As she was having her vitals taken again later that afternoon, she received another visitor and, for the first time all day, she smiled.
‘Mum!’
‘Oh, darling,’ her mother said, rushing to her bedside, her caftan billowing behind her like some exotic sail flapping in the wind.
‘It’s okay, Mum,’ she said, patting her mother’s back as she hugged her. ‘I’m fine.’
‘Are you sure?’ she asked, brushing Erin’s hair from her face and searching her bruised face carefully.
‘I’m positive.’ Erin couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed by her mother’s hovering. It was so wonderfully unexpected that she was too surprised to even think about being exasperated.
Her mother straightened and gave the room a dismissive look. ‘I don’t know how the public health system can expect patients to make any kind of recovery in an environment like this. A little feng shui would do wonders for the energy in this place,’ she said, eyeing the room critically and ignoring the nurse who gave a small snort as she finished recording the data on Erin’s chart.
‘Never mind, I can work with this.’
‘Mum, I’m really not going to be in here long enough for it to make a difference.’
‘You’d be surprised. Tomorrow I’ll do some work on your chakra,’ her mother said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. ‘And to get rid of this horrendous chemical smell, maybe a bit of frankincense and myrrh will help.’
‘Then all we’ll need is three wise men and we’ll be set for Christmas,’ the nurse said drolly.
Erin bit back a smile at her mother’s haughty glare, which was completely wasted on the heavyset nurse who left the room without looking back.
‘How did you find out about the accident?’
‘Jamie called,’ her mother said, dragging her gaze from the empty doorway and back to her daughter. Her expression softened and she sat down on the chair beside the bed.
‘Jamie?’ Well, that was a surprise.
‘We had a good chat the other day. I take it he knows about the baby now?’
‘Yes.’
‘And Phillip?’
‘He knows too,’ Erin sighed.
‘Everything will work out. You just need to trust in the universe, darling,’ she said with a warm smile, cupping Erin’s cheek. ‘Everything will be if it is meant to be.’
‘You know, it would be a lot easier if the universe just came out and said exactly what it wanted,’ Erin muttered.
‘But where would the adventure be in that?’ her mother shrugged, before declaring she was nipping out to a nearby vegan cafe to find something wholesome to tempt her appetite.
Erin gave a soft chuckle and tried not to think what weird and wonderful concoctions she was about to be fed.