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‘OK.’

‘I’ll be as quick as possible, Aiden.’

As quick as possible turned out to be half an hour before she parked outside a house on a small street she’d driven past but didn’t really know. She grabbed her bag and knocked on the door. It swung open less than thirty seconds later to reveal Aiden – dishevelled and worried.

‘Thank you so much, Mia. She’s through here.’

She followed him into the small kitchen, where an older woman was sitting at the table, eyes closed and slumped slightly. Her right elbow was resting on the table, her hand propped against the wall, shaking and wrapped in a towel stained pinky-red.

‘Hello, I’m Mia.’

The woman opened her eyes and glared at Aiden. ‘I told you I didn’t want you to call anyone.’

‘You gave me no choice.’ He turned to Mia, apologetic. ‘Mia, this is my ma, Sylvie. Ma, this is Mia. She’s a nurse, and for the record, she also thinks you should have gone to hospital.’

‘Hi, Sylvie. Is it OK if I sit?’ Mia waited for the woman’s tired nod. ‘Like Aiden said, I’m a nurse. And it’s your lucky day, because as well as being a friend of your son, I also happen to be accredited in advanced wound care. Can I have a look and see what’s going on here?’

‘He shouldn’t have bothered you, calling you out in the middle of the night like this.’

‘I don’t live that far away, and I’m here now, so why don’t I take a quick look and see if I can’t get you patched up.’

‘OK.’

Mia unwrapped the towel, and bandages, as gently as she could. ‘Can you tell me what happened?’

‘Just a silly accident.’

Mia’s eyes flicked to Aiden.

‘She was trying to change a lightbulb – an old-fashioned one – instead of waiting for me to finish showering. Which we’ve already had words about. It shattered in her hand.’

Mia winced. Lightbulbs were thin, and when they broke they often left difficult-to-remove shards. This was probably a job much better suited for the hospital. But she was already there, and she’d promised Aiden she’d help.

‘OK then, Sylvie. Let’s see what we’re dealing with here.’ Sylvie rested her hand on the hygiene pad Mia had spread over the table, but kept her fingers closed. ‘Is it OK if we open your hand to take a look?’

Slowly, painfully, Sylvie did as she was asked, and Mia could see a deep gash across the base of her fingers that still bled sluggishly. As gently as she could, she started her exam, only for Sylvie to squirm and pull away.

‘I know it hurts, but I need you to try and stay still, OK?’

Sylvie nodded and Mia took her hand again, but again she twitched and squirmed away.

‘I’m not going to be able to help you if you don’t let me, Sylvie.’ Mia kept her voice soft.

‘Sorry, love, I am trying.’

‘Third time lucky?’

‘Hopefully.’ Sylvie nodded and held out her hand.

She moved again, and this time Mia watched the twisting, twitching movements more closely, suspicion forming. ‘You know what, Sylvie? I’m just going to go grab something from my car.’ She tucked a clean pad into the woman’s palm and bound it loosely, trying to avoid catching the dark bruises on her arm. ‘Keep pressure on that as best you can, OK? I won’t be long. Aiden, come hold the torch for me.’

He followed her back through the hall and to her car. ‘Mia…?’

‘Get in.’ She unlocked the car and sat down. ‘Shut the door.’

‘What’s going on?’

‘Funny you should ask, because that’s exactly what I want to know. What’s going on here, Aiden?’