Page 101 of Seven Letters

Adam felt his nerves jangling. Did Dr Mayhew arrange this? He’d said he’d been talking to her. Was this some sort of conspiracy designed to rob Sarah of her life? ‘You’ve been talking to the doctors behind my back. Dr Mayhew just told me. I don’t trust you. Stay away from her.’

‘For God’s sake, Adam, I’m not going to switch the bloody ventilator off. I just want to see her.’

‘I don’t want any of you near her. She ismywife and that’smybaby.’

‘Yes, we get it. You’ve only said it a million times,’ Mia snapped, ‘but she is also my sister and Dad’s daughter. Can you imagine Izzy’s husband blocking you from seeing her? Can you imagine what that feels like? You are hurting Dad terribly.’

Adam felt a fury rage through him. ‘Don’t you dare bring Izzy into this. This is typical of you, trying to control me and my decisions. Well, back the fuck away, Mia. I’m warning you.’

‘Calm down, Adam,’ Rob said, putting his hand on Adam’s arm.

‘Don’t threaten me,’ Mia shouted. ‘I’ve had enough of you trying to bully Dad and me. We’ll visit Sarah if we want to. I’m not going to follow suit and send you legal letters, but I did get advice and the legal situation is that you can’t ban us.’

Adam curled his hands into fists. He wanted to smash something. Bloody Mia and her bloody self-righteousness.

‘Sarah wouldn’t want this, Adam. You’re hurting her and the baby. What’s happening to them is obscene.’

‘You will not order me around,’ Adam shouted. ‘Get the hell out of my business.’

‘Someone’s going to call security,’ Rob said, putting his face right up against Adam’s. ‘You havegotto calm down. We can talk about this without the shouting.’

‘She’s my sister. You can’t treat us like this, Adam. Do you honestly think Sarah would be happy with the way you’re treating her family?’

People were staring at them, but Adam couldn’t have cared less. ‘Do you think she’d want me to give up on her baby?’

‘Giving up and letting go are two totally different things,’ Mia said.

A security guard walked over to them. ‘Is everything all right here?’ he asked.

‘Just emotions running high,’ Rob said. ‘There’s no problem.’

‘This lady was leaving.’ Adam glared at Mia.

Mia pulled her bag up on her shoulder, wiped her eyes and turned to walk away.

Instead of feeling triumphant, Adam felt sick. Sick, tired, worn out and drained. He no longer recognized his life. He was disoriented all the time.

‘Let’s go back inside,’ Rob said wearily. ‘We can work through what the doctor said.’

Adam let himself be led away, but he knew his own mind already. Sarah had always believed in miracles. She wished on rainbows, saluted magpies, bought unicorns for Izzy and adored stories of triumph against all the odds.

Sarah would send him a miracle. She would send him Ben.

39

Mia pulled up outside her childhood home. The grass needed cutting. She’d ask Johnny to do it. Olivia’s car was in the driveway. Mia really didn’t want to deal with her right now. She wanted a chat with her dad, alone.

She’d take him out for coffee if she had to: she was damned if Olivia was going to stick her nose in. Mia didn’t think it was too much to ask for one private conversation with her father after all of the upheaval in their lives. She’d wanted to tell him about her run-in with Adam but had decided not to. Charlie was upset enough about Adam – she didn’t need to make things worse.

She rang the doorbell. It felt strange not just putting her key in the lock and walking in, like she used to, but she had to respect Olivia’s privacy, however grudgingly.

Olivia answered the door, dressed to the nines and fully made up with her red lipstick.

‘Hi,’ Mia said curtly and moved to walk past her. But her father’s fiancée blocked the door. ‘Hold on a minute there. I want a word with you. I’m on my way out to see my grandson performing in the school orchestra. He’s a trombone player, such a talent. Of course, music was always in our family – I play the piano myself.’

‘Is that it?’ Mia asked. ‘Is that what you wanted to tell me? That your grandson is a trombone prodigy?’

‘No, that’s not it. I want to make sure you’re not going to upset your father. I’m very concerned about him. He has barely eaten or slept in over a week.’

---