Dillon finally got out of the box at 11.30 pm. It had been a long day and he was tired.

He went straight to bed, but found himself staring at the ceiling, his mind replaying the six. It was a good reason to have difficulty in falling asleep.

Finally, be began to doze off … only to be dragged back into the waking world by a loud ringing.

The phone!

Dillon glanced at the clock on his bedside table. Who in the world would be ringing at 12.30 am?

And then his heart skipped a beat. Could it be?

He tried to calm down. It could be anything, he told himself. A wrong number. A telemarketer working late. The death of a long-lost family member.

Or …

It might be a new liver.

Unconsciously, he found himself crossing his fingers and holding his breath as he listened.

The ring cut off as the phone was answered.

‘Hello?’ Mum’s weary voice carried through the silent house.

There were a few seconds of silence. Then …

‘What?’ Her voice was excited.

There was movement. Mum was walking around the house as she spoke, her words now muffled and indistinct.

Dillon got out of bed and crept to his door. He opened it and listened.

‘Yes!’ Mum was almost shouting now. ‘Yes, yes. Thank you. Thank you so much.’

Dillon’s heart was pounding hard and his breath was coming in short rasping bursts. His mind was whirling with the possibilities and hope.

Mum hung up the phone and came racing down the corridor. She ran straight to Dillon and wrapped her arms around him, almost lifting him off the floor.

‘They’ve got a liver!’ she whispered.

Dillon’s knees turned to jelly. If Mum hadn’t been holding on to him, he was sure he would have fallen over. And it seemed to be forever before she finally let go.

Dillon leaned up against the wall to steady himself. Dad appeared at the other end of the corridor, bleary-eyed and tousle-haired.

‘What’s up?’ he asked, confused with sleep.

‘They’ve got a liver!’ Mum shouted as she ran to embrace him.

Dad’s eyes were now awake and alert. Dillon smiled as his parents hugged and did a little happy dance. Then Mum stopped and looked back at Dillon.

‘They’re getting a Flying Doctors aeroplane ready. We need to get moving,’ she called. ‘NOW!’