And then, that familiar ping back from Pete: instructing her how to treat any and all misgivings she might have. Liv smiled because, suddenly, the hospital didn’t seem to be quite so depressing all around her. She raced up the three flights to ICU. It was eerily quiet up here. There was no tinny sound of piped-in Christmas music on repeat; everything here was hushed. It almost felt as if she’d stepped into a parallel universe, empty of another living soul beyond herself and her squeaking footsteps along the disinfected corridors.

She pushed through the double doors into the waiting area near the ward and looked in through the glass rectangles. Directly across, she could see Finn. He was still unconscious. Beside his bed, Estelle sat watching him.

Liv managed to catch the eye of one of the nurses making her way back to the nursing station in the centre of the ward. She knew the woman by sight, had seen her often in the canteen on her break.

‘Hi,’ she whispered when the nurse opened the door a chink. What was it with ICU? She always found herself whispering here, as if to respect that sacred space people were being suspended in: somewhere between fully alive and lingering on the brink of some vast footstep that would take them away forever. ‘I’m just checking up on Finn O’Connell – I’m from A&E.’ She watched as the nurse curled her mouth slightly. Accident and Emergency were very much considered the poor, uncouth relations when it came to a choice between there and ICU. ‘I brought him in last night; I was there when he had his accident.’

‘I see,’ the nurse said looking back at him. ‘Well, he’s remained stable. We’re still waiting for the consultant to do his rounds this morning. His vitals are good and there’s been no signs of any internal damage so far, but he’s still in a coma, I’m afraid,’ she said gently, as if breaking news to a relative rather than a colleague.

‘Well, that’s good so, I suppose,’ Liv said, trying hard to get another glimpse of him over the nurse’s shoulder. ‘Has Estelle been here all night?’ she asked.

‘She hasn’t left his side, just sitting there. I don’t think she closed her eyes once.’ The nurse’s tone had softened.

‘And she’s…’

‘His wife.’ The other woman gave her a hard stare now. ‘You know that only next of kin are allowed to visit ICU,’ she said sharply.