Kate continued to improve and she worked hard in all her physio sessions. She was desperate to be discharged and a week later she felt like crying when Dr Malik told her that she was ready to go home.

"You need to persist with your exercises and there will be follow up appointments. But sitting here all day doing nothing is not helping your recovery."

Kate frowned.

"I would hardly say I had been doing nothing all day. Most evenings I feel like I have run the equivalent of a marathon. But I get your point. Thank you Doctor. Thank you for everything."

He smiled at her and held out his hand. Kate took it and gently squeezed is she was shaking it.

"You are more than welcome Kate. This is what I am here for. I will get someone to come and speak to you and talk you through some do's and don'ts in the first few days when you get home. I don't want you over doing it because that would be silly wouldn't it. "

"So I can go home today? Really?"

Dr Malik smiled and nodded his head.

"You take care of yourself Kate and give my best wishes to your lovely wife."

"I will doctor. I certainly will."

Kate was so excited. She was going home!


Alan and Celia were having breakfast and discussing the past few weeks. They felt like they had been put into a bag and shaken up. The accident had taken its toll on the whole family.

"Celia, can I ask you something? How do you feel about Kate? Right now. Today."

Alan looked quizzically at Celia and she set down her tea cup and slowly lifted her head to look at him.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, when they were getting married, the ladies, you didn't want any part of it. You sat here in your little flat with Lawrence and flatly refused to go. You said that Kate was making a fool of Caroline. But now you talk about her as though she is the best thing since sliced bread. Kate is number one on your favourite list. So what's changed?"

Celia put an extra spoon of sugar into her tea and stirred it thoughtfully.

"Oh, I don't know. Well, I suppose I do. You know that day when we rushed to the hospital after our Caroline called, and Kate was in the operating theatre? I thought my heart would break looking at Caroline's face. She was so lost and frightened and alone. I don't think I have ever seen her like that in, oh, in a long time. And while Kate has been in hospital, I have seen another side to Caroline that I thought she had left behind her when she moved to university. A vulnerable side that has left her wide open."

She stopped and looked up at Alan.

"Am I making sense?"

He nodded and she carried on.

"I thought this was all a fad you see. When you've been married to someone for as long as she had been married to John and then they cheat on you, it does things to your head. God knows that I had first-hand experience. I just thought she was besotted with her and with the idea of being different. Like she was treating Kate as a novelty."

Alan put down his fork and stared at Celia.

"I had no idea you thought like that. But Caroline tried to open up to you when she was a young un didn't she? Did that mean anything?"

He raised his eyebrows but Celia didn't answer. She still felt guilty for not offering Caroline any support when she was in her late teens. She had been more bothered about what the neighbours would think.

"Anyhow, now I know that she does truly love her and that she wants to spend the rest of her life with her. And I know as much as anyone that true love doesn't come round very often. So I need to be here for her. We both do."

She reached across the table and grabbed Alan's hands.

"I say let bygones be bygones. What has passed has passed. They deserve a new start in life."

Alan squeezed Celia's hands and stood up from the chair. He leaned forward and kissed her.

"I love you."

"I know you do. And I love you too."


Beverley popped her head around the office door.

"I am so sorry to disturb you but Kate, err Mrs McKenzie-Dawson is on the phone. I think it's urgent."

The look on Beverley's face and her tone of voice panicked Caroline and she took off her glasses and shuffled some papers. Looking round the table, she saw 10 pairs of eyes looking back at her, waiting to see what she would do next. She had regular meetings with the children who had been elected to be head girl and head boy from each year. It was her way of finding out what was happening in her school – latest trends, any crazes, bullying, that sort of thing. She stood up from the table and straightened her jacket.

"Excuse me for just one moment will you please. I need to take this phone call. Talk about the idea of having a summer music festival amongst yourselves and I will be right back."

As soon as she had closed her office door behind her, she almost ran to the phone and grabbed it up off the desk.

"Kate, it's me. Are you there? What's wrong?"

