‘Julian brought the car round and Kit carried you. I called the doctor on the way up the hill. He was here within five minutes.’

‘I don’t remember any of that,’ she whispered, feeling floored by the account of it.

‘He says you’ve got a bad concussion. He’ll be back in the morning.’

Morning? ‘What time is it now?’

‘Three. He told us to wake you every couple of hours.’

It was a lot to take in. She felt so groggy. Her eye wanted to close again. ‘What about Kit?’

‘He’s fine.’

‘They were all on him,’ she mumbled.

‘It broke up quickly once you went down,’ Matty replied. ‘It was horrific! What were you thinking flying into the middle of a punch-up like that?’

‘I didn’t think.’

‘And you call him kamikaze!’ Johnny shook his head despairingly again.

‘I’m sorry,’ she sighed, closing her eye.

‘She’s tired. Let her go back to sleep,’ Matty said more quietly.

Clover felt a hand on her arm. ‘We’ll come and wake you again at five.’

‘Please don’t,’ she mumbled. She was so tired. She just wanted to sleep and sleep and . . .

The thoughts drifted away, her body heavy, back into oblivion once more.

‘Follow my finger, please.’

She did her best, but it evidently wasn’t good enough. Didn’t he know she was exhausted? Newborn babies had just had a better night’s sleep than her, with Matty and Johnny splitting the burden of waking her in two-hour shifts.

‘Hmm,’ the doctor murmured, straightening up. ‘I’ll come back again this evening. She’s to stay in bed and rest. Keep a window open; her temperature is elevated, which is concerning. Was she doing any strenuous activity yesterday, before the accident?’

‘No. In fact, the opposite – she got really cold,’ Johnny said, stepping forward from where he’d been standing in the bathroom door. Matty and Ari were both standing by the bedroom door. ‘We were pretty stationary for most of the day and there was no heating. She thought she’d caught a chill.’ He glanced at Ari.

‘Hmm. Well, it’s something that urges caution,’ the doctor said, his English excellent but deeply accented. ‘Hypothermia is known to create problems in moderate to severe TBIs; it is less well documented on mild cases. If her condition deteriorates in any way, you must call me immediately.’

The doctor looked at Ari too, standing by the wall, as he said this. Ari nodded. His arms were folded over his chest, his hands gripping his upper arms. He had been grim-faced throughout her review.

Clover wasn’t quite sure why so many people needed to be present.

‘When can I get up again?’ she asked, surprised by how her voice sounded.

The doctor looked back at her sternly. ‘You’re not to get up without assistance. You’re still disorientated and likely to fall. All bathroom trips must be accompanied.’