Chapter 235

Marlowe was almost knocked straight back into the lift. If one more person lunged, he’d end up flattened against the wall. I cleared my throat loudly. ‘You lot see a briefcase and start crawling like cockroaches on a dropped croissant. Did any of you even ask how Edouard is doing? Or are you all just here to count zeroes?’ The front row shuffled backwards. A man in a beige trench coat blinked, glanced at his shoes. ‘Of course we care. He’s family.’ The ICU door clicked open. Ashton stood in the doorway. ‘Come in.’ It was like he’d fired the starting pistol at a race. Everyone surged forward. A man elbowed past a woman in a tweed jacket. Someone’s handbag caught on the IV pole. Edouard lay still beneath the ceiling light, chest rising in fits and starts. A ventilator mask covered his nose and mouth. Tubes ran down both arms, taped tight against his skin. Two doctors stood at the head of the bed, flanked by three nurses. One adjusted the beeping monitor, which clicked in a slow, rhythmic