Page 58 of The Geography of Happiness

Zach rushed to help the nurse while I stood frozen at the sight of the pale face of my daughter peeking out from under the covers.

Holy Mother of God.My heart slammed into my throat at the sight of the dried blood seemingly covering the right side of her face from hairline to jaw. The offending source was hidden under a dressing held in place by a bandage wrapped around her tiny head.

I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move.

“Shona, this is Terry, Hannah’s dad.” Zach introduced me to the nurse who looked up with apology in her eyes.

“It looks worse than it is, I promise,” she explained. “Heads bleed like nobody’s business, but the wound is only a centimetre or so long. We’ll clean it up and get it sutured, and by the time it’s healed, you’ll hardly notice it.” She engaged the brakes on the bed, then stroked Hannah’s hair. “I told you Zach would still be here. And your dad’s here too.”

I crossed to Hannah’s side and folded her small hand between mine before collapsing onto the chair Zach slid my way. “Hannah? Sweetheart?” The words rolled roughly from my tongue, like I could barely form the sounds.

Her eyelids flickered open. “Daddy?” Tears filled those blue eyes that everyone said looked like mine.

“Shhh.” I buried my lips in her matted hair. “It’s okay. You’re okay, now.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy.” She sucked in a shuddering breath. “I wasn’t paying attention or I could’ve grabbed the headstone or braced myself or something. It wasn’t Zach’s fault. Don’t blame him. I?—”

“Shhh,” I soothed, kicking myself for whatever I’d done or said in the past to make her feel like she was to blame for something that wasn’t her fault.What the hell?I peeled her clotted hair free from her lashes and tucked it behind her ears. “It was just an accident, sweetheart. No one’s to blame.”

Hannah looked at me, her eyes pooling with tears. “You’re not gonna let me go next year, are you?”

I opened my mouth, then shut it again, deciding thehell to the nohovering on my lips wasn’t perhaps the most well-thought-out reply right then. I settled for, “I don’t know, honey. That’s a conversation for another time.”

Her gaze shot to Zach and the tears started to fall. Tears I had no answer for, other than a kiss to her forehead and a squeeze of her hand. Then as if she’d just remembered, Hannah leaned over the edge of the bed and scanned the floor. “Where’s Gabby?” she asked between ragged gulps of air. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Spencer is fixing her up.” I drew the sheet back over her shoulder and watched her relax.

Shona patted my arm. “The doctor will be by shortly to answer your questions, but the good news is the X-rays didn’tshow any broken bones. Hannah’s knee is intact, although she says it’s pretty sore. I understand she has JIA?”

I nodded, wincing. “She’ll be devastated if this impedes her independence long-term.”

Shona sighed. “She said the same, so I suggest you make an appointment with her specialist when you get home. We’re no experts on that. For now, it’s just the concussion you need to keep an eye on.”

I’d been so focused on her joint injury that it took a moment for me to remember. “Is she okay? What do I have to do?”

“Hannah can’t remember the fall itself or a minute or so after it. That’s right, isn’t it?” She glanced over my shoulder toward Zach.

“She was out for about thirty seconds,” he answered, eyeing me warily. “I did mention she was groggy when she came to.”

I spun to argue, then remembered. “Yes, you did.”

Shona continued. “When Hannah is discharged, we’ll give you a protocol to follow for the concussion checks, but we’ll wait until the doctor speaks to you first.” Shona filled Hannah’s water glass and added a straw before setting it on the bedside locker. “She can have sips of water but not too much. She was a bit nauseated when she came in.” A round cardboard container was put next to the glass and Shona shot me a look. “In case she needs to throw up. There are more under the sink. And there are coffee and vending machines in the visitor’s room if you’re feeling brave—don’t say you weren’t warned. Press the bell if you need me, but I’ll be checking in regularly to do her obs.”

“Okay.” I was nodding like a crazy man and Shona must’ve seen something in my expression because she came around the bed and rubbed a gentle hand over my shoulder.

“She’s gonna be fine, Terry. She’s a bright spark and a strong-willed girl. Call me if you need me.”

The minute she left the room, I grabbed my phone to text Spencer.

Hannah is back. No broken bones. A sore knee and a concussion with a nasty cut to her forehead. Doctor is coming soon. I’ll text you when I know more.

My phone rang in my hand, the sound of Spencer’s voice almost bringing me to tears. “I’m pulling into the centre’s carpark now.”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “What about Gabby?”

“She’s doing fine. Connor is finishing cleaning her up. Now let me park and I’ll be right in.”

The sigh of relief when I pocketed my phone wasn’t lost on Zach.

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