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As Troy's parents follow the doctor out of the room, I sit back down where I am. Although I want to go and see him for myself, I wouldn't dream of rushing into Troy's room right this minute. He won't even register his parents' presence until he has fully woken up; let alone the sight of a total stranger.

About twenty minutes pass by, and I am just considering coming back another day when Lucille suddenly returns to the family room. She walks towards me with her ever-kind smile still on her face. "Would you like to come and meet Troy?" she asks, and immediately I start to feel nervous. I have no idea what I am going to say to him. But I still want to meet him, so I smile back and nod, then follow her out of the room and into Troy's hospital room, which isn't much of a distance away. I pause behind her for a few seconds as she opens the door, and allow myself to take in the sight before me. It's breathtaking to see the injuries that were inflicted upon him, even though I saw them before, first-hand.

His face is bruised severely, and the top of his head is covered in thick bandages. As I remember exactly how he was attacked, I move my eyes to look over the rest of him and see that there is still a boot mark on the side of his body. To think that another man actually kicked him like that is barbaric. Of course, it has happened to many others before, and disgusting as it is, I'm sure it will happen again. But hearing about it on the news means we can switch off our brains afterwards at the thought of it if we want to. I know I will never be able to do that. The memory of what happened to Troy will stay in my mind forever.

I snap out of my thoughts when I hear Lucille's voice again. "Troy, this is Gabriella." She is sitting on a chair at Troy's bedside, holding one of his hands. Jack is sitting on his other side, watching over him intently. I move a little closer to Troy, standing at the end of his bed shyly. He is looking up at me with his big, blue eyes. After a few seconds, his face cracks into a weak, but genuine smile. And that smile is all it takes for me to feel at ease. There is something about it, so warm and welcoming despite all that he is going through.

"Hi," I say softly. "It's nice to meet you." I am smiling too now, and I can feel it.

"Gabriella was there when you were attacked, Troy. She stayed with you and even went in the ambulance with you," says Jack. I realise then that Jack and Lucille must have found a moment earlier to explain what had happened to him; as the mention of his attack doesn't seem to faze him.

Troy is still looking at me, still smiling. Then he opens his mouth to say something. Although his speech is a little hoarse, I can understand him perfectly. "Gabriella...Thank you." There is overwhelming gratitude in his statement, and it almost moves me to tears.

At that moment another doctor walks in, and I recognise him from when Troy was first brought in. He doesn't object to my being here, so I presume that Jack and Lucille haven't informed anyone that I am not actually a friend or relative. The doctor smiles kindly, and after he greets us, begins to explain Troy's current condition.

"There are no signs of brain damage here. From the checks we carried out when you came round, Troy, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to make a full recovery in time." The room is silent for a moment. It's as if everyone is wondering if what they just heard was for real. Then Lucille speaks. "So, he'll be able to walk again?"

The doctor smiles and nods at her. "Yes, Mrs Bolton." Then he addresses Troy again. "Once we get you back on your feet, you'll be able to start regular physiotherapy." He discusses all the formalities of this, then says his goodbyes and leaves the room. Troy's parents look ecstatic. I look over at Troy himself, but he looks as though he is about to doze off. His mother gives his hand a squeeze, places a kiss on his forehead, and then gestures for us all to go outside.

The moment we step outside the door, we come face to face with two police officers. "Hi there," one says. "Are you Mr and Mrs Bolton?" Jack and Lucille just nod. We seem to be doing a lot of that – nodding. The policeman continues, "we've just been told that your son has regained consciousness. Is this a good time? We need to ask him some questions about the assault."

"Troy's still not quite himself yet. He seems to be drifting in and out of sleep, so if you could come back tomorrow instead?" Jack replies politely. The policemen agree, then turn their heads to look at me. I decide to explain my involvement in the situation. "I was there when Troy was attacked. I saw everything, so if you need me to answer any questions too..." I begin.

"Okay," replies the first policeman. "What's your name?" I am a little shocked that they haven't already been told about me. I gave my name to the police at the scene. And I was the only witness around. Shaking off my surprise, I give my name again, and am asked to go into the family room so that I can talk to them. I give a little wave to Jack and Lucille, who smile encouragingly at me, and then I follow the officers away. I am anxious to make sure I tell them every detail of what happened the night before.

.HSM.

By the end of the day, I have not only answered every question thrown my way; I have also given a full statement at the police station, having promised Jack and Lucille that I would return the next day as I left the hospital. Before I left them, though, I also insisted on paying back the money they had given me for the taxi home earlier.

And so I am making my way back to the hospital on Sunday morning. When I arrive outside Troy's hospital room, Lucille sees me immediately and ushers me in. "Hello Gabriella," she greets me. I say hi back and notice that Jack is not in the room at the moment. As if she has read my mind, she adds, "Jack is just getting us some coffee." It is then that I turn to look at Troy properly and realise that he is awake. In fact, he is sitting up, and looking a lot better than the day before. There is colour in his cheeks, and he is smiling at me even more vibrantly than he did yesterday. It almost makes me melt.

"Gabriella," he says softly. "Hi, nice to meet you. Sorry I was so zoned out yesterday. So, I hear you saved my life?" There is a twinkle in his eye as he speaks, and I can't help but laugh at his last statement. "Hi," I reply. "Well, I wouldn't say I saved your life, really. I just-"

Lucille interrupts before I can finish. "Oh, she's far too modest," she says to Troy in all seriousness. "The fact is, Gabriella was the only person to stay with you and call for help." Troy looks amazed, and I don't know whether it's because of what I did, or because nobody else did it but me. "Well," says Lucille, standing up from her seat. "I think I'll just go and see what's taking that husband of mine so long!" And with that, she leaves the room. Troy and I grin at each other. It is obvious to both of us that his mother left us alone on purpose.

"Ah, my mother's special talent," says Troy, making me laugh again. Then his face grows serious. "Thanks. For what you did, I mean." I walk over to him and take a seat in the chair that Lucille has just vacated.

"Oh, I...you're welcome," I stutter. "I saw what you did...when you tried to stop that fight getting out of hand and I...well, you were very brave. That guy looked just as dangerous as he turned out to be." Troy shrugs off the compliment, but he is still smiling at me.

"It's nothing, really. I'm a PCSO. I've seen that sort of thing a lot, but this was the first time I ended up on the receiving end of it," Troy explains.

"Your mum was telling me about your job. She said it's just like you to take risks like that," I reply. He smiles knowingly at that. Then he asks me a question. "So, what do you do?"

"I'm a teacher," I answer. "It's a great job, although my colleagues tell me I'm only saying that now because I've just started out," I add with a chuckle. Troy laughs along with me, and just then a nurse enters the room to deal with his medication. "I guess I'd better get going," I say reluctantly, knowing that I still have to prepare for tomorrow's lessons.

Troy actually looks slightly disappointed. "Of course," he replies. "Can I ask you something, before you go?" I smile and wait for him to continue, wondering what he is going to say. "What made you stay here to meet me? I mean, my parents were saying you've come back twice now."

I am embarrassed, because I don't really know how to explain it. I look down at my feet as I finally reply, "I just...I really wanted to meet you. I couldn't leave without seeing for myself that you were okay." It's all I can come up with, but it's the truth. I force myself to look at him, and he is smiling again.

"Will you come back?" Troy asks sincerely, and I know my answer before he has even finished the question. "Definitely," I say, knowing that I will have no trouble keeping that promise. No trouble at all.

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