‘I’ll talk to her,’ I say.

Before Kat can say anything, I head out of the door, looking up and down the corridor in search of Susan.

‘Rhys, wait.’ Kat chases after me. ‘I should probably…’ She tries to get in front of me, and in so doing, leads me in the right direction. ‘I just need to check with her,’ she says, hurrying backwards to try to intercept me. The end bed, on the ward we’ve come into, is surrounded by curtains.

Chapter Six

KAT

‘Everything okay, Kat?’ one of the bank nurses asks me, noticing Rhys surge forward towards Susan’s bay.

I’m out of control. I’m out of my depth. ‘Sure, yeah, fine, thanks.’

Rhys moves past me. ‘Susan?’

‘You have a visitor,’ I shout over him, trying to sound calm, whilst regaining control of the situation. ‘Of course, if you’re not up to it, I can always ask him to leave.’ I search Susan’s face for a response. A hint as to how his arrival makes her feel. Whilst there’s nothing obvious, there is a hint of something as her eyes widen on first sight of him.

‘Susan,’ he says again, his voice less in control this time. The steel he had as he left the family room has dissolved. He studies her face, then down her body to her leg and around the room. She doesn’t shift her gaze, which seems to compound his feeling of uncertainty. He smiles then throws a nervous wave. There’s another beat before he stuffs his hands in his pockets like a naughty schoolboy, and the change in his demeanour knocks me off balance. Though in theory this is a little unorthodox, my gut tells me to let it play out just a little.

‘It’s Rhys.’ Cough. ‘Rhys Woods…’ He looks to me, then back to Susan. ‘Of course, you know that already, don’t you. It’s not your memory that’s gone, is it? Ha! Or is it? Haha!’ Susan stares. ‘Um, sorry.’ He looks to me. ‘Sorry,’ he mouths.

The pained expression on his face, combined with the stumble over his words, gives rise to the feeling I made the wrong call here – until I turn and see Susan move her head along the pillow to better face him. There’s something in the look in her eyes; it’s a picture I’ve not seen before, a familiarity. They stare at one another and the intensity suffocates me, if not them.

Eventually, he breaks the silence. ‘This looks… bad?’ he says, pointing to her face, then plastered leg, before hiding his hands again.

‘Kat!’ A nurse shoves her head around the curtain, pulling on my arm. ‘Bed two’s had a fall, quick, help!’

‘What?’ I jerk to follow her, then realise I’m about to leave Rhys and Susan alone.

‘Kat!’ the nurse shouts.

‘Coming! Rhys, Susan, sorry.’ I hover half in, half out – torn. He looks at me, but Susan stares at Rhys. ‘Sorry,’ I repeat, against my better judgement. ‘I’ll be back in a minute!’