Sydney Harbour Hospital: Ava's Re-Awakening

He headed out to the sofa and she called him back. ‘It’s your mum’s birthday next weekend—should we do it after that?’

He gave a short nod. ‘I’ll go to a hotel tomorrow. I’ll tell her after, well, not straight after …’

‘Okay.’ She couldn’t stand it—she couldn’t stand to look at what she was losing so she moved to turn out the bedside light. ‘Night, then.’

That incensed him. He strode over, his face suddenly livid, and as she plunged them into darkness he turned the light back on and stood over her. ‘You can’t even squeeze out a tear, can you?’ James accused.

‘Don’t say that.’ Because if she started crying she thought she might never stop.

‘You’re just glad it’s done, aren’t you?’ James said. ‘Well, you know what? So am I. It’s been hell …’

‘It wasn’t all bad.’

‘No, Ava, it wasn’t all bad,’ James said, his voice rising, ‘but it wasn’t all good either, so don’t try and sugarcoat the situation. This last year has been hell and I just want done with it.’ She winced at his anger, at the hurt that was there, and then he stopped shouting. ‘Sorry.’ he ran a hand through his hair. ‘I’m sorry, okay? I don’t want to fight.’ He sat down on the bed and took her hand. ‘We’ll do this civilly. I don’t want any more rows, we’ll finish things nicely … You’re right, it wasn’t all bad.’ And he looked at her. ‘There was an awful lot of good.’

‘I don’t want to fight,’ she begged, because she hated fights, she hated rows, they made her feel ill, and James knew that.

‘We won’t,’ he promised. ‘We’ll just …’ He gave a shrug. She could see all his muscles, he’d really toned up, he looked amazing, he felt amazing on her skin as his hand met her arm. ‘We’ll remember the good times,’ James said. ‘We don’t want to end up like Donna and Neil.’

And they both shared a pale laugh, because they’d had Donna and Neil over many times, at first together and then, when their marriage had broken up, separately, where they’d sat bitching and moaning about their exes—and James and Ava had shared many cross-eyed looks in the kitchen as they’d topped up drinks or put out dips …

‘“He makes out he’s so easygoing …’” She put on Donna’s voice.

‘“Don’t know what she spends it on.”’ He put on Neil’s.

‘“He was crap in bed …”’ She was still Donna.

‘Well, you won’t be saying that,’ James said, but in his own voice now.