'Idiot.' She hissed, blinking back the tears. 'Idiot, idiot, idiot.'

Though used to seeing a multitude of different casualties, including burns victims, nothing could prepare her for the sight of him. Bandages encased his body right up to his ribcage, and somehow that looked worse than the blistered skin. Surprisingly, his arms and his face were affected minimally. His eyes were open, unblinking, fixed on the ceiling. She glanced at the monitors, seeing he was fully conscious, and he was purposefully not speaking. A lump formed in her throat. 'Speak to me, Iain.' The four words that escaped her lips sounded more accusatory than they did a plea.

'And say what?' He muttered.

She made a choking sound. 'Something, a-anything! Just, just-'

'I'm sorry.' He said, flatly. Instead of reassuring him that he didn't need to apologise, she let his words linger and stale in the air.

'After everything, I thought you would have exercised caution.' She whispered, blaming.

He was quiet for a moment. 'And if I had, I wouldn't have reached that woman or that baby. About them, are they-'

'They are fine.' She cut him short. 'Recovering well. The baby has been discharged and a relative has taken him home while the mother recovers.'

'Thank God.' He replied. 'I'd do it again for them.' He locked eyes with her.

'That's all very noble of you, but where would that have left me?' She asked, throat like sandpaper.

He scoffed. 'Can you hear yourself?'

Her eyes closed and she gave a slight shake of the head. 'You could have waited like you were meant to.'

'And let them die? Alright, I get it probably wasn't my most clever of plans. At the moment though, this feels like a rollicking Lily. I'm not even asking for any admiration. Just a tiny bit of understanding and care might be welcome. Believe it or not, I'm not in the habit of entering burning vehicles just for a lark.'

'I am not saying you do, I am saying you need to assess the risks first. You could have died then.'

'But I didn't, did I?'

'But you could have done! It would be wrong of me to sit here and applaud you for your... your bravery when you put yourself in such great danger.'

'You have no humility at all, do you?' He snapped.

'That's not fair.' She said quietly.

'There's a lot of things I don't get about you, but this tops them all! I just-'

'You need to calm down.' Lily intervened coolly, anxious eyes travelling from the monitors back to him.

'You're giving me cause to be angry. What am I supposed to do, sit here and-'

She frowned as he fell quiet, immediately noticing the way his hand flew to his chest in panic. Two hands met and squeezed together. After reaching for the alarm button, she sat back on the edge of her chair.

'You're okay.' She whispered, eyes shining newly. 'You're going to be fine, it's alright-'

Lies, they both knew so. His own face fell at the sight of her tears, despite his state. The grip on her hand tightened, almost as a comfort, before his head rolled back into the pillow.

'Can we get some help in here, please?' She shouted.

-x-

She swallowed two ibuprofen, leaning against the wall in defeat.

'I find chocolate helps.' Out of nowhere, a packet hit her skirt, then hit the floor. She crouched down, picking the object up. Bold, cartoon lettering on a blue background. Its contents, she was sure, were riddled with E-numbers of the worst kind. All the same, she looked up. Max stood there, arms open. Lily hesitated, the sweets hanging limply from her finger and thumb. He didn't wait, stepping forwards and pulling her in. It felt uncomfortable; she knew the porter as a friend, but not on such close terms.

It was as if he knew this, for he relaxed his grip a little. 'Nothing wrong with a hug.'

'Thank you.' She replied, a little stiffly.

Max wasn't Iain, but if she shut her eyes, it almost felt the same. There was no faint scent of cologne, or the comforting soap powder aroma. But, it was comfort. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed it like she needed air to breathe.

After they finally broke apart, Max gave her a small comforting smile. 'He'll be okay. Fighter, isn't he?'

'Yeah.' Lily nodded, running a hand through her hair. A surge of guilt spread through her. It was one hug, a platonic one at that, yet she still felt awful. It was almost as if she'd committed an emotional betrayal, or that was the way it felt. Deep down, she knew there was nothing wrong with it. 'I best go see him anyway. I shouldn't have left.'

'Hey, you're allowed a break.'

'He wouldn't have left me. I feel dreadful, Max.' Again, her vulnerable side was showing its face. Clearly moved by the display of raw emotion, the porter gave a little sigh.

'What good are you to anyone if you're motionless in that chair? Look, he's already bed bound. He won't want you to be there every second.'

'Yes. You are right. Thank you.' She whispered.

'You're welcome, I'm hardly doing anything better.' He gave her a sympathetic look as he exited.

Lily was left standing hopelessly in the corridor. Much though she ached for solitude, she couldn't help but wonder at the power of human spirit and moral support, even displayed by those who are strangers to one another. After a pause, she realised with guilt that Iain had followed the exact same principle. She gave a sigh, feeling the irony was all too sore. Too many coincidences and similarities linked her with the man lying comatose in the next ward. And, with an ache in her chest, she realised that the multitude of differences she had with him only served to intertwine them more.