I got up and walked out of the staff room. I could hear people whispering and mumbling things; they were all very bad at trying to hide who they were talking about.

I looked down and carried on walking, not looking back.

For saying that I was eager to see Ellie, and to know that she was ok, I walked surprisingly slowly. I was scared that there was no going back; that she was gone.

I didn't want that.

I barely knew her, but one thing I was sure of was that she was one inspirational person. Medical school at 15, cancer that should've killed her; she must have one strong family!

Family.

I thought about that word over and over again.

Family.

Of all the notes and various documents that I had read, not once did it mention her family; she hadn't mentioned it either. Was it that she had no family? Or was it just not visible through the hundreds of notes in her files and documents?

I would soon find out.

Her next of kin would have to be contacted and that would mean that I had little chance left of seeing her.

They wouldn't want me around, after all, I was just a stranger; a colleague who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

That was the last thing I needed to think about though. I approached the room in which Ellie was being monitored; the door leading to the room was slightly ajar, so I assumed that this was the correct room.

I knocked quietly, before entering the small, yet spacious, room.

She was the first thing that caught my eye.

Ellie was once again lying there, lifeless. She was no longer covered in the burns, blood and soot that had previously smothered her body, yet her deadly pale skin made her look as if all the blood had been drained from her body.

I glanced over to the side of the bed where there was a young woman sat in a chair, asleep.

It was Sam.

I didn't want to wake her, but I knew that if I didn't, I would have to wait to find out Ellie's fate.

I walked over to her and placed my hand on her arm; her eyes fluttered and she looked up at me, smiling slightly as she did.

"Hey..." She muttered drowsily.
"How is she?" I asked nervously, as my eyes flicked between her and Ellie.
"Surgery went alright, there were a fewer minor problems, but she should be okay from that perspective." She replied, more awake than she had been previously.
"And from the other perspectives?" I added.
"Well, she's stable..." Sam began, "but she's been through a lot and no one really knows how her body will cope with it all, especially after what she's been through in the past..."

Once again, I thought back to the notes; her family sprang to mind.

"What about next of kin? Have her parents been called?" I asked.
Sam sighed; that wasn't a good sign...
"Her...Ellie's parents both died in the house fire when she was 11; she's been alone ever since..." She replied sadly.
"Siblings? Aunts? Uncles? Grandparents? Any family at all?"
"Nothing..." Sam sighed; this wasn't easy to talk about.
I paused, "So, she was in care?" I asked wearily, not taking my eyes off Ellie.
"Yeah..." She replied. "I'm not sure, but I think she had a foster family at one point."
"Really? For how long?" I questioned.
"As I said, I'm not sure, but I don't think it was for long..." Sam hesitated, "there was an accident, the mother was seriously injured and her young son was killed... The family fell apart after that."

I sighed; Ellie really hadn't had an easy life.

"What about Ellie? Was she involved in the accident?" I continued, this time looking at Sam who was clearly finding it hard to put into words.
"She almost died trying to save them..." She sighed. "You know, she always puts others before herself. No matter who it is, a murderer or a soldier, whether she has met them before or not, she will always put them before herself..."
"You sound like you know her well..." I explained.
Sam was quick to reply, "I don't, it's just from what I've read..." She smiled slightly, a nervous look on her face.

I ended the conversation there, as it was now clearly becoming hard for the both of us to speak about it.

"When do you think she'll wake up?" I asked hesitantly.
"Her body's shut down," Sam replied, "she's fully comatose as well, so it could be days, weeks, possibly even months before she wakes up..."

I sighed, then nodded.

Ellie had a battle on her hands now, and if she didn't fight against it, there would be no going back.