Mia crawled over Audrey’s knees and the pins and needles bleed into a sharp pain, but it didn’t matter. She needed a hug more than she needed pain relief. She pulled Mia forward and wrapped her close. The only drug that could settle her anxiety.
“Mum. When is Reece coming?”
She kissed Mia’s forehead and smoothed her hair. “Are you being good for Nanna and Merrill and Joe?”
Mia looked at her wide eyes. “You smell.”
She smiled. “What do I smell like?”
Mia wrinkled her nose and whispered, “Like dog poo. What’s this?” She tugged on the oxygen line.
Audrey hugged Mia harder, took her hand away from the tubing. Any smell she didn’t like smelled like the dog poo she’d trodden on in the park and tracked all through the car and the house one time. But it was all the compliment Audrey needed. Mia might’ve been describing the sweetest perfume because she was safe and well and because there was Merrill who knew about Esther and had stepped in.
Merrill sat on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“I look dreadful don’t I?”
Merry bit her lip and nodded.
“I probably look better than I feel.”
“You don’t have to worry about anything. Marvellous Mia is being a good girl. I’ve taken leave from work. Joe and I are on deck until you’re ready to come home.”
“Esther?”
“Is, um.”
“Say it.”
“She’s being Esther. She’s exactly as you’ve described her. I always half thought you made her up. But if anything you were kind. I’m sorry, I know she’s your mother, but some people—”
“—Shouldn’t be allowed to have kids. And Reece?”
“I want Reece. I don’t want Nanna. She smells like dog poo too.”
Audrey looked down at the tangle of dark hair on Mia’s head. “Oh, she does not, monkey. Esther said she sent him away.”
“Oh Aud, we mucked things up. It was Reece who found you and got help.”
“He broked the door, Mum. But Polly fixed it with his magic pencil.”
“He really broke the door in?”
“Didn’t have his keys for some reason and heard Marvellous crying.”
“I was scared, Mum. You were being Sleeping Beauty, you wouldn’t wake up. Reece was the prince but he couldn’t wake you up too. I wet myself.”
“Joe and I, we nearly wet ourselves too. We didn’t know what to do. It’s been years since we had that discussion about being Mia’s guardians. We never thought we’d need to do anything about it.” Merry shrugged. “Knowing Esther was Esther, we figured we needed to keep Mia with us. We weren’t thinking about Reece. We more or less dismissed him.”
Audrey swallowed a lump of emotion. She didn’t want to cry in front of Merrill and Mia. But Reece hadn’t abandoned them.
“Marvellous here didn’t like that so he—oh, he had every right to be furious—he came back to help out. But when Esther arrived she banished him. She actually waved her hands at him and she might’ve said the words, ‘begone evil spirit’.”
“Nanna is the weird kid witch.”
She shouldn’t encourage this, but free pass for nearly dying. “Wicked.”
Mia gave a wicked witch cackle and wriggled out of Audrey’s arms. Merry rumbled in her bag, pulled out the giraffe and handed it to Mia who set up at the end of the bed. What was that stupid giraffe’s name? Why didn’t she know it?