White Tiger

killed the demons for me.’
    Mr Chen glanced up at Leo.
    ‘House. Shape Shifter. Snake Mother,’ Leo said softly. ‘A Mother,’ Mr Chen said. ‘A challenge for you. Well done.’
    Leo hadn’t mentioned Wong. I didn’t mention him either.
    Mr Chen raised his good hand. Simone scrambled onto the bed and held it.
    ‘Careful,’ I said. ‘His foot is broken.’
    ‘I have stitches in here too,’ he said, pointing at his abdomen.
    Simone carefully eased down to lie on the bed with her head on the pillow next to his, and held his hand. ‘I’m glad you’re okay, Daddy.’ She touched his hair. ‘You need to wash your hair. There’s mud in it.’
    He smiled sadly. ‘I know. When I come home tomorrow.’
    He turned his head to see Leo. ‘Take her home. Guard her well. It’s finished. Major damage—not justto me—but the attack was fended off.’ He gestured with his head towards the police and lowered his voice. ‘What are we going to tell them?’
    ‘You were kidnapped,’ I said softly. ‘We paid the ransom. They gave you back. You fought them and they did this to you.’
    ‘Well done, Emma, that’s perfect,’ he whispered. He raised his voice loud enough for the police outside to hear. ‘I don’t remember anything. They must have broken in and knocked me out. I don’t even remember what they looked like.’
    Simone snuggled next to him. He stroked her hair with his good hand.
    The doctor came in. ‘The police want to talk to you, Mr Chen. Then your family should go home and let you rest.’
    ‘Can one of us stay with him?’ I said. The doctor nodded. We all shared a look.
    ‘You take Simone home,’ I said to Leo. ‘I’ll stay here and watch him.’
    ‘I wanna stay here with my daddy!’
    ‘Your daddy needs to sleep without any wriggling lumps jumping on him,’ I said. ‘Go and help Leo get the house ready for him to come home tomorrow. I’ll stay here and look after him.’
    ‘Go, Simone,’ Mr Chen breathed.
    ‘Okay, Daddy,’ Simone said. ‘We’ll make sure everything’s ready for you.’ She clambered off the bed and took Leo’s hand. ‘Daddy will be all right with Emma.’
    ‘I know, sweetheart,’ Leo said. He moved closer to me and spoke softly. ‘Call me if anything happens. But I don’t think anything will; it’s all finished.’
    I turned to see the police. ‘Let’s talk to them and get this over with.’
    Mr Chen tried to pull himself upright and failed, falling back onto his pillow.
    Leo grabbed the controls for the bed and raised Mr Chen’s head. I went to let the police in.
    ‘Don’t talk to them for too long,’ the doctor said. He clipped the chart to the end of the bed and went out.
    The police glared at us but had to accept our statements. They seemed accustomed to wealthy people fabricating stories for them. They made us promise to go back and tell them more if we remembered. They also made us promise to take Mr Chen to the police station as soon as he was well enough. They wanted to catch the perpetrators of this particularly brutal crime.
    The irony wasn’t lost on either me or Leo. The last thing these guys wanted to catch was a Mother.
    The dim hospital night-lights and the warm hum of the equipment lulled me and I dozed in a chair next to him, holding his hand.
    He snapped awake and cast around, waking me. He gripped my hand so tightly it was painful. ‘Simone!’
    ‘Simone’s safe,’ I said. ‘She’s at home with Leo.’
    His eyes were wide and unseeing. ‘Michelle?’
    My heart twisted. ‘No, John, it’s me. Emma.’
    He relaxed, his voice full of warm relief. ‘Emma.’
    ‘I’m here.’
    He shifted, trying to be more comfortable, and grimaced.
    ‘Are you in pain? Do you want me to call the doctor?’
    ‘No.’ His voice was very soft. ‘No more drugs. More drugs could push me over the edge. I don’t want to lose it.’
    I grasped his hand. ‘Hold on.’
    ‘I am. For Simone. And for you.’ He smiled up intomy eyes. ‘My Emma.’ He raised my hand to his face and kissed it. ‘Dear Emma.’ ‘I’m here, John.’
    He released my hand and pushed it away. ‘I can’t hold it. Don’t. Touch. Me.’
    ‘Why not? Why can’t I touch you?’
    ‘I will tell you when we’re home,’ he said, his voice thick with sleep. ‘I should have told you a long time ago. But I didn’t want to lose you. I will tell you. I should tell Emma, but I don’t want to lose her.’ His voice was very soft. ‘Dear Emma. Don’t leave