Hours passed after Tom"s admission and Sally repeatedly tried to encourage Ahmed to go, so he could catch the last train north, assuring him there was nothing he could do. Ahmed refused each time, adamant he wouldn"t leave her until they"d seen Tom and could confirm he was okay.
Sally made arrangements for a private room to be allocated on the ward in anticipation of Tom being released from A&E.
It was well after eleven o"clock when Tom was wheeled out of the emergency department on a trolley. Sally and Ahmed jumped to their feet and ran after the porter.
“Tom, are you okay? Is he okay? Where are you taking him?” Sally asked.
Tom was lying flat on the stretcher with a sheet pulled up over his chest and tucked under his arms. His complexion was pale, except for the area around his left
