A year later
‘Go on then,’ Tony said, tapping the envelope that Jude had in her hand. The whole family had waited for what felt like an eternity for this day to arrive. They had already found out that he wasn’t a match for Holly. Tony was a blood group A, the same as Sam, but Jude was an O, and therefore able to go on to the next stage for testing.
‘I can’t,’ her voice quavered, as she nudged her dad in the arm, for she so hoped that she could do this for Holly. For her best friend, Chrissie, too, and her new brother, Sam. Their dad. And her whole family. Give them all the peace of mind of knowing that Holly would be OK, no matter what the future held for her.
‘Shall I open it for you, love?’ Tony offered, gently.
‘It’s OK. I can do this.’ She nodded and pushed the tip of her fingernail under the flap of the envelope, silently wishing the contents would be the news they all hoped for. ‘One. Two. Three.’ She pulled the letter out and read it as fast as she could, all the while holding her breath. Tears prickled in her eyes, making her vision all filmy. But there was no mistake.
She was a perfect match.
Blood and tissue.
One hundred per cent.
*
In another part of Tindledale, in the kitchen of The Forstal Farmhouse, Holly was laying the table for lunch. Knives, forks and spoons for eight people. Everyone was coming over to celebrate her fifteenth birthday. Granny Dolly and Colin, Aunty Jude, Granddad Tony and her best friend, Katie. Mum was cooking a special lunch for them all and was even making some sugar-free cupcakes especially for her. Everything was so much better now. The last year had been amazing. And she barely noticed the pump that was in her back pocket, silently but industriously working away, keeping her sugar levels stabilised. Dad had a new job with a construction company in Market Briar and was home for ever now. And Mum was happy again. Holly always knew she would be …
‘Holly, love. Can you give your dad a shout, please? I could do with his help.’ Mum was standing on tiptoes trying to reach the bag of flour from the shelf. Holly went to dart into the hall where Dad was hanging a picture up on the wall.
And then she stopped.
Holly knew Mum would keep trying to get the bag down. She was just like that. Still a bit of a control freak who never gave up. So Holly crept really slowly up the stairs, taking as long as possible to reach Dad on the top landing.
‘You OK, darling?’ Dad asked when she got there.
‘Yes, fine. I just wondered what you were up to,’ she said, coyly, avoiding his gaze.
‘Well, I’ve just finished. What do you think?’ he stepped back to show her the framed photo.
‘Ahh, it’s lovely, Dad.’ Holly took a look at the picture of the three of them together. Her family. Mum, Dad, and her last Christmas day at Granny Dolly’s house, all wearing paper hats and smiling.
‘Great, isn’t it?’
‘Sure is, Dad.’
She heard Mum yell out from downstairs.
With her heart soaring, Holly grinned at her dad.
‘Come on.’ Holly took her dad by the hand and led him down the stairs and into the kitchen. Mum was all covered in flour, with a massive grin on her face. And in that moment Holly Morgan knew that her Get Mum and Dad Back Together plan had definitely worked for good now. And the wish her thirteen-year-old unhappy self had made that day in her bedroom … had now been granted. She had her mum and dad back together for ever … and they were all going to live happily ever after.