The Lost Sister, Kathleen McGurl [best desktop ebook reader txt] 📗

with her then. After all, he went on, as you say, we are not getting any younger. Let’s enjoy each other’s company while we still can.

Harriet read the email twice. It was wonderful – it made her feel as though she’d regained her brother. She immediately emailed back, thanking him, saying she was looking forward to seeing him when he came south and of course he was welcome to stay with her if he liked, and asking when would be a good time for a chat on the phone? She pressed Send, then sat back to finish her cup of tea, smiling with satisfaction and wishing it could be that simple to rebuild her relationship with Davina.

As planned, Harriet spent the rest of the day going round the house armed with pads of various coloured Post-it notes. Yellow for items to keep in the new house. Pink for things to offer to Sally and if not wanted, sell. Blue for anything to be free-cycled now. She’d need two beds, not four. Her own wardrobe and chest of drawers, and another chest for the spare room. The bookcases, obviously. One sofa – not the three she currently had. The dining room table and chairs would have to go, but the kitchen set would fit nicely in the new place. She tried to visualise the furniture in each room of the bungalow. No doubt some wouldn’t look right and she’d need to replace it, but the main thing was to take enough with her to allow her to live comfortably. She could buy new furniture if needed when she decorated each room.

Strangely, she found herself far less sentimental about the furniture than she had been about the boxes of bric-a-brac and mementos. Even items she’d chosen with John in the early years of their marriage – they’d done their job, had their day, and she felt ready to part with them. If John had been still with her and they were down-sizing together, they’d still have been parting with the same items. That thought gave her comfort and made it all much easier.

It didn’t take too long, and she was happy with her choices. Next job was to advertise the items she wanted to give away on Freecycle. Anything that wasn’t taken by that method would have to go to the tip. She took photos of the pieces and spent a couple of hours adding posts to her local Freecycle group. It was good to think there was a chance her unwanted furniture would find new homes with people who needed it.

The next day, she phoned Sally to say the job was done and emails from Freecycle members were already flooding in. It looked like all the items would be taken.

Sally sounded breathless as she answered the phone. ‘Mum! Hi, er, hold on, just … putting the kettle on. Think I need a cup of tea. Probably something stronger but …’

‘What’s happened, love?’ Harriet felt a pang of fear. Was it Jerome? Had something happened?

‘Nothing bad, don’t worry, in fact … the opposite …’ There was the sound of a tap running, a kettle being filled and flicked on, a cupboard opening and a mug put onto the counter as the kettle began to rattle and hiss. ‘Good news, Mum. They think they’ve found a donor.’

‘Oh my God that’s amazing news!’ Harriet couldn’t help herself from squealing.

‘Isn’t it just! Dr Windletter called to say a match had been found, and the person was happy to donate, and they’d sent them all the forms and stuff, and were beginning the process. I’ve to take Jerome into hospital – he needs to have more treatment to prepare his body for the donation. But Mum … something positive at last, and I can’t … I just can’t …’ She began sobbing.

Harriet’s heart went out to her – she could imagine Sally’s emotions were a mix of relief that a donor had been found, concern about what Jerome had to go through, fear that the treatment might not work or go wrong somehow. But yes, it was positive.

‘Love, I’ll come round. You sound like you need a hug.’

‘I have to get Jerome ready. They want him in hospital today, to begin the preparatory treatment. Tests and scans and whatnot at this point, and that play therapy they mentioned …’

‘I’ll help. I’ll drive you there.’

‘Charlie’s coming home. I just called him – his boss has given him the day off.’

‘That’s good. Let me come round, darling. I’ll do what I can to help. You just sit with your little boy for now, I’ll come, and help you pack whatever needs to go with him to hospital.’

Sally agreed, sniffing, and Harriet rang off, grabbed her handbag and car keys and set off to Sally’s. She arrived just as Charlie did, and she rushed over to hug him. He looked stressed yet excited – just as they all felt.

‘Good news about the donor,’ she said as she greeted him.

‘Yes, very exciting. Sally’s in a state.’

‘I know, I was speaking to her on the phone. That’s why I’ve come over.’

‘Thanks, Harriet. We really appreciate all you do for us, you know.’ He squeezed her and together they went inside. Charlie went straight to Sally while Harriet went to find Jerome, who was lying on the sofa tucked under a knitted blanket, half-heartedly watching a Disney film.

‘Hey, soldier,’ she said, sitting down beside him and stroking his arm. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘My legs hurt,’ he said. ‘And Mum says I’ve got to go to hospital again. And stay there. I want to stay here.’

‘Yes, pet, you do need to go to hospital. Did Mummy tell you there’s a new treatment that will make you better, but you have to be in hospital for them to be able to do it.’

‘Yeah, she said.’ Jerome’s attention was fixed on the TV. ‘Nanna, will I be there in the night?’

She sat beside him and put her arm around him. ‘Yes, you will.’

‘On my own?’

‘I