Lora glanced at her watch. It had just turned seven. They wouldn't be taking Jonathan down to the operating theatre for at least another hour. She knew that and yet there she was, all but running to his room.

She pressed the intercom button knowing the door would be locked this early in the morning, and a familiar buzz sounded as soon as she announced her name. The door to Jona's room was closed with the linen trolley parked in front of it.

"If you're here for the morning shift, you're late!"

Lora smiled at the sound of the familiar, deep voice. "Sorry, Chief, but I don't work here anymore," she countered as she turned to the Charge Nurse with a big grin on her face.

A tall, balding but undoubtedly handsome man in a dark blue uniform chuckled amicably at her retort as he approached her. "They're bathing him. Come on, let's have some coffee," he offered, taking the heavy bags from her hands.

Lora could not refuse. She didn't have time for coffee that morning and she had the most restless night after having to comfort Siena for over an hour.

"Is Daddy going to be okay, Mama?" her little voice piped from under the pink unicorn sheets.

Lora's heart throbbed. She never lied to her children. So she sat on the little girl's bed, curled her onto her lap and brushed her fingers through her soft, golden curls. "Let us pray so that God may keep him safe."

And pray they did. And while prayer gave Siena the peace she needed, Lora tossed and turned all night.

"Coffee sounds wonderful," she nodded following her old boss into the staff room.

It was like stepping back in time. More photos of the staff had been added to the notice board, all of them with broad smiles or forcing funny faces. A new plant sat on the white fridge in the far-left corner causing Lora to smile. It was a well-known secret that not a single plant had ever survived the black thumbs of the staff. But they always tried.

Other than that, the narrow room looked exactly the same. The lockers were in the same place against the left wall. The blue couch sat opposite them under the colourful notice board, just where it had always been and the table sat in the middle, surrounded by four black chairs. It was spotless. The cleaners always started from the staff room, then the visitor's kitchenette and then the nursing station.

"How have you been, Scout?" Mike started, going straight for the kettle.

Lora's smile widened. She loved it when he called her Scout. Mike was about the same age her father was when he passed away and maybe that's why he reminded her of him so much.

"I'm okay. A bit anxious, but okay."

"Anxious? About the surgery?" he questioned, raising a worried brow. The metal teaspoon clinked loudly as he dropped it into her old mug. She had forgotten it in the cupboard and Cara had joked about keeping it safe for her for when she came back.

Who knew it would be under these circumstances?

Lora hesitated. Even as her heart missed a beat, she knew she could never lie to Mike. "Not just. It's strange to be back. I mean, it's great seeing you guys but... It's just so... I don't know." She didn't. She didn't know how to explain what she was feeling because she couldn't make sense of it. For a moment, only the soft hiss of the kettle could be heard.

"How are the kids?" Mike asked gently, knowing when to drop the subject.

Lora pulled a chair and sank into it. "Good. They're growing up too fast. Jess and Krista are both in university now. Krista is taking medicine. Did I tell you?"

The man's face lit up at the news of another soldier joining the field.

"That's wonderful!" he exclaimed. "We need decent doctors and Krista is as decent a person as they come. Is Jess still doing law?"

"Yes," Lora nodded, quickly tucking back a strand of brown hair that had come loose from her low ponytail. "She still has two years left but she's doing really well."

The kettle clicked and Mike poured the boiling water into the two expectant mugs. "Still living with her boyfriend?"

She gave him a tight smile and nodded again, hoping the gesture hid the abrupt discomfort in her gut. Mike meant no harm of course, but he didn't understand. He was a good man but he was a bit 'lax' when it came to his values. He didn't see anything wrong with it. A young girl living with a strange man, away from her family's attending eye and yet in God's plain sight.

"Krista is with them too now," she told him as though that somehow made it better. "She moved out when she started university since the apartment is literally five minutes away."

"They'll be fine, Lora," Mike offered matter-of-factly, not missing the disappointment underlining her words. He brought the steaming mugs to the table and sat down beside her. "They are adults now and they will do things you won't like or understand. But you raised them well. They won't lose their principles just because they live a few kilometres away."

Mike sounded certain but his words did nothing to soothe her nerves. She thought of Hannah. What would she say if she were here? They wouldn't have moved out if she were still alive, a nasty voice chanted inside her head.

"What about the business? Jonathan isn't still working, is he?"

Lora let out a soft breath, grateful once again for the change in topic. "He's still very active. He directs most of the sales and purchases and I help out in the physical bits. We are keeping the antique shop open in the evenings. Most customers come by appointment anyways, so it's not that hard to manage. He doesn't do any restorations anymore obviously, which is where most of the money used to come from. But the wheel is turning. Thank God, we had quite a bit saved up. We spent tons on equipment and therapy and home renovations after the accident. Don't get me wrong, Mike, I don't regret a single penny..."

