Leaving my mum to rest, Noah and I headed down from the private wing to the hospital café.

After sharing a plate of cheesy chips while Noah hid under his hood to avoid any prying eyes, we wandered around until we found the family room. With its cosy armchairs and soft watercolour landscapes hanging on the walls, it was hard not to think of the grief that thousands of people before us had experienced in that very room.

"I think I'm going to do it," Noah announced, as the door closed behind us and we were plunged into silence from the bustling ward corridor outside.

"Do what?" I replied, dropping down into one of the chairs and pulling my feet up underneath me.

"I'm going to call Eloise. Now. Your mum was right."

I nodded. "I think it's the right thing to do."

Taking the chair next to me, Noah pulled his phone from his pocket and promptly stared at it for at least a minute.

"You want me to leave you alone?" I whispered.

He shook his head as he stood up. "No, it's fine. I'm going to get some fresh air first, this room is killing me."

"Okay," I replied. "I'll be waiting right here when you're done."

Bending down to give me a kiss, Noah leant his forehead against mine and drew in a deep breath.

"I love you, Abi Wilson," he whispered.

"I love you too," I replied, placing another gentle kiss on his lips before he stood up and slipped out of the door.

In the silence of the family room, the gravity of the previous twenty-four hours weighed heavy on my shoulders. Trying to distract myself from thoughts of my mum lying in a hospital bed just metres away, I pulled out my phone. The further I scrolled through the inane posts and pointless opinions posted on social media, the more wound up I felt.

What is wrong with these people? I raged internally. Who cares about your poached eggs and smashed avocado when there are far more important things going on in the world?

Annoyed, I shoved my phone down the side of the armchair and stared blankly at the wall opposite. The collection of information leaflets arranged in a rack ranged from grief counseling to coping with allergies. Seeing as I hadn't had time to pack my book in the panic of leaving London, I decided to make the most of the reading material on offer and stood up to choose a selection.

Among them, one in particular caught my eye. Tucking it into the pile of glossy pamphlets in my hand, I returned to the armchair and settled back down to brush up on my medical knowledge.

By the time the door clicked open and Noah returned, I had armed myself with all the information I could ever need about going on the contraceptive pill.

"Well?" I said expectantly, looking up at him.

His normally sharp green eyes seemed dull and rimmed with red.

"What happened?" I continued, shoving the leaflet down the side of the chair to join my phone in its hiding place.

"I spoke to her."

His voice was quiet and devoid of any emotion.

"And...?"

"I'm an uncle, Abs."

As he raised his eyes from the floor, they brimmed with a deep mixture of pride, happiness, fear and remorse. Without knowing what else to do, I leapt up from the chair and threw my arms tightly around him, the heat of his body radiating through the thin material of his black T-shirt.

Without saying anything, we stood locked in our embrace, Noah's normally strong frame trembling as I stroked the back of his head, his neck bent sharply as his face buried in my shoulder.

Eventually, he pulled back from my arms, standing up to his full height and rubbing one hand firmly across his jaw.

"That was a head fuck," he sighed.

"Tell me all about it," I said, guiding him to an armchair, "If you want to?"

For the next hour or so, Noah recounted every detail of his phone call with Eloise. It turned out that she and her boyfriend having a daughter wasn't the only news.

Only a few months after Noah had escaped from his dad's control, his mum had finally seen her loveless marriage for what it was. His anger had turned onto the next best thing and she and Eloise lived in fear of his next outburst.

With Eloise in the middle of her GCSEs, his mum had finally walked away from a lifetime of hiding her sadness behind the bottle and taken her daughter with her.

After years of playing the good wife among the country club set, Noah's mum had broken free. According to his sister, they'd moved down to the coast and her mum hadn't touched a drop of alcohol since. With her new found freedom, she'd set up a small art gallery. Eloise had worked there during weekends throughout college and – eventually – met and fell in love with one of their regular visitors.

"His name's Lucas," Noah said, scrunching his nose up. "I mean, ignoring the fact that 'Lucas and Eloise' sounds like the most pretentious couple ever, it seems as though they're happy."

I laughed, adjusting in the armchair to pull my knees into my chest.

"So, tell me more about your niece. What's her name? How old is she?"

Noah smiled as he stared straight ahead, almost as though he was picturing her for himself.

"She's nearly six months. Apparently she looks like a fat little Buddha with a tiny patch of blonde spiky hair. Bright green eyes, too."

His own emerald eyes glimmered as he directed them towards me and his smile broadened.

"They called her Noa," he whispered. "Noa Grace."

Spending the whole night in hospital had been far from comfortable. The armchairs in the family room may have been enough for relatives contemplating bad news or tired new fathers grabbing a quick power nap, but they certainly weren't designed for a six-foot guitarist and his emotionally-drained girlfriend to get a good night's sleep.

We'd ended up whispering quietly to each other for most of the night. Talking about memories, hopes, families, friends, life and loss before finally trying to get at least a couple of hours' rest.

As the sun began to rise early on Saturday morning, I could sense Noah was already awake on the chair opposite before I even opened my eyes.

"Did you sleep much?" I mumbled, squinting one eye to look at him in the pink light washing through the flower-patterned curtains.

"Not really," he replied. "I couldn't stop thinking about Eloise and Noa. I want to see them, to make a fresh start. I was thinking of inviting her to one of the festivals; give us a chance to meet on neutral ground. What do you think?

Massaging a crick in my neck, I winced as my fingertips hit the exact spot that had knotted during the night.

"I think it's a brilliant idea," I replied. "I'm sure she'd love to see her big brother living his dream. After all the shit you went through at home, you both deserve the chance to wipe the slate clean and start over. Like my mum said, not everyone gets a second shot in life."

Noah smiled. "Come here," He said, gesturing for me to join him.

Clambering onto his lap as he held back the thin hospital blanket for me to climb under, he pulled it around us both and began to gently rub my neck as I leant back against his chest.

"So what's the plan today, then?" His breath tickled my ear as he spoke gently.

I shrugged. "See how mum's doing first, then I guess head back to the house to shower and get changed before coming back up here."

"Okay, that sounds good. I'm pretty sure I smell worse than half the patients in here right now."

Placing my left hand on top of his, he paused his kneading fingers as I turned to face him with a smile.

"You don't have to stay. Seriously, I'll be fine on my own. You should head back to London once we've both freshened up and had something to eat."

"I'm not leaving you, Abs."

"Honestly, Noah, please. It could be days before mum gets to go home and I don't want you to feel forced to stay here. I'd be happier if you went back to the flat, I know how much you've got lined up over the next couple of weeks."

With festival season fast approaching, Noah and the boys had a packed schedule of rehearsals, appearances and interviews to get through before hitting the road. He had been there when I needed him the most, but I couldn't expect him to put his entire life on hold.

He breathed in a deep sigh, resting his stubbly chin on my head. "I'd feel like a prick if I left you to face all this alone."

"Don't," I urged. "I want you to carry on as normal."

"But, your mum..."

"She's in the best place. I'm sure she'll be right as rain in no time and she'll be going home. To be honest, she'd probably rather it was just us two when she gets discharged, anyway. In a weird way, at least it'll be a chance for us to spend some quality mother-daughter time."

Noah let out a gentle laugh and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "Okay, hint taken. I'm just not pretty enough to be one of the girls."

"I'm not so sure about that," I smiled, tilting my chin up to press my lips gently against his, warm and still tinged with sleep breath.

Noah ran his fingertips through the front of my hair, tucking my fringe to one side. "Ready to go in and see her?"

I nodded as the image of my mum covered in wires flashed back into my mind, signaling that the brief moment of calm within the storm was over.

"Guess so."