She points to a high-backed wooden chair that is wedged in front of her desk. As I sit down I look around. The room is sparse and white and there are what look like medical diagrams running the length of each wall like the stations of the cross.

‘So how are you feeling this morning?’ she asks brightly as she sits down at the desk.

‘Okay,’ I say. ‘I’ve just taken my morning dose of codeine so the muscle pains have subsided … for now. And I had to stop a few times on the walk here to take my inhaler.’

She nods then types something into her computer.

‘How about emotionally,’ she says, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands together. ‘When we spoke yesterday you seemed rather low.’

‘I feel confused,’ I say. ‘My emotions go up and down throughout the day.’

‘Okay,’ says Julia gently. ‘Well, that’s normal.’

‘Is it?’ I say. ‘Because, believe me, nothing about my state of mind feels normal. You know, when you left the B & B I went back into the room feeling determined to get strong, to find Sean, but this morning … it’s just so hard.’

I start to cry then. Great big wet tears. Julia passes me a box of tissues and I pull out a big clump of them.

‘Thank you,’ I say in between sobs.

‘That’s okay,’ she says. ‘Take your time.’

I wipe my eyes and try to compose myself.

‘Are you all right to continue?’ says Julia.

I nod my head.

‘Right,’ she says. ‘Well, your notes were sent over to me first thing this morning and I’ve just about managed to read them. You’ve got your first out-patient appointment at the hospital in two weeks, is that right?’

I nod my head.

‘That’s good,’ she says. ‘Though looking at the results of your recent CT scan, the recovery process is coming along extremely well. Your brain function was normal, though they did detect slight frontal-lobe bruising which will explain the short-term memory loss. Your last X-ray, taken before you were discharged, shows slight scarring on the lungs, though that is more likely to have been caused by the breathing tube. The scarring should heal within a couple of months.’

I instinctively put my hand to my chest.

‘Are you in pain at the moment?’ asks Julia, looking up from her computer screen.

‘No more than usual,’ I reply. ‘Like I said, my lungs feel sore if I walk long distances or if I get agitated but the inhalers are helping. The muscle pain eases within about ten minutes of taking the codeine.’