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'It's my fault,' Clare whispered 'All these years, my fault…'
'No,' Marie urged, stroking her hair She hesitated, biting her lip, then said recklessly, 'Dad loves you, he loves you!'
Clare lifted her head then, her blue eyes wild 'Do you think I don't know that?' Her voice held an agony of pain and self-reproach
Marie was silenced The lift purred to a halt, Stonor moved over to his sleek silver-blue limousine, unlocked it, turned and helped Clare into the back Marie slid in beside her Stonor got into the driving seat and started the engine
They sat in the white-tiled corridor staring at a green baize-covered swing door which constantly admitted and expelled a nue white-faced clock registered the e black hand moved on They had been there for two hours No news had come out Ja door, fighting for his life
Stonor came back for the second time with coffee in plastic cups Clare accepted hers without comment, her face frozen Marie looked up as she took a cup from hiive her for what she had said to him when her father collapsed, but at thishe stood for: Unex, the ih finance, the spiritual desert of business where , where accountants were ht of the empty open spaces of the desert, the ht beside the campfire she had seen in it a terrible beauty Now she saw only the bleached bones of its victims, the death and horror of its sterility
Stonorthe plastic, crumpled up the cup and threw it into a waste bin The slap of feet along the corridor made thelanced at the door The black hand moved on once more with a sharp c
lick
A tired doctor in a cru from one pocket, came out of the door, paused and stared at them
Stonor rose andin a low voice Clare rose, her eyes stretched in agony
The doctor glanced at her, s at the er No one can see hiht'
'He's still…' Clare's voice broke off helplessly, her hands esture of appeal
'He's holding his own,' the doctor said firmly 'That's all I can say at the er, I assure you I want you to go home now and sleep Then you can come back here tomorrow and perhaps by then you may be able to see hi to help her sleep'
Clare gestured again, irritably 'I have sleeping pills, thank you Never ht?'
He sravely at her 'Mrs Brinton, he has had a serious heart attack You e for yourself what thaton… if the will to live is there, he h It all depends on him now'