Mike waved his hands at her, motioning her to stop. "You don't have to explain anything to me, Scout. Just know that if you ever need anything, you will always have a place here with us." He smiled warmly before adding, "You were my best nurse. I'm still heartbroken that you left."

Lora took a sip of the hospital coffee in front of her, its bitter taste bringing back so many memories. She still remembered the day she told him she was resigning to become a full-time housewife.

"I will never find a nurse who is as smart as she is beautiful," Mike had told her. She slapped him playfully on the shoulder knowing he was just being his roguish self. Mike was one of those men who were naturally flirtatious, but he never made her feel uncomfortable. She even found him funny at times.

"Come on, Chief, I know you were secretly relieved when you got rid of me. We used to argue all the time, remember?"

Mike chuckled as he raised his mug to his lips. "Yes, about politics and religion and your warped-up sense of morality. Not about work."

That was true.

"And that's only because you're an idiot and an atheist!"

Lora didn't mean it. She knew it wasn't possible to be an atheist and lead a ward where miracles happen every day.

Mike's face broke into a familiar, animated smile. "No, no, no! I am not. I am just not brainwashed like you are."

Lora's brown eyes opened wide in shock and her stubborn strand of hair became loose again. "Since when is believing in God and in a strong political system being brainwashed?!"

"Since the beginning of time! Accepting contrasting notions as truths is literally the definition of being brainwashed."

"Contrasting notions? The Catholic faith is..."

"It's sensationalism," Mike went on. "Its behaviour and practices stem from unfounded beliefs rather than from rational facts and informed decisions."

It didn't take much to lure Lora into arguments such as this and had they not been interrupted by a young male nurse opening the door and sticking his head through, she would have sprung over the table at him, vein popping across her forehead, claws out and ready to scratch. Instead, she bit back her reply and waited for the head to speak.

"Um, sorry Mike... Mrs Scicluna?" the boy asked politely, "Jonathan is ready. We'll be taking him down for his surgery in about ten minutes."

"Thanks, Isaac," Mike answered getting up and placing both mugs in the sink. "Go to your husband, Scout. But I meant what I said. If you ever need anything, our door is always open."

Lora's heart glowed warmly. "Thanks, Mike."

She grabbed her bags and headed straight for Jona's room. She had barely opened the door when he roared, "Where the hell have you been?"

She could sense the panic in her husband's voice. He was agitated, and when Jonathan Scicluna was agitated he was aggressive.

"I was outside talking to Mike while the nurses were getting you ready," Lora answered patiently.

"And where are Aiden and Siena?" he barked back.

She started unpacking his things, her delicate hands working fast. She put the books and paperwork he asked for in the drawer of his bedside cabinet, knowing he wouldn't be looking at any of them any time soon. Then she collected the clothes Isaac left neatly folded on the armchair. She'll pop them in the washing machine later.

"Lora, I asked you a question," the man demanded.

"Aiden and Siena are not coming today, Jona." She held her breath, waiting for him to lash out. She didn't have to wait long.

"What do you mean? I don't get to see my kids?" his face was red but his eyes held panic and fear.

Lora turned towards her husband and took his hand in hers. Her slight fingers barely wrapped themselves around his large, weathered palm. "Jona, they are too young. They are still traumatized from when you were here last. Siena could barely sleep last night. Do you know how hard it was for me to explain that this time is different? That you will have drains and IV lines going in and out of you again? It will break them to see you after the surgery. They'll be scared."

"Siena will be fine, she's a lion. And Aiden needs to grow some balls anyway."

Lora let go of Jona's hands, unhappy with the way he spoke about their son.

"What?" he went on, taunting her. "You know I'm right. The kid's a wimp."

"He is six years old, Jona. They will come to see you when you can hold them and speak to them without scaring them. After all, I am the one who has to deal with their sleepless nights afterwards, not you."

"You're right. Meanwhile, I'm sleeping comfortably at The Ritz," he snarled at her, his voice reaching a degree of coldness that made her shiver. Lora kept her gaze fixed on her restless fingers. It hurt her that her husband would go through such a trial to get under her skin. But then he exhaled heavily and when she looked at him, she saw defeat plastered all over his face.

"What if it's not different, Lor?" he whispered in a voice so low, so soft, that she could barely believe it was coming from the same mouth that just said such awful things to her. He cupped her cheek softly, took a strand of her hair from behind her ear and curled it around his finger. "You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. Have I told you that?"

Lora rolled her eyes at him, just as she had done the first time he told her so. Jona didn't compliment her much, but she knew he loved her eyes. "Not today."

Just then, Isaac walked into the room, file in hand, a smile on his face. He had a sweet, nerdy look about him which made him look young and innocent and trustworthy.

"Ready to go, big guy?" he asked spiritedly.