‘There we go. Someone’s a very brave girl,’ said the doctor who’d administered the injection of clotting factor concentrate.
‘Daddy says I’m brave.’ Ella peered at her over the warming blanket she was cocooned in. ‘He usually pulls a face to make me laugh when I have to have a needle.’
‘Does he indeed.’ The doctor smiled. ‘He sounds like a nice dad.’
‘He is,’ Ella assured her. ‘He didn’t come on holiday, but him and Mummy are still friends, aren’t you, Mummy?’
‘Well, that’s excellent. Mummies and daddies should always stay friends.’ Giving Ella another reassuring smile, the doctor turned to Claire. ‘You’re separated, I take it?’ she asked quietly as Sophie sat down next to Ella.
Claire nodded, and prayed she didn’t put that information on Ella’s file. Parents did separate, that was a fact, but with so much going on, the thought of social services contacting her to check on Ella’s home situation petrified her. What Luke had said had petrified her too. But what petrified her most was that, instead of listening to her instinct, she’d done exactly what he’d accused her of and put Ella at risk. The fact that the cut hadn’t needed stitching hadn’t made her feel any better.
‘We have some issues to deal with. We’re meeting up tomorrow, when I get back. Hopefully we can sort things out,’ she lied. There was no way to sort any of this out. Her world seemed to be spiralling out of control, one catastrophe after another hitting her and absolutely no one to turn to. She glanced at Sophie. She was as white as a ghost, plainly shocked and upset. Guilty, too; that had been obvious in her eyes. Yet at the end of the day, she had been there, literally stopping traffic to get Ella to hospital, thus averting the disaster that might have transpired.
‘I hope so.’ The doctor looked sympathetic. ‘One way or another, I hope it’s amicable, for your little girl’s sake.’
Her guilt now almost choking her, Claire nodded and swallowed. She couldn’t see how that could happen either. She was beginning to hate Luke for what he’d done. She was so angry with him. Yet now it was her who had to be on the defensive. He would be furious with her, and rightly so, to a degree. He’d barraged her with so many texts since their interrupted phone call. She’d replied briefly, assuring him that Ella was okay. She knew he’d be worried but she had no idea what to tell him. Not yet. She couldn’t think straight.
‘The CT scan’s clear and there’s no sign of concussion,’ the doctor went on, referring to her notes.
Claire glanced again at Sophie, who wiped her eyes, a shudder of relief running visibly through her.
‘One infusion should be enough to stop the bleed, and you know to keep an eye out for side effects: headache, nausea, drowsiness,’ the doctor said, giving her a reassuring smile. ‘I’ll pop a note on her file, and you can leave as soon as she has the okay from one of my colleagues. Take her to your local hospital for a check-up once you’re back home, and get in touch with us meanwhile if you’re worried about anything. Bye Ella.’ She gave her a wave and disappeared into the corridor.
A myriad of emotions now coursing through her – confusion, relief, most of all guilt – Claire walked across to Ella and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then glanced up at Sophie, whose complexion was still the colour of chalk. She’d been beside herself with worry as they’d travelled here, blaming herself.
‘Sorry,’ Sophie mouthed, her huge brown eyes glassy with tears and filled with something close to torture.
Claire tugged in a tight breath. ‘Don’t worry. She’ll be fine,’ she managed, though it took a huge amount of effort. ‘I just need to keep an eye on her.’
‘I really am so sorry, Claire,’ Sophie said again, wrapping her arms about herself, clearly distraught. ‘I only looked away for a second, I swear. One minute she was there, and the next…’
‘I should have been watching her,’ Claire admitted. ‘Let’s get you home, and then I can concentrate my attention on Ella, hey, sweetheart?’
‘Sophie needs some attention too,’ Ella piped up, her little face serious. ‘She’s feeling sad.’
Claire’s phone rang as they neared the taxi. Luke, she guessed. She didn’t answer it, climbing into the back with Ella instead. She still had no idea what she would say to him.
The phone beeped an incoming text as Sophie got in after them. With Ella now on her lap, Claire fumbled the phone from her coat pocket and handed it to Sophie. ‘Can you send a brief text for me?’ she asked her. ‘It’s Luke, I imagine.’
‘Can I speak to him, Mummy?’ Ella looked up hopefully.
‘Not now, sweetheart.’ Claire kissed the top of her head. ‘I think Daddy’s at work.’
‘What would you like me to say?’ Sophie asked.
Claire thought about it. ‘Just tell him Ella slipped over,’ she said. ‘That she’s been checked over at the hospital and is fine, and that I’ll get her to text him tomorrow.’
Sophie nodded. She took a second to read Luke’s text, and then keyed in a reply.
‘It was him then?’ Claire glanced worriedly at her.
Sophie answered with a nod.
‘What did he say?’
‘He wanted to know what happened,’ Sophie supplied. ‘There are a few, um, expletives in there too,’ she added, her eyes gliding towards Ella.
Claire got the gist and was grateful. Furious texts from her father were the very last thing she wanted Ella to see.