‘He’ll be right as rain once I get him home,’ Yvonne said. Then, giving a surreptitious nod in the direction of the desk, she said, ‘Uh, oh . . . Matron’s just walked in, and she doesn’t look best pleased to see you.’

Frank glanced back over his shoulder and stood up when he saw a nurse striding toward them.

‘I’d best get going,’ he said, leaning down to kiss Yvonne’s paper-thin cheek. ‘I’ll try to come and see you again soon.’

‘I’ll probably be home in a few days, so there’s no need,’ Yvonne said. ‘But it was lovely of you to take time to see me today. And don’t forget to make up that plate for Don.’

‘I won’t,’ he promised. ‘Take care, love.’

The nurse had reached them by then, and she said, ‘You shouldn’t be in here. It’s an acute care unit, and visiting hours are strictly regulated.’

‘Sorry, but there was no one around to get permission from,’ Frank apologized as she ushered him toward the door.

‘We’re on skeleton staff because of the holidays,’ she replied curtly. ‘You should have waited.’

‘Sorry,’ he said again. Then, hesitating when they reached the door, he said, ‘Is Yvonne OK? Only she was saying some pretty weird stuff.’

‘Are you a relative?’

‘No, I’m her neighbour.’

‘Then I’m afraid I can’t discuss this with you.’

‘I know you can’t go into detail, but I’ve never seen her like this before,’ Frank persisted. ‘She’s usually as sharp as a tack, but she was talking about people from the past as if they’re still alive. She thinks my late wife is at home waiting for me, and she told me her husband visited her here last night, even though he’s been dead for years. And she said you took her baby off her last night because he wouldn’t stop crying. Do you think it might be related to the head injury?’

‘She’s being closely monitored,’ the nurse replied. ‘But it might help if one of her relatives came to see her, so maybe you could give them a nudge if you get the chance?’

‘I’ve never actually met her family,’ said Frank. ‘I didn’t even know she had a child, and I’ve known her for twenty-odd years.’

‘Well, I suppose that explains why she’s had no visitors since she was admitted,’ the nurse said.

It felt like an accusation, and Frank’s cheeks reddened as he said, ‘I’ve been meaning to come in for ages, but I’ve got a lot on, so I haven’t had the time.’

The look the nurse gave him told him that she’d heard a million such lame excuses from the friends and relatives of the close-to-death patients in her care, and he felt even more ashamed of himself.