‘Not so bad, actually.’ I lifted it and stared.

Lorcan gently wrapped one large hand around my ankle and lowered it. ‘That’s good but probably best not to be flinging it around just yet.’ He sat on the end of the bed, his hand resting on my feet. ‘Pills are doing their job, then. That’s good.’

‘I guess. Or maybe the pain’s just going off?’

He straightened a bed sock that was creeping off my foot, the toe hanging over the end. ‘Maybe, but I’m putting my money on the pills for the moment.’

‘Do you think?’

‘Pretty sure.’

‘Are you going now?’ I looked at his empty plates, and then down at Bod, who had made himself a little nest in the duvet in the vicinity of my lap.

‘Do you want me to?’

‘Not really.’

‘Then I’ll stay. What would you like to do?’

‘Well, apparently I’m not allowed to drive heavy machinery so I guess that’s out.’

His laugh was rich and deep and wrapped itself around me, warming me from inside. But maybe that was the pills too.

‘I guess we’ll have to think of something else, then,’ he said, giving me a wink.

16

‘You are such a cheat!’

‘I am not. You’re just a sore loser.’

‘You said he didn’t have glasses.’

‘No. I said he did have glasses.’

‘If you’d said that, why did I flip over all the faces that don’t have glasses?’

‘What goes on in that brain of yours is for better men than me to explain. But the end result is that you lose. Again.’

‘Only because you cheated.’

‘Hand it over.’

‘No.’

‘Don’t make me come and get it.’

‘You wouldn’t dare.’

He gave me a look that, even in my groggy state, told me he’d do exactly that, so I reached over and gave him the last square of chocolate. He took it, popped it in his mouth and began making noises of enjoyment. ‘Mmm, so good.’

‘Oh, shut up,’ I said, swiping at him with a cushion and by pure luck scoring a direct hit.

‘Hey, it’s not my fault you’re terrible at Guess Who?.’

‘You’re clearly a ringer. And a cheat. A ringing cheat.’

He tipped the game boards so all the little faces were down and put them back in the box. ‘You need to get some rest.’

‘I’m not tired.’

‘Tell that to your eyes. They can hardly stay open. And the next set of pills will be kicking in soon. That will help. How’s the leg?’

I gave a shrug. ‘Hurts a bit.’

‘By a bit, do you mean a lot?’

‘That too.’

‘Thought so. Come on, scoot down.’

‘I need to clean my teeth.’

‘God won’t mind one night.’

‘God won’t wake up with fish breath. I will.’