‘I had my hair done before I came here,’ I admit, ‘but thanks for noticing. Just a blow dry but it’s a pick-me-up I was in need of.’

He looks out the window and then across at me. Every day I see him stronger, every day I wonder why I never knew before the agony he was in, and every day it eats me up inside that a row with me over Tom put him in this position.

‘You just missed Mam,’ he tells me. ‘She’s exhausted, you know, Charlotte. She doesn’t have to keep coming here every day and neither do you. I’m a big boy, you know.’

I do know that, but I also know that no matter how many times Matthew tells us, we couldn’t go more than a day without calling here with him, so afraid are we of his mind slipping back into that dark place we’ve been willing him out of for so long.

‘I’ve a new consultant,’ he says, as if reading my mind. ‘Cool guy, I really like him. His name’s Jack and I’d a really great session with him yesterday evening just after you left. Probably the best chat I’ve had with anyone since this all happened.’

‘Oh,’ I say, sitting up straight on the armchair beside the bed that lies between us. Each of us cling so badly to any positive signs shown by Matthew so I can’t wait to hear more. ‘How often will you see him?’

Matthew twiddles with the sleeves of his hoodie in a way that reminds me of myself. We have so many similarities, and always have had. He’s the same colouring (despite sharing my love of experimenting with hair products), the same brown eyes and he is slight of frame like I am. In fact, we’re so similar that we fell in love with the same person at the same time … Even I could never have predicted that one.

‘He’ll be here any minute so you’ll get to meet him,’ he says to me. ‘And no, before you feel like you’ve to panic or worry, I don’t talk to him about anything that happened before or what led to this. We only discuss what’s going on now that I’ve been honest with everyone, most of all myself.’

I don’t know what to say. It’s the first time Matthew has even hinted at the history to his accident and it hits me like a punch in the stomach. But I don’t have to say anything, thank goodness, as a swift knock on the door marks the doctor’s entrance.

‘Good evening, Matthew!’ says a cheery voice and I turn my head to see Dr Jack Malone, the new consultant, the ‘cool guy’ he was just referring to.