"Bianca, sweetheart!"
Erica Kane swept into her daughter's hospital room, a big smile on her face and a bag on her arm.
Bianca looked up from the book she was reading and warmly accepted her mother's hug.
"Mom, I wasn't expecting you until this evening." said Bianca.
"Well as your usual visitors are currently out at sea with my Jack, I thought we could keep each other company." said Erica, taking a seat beside the bed. "So how are you?"
"I'm fine. I'm not sure if the Orpheus treatment is making a huge difference but David said there are signs of improvement which is good."
"Which is excellent." corrected Erica.
"How were my girls?" Bianca asked. "Did they behave themselves last night?"
"They were angels." said Erica, "And they really get on with Reggie and Camilla."
"And are Gabby and Ayesha still as thick as thieves?"
"I think they are trying to out-twin the birthday twins." said Erica, "Which reminds me, they sent me with an important task."
"Get-better pictures?"
"Yes." said Erica putting the bag on the bed.
Bianca eagerly sorted through the stash. Gabby had painted another fish, Miranda had drawn colourful bird and there was multi-coloured blob which Bianca assumed was from Ayesha and finally…
"You drew me a picture?" asked Bianca, instantly recognising the hand that had sketched out a portrait of her two girls.
"I missed out the first time around." said Erica.
"Thank you." said Bianca moving to give her mom another hug. It was awkward as she was still attached to the heart monitor.
"So do you know how much longer they plan to keep you in?"
"I don't." said Bianca. "They just increased the dosage last night. David said he'll know more in forty-eight hours… so around thirty-two hours from now I'll know what the next step will be; a stronger dose or the same dose and a discharge from hospital. Why?"
"Well next Friday is the 8th of June."
"The 8th?" said Bianca confused, and then she grinned. "Uncle Jack's birthday!"
"I wanted to do something special for him and I thought it would be wonderful if everyone could be there."
"I don't see why I can't – a day won't hurt me surely, even if they do change the dosage. I'll talk to David."
"Great!" said Erica with a grin.
"So what do you have planned?"
"That is a surprise." said Erica still smiling.
…