The Silent Daughter by Claire Amarti

Author:Claire Amarti
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781087889481
Publisher: Indy Pub
Published: 2020-05-06T00:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

‘I’m sure - I’m sure she’ll be fine,’ Rob says again. ‘But I thought you’d want to come.’

I think I stuff the papers in my bag but I don’t really know, there’s just the feeling of my hands being empty as I walk down the corridor, then run, then walk because the running frightens me, like it’s admitting how bad this could be - and then I’m making an excuse to Thorpe, and then I’m in my car, driving. It occurs to me that I shouldn’t be driving, because I’m probably in shock, but I’m on the road by then anyway. Then it seems like no time passes before I’m at St Joseph’s Hospital, standing inside the revolving doors, squeaks of rubber soles on linoleum all round me like whispers. I want to do something, say something, to protect us, me and Jan, but it’s too late for that.

Focus, Sadie. Calm down.

I get directions, the elevator pings, and finally I’m outside a door. I push it open. She’s lying in bed, a pink-and-white hospital robe on. Her eyes are closed and her face is pale and I think, what if she’s -

‘Sadie.’

I whip round.

It’s Rob, sitting in an armchair against the wall. He’s yawning, looking disheveled.

‘It’s okay. Don’t look so panicked. They’ve given her some pain pills and they knocked her out. It’s her hip.’ His expression grows more somber then. ‘We’re waiting for x-rays. At her age, if the hip’s broken, it could be a while before…’

Okay. It’s bad news, but it’s bad news on a scale I can deal with.

Whatever she needs, we’ll figure it out.

‘Sadie? Are you okay?’ Rob’s watching me, looking concerned. I guess my face must be showing everything. I sink into the chair beside him.

‘Did you find her? What happened?’

He winces. ‘Apparently she fell down the stairs. She told me she was having a nap, and then she woke up when she heard a noise. She had this idea maybe there was someone in the house. And then she was trying to look down the stairs to see, and she fell…’ He turns to me. ‘I don’t know, Sadie.

Maybe she just imagined it? There was no sign of a break-in.’

My heart thuds.

‘Did she say she saw anyone?’

Rob shakes his head. ‘She was a bit confused, though. She was in some pain when I got there.’

Those words bring me back to what matters. The gratitude hits me in a wave. I’d formed a negative impression of this guy, just because he’s a little awkward to me and because Jan seems to like him so much. But it looks like he’s earned her trust.

‘Thank you, Rob. I’m grateful - I’m glad you were there.’

He clears his throat and looks away. ‘No problem. I just had some shopping to drop off for her and… well. It was lucky.’ He checks his watch.

‘But now that you’re here, mind if I -?’

‘Of course not.’ I force a smile. ‘Please go home if you need to. You’ve done so much already.

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