The Last Days of Us
Page 25
‘Thanks, Dad,’ Harry said, his teeth crunching into the bread.
JP made two mugs of coffee and handed one to me.
‘Thanks,’ I said, taking it from him. I felt his hand rest on my shoulder as he leant forward and kissed my cheek before sitting back down at the table again.
I clasped the mug between my hands and looked out through the patio doors at the frost-tipped grass. February frosts still arrived, but there was a glorious china-blue sky above and a hint that spring was on its way. It had been a long winter.
An email pinged on my phone. When I saw it was from a journalist I had been trying to set up a meeting with, I held my breath. I could have punched the air when I read that she wished to set up an interview with me for the following week. My charity work in the Robyn McIntyre Foundation was keeping me busy these days. JP and I had set up the charity using the funds raised from his JustGiving page and it had given me a focus in the dark days after Robyn’s death. Our primary aim was to use Robyn’s story to create awareness of this cruel illness, as well as highlighting just how underfunded research into DIPG was. I wanted the whole world to know about this horrible disease. We were lobbying the government and pharmaceutical companies to increase their budgets for DIPG research. It wouldn’t bring Robyn back, but I was proud that my girl had left behind a legacy and I hoped that, in time, if a cure could be found, Robyn’s death wouldn’t be in vain and other families would be spared our pain.
‘Remember that journalist that I was telling you about?’ I told JP excitedly. ‘Well, she just emailed to say she wants to meet me next week!’
‘That’s fantastic, I know how much you wanted to get a meeting with her.’ JP smiled at me. ‘Well done, you.’ He reached out for my hand across the table and gave it a squeeze.
JP never went back to the flat after Robyn died. Instead, he had stayed in the house with Harry and I, and the three of us had helped piece one another back together again. We had been through hell and back together, but our foundations were stronger now than ever before and we were slowly rebuilding our marriage.
‘It’s a nice day out there, how about we go for a cycle around the castle today?’ JP suggested, looking at me.
‘Can we get hot chocolate afterwards?’ Harry asked through a mouthful of toast.
‘Good idea,’ I said, bringing my mug towards my lips.
‘But we have to be home in time for my football match,’ Harry warned.
‘Absolutely,’ JP agreed. ‘The captain can’t be late.’
JP and I exchanged a smile. Harry had recently been made captain of his football team and he was taking his duties very seriously.
Beyond the glass, I noticed a robin fly down and perch on the windowsill. The bird fluttered up into the air again, proudly showing off its russet-coloured breast. Its wings moved in a whir before it settled back down onto the ledge again. There was an urgency to its movements, as if wanting to catch my attention. Through the glass, its dark, clever-eyed gaze met mine and I smiled at my darling girl. She was always with us.
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading The Last Days of Us. I hope that Sarah, JP, Harry and Robyn’s story touched you. DIPG is a devastating illness usually affecting children between four and eleven years of age. Every year approximately 100–300 children in the United States and a similar number in Europe will receive this crushing diagnosis. In writing The Last Days of Us I have tried to portray this cruel disease as accurately as possible, and I hope you will forgive any errors that may be contained within. I should also mention that the US clinic referred to in the story is entirely fictional. I dearly hope that we will finally see a breakthrough in the fight against DIPG soon.
If you wish to learn more about DIPG or donate towards research, you can find out more on:
www.dipg.ie
www.abbiesarmy.co.uk
www.dipg.org
Acknowledgments
To Catherine Cho and Hayley Steed from the Madeleine Milburn Agency, thank you both for guiding me through the extraordinary year that was 2020, while we bounced from lockdown to lockdown and all the uncertainties that it threw up. Thank you for keeping me calm and for your belief in this book and in me.
To my brilliant editor Caroline Ridding and all at Boldwood, what a joy it has been to join the Boldwood team. Thank you for your faith in this book. I knew as soon as we Zoomed that day I had found the best editor and home for my book. Your energy and enthusiasm are a breath of fresh air and I am really excited for what is to come. Also to Jade Craddock for her insightful and thorough copy-edit and to Ross Dickinson for his excellent proofread.
Thank you to my family, both Finnertys and Van Lonkhuyzens; Mam and Dad, Mary and Neil and my siblings Niall, Tom and Dee for all their love and support. Niall and Nita, having you all move back to Ireland has been one of the best things to happen in 2020.
To all my dear friends too, for always cheering me on. I hate mentioning names in case I forget somebody, but you know who you are. I’m so lucky to have friends like you.
A special mention has to go to my super-talented friend and fellow author Janelle Harris, who has listened to me going on about this story for far longer than she should have had to. I cannot thank you enough for all your help and encouraging words and I’m so glad to have somebody who ‘gets’ this writing life.
A big thanks also to my friend Katie O’Connor for taking the time out of her very hectic life to share her legal knowledge with me. It is much appreciated and any errors within are wholly my own.
To all the booksellers, bloggers and libraries for their support. To the readers who contact me with lovely messages and kind words. You’ll never know how much those messages mean. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t thank my lucky stars for the privilege of being able to do this; of all the books you could choose, thank you for picking up my book.
To my husband Simon, Lila, Tom, Bea and Charlie. There is no one else I’d rather be locked down with. You are the best support crew. I love you all beyond words.
Lastly, to all the robins who showed up when I was writing this book and told me I was on the right path.
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About the Author
Caroline Finnerty is an Irish author of heart-wrenching family dramas and has published four novels and compiled a non-fiction charity anthology. She has been shortlisted for several short-story awards and lives in County Kildare with her husband and four young children.
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Visit Caroline’s Website: www.carolinefinnerty.ie
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First published in Great Britain in 2021 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Caroline Finnerty, 2021
Cover Design by Head Design
Cover photography: Shutterstock
The moral right of Caroline Finnerty to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-80162-527-2
Large Print ISBN 978-1-80162-523-4
Hardback ISBN 978-1-80162-522-7
Ebook ISBN 978-1-80162-520-3
Kindle ISBN 978-1-80162-521-0
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-80162-528-9
MP3 CD ISBN 978-1-80162-525-8
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-80162-519-7
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