She was still clutching his hand desperately, even though the force of his fingers was no longer returning the pressure. It was very dark on the roof now, and without clouds, the frosty night was biting her skin and turning his hands cold.

"Zoe,"

"No, no, I'm not leaving him"

"Zoe, come on now, come with me, they're here,"

"NO, I'm not leaving him, don't let them take him, Charlie, please don't let them take him,"

"We have to. I'm sorry, Zoe, but you can't stay here, he needs to go. He needs to go now."

She let go eventually, collapsing back against the wall as they wheeled him away on a trolley, to the lift and out of sight. She'd never see his face again. As her legs gave way, she slid slowly down the wall, her head in her hands and shaking with gut-wrenching sobs.

Charlie, unsure what to do, put an awkward hand on her shoulder. He had known Zoe for years, seen her through highs and lows, seen her sober, drunk, happy, miserable, but never had he seen her like this. She was a strong woman, pragmatic, down to earth, never hysterical or flighty, and so to see her so defenceless was a bit overwhelming. He could deal with bereaved relatives of patients he barely knew, could feed them textbook phrases with enough forced sympathy to make it sound like he understood, but there was no way that Zoe would swallow those empty platitudes. There was nothing he could say that would even begin to help her now.

"Zoe- come on. Let's go inside." He helped her to her feet and, realising how weak and unsteady she was, supported her round the waist and slowly walked her to the door where they waited for the lift to return.

They returned to the ground slowly and noisily, the shaft creaking and grunting as it made the long journey back down.

He had been in this lift just seconds ago. She felt like he was still here, in the lift somewhere, but she couldn't see him, like he was a ghost. It was like they were in parallel universes that were lying next to each other; so close, and yet so far. She reached her hand out slightly, desperately, as if she could maybe feel him in front of her, but it was all too obvious that she was alone now.

Thank you for reading, and to those who have left such lovely comments, you've all been ever so kind.

I have written another chapter, a sort of "three months on" for Zoe, so that it doesn't end too sadly for her, but I'm still not sure if I should post it or leave it as it is. If you have a second, a review would be lovely, to let me know what you think... Xxx