It was strange – sitting here, watching him sleeping. It was almost intimate in a way she’d never really imagined it could be. Of course, she’d sat in chairs like this often with Rachel. There had been many times when her sister had been so emptied out by her treatment that she slipped off and away from her for hours on end and Liv would just sit there, waiting for her to come back to her, somehow always believing that she’d never completely leave her in spite of what the doctors were intent on telling them.

It felt like that now. As if she was waiting for someone who meant far more to her than a stranger she’d hardly met. She wasn’t sure how long she was sitting there when Estelle tapped her shoulder. They walked outside for a moment. Their shoes pinched the floor with loud rubbery squeaks in spite of their attempt to be as silent as they could. This ward was filled with too many signs telling them to be quiet and reminding them only one visitor was allowed to each patient.

‘They’re coming back,’ Estelle said when they were standing in the hallway. ‘His parents; they’ve booked a flight out of Miami. It’s a bit of a nightmare as you can imagine, what with Christmas and everything. And to make things even more complicated, they’re out in the middle of the ocean at the moment, but they dock in Miami tomorrow morning and then they’ll fly back immediately.’

‘Well, that’s good news,’ Liv said, feeling an unexpected rush of relief almost overwhelming her. Weirdly, it was that same feeling she got when she returned to Ballycove; she felt it now, as if she was nearing home after a very long time away. Home. God, she hadn’t even called her parents to wish them a happy Christmas yet. She’d do it as soon as she got down to the ground floor. ‘Are you really sure there’s nothing I can do?’ she said, gathering up their discarded cups to dispose of on her way.

‘No. I think I’ll hang about here for a while longer and maybe later I’ll go home and clean myself up a bit,’ Estelle said. ‘Thanks, you know, for the coffee and everything…’

‘Oh, don’t mention it. Really.’ She looked at the girl again, so young, so fragile. ‘Look, I’m working again tonight,’ Liv said, having just offered to pick up another shift before she left A&E – well, in for a penny, in for a pound. It seemed she couldn’t just walk away now; although she knew the department would survive without her, something was pulling her back. ‘I’ll come in a little earlier and sit with him if you’re not here, if you’d like…’