Jackie had finally stopped shaking. The sickness was still plaguing her, but her mind was now more her own. She stepped out of her soaking wet clothes and crawled under the covers. The feeling of ants inside her had gradually receded and was now nothing but a niggly annoyance. As she pulled the soft duvet over her sore body and lay the uncut side of her face onto the pillow, she sighed with relief. Closing her eyes was heavenly as the nightmare visions were now gone. Sleep was calling; at last, she could rest.

***

Mike lay on the couch, unburdening his tired limbs; however, no sooner had he drifted off than the phone startled him. This time it was a withheld number. ‘Hello!’ He knew he sounded only half-awake.

‘Mr Regan, could you come up to the hospital? Ricky is coming round. We didn’t top up the medication, but he seems to be making headway.’

‘Yes, of course,’ he replied, hearing the positive tone in the doctor’s voice. ‘I’m on my way . . . Is he . . .?’

‘We don’t know just yet, but I think that when he sees you, it will make him less anxious and this, as you know, is a critical time for him. We don’t want anything to happen that might cause him to fall back into a coma. I’m sure your presence will help him immensely.’

‘I’ll see you soon.’

With scarcely concealed excitement, Mike reached the hospital, now in an upbeat mood. So many negative vibes had been running through him recently, but the doctor’s phone call had lifted his spirits.

But his improved frame of mind didn’t last. The car park was full, so he parked in the side street for permit holders only. As he stepped out of his Porsche Cayenne, a traffic warden was onto him like a rash.

‘You can’t park there. You haven’t got a permit.’

Mike looked the scrawny, prune-faced warden up and down. ‘My son’s in the hospital. I ain’t got time to scour the streets, and the car park’s full.’

The warden looked at his notebook, shaking his head. ‘Not my problem, sir. You can’t park there.’

‘Didn’t you just hear me, mate? There’s nowhere else to park, and the doctors want me there, like fucking now!’

His sudden loud and aggressive tone made the warden look up with grave concern. ‘I’ll call the police, if necessary!’

‘Oh, yeah, you little jumped-up prick? And you’ll need a fucking ambulance an’ all, if ya do. Best ya shut ya fucking cakehole and get out of my way. And if you so much as touch my motor, I’ll come back and find you and stick that pen of yours right through your eyeball!’

The warden shrank into his oversized uniform and stepped aside.