She wasn’t like Hallie. Theo had told Corban that Hallie was not fit to be a mother, but Kerry would never give him reason to doubt her devotion and suitability as a mother. It was her right to take care of her son, and no one could take that away from her. But she was prepared to make changes. She would move to Athens, find a job and somewhere to live. Then Theo could have regular access to his son.
‘Drakon is still too ill to join us for dinner,’ Theo said, knocking her out of her thoughts as he came into their room.
‘I do hope he will be okay,’ Kerry said, worried about the old man again.
‘The doctor is due to visit tomorrow,’ Theo said. ‘Meanwhile, we will be eating alone tonight. Why don’t you shower first? I still have a few calls to make.’
‘All right.’ Kerry picked up a change of clothes and headed into the en suite bathroom. It was strangely familiar—getting ready for dinner first while Theo talked on his phone. She showered and dressed, and was just about to come out of the bathroom when Theo knocked sharply on the door.
‘Kerry! Are you nearly done?’
‘I’m here,’ she said, opening the door. ‘What is it?’ Somehow the urgency of Theo’s voice had sent an icy chill down her spine.
‘Your sister, Bridget, called,’ he said. ‘I answered your mobile because she was calling repeatedly and I thought it might be important.’
‘What is it?’ Kerry’s heart lurched with fear and her throat closed with panic.
Oh, God—don’t let it be Lucas! Don’t let something bad have happened to Lucas!
‘Lucas has fallen,’ Theo said. ‘Down the stairs, I think. Your sister sounded pretty upset. I think it best if you go to her.’
‘Oh, my God!’ Kerry clamped her hand over her mouth and slumped back against the doorframe in an agony of distress.
All coherent thought flew out of her mind. All she could do was imagine her poor, sweet baby boy falling down the stairs.
Oh, God—she should never have left him. It was all her fault. Lucas had come to harm and she wasn’t there with him. She would never forgive herself—she should never have left him.
Theo stared at her, momentarily shocked at the strength of her reaction to the news about her nephew. She had gone as white as a sheet, and she was shaking so violently that he could see it from across the room. He swore under his breath in Greek, cursing himself for not breaking the news to her gently.
‘I think it’s all right,’ he said, taking hold of her upper arms and shaking her slightly to get her to look at him. ‘They’ve taken him to the hospital—but they think he’s okay.’
‘He’s only six months old.’
She stared up him, her eyes drowning in tears, and he wasn’t entirely sure she’d understood what he’d said. His chest contracted as he saw her distress, and he knew he had to find a way to comfort her.
‘A helicopter is on the way,’ he told her. ‘And my jet is waiting in Athens to take us to London.’
‘You’re taking me there?’ she asked, as if she was finally starting to come out of her state of shock.
‘Yes. I’ll come with you.’ Theo guided her across the room to a chair and gently pushed her down into it. He could tell it would be pointless to try to make her eat or drink anything—hopefully she’d be able to have something on the plane. He knew that travelling on an empty stomach was the worst thing possible for her. And she’d need to be in a fit state to help her sister when they reached London.
He moved around the room swiftly, collecting up their belongings and packing them into small cases. It wouldn’t be long before the helicopter was here.
Kerry sat in Theo’s private plane, staring out of the window at the inky black night. Lucas should be tucked up in his own cot by now, with her to watch over him, not waiting to be seen by a doctor in a strange accident and emergency department—if that was where he even was. She didn’t actually know for sure.
She’d made a frantic phone call before they’d left Athens, but Steve, Bridget’s partner, hadn’t heard anything. Mobile phones weren’t allowed in hospital, and he was at home with their children, waiting for his mother to come and babysit. Then he would join Bridget at the hospital. When he knew anything—anything at all—he would call Kerry.
‘We’ll be there soon,’ Theo said, coming to sit beside her. He smelled freshly showered, and when she glanced at him she saw his black hair was still damp. ‘I have a car waiting for us at the airport.’
‘Thank you,’ Kerry said. ‘It would have been a nightmare trying to get home by regular transport.’
‘How are you feeling?’ Theo asked, glancing at the half-eaten sandwich on the table in front of her.
‘All right,’ she lied, feeling her stomach roll over with nausea—but whether it was travel sickness or fear for Lucas she couldn’t say.
‘I’ll get you some more iced water,’ Theo said, standing up and going to fetch it from the bar himself.
Kerry watched him, realising that he’d done that for her a hundred times before when they were travelling. He’d always shown her little kindnesses—but in her distress over the brutal way he had ended their relationship she had blotted out so many of the good things.