Charlotte met them by the dingy goods-entrance to a hospital Katie had never been to before. Norman carried her inside and laid her on a trolley, handing a wad of print-outs to a nurse who introduced herself as Wei. Norman wished her good luck and vanished into his van.

Katie clung to Charlotte’s hand. “God, I’m glad to see you,” she said, “everything’s going too fast for me.”
“Same here,” agreed her friend. “A week ago, I thought my dad was soft in the head. Sorry about the All Saints Road thing.”
“Yeah. That hurt. Just tell me I’ll live.”

Charlotte glanced at Wei, who said, “We’ll do the best we can. Mr DiMauro has done this before, but those things can get nasty. You might not be able to have children.”
Another hammerblow; she barely flinched. “Maybe that’s best: my parents aren’t even human. How’s that supposed to teach me how to… OW!” She grabbed at her abdomen. “I think this thing is waking up.”
Wei addressed Charlotte, “Your dad is in the waiting room. I’ll call you in two hours.”