The Unsung Hero. Alison Roberts

He had a pulse oximeter on a finger and an IV line snaking up from a heavily bandaged elbow to the stand supporting bags of medicated fluids.

      ‘Let’s step outside for a minute so we don’t wake him up,’ Mike suggested. ‘He’ll be worn out by now, I suspect.’

      He raised his eyebrows as they reached the two men standing by the door. ‘Rick…this is a bit out of your field, isn’t it? And, Max…didn’t I hear you were getting married today?’

      ‘I did. Sarah was our bridesmaid and Josh was the pageboy.’

      ‘Ahh…’ Mike’s smile was warm. ‘And there I was thinking you’d all dressed up on my account.’

      He pulled the door almost closed behind him and they drifted closer to the window where they could still see Josh. The ward was quiet ant the corridor dimly lit, with evening visiting hours well over. A baby began crying somewhere and a child’s voice called out for her mother. It was a subdued and slightly miserable background.

      Mike spoke softly. ‘We still haven’t got all the results back yet, of course. And I’ve scheduled a bone-marrow biopsy and MRI scan for tomorrow morning.’

      Sarah made a low sound of distress that cut Rick like a sharp blade. Mike’s face creased in sympathy.

      ‘I know. I’m sorry. The good news is that his fever’s dropped and his lungs are clear. There’s no significant change in the size of his liver or spleen and his kidney function’s looking good. Even better, this doesn’t look like CNS involvement. I think the symptoms are probably due to a virus and we’ve got treatment under way to deal with it. Antivirals and antibiotics to cover all the bases.’

      ‘He was going to try and go back to school this week. Said he’d wear a mask even if it made him look like a freak.’

      Mike shook his head, dismissing the possibility. ‘We’ll have him in here for a bit. I want to make sure he’s still in remission. If not, we’re going to have to get back into a pretty aggressive chemotherapy programme.’

      Sarah closed her eyes and Rick could sense her struggle in trying to find the strength to face what was coming. He felt helpless.

      ‘What about HSCT?’ he asked Mike. ‘That’s going to be the best option, isn’t it?’

      Mike’s expression was grim. ‘No siblings, unfortunately. Sarah’s the only family and she’s nowhere near a match. Nothing’s come up on the bone-marrow register and she hasn’t been able to trace Josh’s father.’ He turned to Sarah. ‘You didn’t get any further in your hunt in Auckland, did you?’

      Her eyes were open now. She was staring at Rick but her gaze flicked back to Mike.

      ‘Actually, I think I did. Quite by chance and only because of Josh being admitted for the chest infection. One of the nurses in the ward had been working there for ages and she seemed to know everybody.’

      ‘And?’ There was an undercurrent of excitement in Mike’s tone.

      ‘I’ve got a possibility to chase up. I…I’m just not sure how co-operative he might be.’

      ‘You think he’d refuse to help?’ Rick could hear more than a hint of outrage in his own voice.

      ‘He might. He doesn’t even know he’s got a son yet.’

      Rick gave a dismissive snort. ‘Tough. It’s not as if he’s had to take any responsibility so far, is it?’

      ‘No.’

      Sarah’s agreement was cautious. She was giving him an odd look, as though wondering why he was pushing this, but there was an element of something like hope in her face and that made Rick feel good. Very good. He was helping here.

      ‘But that’s not exactly his fault,’ she added. ‘He didn’t know. I don’t think Josh’s mother even knew.’

      ‘Doesn’t matter.’ Rick was confident now. He ignored the way Max was staring at him as though he was about to step off a cliff or something. He could support Sarah in this quest. Help her. Maybe help Josh as well. ‘If he’s a decent human being,’ he said firmly, ‘then getting tested is the least he can do.’

      Sarah looked away from him to Max who gave her a slow nod of encouragement. She looked back at Rick.

      ‘I hope you meant that,’ she said softly. ‘How soon do you think you could arrange to have the test?’