After a while the murmurs and happy laughter from the other room woke Dani.
The bridge ladies were talking cheerfully, clinking glasses and cutlery, while Dani found it even harder to swallow.
She looked around. On a chair beside the bed sat Grandpa.
“Where’s Sadie?” she croaked.
“Sadie went to the pharmacy to buy more medicine. Do you feel a little better?”
Dani shook her head and pointed to her throat.
“Hurts!”
“Poor you! But listen to me, Dani. I forgot to tell you something. Gianni said that someone came to your house with a flower. Can you guess who it was for?”
“Me, of course,” Dani said. “Who was it?”
“Oops, I forgot to ask!” said Grandpa.
“Cushion?” laughed Grandpa. “Can that really be a name?”
“His name is Alexander,” Dani managed to say. “But only when things get serious.”
“And when would that be?”
“Grandpa, I can’t talk any more!”
Dani pointed at her throat again.
To her relief, Sadie soon came back.
She felt Dani’s forehead again.
“I’m dying,” Dani gasped.
“Not at all,” said Sadie. “But you need fluid. Maybe a little hot water and honey?”
Dani turned away. Honey water was one of the worst things she could think of.
“Think of something fun as you drink it up,” Sadie ordered when Grandpa came back with the cup.
But Dani couldn’t think of any more things. Only one of her cousin Sven’s jokes, which were never especially funny.
It went like this:
Why do some people eat snails?
Because they don’t like fast food!
And Dani didn’t like honey water! She put the pillow over her face and refused to drink.
But suddenly Sadie said something that made her ears prick up.
“I’ve talked to Lisette. She’s managed to get your phone back.”
Dani did nothing to show that she’d heard this good news.
“And I’ve talked to Sonja. Now I know why they didn’t meet you at the station in Northbrook.”
That made Dani lift the pillow.
“You came a day early,” Sadie explained. “You and Grandma had the day wrong. Ella’s birthday isn’t till tomorrow.”
Dani put the pillow over her head again.
She didn’t drink any of the honey water.
