We Own the Sky(71)
“Anna. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Oh, God, it’s not Jack, is it.”
“Anna, he’s fine. It’s just...just...”
“Just what? Rob? What’s happened?”
“We’re in Prague.”
“You’re in Prague,” she said. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.
What do you mean, you’re in Prague?”
Static on the line, an inhalation of breath. And then a pause, a rustle, and the sound of a chair being dragged across a floor.
“Oh, Rob, please tell me you’re not at that clinic.”
“Anna, please, just hear me out.” My voice was shaking, and I was pacing up and down the corridor. “I know I shouldn’t have taken him, it was wrong, but please, please listen to me. He’s doing so well, Anna, he’s responding to the treatment and he’s never been better. There’s color in his cheeks, he’s laughing and joking like never before... It’s unbelievable, you have to see him.”
“Wait, what? I can’t believe what you’re telling me. You mean, he’s already
doing the treatment? Please tell me he isn’t, Rob, please tell me that’s not true.”
“I’m sorry, I know I should have told you. He’s just started, but already they’re seeing results—already. These proteins they use as markers are way up.
It’s amazing, you can actually see it in him, how his body is fighting this. Anna, please, you have to come and see it for yourself. I’m so sorry I took him, but it was the only way and it’s working, Anna, it’s really working.”
“Is this for real, Rob?” Anna asked, and her voice cut like a cold knife. I could hear the spittle, the anger. “I just can’t believe you would do this, I just can’t believe it...”
“Anna, I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be, but please,
please, I’m begging you, just come. Please come and see how well he’s doing.”
Anna did not speak, and I listened to her short, rapid breaths. “I just don’t know what to say. You have kidnapped our son, our dying son, when you are supposed to be looking after him.”
“Please, Anna, just come, you need to.”
“Don’t you dare tell me what to do. I’ve a good mind to call the police, but of course you know very well I would never do that. How long have you been planning this, Rob? A week, a month? I bet you couldn’t believe your luck when my mother fell ill... I forbid you to allow any more treatments, do you hear me, Rob? Are you listening? I forbid you. I will be on the next flight over to bring Jack back home.”
I tried to speak but she interrupted, her voice shaking with rage. “I will never ever forgive you for this, Rob. Never,” she said, and then put down the phone.
I took a deep breath, feeling my chest tighten, and went back into the room to see Jack. He was smiling to himself and watching something on the iPad. Anna would be on her laptop now, booking the next available flight. I looked at Jack, hungrily stuffing bits of banana into his mouth. When she saw him, I knew she would understand.
*
Jack was waiting by the window and saw Anna’s taxi arrive outside. We had stayed the night in a flat connected to the clinic and were given an emergency number to call if Jack experienced any side effects. The flat was clean and bright, like an upmarket city hotel, with modern white furnishings, a space-age kitchen, and a flat-screen TV.
“Mommy!” Jack shouted as we opened the door.
“Jackie,” she said, holding out her arms and embracing him. “Oh, I missed you so much. Come on, let’s go inside. It’s freezing.”
“Was the flight okay?” I said as we walked up the stairs, but Anna didn’t answer, would not meet my eyes.
She looked around the flat, as if she was inspecting it, and then sat down with Jack on the couch, and he showed her some little Matchbox cars we had bought at the airport.
After Anna went to read Jack a story and he fell asleep for his afternoon nap, she came back into the living room and sat on a curved plastic chair in the corner.
“I am so angry right now,” she said quietly, in a breathless tone I had never heard before. “You take our terminally ill son on a plane to Prague and you don’t tell me. I can’t believe you would do that.”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, but it was...”
“Are you an idiot, Rob? I could have called the police. I would have been well within my rights to do that. And did you not think about Jack? About the impact this could have on his health?”
“As I said, I’m very sorry. But I did it for Jack. I did what I thought was right.”
“Yes, you’ve made that quite clear.”
“Did you see him, Anna? Did you see how well he looks?”
“Yes, he does look good and I’m glad. But he always looks well after he’s finished chemo.”
“God, Anna, look at him. When he’s awake, really look at him,” I said, raising my voice a little, causing Anna to check that the door to Jack’s bedroom was properly shut. “He’s like a different person since he’s been here. Everything has improved. His appetite has got better, his speech is better. The doctor said both of those things can be a sign of tumor shrinkage. He’s...”