‘This is absurd, John’ I scowled at my son as he pulled up the doctor’s recently-vacated seat next to my hospital bed. ‘I do not need a maid to look after me!’
‘Who said anything about a maid?’ he frowned, puzzled. ‘I’m just here to see if you’re okay. No ulterior motive, I promise.’
‘Okay,’ I said, softening slightly. ‘Thank you. And I’m fine, you needn’t worry. Tell your siblings they can go home too.’
‘My siblings…’ he said, confused.
‘I assume Anthony and Isabella are in the hallway waiting for their turn, too?’
‘Uh,’ John scratched the back of his neck. ‘I guess I was the first one here?’
‘Typical,’ I shook my head.
‘Although we were just texting actually—’
‘The youth today,’ I sighed, exasperated. ‘All you do is text.’
‘We were just texting,’ he repeated, through gritted teeth. ‘And we think we can help chip in for an affordable bathtub remodel. Cost doesn’t have to be something you need to worry about.’
‘What?’ I barked. ‘My bath is fine, as-is!’
‘Is it?’ he said, softly. ‘Be honest, mum – is this the first time you’ve almost seriously hurt yourself getting into or out of the bath?’
‘That’s none of your business,’ I sniffed. ‘What a thing to ask your mother!’
‘We’re worried about you!’ he said, his face flashing with annoyance. ‘You could have done some real damage!’
‘So now my injuries aren’t real?’
‘Oh for the love of—’ he slumped back in the chair, pressing a hand to his forehead.
We sat in silence for a moment, and I let a deep sigh escape me. Maybe a bath tub conversion by a Sydney technician wasn’t a terrible idea. My hip had been playing up a little lately…
‘Won’t you at least consider it, mum?’ John asked me.
‘Absolutely not!’ I snapped. ‘And I don’t want to hear any more about it!’
All of a sudden, I saw myself staring back at me in his scowl, and I had to suppress a slight shudder.
‘Oh look,’ he said, a sly smile reappearing on his face. ‘Reinforcements.’
His brother and sister slid the door open.