"And good afternoon to you too. Nothing's wrong Caroline. In fact it is the complete opposite."

Caroline's shoulders visibly relaxed and she raised her eyes to the ceiling and slowly closed them.

"But Beverley said, she came into my office into a meeting and said "

"Caroline, I can come home. Today. Now. Can you come and get me?"

Caroline put the phone on her shoulder and looked at Beverley, a single tear sliding down her face.

"She's coming home."

Putting the phone back to her ear, she nodded and smiled.

"Caroline, are you still there?"

Smiling, Caroline laughed.

"Sorry, yes, yes I am. Of course I can come and get you."

She looked over at Beverley who was busy flicking through a large desk diary.

"You have a meeting with William Clayton's parents at 3pm."

"Oh, they can wait. Cancel it please Beverley. Tell them I have an urgent meeting and get them to come in tomorrow. Kate, don't move. Give me 10 minutes to finish off with my heads and I will be with you before you have even had chance to pack."

She didn't wait for her to say goodbye and rushed straight back into her office. She was as desperate as Kate for her to be home.


Kate was sat in the chair, her bag packed and on the floor beside her. She turned when she heard the door open, expecting to see Caroline. It was Elizabeth.

"I hear someone is going home."

Kate nodded and Elizabeth smiled at her. She handed Kate a letter.

"I am so pleased for you. Here. this is for your doctor. Someone needs to drop it in the surgery. There's no rush. It's a detailed report of all your injuries and has a recommendation for you to continue physio until your leg is stronger."

Kate took it and placed it on top of her bag.

"Now, I need you to listen to me while I run through a few things. I know it's 5 weeks since you had your accident but as things go, it was pretty serious. You shouldn't suffer any more side effects as a result of your head injury but if you do – if you start to feel sick or dizzy or lightheaded – you should tell someone immediately. It may be that you are overdoing things or haven't eaten or drunk enough, but you must make someone aware. Is that clear?"

Kate nodded her head, feeling like a school girl getting reprimanded.

"And no driving, especially on your own, until you have finished physio sessions. "

"Seriously? But I only have a little Fiat 500. I can steer it with one finger. It doesn't take any effort."

"Not even in your little car. No."

Kate started to chew the inside of her lip. She was about to protest but the look on Elizabeth's face told her that it wouldn't do her any good.

"And drinking. Do you drink much Kate?"

Kate frowned.

"Not really. I like the occasional gin and tonic."

"Well, cut back on the gin if you are having one. Just for a while. "

Kate groaned.

"You'll be telling me next that I can't eat chocolate or bread or anything else that I like."

"Not at all. But if you don't do as you are told, as you have been directed by Dr Malik, you could seriously impede your recovery. We are discharging you from hospital and you are over the worst of your injuries but you are not what we would call fighting fit. Is that clear?"

Kate nodded and glanced at her watch. Caroline would be here soon and then they could pick up Flora and go home to be a proper family.

"Is everything packed? Have you checked your locker?"

"Yes. I'm just glad that I asked Caroline to bring me some clothes. I would feel a little bit silly leaving in my pyjamas."

Elizabeth laughed.

"It wouldn't matter what you wore Kate. You would still look lovely."

She blushed and turned her head, busying herself with the contents of her bag.

"I will really miss you, you know. I will miss sitting here with you of an evening and putting the world to rights. Caroline is really lucky to have you. But I'm sure she knows that."

Kate didn't know what to say. It was one thing to tell her she was lovely but quite another to start telling her how much she would miss her. Her tone made her feel a little uneasy.

"I bet you say that to everyone you nurse. It must be difficult for you though. You see people when they are at their most vulnerable. I can imagine that it would be very rewarding to see someone get better and go home to their family, knowing that you have played such an important part in that process."

Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed opposite Kate.

"It is. But there are some patients you identify with more than others. Some who you know that you will never forget, who you will actually miss not seeing every day. Kate, I don't think you realise how important you have become to me. You and Caroline. Do you know, I saw her when she was at her lowest, when she was scared that you might not make it. I really connected with her, understood how she was feeling. You don't get that with everyone that comes through these doors."

