‘Haven’t you both got somewhere else to be?’ I felt completely exposed, and not only because I was in one of those ridiculous hospital gowns where your arse sticks out. Surely Jamie hadn’t seen my arse? In two weeks he’d seen me assaulted, be legless drunk, spew my guts up, and now here he was seeing me recover from concussion and spewing my guts up again.

At that moment, Caitlin walked into the room dragging her suitcase behind her. The concern on her face was obvious. She held my hand. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘I’m all right, I think, it just really hurts.’

Caitlin held me and I let myself fall into her. I didn’t want to cry but I couldn’t stop it. And the more that I cried the more it hurt my head, and the more that the crying hurt my head, the more I cried.

‘It’s okay, Pheebs,’ Caitlin said. Although I could hardly open my eyes, I could tell that she was crying too.

Jamie’s mum touched my hand and said, ‘We’ll leave you to it.’

And then Jamie gave me the gentlest of hugs and I said, ‘Thanks,’ grateful that he and his mum had been there to help me again.

After they left, I laid back and Caitlin stroked my head. It felt nice, like I was a baby again, and I fell deeply into sleep.

When I slowly woke, I saw Caitlin and Mum standing in the hallway outside my room. I couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying although it was obvious Caitlin was trying to keep her cool. Like me, she was probably way pissed off, and Mum was no doubt trying to spin Caitlin some bullshit yarn about why she hadn’t made it to the game, about why she hadn’t been there with me, about why she was only now coming to see me at the hospital.

I wondered what she was going to tell me. I was looking forward to this one – not! Caitlin let Mum pass her and then stood at the doorway as Mum approached me. She looked haggard in a sloppy black jumper and leggings. She started to cry as she got close to my bed.

‘I’m so sorry, baby,’ she said, tears streaming down her face, mascara running everywhere.

‘It’s not all about you, Bronwyn,’ Caitlin said before leaving the room.

Mum hugged me as she dried her tears. ‘How are you, sweetie?’

‘My head hurt so bad, but it’s already starting to feel better,’ I told her as she brushed my hair back.

‘I am so sorry, Phoebe,’ she said. I looked away from her, out into the light in the hallway, which was a foolish thing to do, because even the smallest slither of light hurt my eyes.

‘What happened?’ I asked.