‘She’s been through a lot. But the operation to straighten the limb, grafting in new material where necessary, was a success.’
‘You did it?’
‘Yes.’
That warmth again, as if her smile were caressing him. Pride because she cared that it had been Edward who had carried out the precise skin and muscle grafts which would restore some of the movement in Mercy’s arm and hand.
‘How much mobility will she recover?’
He shook his head. ‘Difficult to say at this stage. But the prognosis is good, and if she keeps her physiotherapy up she should do well. That’s another thing I want you to look at. She needs to be committed to this, and to understand how important it is for her to continue the things that she’s being taught when she goes home.’
‘Right. Okay, then. So I’m working on her heart, not her medical condition.’
‘Primarily. Although she’s going to need nurse-led care at the Hunter Clinic and you’ll be providing that.’
If anyone could do it, Charlotte could.
* * *
When Edward ushered Charlotte into Mercy’s room she wasn’t quite sure what to expect. She found that Edward hadn’t been quite honest with her.
The girl’s face lit up when Edward smiled at her. ‘Hello, Mercy. How are you today?’
‘I am well, Dr Edward.’
‘I’m pleased to hear that. I’ve brought someone to see you.’
Mercy’s dark eyes never left Edward’s face. If he reckoned that his quiet kindness hadn’t got through to her, then he was fooling himself. Charlotte began to wonder what she was doing here. Edward had clearly underestimated his own capacity to reassure the girl.
There was tenderness in his eyes as he spoke again. ‘Nurse Charlotte is going to look after you when you come to see me at the clinic. She’s come to meet you.’
Mercy gave Charlotte a small nod.
‘I’ll...um...leave you, then.’ Edward seemed suddenly at a loss as to what to do next.
‘No. Please stay. Just for a few minutes.’
Charlotte didn’t share Edward’s conviction that she could gain Mercy’s confidence instantly, through some magical process that he knew nothing about.
She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Mercy’s bed. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Mercy. I hope that I can be your friend.’
Mercy nodded again, clearly deciding to adopt a wait-and-see policy. Charlotte was going to have to prove herself, but that was okay.
‘I’ve brought you some pictures of my family.’ She had photographs in her bag—of herself with Isaac when he was a baby, together with some more recent ones, and some precious images of her parents. ‘Would you like to see them?’
‘Yes.’
That was a start. Charlotte began with the picture of Isaac. ‘This is my son. His name is Isaac, and he was born on a Saturday.’
Mercy studied the picture carefully. ‘Then in my country he would be called Kwame.’
Edward’s curiosity got the better of him and he leaned forward. ‘For Saturday?’
‘Yes.’
‘I was born on a Friday.’
Mercy smiled. ‘Nurse Efie.’
Charlotte grinned. ‘That’s a lovely name. Thank you for telling me. What’s yours?’
‘Abena. My English name is Mercy.’
‘You have a lovely smile, Mercy Abena.’
* * *
Charlotte had been alone with Mercy for almost an hour when Edward’s phone beeped. He checked the text which had just arrived and made for Mercy’s room. Charlotte was waiting for him outside the door.
‘Thanks for coming so quickly.’ She looked nervous, moving her weight slightly from one foot to the other.
‘You said “asap”.’
Charlotte wasn’t one of those people who peppered all of her communications with either ‘asap’ or ‘urgent’. When she said it, she meant it.
‘I’ve noticed something...about Mercy.’ She seemed almost reticent to tell him.
‘Right. What have you seen?’
‘It may be nothing...’
‘What have you seen, Charlotte?’
She took a breath and seemed to loosen up slightly. ‘We were talking together, getting on fine, and then all of a sudden she seemed to zone out. It only lasted for a little over ten seconds.’
He nodded, turning the various possibilities over in his mind. ‘The nurses have said that she seems very withdrawn sometimes. Do you think it could just be her mental state?’
‘Maybe.’ She clasped her hands together—a small, nervous gesture. ‘It doesn’t feel like that to me.’
‘Okay. What does it feel like?’ This wasn’t his normal method of diagnosis, but he was willing to give Charlotte the space to prove him wrong.
‘I think she may be having Absence Seizures.’
‘Epilepsy?’
Charlotte nodded. ‘Her eyes rolled back, very briefly, and her eyelids fluttered a little. I leant forward and put my hand on her arm and she didn’t react. Afterwards she didn’t seem to have any recollection of what had happened.’
‘That was quick thinking. Well done.’ Most people would have attributed a short period of absence to being the daydream of a teenager, far from home and trying to block out what was happening around her.
‘I could be wrong. I looked on her notes and no one else has reported anything like this.’
Edward shrugged. ‘Which just means you’re a bit more observant than the rest of us.’
It wasn’t only that. Charlotte had a habit of looking at people when she talked to them, giving them her full attention. Until he’d met her he hadn’t realised just how few people really did that.
She flushed pink with pleasure. ‘So you’ll take a look at her? Ask her about it?’
‘Nope.’ He turned towards Mercy’s door, twisting the handle. ‘You’re going to do that. I’ll watch and learn.’
She was cheerful and relaxed with Mercy, as if nothing had happened, sitting down by her bed and motioning Edward to do the
