“She flew back here?”
Seph nodded. “With me and your dad. I think it was her third flight in thirty-six hours. It might have pretty much cured her fear. You know you pretty much told her to fuck off when you first saw her?”
“Yep.” And the anger I’d felt then flittered back, but this time it had a side of regret too. “I didn’t mean to say it like that.”
“You’d just woken up from an induced coma. In this instance you get a pass. She gets that, Liam, but she’s scared to come back.” Seph sat back. “You’re in here for another couple of days at least. They want to double check you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.” I was not okay. “Please tell me my sisters aren’t flying over.”
“I can tell you that. They spoke to your dad. He persuaded them that you were fine and he’d set up a video call when you were up to it. I’d wait until you look a bit less mangled.”
I lifted a hand to where it was throbbing the most on my head and found material. I was patched up. “It’s pretty bad, isn’t it?”
Seph took out his phone and took a photo, showing it to me.
“I look like Frankenstein’s monster.”
“That’s not a bad shout.”
“You’re sure Sophie didn’t run screaming from here when she saw the state of me?” It wasn’t a pretty sight. The press had pointed out in the past that I was too pretty to be a rocker. If they saw me now, it wouldn’t be an issue.
“I don’t think she’d care what you look like. She was in bits when I saw her. I’ve not seen her like that before.”
Seph eyeballed me and I had the feeling that if I wasn’t in a hospital bed, he’d have had something more to say.
“Do you want to see her?”
Yes. I wanted her here now. I wanted to tell her that I wanted her more than a Grammy or an Ivor Novello or a recording studio in Iceland.
But I didn’t want her to make a decision about me based on pity or guilt, and given how she’d run away yesterday – was it yesterday? – I wanted her to have more time.
“No. Not yet.”
“Okay.”
I was surprised Seph didn’t argue, but then I didn’t think he was the type of person to argue, unless I supposed it was work when he was paid to.
“I don’t want her to feel guilty.”
“Would you have gone for that drive if she’d been here?”
“No.” Straightforward answer.
“Roles reversed, you’d be fucking kicking yourself now.”
“I would.”
“Are you mad at her?”
“Yes. She should’ve stayed and spoken to me. Or got some space here. Or not left without telling me in person. That was chicken-shit.”
“She knows that. By the time I met her at the airport she was pissed off with herself, but that’s Sophie. Act first, think later; unless it’s business. This won’t be the last time she does something on impulse that fucks you over.” Seph tapped his head with his finger. “You need to talk. But now probably isn’t the right time anyway because you look like shit and you’re about to fall asleep.”
He wasn’t wrong. The short conversation had ruined me for another few hours.
“Is my dad about?” It still seemed strange calling him that. A nurse had told me he was around and it was easier for everyone if that was how I referred to him.
“He’s lingering somewhere. I think he was talking to his wife when I last saw him.”
