TOYL

London’s tackiest nightclubs, dancing to Kylie,’ Lizzy said. ‘I had it all planned.’
    ‘Funny how things don’t turn out how you expected,’ Will noted. ‘Who would have thought we’d be sitting in a hospital tonight?’
    ‘Where’s Richard?’ asked Emma.
    ‘A nurse just came by,’ Lizzy replied. ‘She said we can go in and see him. They’ve put him into the private room over there.’ She pointed to the room in the corner.
    ‘Did they say how he is?’ Emma stood up and tried to look through the windows that wrapped around the room.
    Lizzy shook her head. ‘She didn’t say anything.’
    But the nurse didn’t have to say anything - just one look at Richard lying in the bed, hooked up to a ventilator that controlled his breathing, told its own story.
    In many ways he looked more ill now than he had done back at the apartment. His head was bandaged, hiding the injury, and his face was ashen.
    ‘Can he hear things?’ Emma asked the nurse, keeping her eyes trained on Richard. As she approached the bed she half expected his closed eyes to snap open like in a horror movie.
    But of course they didn’t.
    ‘We don’t know really,’ the nurse admitted. ‘But people who have come out of coma do say that they remember things from when they were unconscious, so it’s always better to assume that they can hear everything you say. We also recommend that you try not to talk about the person indirectly whilst you’re in the same room as them.’
    ‘Sorry,’ Emma said. ‘I didn’t realise.’
    ‘It’s okay,’ the nurse said. ‘You’ll find it strange at first, but you’ll get used to it.’
    ‘How long have we got with him?’
    ‘You can have a few minutes, but then I’m afraid the doctor will need to come back in. Sorry.’
    ‘That’s okay.’ Emma stepped close to the bed and grasped the handrail. Lizzy paused just behind her, while Will stood at the head of the bed, his face solemn. ‘It’s just good to see him.’
    ‘I’ll leave you to it,’ replied the nurse, leaving the room.
    ‘Thanks,’ Emma said, not looking back at the nurse and keeping her gaze on Richard. ‘Hi, Richard,’ she said. Despite talking to someone who was unconscious, she didn’t feel at all self-conscious. It was as if Richard was awake and alert, listening to every word, making eye contact. ‘It’s good to see you. We thought you might be…’
    Suddenly, unexpectedly, she broke down.
    ‘It’s okay, Emma,’ Lizzy said from behind, but her voice was also cracking with emotion and she had tears in her eyes.
    ‘Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,’ Will said, still keeping his distance at the base of the bed, as if Richard was infectious. ‘Maybe we should come back tomorrow. It’s been a tough day for all of us.’
    Emma turned to look at Will and held his gaze. He was right. There was too much going on in her head, too many thoughts swimming around up there.
    What happened to Richard?
    Where is Dan?
    Did Dan…
    ‘You’re right,’ she agreed, ‘we’ll go.’ She turned back to Richard. ‘We’ll see you first thing tomorrow,’ she promised. She placed a hand on his cheek and held it there for a few seconds. His skin was worryingly cold.
    Richard was going to be Dan’s best man.
    What the hell had gone so wrong?
    ‘Thanks for letting us see him,’ Emma said, as they walked past the nursing station.
    ‘That’s okay,’ the nurse said, looking up from the desk. ‘It was the least you deserved after waiting there for so long. Let’s just hope that Richard shows some battling spirit and pulls through this.’
    ‘I hope so,’ Emma said.
    The nurse smiled kindly. ‘It’s not as bad as you think. I’ve been working here for nearly twenty years and I’ve lost count of the number of people who weren’t really given a chance, but then recovered against all the odds. I always used to wonder why people who had the worst injuries recover, while some who don’t seem as badly hurt don’t make it. And do you know what I realised?’
    ‘What?’
    ‘That love can make the difference between life and death. I know it sounds sentimental, but I know. I’ve seen how powerful love can be. And that’s why having you there is so important for Richard. It’s just a shame that his brother couldn’t be here too.’
    Emma kept quiet, wondering whether the police had told the nursing staff about the circumstances surrounding Richard’s condition, and Dan’s possible role in it.
    ‘He called