‘Thank you.’ She gave them a brief smile and they left the room.
‘Okay, sweetheart?’ Melissa asked Grace when they left.
Grace nodded.
‘Come on, let’s sit with Dad.’ Melissa pulled round the chair on the other side of Patrick so she and Grace could sit with each other. Melissa took Grace’s hand as they sat, watching as her young eyes travelled over her father’s shaved head, taking in the wires too and the blip of the monitor beside him.
‘You can talk to him,’ Melissa said. ‘Take his hand too, if you want.’
But Grace said nothing, did nothing, just continued sitting still, a slight crease in her brow.
It broke Melissa’s heart. How could she not talk to her dad, touch him? What had happened to create such a fracture between the two of them? Between Patrick and all his children, she wondered, as she thought of what she’d overheard Lewis say after talking about happy families.
Happy families. Yeah, right.
As far as Melissa knew, they were all happy. There had been a time when they hadn’t been, after Joel died, but things had finally begun to feel good again.
Melissa placed her hand over Patrick’s. She felt the strong blue veins beneath his skin, veins so familiar to her. But was he really so familiar? Did she really know him? She knew nothing of the true facts, of course, so it felt unfair to imprint the ‘what if’s on the man lying comatose in front of her. And yet if one of the kids felt they had a reason to stab their own father in the stomach, then nothing was familiar for Melissa any more and it made her feel sick to the core.
‘Say hello, Grace,’ Melissa said. ‘Let him hear your voice.’
‘Hello,’ Grace whispered.
As Grace said that, the line in Patrick’s monitor went up, a sign his heartbeat was accelerating.
‘He can hear you, see!’ Melissa said, pointing to the monitor. ‘Speak to him, Grace. He’s your dad.’
Grace shook her head.
‘Go on, darling, please.’
‘I said I don’t want to!’ Grace screamed, jumping up and running from the room. Melissa ran after her through the ward and out into the corridor. She found her sitting on a windowsill, gulping in deep breaths.
‘Oh, darling,’ she said, going to her. ‘It’s fine. You don’t have to do anything, say anything.’ She kissed her daughter’s cheek, smoothing down her blonde hair. Grace buried her face in Melissa’s neck, her whole body trembling.
‘I’m so sorry you’re having to go through this,’ Melissa whispered to her, tears filling her eyes. ‘I just wish you’d tell me what happened. I’m so scared for you all if you don’t just tell me.’
Grace peered up at her with terrified eyes. ‘I’m scared too, Mum. Really scared.’
Melissa’s breath hitched. ‘Oh, darling! Scared of what? Of who?’
High heels clicked across the corridor floors. Melissa looked up to see Andrea Cooper striding towards them with a plant in her hand, locks of her platinum bob lifting with each step. Melissa thought instantly of what she’d overheard about Carter saying something about Melissa at the New Year’s Eve party.
What had he said? And was it related to what had happened to Patrick?
Andrea paused when she saw Melissa and Grace, her face hardening slightly. Then she put on a sympathetic smile and walked over to them.
‘I was so sorry to hear what happened,’ she said. ‘We’re all thinking about you – the whole community. How is Patrick?’
‘No change,’ Melissa said, annoyed that Andrea had intruded on what was clearly a sensitive moment between her and Grace. But then Andrea had never been the sensitive type.
‘Is that a lemon plant?’ Grace asked, pointing to the plant.
‘That’s right,’ Andrea said. ‘You know how your father loves his lemons.’
‘Does he?’ Melissa asked.
Andrea bristled. ‘He does. I thought he could plant this when he wakes and, with each lemon it produces, remember how far he’s come.’
Her voice quivered as she said that. Melissa ought to feel sorry for her, except it was well known that Andrea had a massive crush on Patrick, always had, since they were teenagers together at school. In fact, Melissa was pretty convinced Andrea had lost her virginity to Patrick.
Andrea peered around her. ‘Twins not here?’
‘Not today.’
‘They’ve been to see their father, though, right?’
‘Not yet.’
Andrea looked surprised. ‘Really?’
‘It’s difficult for kids.’
Andrea forced a tight smile. ‘Of course. Any more details about what happened? He has a stab wound, yes? Head injury too? Was he found in the kitchen? Or someone said the living room, so . .