Wishbones

And then a call bell buzzes from one of the other rooms and the older nurse says, ‘Excuse me’, and then the younger one says, ‘Sorry’ and walks back to the nurses’ station and I’m left standing there.

I feel Jake taking my hand. ‘Come on, Feather, let’s get out of here. Like they said, you can talk to your dad. We’ll come back tomorrow morning.’

But I don’t need to talk to Dad. I know what they meant: that it’s lose–lose. That even if Mum wakes up from her coma, she’s going to die anyway. And that, if we don’t do anything about it, and fast, she’ll be gone in six months.

4 (#ulink_4c6d6f13-b298-5060-986e-7ee8b309c891)

After swim practice, I go to the Willingdon Mobile Library to use the internet. The day after Mum went into hospital, I ripped the Wi-Fi router out of the wall in the lounge and hid her laptop in the garage. Stopping her from being able to do online food deliveries is the first stage of my get-Mum-well plan.

I scan through the NHS website looking for articles on gastric bands. I’m worried Mum’s got too big for them to even be an option. Apparently the NHS pays for dangerously overweight patients to have bands fitted around their stomachs so they feel full and stop eating as much. Only Mum’s never wanted to see a doctor about her weight so we didn’t even get that choice and now I’m worried it’s too late.

My phone buzzes. It’s one of those cheap ones that only calls and texts.

‘Mum’s woken up.’ Dad’s voice is all choked up.

Steph’s at work and Jake’s with Amy, so I get the first bus to Newton Hospital. I run into Mum’s room and throw my arms around her and hold her so tight she gasps.

‘Steady on, Feather, or you’ll send me into another coma…’ She gives me a tired laugh. I can tell she’s trying to hold it in, how freaked out she is by being in hospital.

Dad sits on the other side of the bed, grinning.

‘We missed you, Josie,’ he says.

Mum’s eyes dart around the room. The drips. The white walls. The heater hissing under the window. I can feel her nerves fizzing.

‘It’s okay, Mum,’ I say and lean over and kiss her cheek.

Mum’s eyes focus on me and she seems to calm down a bit. ‘It’s good to see you, My Little Feather.’

Dad and I spend ages sitting on Mum’s bed holding her hands and stroking her hair and giving her hugs. I know Dad’s thinking the same as me: that this time we’re going to be more careful; that we’re going to grasp onto her so tight that she never slips away again.

‘What was it like?’ I ask. ‘Being in a coma?’

Mum smiles. ‘I don’t really remember much, Feather. But it felt quite nice actually – floating around in this nowhere, no-time place.’

I guess that for someone as big as Mum, feeling floaty must be quite cool.

‘I heard you calling me, Feather,’ she adds. ‘And when I woke up, I saw your photo.’ She shifts her head to the picture of me on her bedside table.

‘So you’re glad you’re back?’ I ask.

‘I’ll be glad when I’m home.’ Mum yawns. ‘I’m really tired.’

I want to make a comment about the fact that she’s been sleeping for days but maybe sleeping isn’t the same as being in a coma.

‘Come on, let’s leave Mum to have a rest,’ Dad says.

I give Mum a kiss, jump off the bed and then Dad and I head to the hospital canteen for a hot chocolate and a sandwich.

‘We’ve got to make some changes,’ I say to Dad.

He rubs his eyes. ‘Let’s take a day at a time, Feather.’

I shake my head. ‘We can’t afford to take a day at a time. Mum’s really sick.’

Dad pokes at a bit of gherkin in his sandwich and then puts it down. He hasn’t eaten properly in months.

‘I know that,’ he says.

I take a breath.

‘It was our fault, Dad.’

He doesn’t answer.

‘Dad?’

He pushes his sandwich back into its packet and scrunches it up.

‘Let’s not talk about this now, Feather.’

‘You can’t bury your head in the sand about this, Dad.’

It’s the first time I’ve been this blunt with him but I have to keep going, otherwise I’ll lose my nerve.

‘It’s our fault that Mum got sick.’

He goes quiet again.

‘Did you think we were helping her, Dad? Making her fry-ups, letting her guzzle tins of pineapple syrup, bulk-buying Galaxy bars and crisps…?’

‘It’s not just about food, Feather.’

‘Of course it’s about food, Dad. Haven’t you noticed how much she eats? That’s why she’s got so big. That’s why she’s sick.’

Dad stands up. ‘Come on, Feather, let’s go home and get things ready for Mum.’

I grab his arm and yank him back down into his chair. ‘No, Dad, you have to listen—’

He sits down slowly.

‘Everything we do for your mum is because we love her.’

‘Love her?’ I clench my jaw. ‘Feeding Mum rubbish wasn’t kind or generous – or loving: it made her sick.’

From the way people are looking over at us, I realise I’ve been shouting. But I don’t care. All that matters is Mum. We’ve got six months and I’m not going to waste a minute of it.

Dad hangs his head and looks into his calloused palms. After a long silence he says: