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'Damn you, what ot out of the car to greet the other two A moment later they were in the rear seats and the lihts on in the little terraced house; no doubt Rick's parents were up now and distressed over the events of the past few hours

Nothing was said on the long drive back, along thein a strange yellow glare while overhead the starlit sky had a melancholy beauty Sian leaned back and listened to the brooding silence in the car Beside her Cass drove without a flicker of expression on his lean face; his hands resting lightly on the wheel, his gaze fixed always ahead In the back, Annette seemed half asleep, but every now and then she made a sound which wasn't quite a sob, yet wasn't ordinary breathing either Each ti his hold on her, halfto her

It was not a comfortable drive, and Sian was relieved to see the dark bulk of the New Forest loo up It had certainly never entered her head when she set out froain quite so soon It was probably just as well that hus couldn't see into the future

Cass swung the car round a corner suddenly, and Sian leaned forward to glimpse a hospital just ahead of thehts even at this hour; she saw an a on a forecourt, sao nurses in dark capes going through swing doors, their white uniforht from a

'Will they let me see him?' Annette suddenly whispered

'You may have to wait a while,' Cass told her quite kindly, and she gave another of those funny little sobs

'He'll be OK,' Rick muttered, his arm round her and his chin on her hair 'You'll see They can do wonders these days'

Cass pulled up on the hospital drive outside a double-doored entrance 'I'll go and park—you had better get out here,' he said, and they all began to get out Annette didn't really need Sian, but somehow Sian was reluctant to leave her She had become inextricably involved in this; she felt she had to stay, see it through Annette had Rick to lean on for the ht still need another woman around, especially as Cass was there, too The two men weren't overtly hostile, but on the other hand they had a guarded wariness which came close to out-and-out hostility At any erently, and that was the last thing Annette needed It would help if Sian was there to stop any trouble before it became serious

Cass rong; Annette did not have to wait to see her father As soon as they arrived she was taken upstairs to the ward in which he lay, while Rick and Sian sat in a glass-walled waiting-room When Cass joined them he asked if either of them wanted a drink of coffee or tea

Rick shook his head, his face averted, but Sian said she wouldn't say no to some coffee—it would help

her to stay awake

'I'll show you where theon his heel, and she followed hi rey eyes sharp as he watched her read the instructions

'I was so preoccupied with Annette that it didn't ied to stay with us,' he said coolly 'Letfurther copy out of this, you're e of Annette once, you aren't doing it again while I'm around'

Sian ignored that, hunting for a coin in her purse His hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her wrist

'Do you hear?' he snarled, and she looked up, icy with affront