‘Just give them both to me,’ Lenore asked weakly, not sure how much more she could take of seeing her youngest look so helpless, parents were supposed to go first, not your son or daughter.

‘Her surgery was successful I’m pleased to tell you, we’re hopeful that her lung will heal up nicely and her fractures should take approximately eight weeks, there were no complications. However, we’ve taken several scans of her brain and there is indication of a severe haemorrhage as you know, I’m sorry Mrs Pieszecki but Alice may never awake from her coma, I’ve seen patients with the same extent of damage and only one has regained consciousness and she was paralysed from the waist down. We’re going to continue trying to stimulate Miss Pieszecki’s senses in hope of gaining a reaction. The best thing you can do is keep talking to her. We’ll be constantly monitoring any progress made and I’ve scheduled her in for another scan tomorrow.’ With that his pager went off and he excused himself politely.

The trio were silent. Lenore’s quiet tears trickled down her face as she reached for a pack of cigarettes and walked towards the exit for some form of escape from the dire situation she had found herself in. Shane sat with her head in her hands looking as though her entire world had come crashing down and in some form it had. Appearing unnerved by the news Dana marched off in the direction of Alice’s room, purpose evident in her stride as she opened the door with force and walked over to her ex-girlfriend’s bed.

‘Wake up Alice’, she was practically yelling. ‘Come on this isn’t fucking funny, wake up NOW.’ Dana shook Alice’s shoulders as if to arise her for some slumber, Alice’s body lay there limp and unmoving anyway. ‘WAKE UP’. Dana was visibly distressed as she cried at her pathetic efforts to get Alice to just open her fucking eyes.