Hoping to get out soon, miss you, c u later. (Double heart emoji, pink, swish)

Return message about how cold it had turned and a freezing-blue face with ice hanging out of his mouth. And then a clapping hands. She’d hit a wrong key.

… I’ll leave in some food, tell Alex to be careful on the roads, it’s to freeze later. Xz

Thanks. X

‘Michal and Molly up a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g,’ Jane sang.

‘Shush now, good woman, and lift your leg now …’ said Margaret Rose.

‘FIRST COMES MARRIAGE AND THEN BABY IN A CARRIAGE.’ Jane pointed at Shane’s empty bed. ‘I saw them, you see, all curled up together like two little field mice. Field rats. Field rats.’

First do no harm.

Claire hit Hegs’s buzzer.

Molly ran onto the Ward, stirring a drink for Jane which splashed over the rim and down onto the tiles.

‘Now, now, what’s wrong, hun?’ She smiled at Margaret Rose. ‘Thank you, darl, I’ll take her from here. Drink a little now, that’s it, and open …’

‘I don’t want it … I don’t like it, you’re trying to poison me,’ Jane said to Molly. ‘I don’t want it and I won’t take it and you cannot make me. I’m not drinking it, I won’t and you can’t make me, you haven’t even told me how Tom is, and my dog, you see, do you know I have a bit of a burger for my dog, you’d better not have taken it.’

‘Hey,’ Alex said, returning with the bag, steaming saag and coriander.

‘You’ll have ta lie still, hun, come on Jane, now, now,’ Molly said.

‘I know you, oh, now, I know you …’ Jane said. ‘I most certainly do, from somewhere, don’t I, my dear?’ she asked. She pulled open Molly’s lips and shoved her thin small index finger in, then pulled out her tongue. Molly turned her head downwards, her hands too occupied to defend herself.

‘You really have the most beautiful teeth, has anyone ever told you that? You are, in actual fact …’ Jane announced, ‘beautiful,’ and with a loud cackle she banged her foot on the steel side grille of the bed. ‘A little pretty mouse curled up with your Polish man.’

Molly turned and placed the drink on Jane’s nightstand, then ever so gently, began trying to fix the covers around her, but it was no use, Jane was up again.

‘Caw,’ Jane screamed. ‘I do know you, ah, I know you now, caw, ca-caw.’ Jane began pulling clothing from herself, and stepping out of the navy top. She was entirely naked as she waltzed over towards the empty bed and began pirouetting. ‘Full up of ghosts there, full of dead ghosts and I don’t like you, not one bit,’ she said to Molly. ‘I know what you’ve done. See, I have you now, oh, you silly girl. Not a place to be up to your business.’

‘Jane, come back to bed, g’lady, you’d be more comfortable if ya just …’ She took Jane gently by the arm. ‘We need to git you dressed now, girl. Have you knickers under here?’