Bridie folded her arms. ‘No! Whatever you want to say, I want to hear it.’
Kate said, ‘So do I.’
Bridie felt her sister’s hand reach for hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze that whatever was going on, she was there for her little sister, in her corner.
Bridie turned to her sister and smiled. If there was ever a time in her life she needed Kate, she had a feeling it was now. They both did.
There was a moment’s silence. The young male paramedic in the back of the ambulance had paused sorting through a cupboard and had turned to look at people gathered outside.
Rufus exchanged a glance with Claire. ‘You knew this day might come. We both did.’ Rufus climbed into the ambulance followed by Claire, Bridie and Kate.
The paramedic looked at them all. ‘What are you doing?’
‘We want to speak with Isobel.’
‘No, I’m afraid that’s not possible.’
‘Why – are you speeding her off to the hospital right now?’
‘Well … no, not right now. But once my colleague over there has rounded up the other patient, we will be taking them both.’
‘Good, good,’ said Rufus, settling himself down on the bench opposite Isobel, with Claire, Bridie and Kate also squeezing inside, much to the paramedic’s annoyance.
Isobel turned to the paramedic. ‘Now, if you wouldn’t mind stepping outside and closing the doors, we’d like some privacy.’
‘This is an ambulance, not a social hub! Next, you’ll be asking for a cup of tea and a biscuit.’
Rufus looked at the young lad. ‘Do you have tea and biscuits?’
The paramedic rolled his eyes and stepped out of the ambulance. Before closing the back doors, he said, ‘I’ll give you five minutes, so you’d better make it quick.’
When the doors clunked shut, they all sat looking at one another.
Kate said, ‘Is she … are you her mother?’
‘Kate!’ Bridie turned to her wide-eyed. She couldn’t believe her sister had just come out with that.
‘What? We’ve got five minutes, and you all heard the paramedic. We’d better make it quick. So I thought – why not just cut to the chase?’ She turned to Bridie. ‘That’s the question you want to ask, isn’t it?’
Bridie nodded her head, avoiding Isobel’s gaze. But her sister was right: that was the question she wanted to ask. Bridie folded her arms. ‘Well? Isn’t someone going to say something?’
Kate whispered. ‘You’re very brave, you know that. I’d be freaking out.’
‘Who says I’m not?’ she whispered back. She raised her voice. ‘I just want to know the truth.’
‘I had a baby called Lucy,’ said Claire.
Rufus turned to his wife. ‘You don’t have to tell—’
‘I think I do.’
Kate and Bridie exchanged a confused glance, both thinking the same thing. They’d thought this was about Bridie. ‘What do you mean, you had a baby called Lucy?’ said Kate. ‘I don’t understand. Is … is Bridie Lucy?’
Rufus breathed a heavy sigh. ‘Let your mother finish.’
‘I carried her to term, but she was …’ Claire swallowed. ‘Stillborn. In London. She would have been around Bridie’s age.’
Bridie glanced at Isobel. Isobel appeared just as shocked at this revelation as Kate and Bridie were.
