"Evelyn, Mary, I'm so glad you're here. Let me tell you how terrible he's being!" Vivian pulled both women down onto the edge of her bed.
Seeing the three women settling in for a long chat, her husband stepped out of the ward, intending to step outside for a quick smoke break.
"Brother," Evelyn called out through the half-open door, "Vivian is giving birth soon, haven't you quit smoking yet?"
He nodded faintly. "I'm trying my best." His smoking had already reduced significantly compared to before.
Watching her brother's figure head down the corridor, Evelyn's mind briefly drifted to another man: Michael Thorn smoked far more heavily than her brother ever did. Alexander Rois, by contrast, rarely touched cigarettes at all.
Outside the door, her older brother bumped straight into George, who had just walked up. "Come on," he said to George, "let the three of them chat in peace inside."
