Chapter 48
We settle in for the wait, trying to find distraction in the maelstrom of a Saturday night at A she hasn’t finished with Yan.
‘He saved your father’s life!’
This changes the temperature. I’m not sure any of us have spoken this out loud.
After a beat, Mark says, ‘I was just the driver.’
Mum shakes her head. ‘Thank you, Marko. Thank you.’ Then in Greek, ‘And God bless you.’
She heads towards the waiting room and the others follow, but I tug Mark’s hand so he hangs back with me.
‘You were not just the driver. We googled strangulated hernias – he could have died.’
‘The ones who saved your dad’s life are the team in theatre.’
‘If you hadn’t acted so fast, there’d be nothing for those people to do.’
‘Emergencies are part of my job. This is just another Saturday night for me.’
It’s the perfect, flippant response, delivered with a killer smile. But I don’t buy it. Not by a long shot.
‘Why are you being like this?’
‘Like what?’
‘Making light of what you did.’
‘I’m not being modest. I’ll happily take the credit when it’s due. But there’s a whole team in theatre right now who deserve it more than me.’ He half-turns. ‘On that note, I should check in.’
I hold his gaze. There’s something he’s not telling me. Something he’s not quite masking. Not from me.
I take both his hands in mine. ‘You came through for us. We owe you.’
When he finally looks at me, his expression is unreadable.
‘No one owes me anything. Your father’s done more for me than you could ever imagine.’
Before I can ask what he means, he pulls free and walks away.