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tightened its grasp, securing and holding her captive against her will. It wanted to force her to dredge up the past she was trying to evade. But she wouldn’t do it. She had to stay strong and fight.
    “I can't take this anymore!” Ashley channelled her mind and cried out with desperation at the sight of the empty waiting room. Without thinking, she picked up the steaming cup of coffee from the table and flung it as hard as she could towards the nearest wall. “Why haven't I heard anything yet?” she screamed as the polystyrene cup crumbled and splattered against the plaster. “I-I just want answers,” she choked, her body sliding towards the floor.
    Hitting the ground with a small bump, Ashley pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face. Small sobs wracked her body as she struggled to keep a lid on her emotions. She was being tortured. The world was trying to take away the closest person in her life and she could do nothing about it.
    “ Can I contact anyone for you, dear?” the nurse said, reappearing beside her. “You might feel better if you had somebody here to help you through this.”
    Ben's face appeared instantly in Ashley's mind. They had been on the phone at the time of Gabby's accident. She remembered him shouting at her; he was worried. Then she had dropped her phone on the ground and crouched beside her best friend who was lying bloodied and unconscious in a heap.
    Luckily, the gentleman who had led her to the scene of the accident, had also retrieved both of their scattered belongings from across the floor and followed behind the stream of ambulances carrying other casualties to the hospital.
    After reuniting Ashley with her and Gabby's possessions in the waiting room, the gentleman had given his well wishes before disappearing into the bitterly cold November night.
    “No,” Ashley mumbled into her legs. “I don't have anyone to call.” Her phone was switched off and in her clutch bag on the table. She couldn't bring herself to speak to anyone at the moment. Ben had left a constant stream of text messages and missed calls which she had chosen to ignore so far. She couldn't explain things to people until she heard that Gabby was okay.
    “ What about your parents, dear? Could you call them to come and sit with you?”
    “ No.” She dismissed the nurse's suggestion without further comment. The last thing she needed was a visit from her parents. Considering she had gone almost seven years without them, she knew that she could fight her way through this too.
    “ This is ridiculous!”
    The sound of a commotion piqued Ashley's interest. Lifting her head from her knees, she turned her gaze towards the doorway and found the friendly nurse also distracted by the same voice.
    “ Non mi dica di calmarmi, accidenti!”
    “ Do not tell me to calm down, damn it!”
    Ashley's eyes widened with recognition as the nurse stepped aside to allow Marco's form to appear. Immediately, a mixture of relief and worry crossed her mind. More tears threatened as she took in the pain reflected across his face. He hadn't made any attempt at trying to hide his feelings, the damage was evident for everyone to see.
    “ Cara?” Taking a deep breath, he took a few hesitant steps into the waiting room. “H-How did this happen?” His voice wavered with emotion as he continued to approach her.
    “ I-I don't know,” she whispered. “Marco, I’m so, so sorry.”
    Making no attempt to move from her spot , Ashley watched as he unbuttoned the suit jacket he was wearing. Shrugging the garment from his shoulders, he draped it over the back of a hard plastic chair and lowered himself to the floor beside her.
    He wrapped an arm around Ashley's shoulders and pulled her tightly coiled body towards him. He leaned close and whispered softly into her ear. “We will get through this... Gabby will get through this. We need to stay positive for all of our sakes.” He squeezed her lightly as he let out a long and shaky