Lying in bed one Thursday morning in July 2019, I was surprised to see my 14-year-old son, Ben, climb in beside me. ‘Hi, Mum,’ he smiled, pulling the duvet around him. My husband, Mark, 50, was in the shower, and it was unusually early, at 6.45am, for Ben to be awake, let alone want a cuddle with his mum. Ben was a typical teenager who we usually dragged from bed for school every morning, so I was secretly chuffed.
I remember every moment of that morning. Ben chatted excitedly about an assault course his class was going on that day to mark the end of term. Then, after breakfast, Mark took our youngest, Scarlett, then 11, to school on the way to his insurance-broker job. I run my own dog-grooming business, so a little later, I dropped off Ben. ‘See you tonight, Mum,’ he called, dashing out of the car when he saw his friends, catching his rucksack in the footwell in his rush.
In hospital
That afternoon, during appointments, I thought about Ben, wondered if he was having fun. Only, at 3pm, Mark called. ‘Ben’s in hospital. He collapsed,’ he said.
‘What happened?’ I gasped. Mark didn’t know anything else, but he sounded calm and said he was driving to East Surrey Hospital. I thought maybe Ben had heat exhaustion after running around in the sun.
I hurriedly collected Scarlett from school, calling Mark for an update on the way to hospital, but this time there was an edge to his voice. He’d been trying to get more information, but no one would tell him anything over the phone.
‘I’ve got a bad feeling,’ he said, and my worry turned to sickening dread. ‘Please be OK,’ I whispered over and over, trying to hide my panic from Scarlett, who had heard everything on speakerphone.
この記事は WOMAN'S OWN の January 26, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は WOMAN'S OWN の January 26, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
ANITA NAIK A PROBLEM SHARED
Mum-of-two Anita Naik has been an agony aunt for 32 years
ON SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA
Add the wilds of Kruger National Park to your bucket list, says Amanda James
'LET'S RAISE SOME SERIOUS CASH!'
The Radio 2 DJ is among the hosts of Children In Need…
THREE WOMEN ONE DRESS
Gemma Stevens, 34, needed a wedding dress that had stood the test of time
HOW TO HAVE A SILENT NIGHT
Trouble nodding off? Waking in the early hours? Our experts can help
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on I'm a Celeb, work attire and young drivers
I THOUGHT HE'D COME TO KILL ME
For Sally Meeson, 45, the end of a relationship was the beginning of a nightmare
Loose Women IN CRISIS
With unhappy viewers and panel fall-outs, are the key characters about to be axed?
MAGNIFICENT MAURITIUS
Pe This istand in the ut 7% Indian Ocean feels Sa: like paradise, says Charlotte Richards
I HATE BEING A MUM
One woman, 55, reveals why she resents all of the sacrifices she made to be a mother