‘I’ve spoken to Dr Bakshi,’ he says. ‘Of course, she was not happy to hear what happened, but she agrees with me that, in all probability, this was just another . . . blip. The panic is all part of the same PTSD, and if you continue to take your new medication, we should see some improvement reasonably fast.’ He glances down, scribbles a word or two. ‘Of course, we can’t allow any more time outside, for the time being at least.’ He smiles, trying to lighten things. ‘George tells me you were really fast . . .’

I smile back. I was. I am . . .

‘And for the next few days we will need to put you back on Within Eyesight Observations.’

WEO is fair enough and it’s what I was expecting. I mean, it’s a hospital . . . what else were they going to do? Make me wash my own pyjamas? Take away my Scrabble privileges?

‘Yeah, so about that,’ I say. ‘As far as which member of staff is keeping an eye on me all the time, is there any chance I can choose?’ Even as I’m asking, I’m trying to decide which of the nurses I trust the most. Or which one I distrust the least.

‘I’m afraid that’s not possible,’ Marcus says. ‘It wouldn’t even be possible under normal circumstances, and you already know that staffing is a major issue at the moment.’

‘So, when’s Malaika coming back?’ If Marcus had agreed, she would probably have been my first choice.

‘I don’t know,’ he says. ‘Unfortunately, she isn’t answering her phone at the moment.’

The tiniest of alarm bells rings at the back of my brain, but it’s drowned out by the clattering of a trolley outside as Marcus gets to his feet.

‘Remember what I said, Alice.’

I walk to the door, and for a few seconds before opening it I just stand there and do the deep-breathing thing. Because I have to and because this is the way it’s going to be from now on. I hate it because they’re my friends, but I’m scared to death about stepping outside and having to greet whichever member of the crazy gang I run into first.

‘You said a lot of things.’