Fine.”

“That’s good.” Didn’t he understand that when a woman said she was fine, she meant the complete opposite? “Shall I bring you a magazine or something?”

Oh, for goodness’ sake… I rolled my eyes at him.

“How are you really feeling?” I asked Tia.

She burst into tears. Uh oh.

Between sobs, her true feelings came pouring out. “I hate everything. I hate being at home, and now I’m stuck there. I’d rather be at school, and now I can’t go. Mother won’t be around; it’ll just be me and the nosey old cow, and I’m not allowed to do anything. I can’t even make myself a snack without her moaning about the mess, and if I try to watch a movie, she says it’s unsuitable or too loud. And I’ve got no privacy. She pokes through all my stuff.” Tia let out a loud sniffle. “I want to go to boarding school, but Mother won’t let me. I wish I was dead.”

“Uh…” Luke looked to me for help as Tia rolled over and carried on crying. “What do I do? Normally if a woman cries, I buy her stuff, but I’m not sure that’ll work?”

Good grief. “Could you go and find some tissues?”

Luke shot from the room, no doubt relieved to have a task that didn’t involve comforting an upset teenager. After he’d left, I sat on the edge of the bed.

“Are you still speaking to me, Portia, or am I back to being the devil incarnate?”

“I don’t hate you anymore. And call me Tia. All my friends do.”

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