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polystyrene cup that the nurse placed on the table. “Here you are, lovely. Take a sip of this,” she said, her voice soft and filled with understanding.
    “ Thank you,” Ashley whispered, her head unmoving as she continued to stare out of the window. She made no effort to turn towards the coffee she could smell. Right now, her attention was focused solely on the dark and sleeping city of London, its inhabitants sleeping peacefully, whilst her best friend was undergoing major surgery to her brain.
    The nurse placed her hand gently on Ashley's shoulder. “I know it's difficult, but try not to think of the worst. I'm sure our surgeons are doing the best they can for your friend.”
    A large lump formed in the back of Ashley's throat. She couldn't think of anything but the worst case scenario. Her best friend had been struck forcefully by a car and had landed awkwardly on the cold road. According to witnesses at the scene, the car had struck with impressive force, knocking Gabby cleanly off her feet before crashing into a series of cars nearby. The young driver behind the wheel had been killed instantly upon impact at the scene. It was another life that had been wasted and lost so young.
    “ I'm sorry, but your friend has a fractured skull and a severe bleed on her brain. It appears that her head bore the brunt of the impact. We are rushing her into surgery to try and stop the bleeding.”
    Ashley pulled and pinched the skin on her hands to the point that she could feel intense pain. She welcomed the feeling as it consumed and distracted her mind from the events going on around.
    The hospital... The accident... Her best friend...
    The nightmare was surfacing before her eyes.
    “No!” she shouted, shaking her head to disperse the memories t rying to fight their way into her head. They sensed that she was weak and vulnerable right now, the perfect opportunity for them to breakout and ruin her completely.
    T he nurse hovered awkwardly in the doorway of the waiting room. Although she had been nothing but friendly and comforting towards her since they had arrived at the hospital over four hours ago, Ashley couldn't stop her growing feelings of annoyance towards the woman. She just wanted to be left alone to allow the events to sink in.
    “ Miss, we need you to stay in the waiting room. Your friend is being rushed into surgery. You can't go back there. Just take a seat and we will keep you as informed as we possibly can.”
    There hadn't been any news since they took Gabby into surgery when they arrived. Ashley wasn't entirely sure if this was a good or bad sign. The cheerful nurse continuously promised her that no news was good news, but Ashley knew that she couldn't be fooled. Something was definitely wrong and they were keeping it from her.
    Directing her eyes up at the fluorescent tube lighting above her head, she clasped her hands together and sent up a silent prayer to the sky. It was the only thing she felt worthy of doing at this moment. She hoped that they would take pity on her, because after all...
    Gabby was a fighter.
    She was a ruthless warrior.
    Her soul was impenetrable and strong.
    There was no way that she would give up her fight for life so easily. She would take this over and come out on top as she always did. When they stopped the bleeding, Gabby would then be able to make a full recovery and this would all be just a distant memory. Ashley pleaded in her mind with anyone that could hear her thoughts. She willed for them to listen to her and give her some signal that things were going to be okay.
    Silence.
    The only sound that Ashley could hear was that of her own heavy breathing as she focused for something... Anything...
    Beep. Beep.
    Beep. Beep.
    She caught the sound of a heart monitor in the distance as a patient walked past the waiting room. The noise froze her body completely. T he sound. She hadn’t heard it anywhere but in her own reoccurring nightmares.
    Beep. Beep.
    Beep. Beep.
    The veil of gloom