"We are so grateful for everything you have done for us Elizabeth. And I know that Caroline would echo that."

"Echo what?"

The door opened and a large bouquet of flowers appeared with Caroline's head barely visible through the fronds.

"Caroline! I was just telling Elizabeth how grateful we are for the care I have received."

She almost looked visibly relieved not to be in the room on her own with Elizabeth.

"Absolutely! And these are for you. I could never repay you but I hope that these show you how much you are appreciated."

She gave the flowers to Elizabeth and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Elizabeth turned her head unexpectedly and their lips brushed. Caroline pulled back quickly and coughed. She fumbled in her bag and pulled out her car keys. She turned them over in her hand and dropped them back in again.

"Anyway, are we, are you ready? Are you ready to go Kate? I only put 30 minutes in the meter and we need to pick Flora up."

Moving forward, Caroline picked up Kate's bag from the floor and held out her arm. Kate slowly rose from the chair and instinctively linked up with her. They stood side by side and Caroline planted a kiss on her cheek and squeezed her hand. She opened her other arm to Elizabeth.

"Thank you again Elizabeth. We really are very grateful aren't we Kate?"

Moving forward, the 3 of them embraced in a slightly awkward group hug.

"Right. Let's go. Sorry to be in such a rush. Bye Elizabeth. Keep in touch."

"Bye ladies. Take care of yourselves, especially you Kate. I'll ring or text you or something."

Caroline glanced briefly over her shoulder and raised her hand to her.

"Goodbye Elizabeth. And thanks again for everything."

Caroline and Kate walked slowly down the corridor, each one looking at the other and smiling.

"God this feels good. You and me going home. Weird isn't it?"

"I know. A nice weird though. Did you mean what you just said? That you want to keep in touch with Elizabeth?"

"I'm not sure that I did. For the foreseeable future, I want you all to myself. I don't want to share you with anyone."

"Anyone? Not even Flora?"

Kate pouted and Caroline kissed her full on the mouth.

"Well, maybe just for a few hours a day."


"They're here. Alan, they're here. Kate's here. And Caroline . And the baby."

Celia rushed towards the front door, shouting in the general direction of the kitchen. She flung the door open and went to help Caroline.

While Caroline was helping Kate out of the car, Celia started to unfasten the baby seat. Carrying Flora inside, she stopped at the top step and turned around.

"Do you want to do this together? It will be the first time that all 3 of you have been in the house, you know, all at the same time."

Caroline smiled.

"How lovely mum. Thank you. Yes, that would be, err, that would be very nice."

She held out her free arm and Celia hung the car seat on it.

"Give me a shout if you need anything. I'll bring the bags in."

Kate looked down at Caroline and smiled.

"How sweet is your mother?"

Caroline groaned.

"Don't get used to it because it won't last. Trust me on this one"

They laughed and Caroline kissed her as they stepped across the threshold, the three of them as a family.


Caroline gently nudged Kate who was snoring softly.

"Come on sleeping beauty. Time for bed."

Kate stretched her legs out in front of her and yawned.

"What time is it?"

"A little after 10pm."

Caroline turned and faced Kate and put her hand behind her head, supporting the weight by resting her elbow on the back of the settee.

"I am just not used to this hectic lifestyle. Does Flora need feeding?"

Caroline stroked the side of Kate's face with her finger.

"Don't you worry. She will wake up when she is hungry. It is usually about 5 minutes after I have dropped off to sleep but she will let us know."

Kate looked at Caroline, her brown eyes wide.

"It is OK that I move her to my side of the bed isn't it? I mean it will make it easier for me to feed her when she wakes up."

Caroline kissed the tip of her nose.

"Of course it is. It's about time that you took your turn with the night feeds. I've been doing it for the last month or so."

She smiled to let her know she was playing with her.

"Come on. Bed."

"Is that an order Miss?"

"Yup, absolutely. I have waited too long for this. I don't think I can wait much longer."