Melinda

Adam and I arrive, and the doctor tells us to take a seat. They’re doing some tests on Mum, but we can go in shortly.

Jessie has fallen asleep in Adam’s arms, and I smile to see how contented she looks.

“You should give Jai a chance, you know?” Adam tells me after a moment of silence.

I ignore what he said about giving Jai a chance.

“What kind of a name is Jai, anyway?”

Adam chuckles.

“His mother liked the name. When he was growing up, people called him Jay. He’d get annoyed and tell them, ‘My name is Jai - like J-eye, like Kai, but with a J.’ People knew his name, but they liked how annoyed he got.” Adam laughs to himself.

Okay, so Jai, like Kai, but with a J. As names go, it’s not a bad one; I think it suits him.

“Are you going to forgive my mother?” I ask instead of replying to what Adam just said.

Adam sighs. “She rejected me, Melinda.”

“She didn’t want to,” I admit. “Mike is not a nice man, Adam. He kidnapped my mother from her pack when she was fifteen years old. He tortured her