‘What?’
She seemed unsure what to say. ‘Kal has not – made the same progress as you.’
‘Well, she was more seriously injured than me.’
‘On the face of it, yes. I’m not saying her injuries were superficial – they certainly weren’t, but her clothing and that corset did give her a certain amount of protection.’
I felt a sudden chill of unease. I looked around – for what, I’m not sure. She put her hand on my shoulder. ‘It’s all right, everything’s fine. She’s just not making her usual sparkling recovery. She’ll probably be fine once she’s seen you. She’s been asking all day. The Chief dropped your bag off here. Let’s go.’
It was a shock. I was glad she had warned me. Kal hunched against her pillows, grey-faced and heavy-eyed. Her fingers worked constantly at the covers and her eyes were never still.
‘Hey, buggerlugs,’ I said, sensitively. ‘You look like shit.’
She made a huge effort. ‘Well, shit is better than stupid. Why are you wearing a red snake?’
‘Why, what colour should it be?’
She made no reply.
I tried again. ‘You’re in my bed. I always have the one by the door.’
‘Well, I’ve got it now. You’ll just have to slum it in the corner. Just keep the noise down and let me sleep.’
Helen interrupted. ‘Max, stop annoying everyone and get into bed. Lunch will be along in a minute.’
‘I’m starving.’ I laid Pythagoras carefully across the window seat and said to Kal, ‘If you’re not hungry, can I have yours?’
‘No. What’s in the bag?’
‘Brownies from Mrs Mack. For me.’
‘Why you? What about me?’
‘I’m recuperating. You’re just lying around.’
I chucked the bag over and she took one. Helen watched her without seeming to. Kal looked at it, and then put it aside, untouched.
I climbed into bed just as lunch arrived. ‘I see the service is improving. After all these years, Helen, you finally seem to be getting the hang of patient care. I’m so proud.’
‘Eat, then sleep, or terrible things will happen to you.’ She left.
I wasn’t as hungry as I had thought and Kal ate virtually nothing. Farrell, Peterson, and Dieter turned up, but Kal’s listlessness and depression was infectious and I wasn’t good company either. I put it down to the long drive. They didn’t stay long. We watched a little television. Neither of us ate our suppers. By mutual consent, we turned out the lights and tried to sleep.
I didn’t think I would sleep, but I must have, because I dreamed. I dreamed I was wandering around St Mary’s. I was in the long corridor leading to Hawking Hanger, which, in the way of dreams, seemed far longer than it actually was. I floated like a ghost. Walls were insubstantial and I could see people going about their normal business. No one saw me. No one ever saw me.
I drifted silently up the stairs, head turning, sniffing her out, and always looking. Across the hall at the top. All these doors. She was here.
I chose the first door on the left, opposite the nurse’s station. The nurse didn’t look up. They never did. I passed silently through the door. Now both beds were occupied. One was an old friend. I would see her later. The other – had come back. As I knew she would. I stood at the bottom of her bed.
See me …
She opened her eyes and saw me. And screamed …
… I screamed. Bloody hell, how I screamed. I wasn’t alone. Kal screamed too. They must have heard us down in Hawking.
The door flew open and Hunter slapped the light switch. ‘What’s happening? What’s going on?’
The room was empty. I mean, there were just the three of us. No one stood at the foot of my bed. I fell back on the pillows, panting in fright. With trembling hands, I reached for a glass of water. Bloody hell, that was a bad one. I looked over to Kal. ‘Sorry I woke you. Bad dream.’
She said carefully, ‘Me too,’ and I remembered the simultaneous screaming.
Hunter said, ‘You both had bad dreams and woke each other up. You scared the shit out of me. I’ll go and make some tea.’
After she’d gone, I said to Kal, ‘A long corridor. Looking for something. Invisible. Soundless. Standing, watching me sleep.’
‘Yes! Thank God. Oh, thank God.’ She lay back on her pillows. ‘I thought I was going mad. Every day it gets worse. It’s getting stronger and it’s looking for me. It will find me and I’m helpless. And now you, too?’
‘I asked Leon, over and over. Is it gone? Did you destroy it? Completely? And he said yes.’
‘But they did. First thing I asked when I came round. Everything went. The pod was gutted. The remains themselves, our clothing, their clothing, medical waste – everything was incinerated.’
‘We have an incinerator?’