Lindsay got to her feet and followed the nurse past the reception desk and into a curtained cubicle. “Up we get,” the nurse said, helping her on to an examination table and gently removing hand and handkerchief pad from Lindsay’s now throbbing jaw. “My, we have been in the wars, haven’t we? That’s some mess you’ve got yourself into there. Never mind, we’ll soon have you cleaned up and good as new.” Lindsay could see why the woman had become a nurse; with that degree of insensitive exuberance, she wouldn’t dare work with the able-bodied and expect to live.

The next hour was a blur. No, she hadn’t lost consciousness. No, her shoulder and knee didn’t hurt any more than she’d expect from grazed skin. Yes, she could see how many fingers the doctor was holding up. No, she wasn’t allergic to penicillin. Eventually, a softvoiced Asian man with cool, gentle hands cleaned up her face, stitched the long cut that sliced up the line of her jaw, reassured her that the scar would be virtually invisible and fetched her a cup of tea. As she struggled to swallow it without losing half out of the side of her mouth that felt numb, Lindsay heard a familiar voice.

“I told you, soft lad, we’re the nearest she’s got to family, that’s why she phoned us to come and get her. How else do you think we knew to come here?” Helen announced. A man’s voice mumbled something in response. “Cubicle three? Right, come on, girls.”

“Girls?” thought Lindsay, vaguely wondering who else Helen had in tow. She didn’t have to wonder for long. The curtain parted and Lindsay had her second shock in the space of a couple of hours. “Sophie?” she said, not entirely certain whether she was hallucinating. “Is it really you?”

Sophie crossed the cubicle in two strides and gripped Lindsay’s shoulders, her expression a mixture of relief and affectionate exasperation. “What am I going to do with you? I turn my back for five minutes, and look at you!”

Lindsay felt her eyes film over with tears. “This is a nice surprise,” she said, her voice shaky. “You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t kiss you just yet.”

Sophie crouched down and stared intently at her lover’s battered face. “Whoever stitched you did a good job. You’ll not have much of a scar.”

Lindsay dropped her head so it rested on Sophie’s shoulder. “I’m so pleased to see you,” she said. “How come you’re here?”