As soon as he’s pulled the door behind him, I yank the needle out, which jabs me with a scudding pain like the time that idiot dentist scraped against a nerve. I press down on my arm to stop the bleeding. When I stand, the floor is moving. I take a step and it’s dizzying – kind of cool, being this off-balance, off-centre, and it reminds me of trying to walk after an hour of being tossed about in a wave-machine pool in Majorca. I get my clothes and bag out of the bedside locker (good of that coked woman to think to pick it up for me, and she didn’t touch any of the cash Sandra gave me). I go to the loo where I manage to dress myself in spite of feeling piss-drunk. I couldn’t do this in the public wards. Good man, Dad. I’m freezing in my mini and T-shirt, and a bit conspicuous it has to be said, so I put the hospital gown back on over them. Super surprised Luce didn’t bring me in PJs all covered in her kisses and her scent. I’d better get the hell out of here now before she comes barging back in, or that Maloney guy, or my specially appointed Mr Jello nurse.

I think I see Mother at the end of the corridor, a nurse beside her, arm around her, comforting her. ‘She’s a wicked creature all right, your daughter, you were unlucky there all right, make no mistake about it’.

As my eyes start to focus, I realise it’s not her at all, it’s a woman really crying. I walk by, nodding at the nurse who looks up absently and says, ‘Where are you off to?’

‘Just getting some air.’

‘That mightn’t be a good idea. Go back to your room and I’ll get someone to accompany you.’

I obey my orders, well, I pretend to anyway, as I’ve scoped out the other end of the corridor and it’s empty.

I go back to the room, close the door, wait for a beat of ten, stick my head out the door and leg it, in my bare feet, heels in hand. I get to a lift and my fairy godmother must be sprinkling me with extra sparkles today cos she provides an empty one where I pull off my gown, put on my wedges and present my legs in their best possible light. The security guy checks me out, his eyes bulbous, not doing his job. I walk nonchalantly to the gates and wait on a bus. Don’t fancy getting up close and cosy with a taxi driver right now.