Читать книгу Thrive - Mary Borsellino - Страница 9

Finally, finally, they reach St Bridget's, and Olivia and Hannah climb out of the van still clasping each other's hands. Then there's a flurry of people all around them, and raised voices, and Olivia's parents are grabbing her tightly in frantic hugs, and a woman is calling Hannah "Lissa" and catching her up as well. Olivia and Hannah's hands get pulled apart from one another in the confusion and Olivia doesn't see her again after that.

She gets bundled up and whisked away to a private room, where her mother cries and her father looks relieved and they both fuss over her as she tries to assure them that she's fine, she's fine.

The doctors check her for concussion and bruises and broken bones and malnutrition, and put her on an IV that makes her so cold that her teeth chatter. Then she's allowed to take a long, warm shower that is absolute heaven against her aches and pains.

When she's dressed in fluffy new pyjamas and given hot cocoa and told that she needs to be kept overnight for observation, Olivia is so overwhelmed with people being kind and nice and gentle that she starts to cry, which makes everyone even kinder and nicer and more gentle.

'Is the other girl still here? Lissa?' Olivia asks a nurse. He shakes his head.

'No. She and her mother left after they were reunited. This is a very exclusive hospital.' He pats her on the arm. 'I'm sure she's fine.'

So that's that.