‘I told you, I—’

A roar erupted, ripping through the silence of the ward.

Henry turned pale. ‘My God, what was that?’ he cried. But Dulcie was already through the kitchen door.

She reached Sam’s bedside, the two students at her heels.

‘No, I won’t. You can’t make me!’ He lay rigid in the bed, as if pinned down by invisible hands. He strained against them, the muscles and sinews in his neck, arms and shoulders taut with effort. ‘Christopher, run for your life!’ he roared. ‘Run, boy!’

‘Wake up, old man.’ Henry put out a hand to shake him.

‘No, don’t—’ Dulcie started to say, but she was too late. Sam’s eyes snapped open, and a split second later he had Henry round the throat. The student gasped and choked, toes scrabbling uselessly on the polished floor.

‘Let him go, you fool!’ James Dillon fought to prise apart Sam’s iron grip.

‘Sergeant Trevelyan? Sam?’ Dulcie cried out desperately.

The sound of her voice seemed to get through to him. Sam blinked, the life returning to his eyes. He looked at Henry, dangling like a puppet, and abruptly released his grasp. Henry collapsed, coughing and fighting for breath.

‘My God, man, you could have killed him!’ James turned to his friend. ‘Are you all right, Davies?’

‘I – I think so.’ Henry massaged his throat. Even in the dim light, Dulcie could make out the dark marks of Sam’s fingers on his skin. ‘Just a bit of a shock, that’s all.’

‘You shouldn’t have woken him,’ she said.

Sam said nothing. He stared down at his hands, lying on top of the bed cover.

‘She’s right,’ Henry said, in a croaking voice. ‘It was a damn fool thing to do, grabbing him like that.’ He turned to Sam. ‘How are you feeling, Sergeant?’

‘Better than you, I daresay,’ James spoke for him. He looked at Dulcie. ‘Shall I give him something to make him sleep?’

‘No.’ Sam’s voice was a low growl.

James ignored him, still looking at Dulcie. ‘Nurse?’

Dulcie glanced at Sam, then shook her head.

‘Are you quite sure?’ the student said. ‘I don’t like to think of you alone with him. What if he has another nightmare?’

‘I’ll manage,’ Dulcie said.

‘But all the same …’

‘You heard her.’

James shot Sam a look of dislike.

‘I’ll come back later,’ he said. ‘Just to make sure you’re all right.’

By the time the students left, Sam Trevelyan was already half asleep. Dulcie was about to go back to her desk but then she changed her mind and went to the kitchen. She made two cups of tea and brought them back to Sam’s bedside.

‘Here,’ she said, placing one on his bedside locker.

‘I’m asleep,’ he said.

‘You might have fooled Dillon and Davies, but you can’t fool me.’ Dulcie sat down in the chair beside his bed.

Sam opened one baleful eye. ‘You don’t have to watch over me,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to go berserk, whatever your friends think.’