We don’t tell the kids in the car, and it’s the longest journey of my life. It takes everything in me to hold back the tears, but I don’t want to scare Megan and Jack. I think it’s best that they receive the news somewhere familiar. They’ll be upset, and the last thing we want is another road accident.

Instead, I will myself to stay calm and listen wordlessly to Jack’s excitable chatter. Neither of the kids is suspicious that Laura’s not here—they were expecting Tom to pick them up today.

It seems a lifetime before we pull up outside Laura’s house. Tom parks the car, and we head inside.

Megan heads straight up the stairs.

I call to her, “Megan! Can you wait a second? I need to talk to you.”

She stops, trying to hide her impatience. “Is it ground rules from Mom? Because I already know: no sleepovers and home by ten.”

“No, it’s not that. Come downstairs, Meg. This is important.”

Megan can tell from the tone of my voice that something serious is going on. She takes a couple of steps down the stairs, her cell hanging from her hand. The sleeves of her gray sweater are too long, hanging over her hands. She lifts a hand to her mouth anxiously. “What’s going on, Aunt Zoe?”

“We’ll talk about it, sweetheart.”

She follows me into the living room. Tom stands awkwardly by the door. Jack is searching for his console.

I call him over. “Jack, sweetie, come and sit with Aunt Zoe.”

Jack doesn’t come straight away. He takes a moment to pick up his handheld games console from the windowsill before he pulls himself up onto the sofa beside me. I wrap my arms around him, taking in his sweet, childish scent of laundry powder and kids’ shampoo.

Holding him in my arms makes the tears well in my own eyes again. It’s so hard to tell them.

Tom takes a seat next to me and holds my hand. He catches my eye and offers a small smile of encouragement. I’m glad he’s here. I take a deep breath.

Megan is standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. She’s biting down on her lip and staring at me. I can see the fear in her eyes. I know she’s expecting the worst. Just like Mike.

“Your uncle got a call from the hospital today.”

Taking quick strides across the living room, Megan kneels in front of me, both sleeves in front of her face like she’s watching a horror movie unfold. “It’s Mom, isn’t it?”

I reach out and grip Megan’s hand tightly. Jack had zoned out, playing his game, but now his thumbs stop smashing buttons, and he lifts his head to listen. Megan’s hanging on to every word.

“Yes. Your mom’s been in an accident.”

“Is she okay?”

“She will be, sweetheart. She’s hurt, but she’s stable, and the doctors are taking excellent care of her. Your uncle is making sure she gets the very best care.”

Megan’s chin wobbles, but she tries her hardest not to cry. I can see a lump in her throat bobbing up and down as she swallows back sobs. Her eyes become wet with tears, but she blinks them back. “Can I see her?”

“They’re still taking care of her. We can see her tomorrow.”

“What are they doing to her?”

“Your Mom’s broken her back—but don’t worry. The doctors don’t think there will be permanent damage. No wheelchair.”

I see the relief in Megan’s eyes. She nods hopefully. “How are they treating her?”

“She’s had surgery today to remove everything dangerous. They’ve put her into a coma to help her recover, and are keeping her in a brace to stop any more damage.”

“What kind of accident was it? Who caused it?”

I look to Tom. Neither of us has even asked. We were too concerned about Laura to care how it happened. “I don’t know, sweetheart,” I tell her. “The doctors didn’t say. All that matters is that she’s in the right place now. Everyone’s looking after her the best they can.”

“I want to see her.”

“Nobody can see her right now. She’s only just come out of surgery, and they still need to fix the braces. She needs to rest.”

“I don’t need to talk to her. I just want to see her face.” Now the tears start spilling. Megan’s shoulders start heaving with sobs. “Please, Aunt Zoe. I need to see her.”

I bite down on my lip and look over at Tom. “Shall we take her to the hospital?”

Tom crouches down beside Megan and puts his hand on her shoulder. “I know you want to see your Mom, kiddo, but we need to let the doctors do their work. I think the best thing for everyone now is to try and get some sleep. We can all go in the morning when your mom’s doing a bit better.”

Megan scowls and wrenches herself from Tom’s grip. “You just can’t be bothered with her. Like always.”

I see the hurt on Tom’s face, but he doesn’t react. He raises himself from the ground and sits back on the sofa. “It’s not like that, Megan. We’re thinking of your mom.”

“And what if she dies, huh? It’ll be Dad all over again.” Her voice trembles. “I never got to say goodbye to him either.”

I kneel down beside Megan and pull her into my arms. I hug her like she’s my own child and kiss the top of her head. “That’s not going to happen, Meg. I promise you won’t lose her.”

“How do you know?”

I cast a glance to Tom, and then repeat the words he said to me to give me faith. “Because your mom’s a fighter. When have you ever seen her quit?”

Megan nods. “If anything happens in the night, you have to swear that you won’t go to the hospital without me.”

“I promise. If her condition changes at all, then we all go.”

She takes a deep breath. When she speaks again, her voice is barely more than a whisper. “Is it okay if I call Justin?”

I squeeze her hand in mine. “Of course it is, honey. We’ll be right here if you need anything.”

Megan disappears upstairs. Jack is still sitting on my lap. He’s got the sense of what happened, but I don’t think he realizes how serious the situation is. His little face is drawn and concerned; he’s clutching his game anxiously to his chest.

“Mom’s in the hospital?”

“Yes, sweetheart, but the doctors are taking great care of her. We’re going to see her tomorrow.”

Jack’s eyes well up.

I give him a tight hug. “Trust me, Jack. Your mom is going to be okay.”

He doesn’t answer. I wonder what’s running through his young mind. Slowly, Jack slides off my lap and leaves the room, dragging his feet behind him, his electronic game hanging from his hand. I don’t know whether to follow him or give him some time. I let him go.

I turn to Tom, letting out a long breath and letting my whole body slump. “That was hard.”

Tom pats my back. “You did great. That wasn’t easy to do.”

“I’ll stay for a couple of hours to make sure everything’s fine here, and then I’ll go.”

His eyes widen. “You’re leaving?”

“I can’t stay.”

“Why not? Zoe, I need you here to help me with them.”

I lay my hand on his knee. “Laura tells me that Megan already knows something is going on between us. It’s not appropriate for me to stay the night. She’ll read into it. Things need to be about the kids and Laura right now.”

Tom looks completely out of his depth and disappointed.

I’m disappointed, too. After a difficult beginning, it had seemed like Tom and I had finally found our stride. Now we had to put our feelings for each other aside to be there for Laura and her kids.

Will we ever find out if this is meant to be? Or is this fate telling us to give up already?