"The next few hours were spent washing, ironing, cleaning, surfing and other small activities which were natural diversions to take the evening to sleep time. Another meeting tomorrow and the thought of it filled him with dread- it had gotten to the point that all interaction with groups of new people was too much to bear. Three days ago he had contemplated facing his manager and explaining how he felt but as usual he swept the problem under the carpet and hoped that others had not noticed the nervousness. Despite this reluctance to face up to the issue he knew that time was limited in his current role and that a period of long term sickness would be forced on him which scared him more than anything else. Getting through the days at work and the nights at home were just so difficult but at least during the day he was away from the silence."

The depressive TV news became too much and Marc stood up and walked out of the restaurant with his head down, eyes concentrating on the wooden tray. She stared.

Another cigarette hung from his mouth as he stood by the car par. He was not even sure he enjoyed smoking any more but it was a necessary diversion during the day. The air was cooler today and he could feel winter coming which was always a pick me up for Marc. Since he was a child he had enjoyed rain, thunder and especially snow and had put it down to bullying at school. When the weather was bad there were no excuses not to be doing something interesting like other people. For Marc the party has always been somewhere else. No matter what he was doing he always felt that others were either doing it with more style or having more fun and even though many had been jealous of the family he had nothing was ever enough for Marc who often did not appreciate what he had.

They held each others hands tightly as they re-entered Marc's room. Bill and Maureen could barely hide their feelings but seeing him awake they moved to either side of his bed and took a hand each. Marc seemed much more 'with it' now but the sorrow in his eyes shot though Maureen like a poison arrow. He looked for all the world like a man with no hope and they were about to break an extra blow which he would almost certainly not cope with. Bill and Maureen decided to go against the doctor's wishes and tell Marc the news as holding it back would only prolong the shock. Maureen had been attending to Meg as often as she could and had spent the past twenty four hours watching over her like a hawk. She could not stop looking at her in case it caused her to get worse. She knew it was irrational but pain does that to people.

"Marc." She held his hand tighter. "Are you OK?"

"….No. I want to see Ruth." His words were flat and unemotional.

"I know sweetie. If I could bring her back I would but…"

"I know. I know. What have I done?" She gripped his hand tighter.

"You have done nothing darling- it was an accident."

"She told me to slow down but did I fucking listen? No I didn't!" He released his hand from Bill's and banged it on the bed as the tears came back.

Bill started to speak but was frozen in place when Marc spoke again. "How are the kids?"

He lit his second cigarette even though he did not want it. It was a habit he had developed since he gave up real fags and moved to roll ups because they took half as long to smoke.

She walked out of the side door, straight past Marc and took a seat at one of the benches which had been laid out especially for the smokers. Marc stood rooted to the spot in the corner next to the bike shed and didn't know what to do. This was his spot and moving from it would be difficult- when a smoker finds a comfortable place to smoke it's almost bad luck to change it even if it means looking stupid in front of a beautiful stranger.

She casually lit her cigarette and her relaxed approach was almost too considered to be natural. Marc stared straight ahead but his peripheral vision took in her movements. Her hair was as straight as the rain and her face was too perfect for words. At no point did either of them make eye contact but Marc could feel something happening the like of which he had not experienced before. The intensity in his gut was overwhelming and he had an urge to run over to her and grab her but of course he stayed where he was and continued to smoke what was left of the cigarette. He wanted to stay near but did not want to seem like a chainer by smoking yet another so he finished inhaling, dropped it, stamped on it and casually walked back to the main building. His walk was also too deliberate and he took on the movement of a camp Clint Eastwood as she watched him from the corner of an eye.

The air grew colder as the doors slid shut behind him and he slowly walked along the corridor. Sub-conciously he was hoping that he would see her walking behind him....

When he was younger he was never the confident geezer who could just walk up to girls in bars and start chatting casually. Often he would be out with friends and was the one who would be sat alone in the corner of a night club while his friends danced with girls they had just met. Cheesy music would be playing and disco lights would wander over the crowd of slow dancers as he sat with a beer and wondered why he was the one always on the outside.

When he reached twenty there was a distinct change in luck for Marc. Girls started to notice him as he matured and within weeks he realised that some were deliberately eyeing him up from across the pubs and clubs he went to. Over time his friends all found girlfriends and he had been unfortunate enough to have friends that could not balance the two- they slowly drifted away and spent the majority of their time with their new lovers while Marc spent countless hours at home alone reading books and listening to music.

Marc and Ruth had been working together for two years and he had barely noticed her until one day in the coffee area at lunch time. She had returned home from a weeks holiday with her boyfriend and was tanned, wearing a short skirt which showed off her long legs and her hair had been lightened by the sun. As he sat trying not to seem obvious his view of her changed completely in the space of one hour.

Over the next few weeks he turned every opportunity into one that would allow a quick conversation with her and gradually they became friends. Ruth had dumped her boyfriend who by later accounts had been a bit of an asshole and eventually they started dating.

For Marc it was a safe relationship and one in which he was very happy. Ruth was incredibly sexy, good fun and a generally nice person. As nice as this was there had never been the spark that Marc had expected when in a long term relationship- everything about their time together was 'nice' and they rarely argued but deep down he knew it was never quite perfect.

They moved in together two years later, married two years after that, had two beautiful children and then Marc's moment of stupidity...

His desk was still covered with evidence of work not yet completed and his LCD lit up the surrounding area but his concentration was now shot to pieces. The gir from outside was playing on his mind which unknown to Marc was a hugely positive step.

"Oh Marc. I don't know how to tell you this but Billy's gone..." The words did not register to Marc. The seconds passed like minutes as Bill waited for a reaction.

Finally realisation set in and Marc's face crumpled into an agonised shape giving him the appearance of a Halloween mask. No emotion had ever felt so strong- it was guilt mixed with deep sorrow and pain. It was as if he was watching unimaginable pain being experienced by someone else.

Bill and Maureen just sat waiting for Marc to speak. They were dealing with the pain of losing a grandchild, daughter in law and the grief now being experienced by their son. Maureen felt like the mother of a new born child again. Her son was defenseless, alone and she could do nothing to help him. For a brief moment she was reminded of Marc's first weeks in school- he had been a loner in his first few days and hated playing in the playground with other children. Often she would have to drive to the school and sit with Marc and a teacher, trying to persuade him to go out and join his new 'friends'.

One of the children in his class, Aaron, has befriended him and after much persuasion he started to mix with the other children. He was never the most popular boy in school but he did well academically and passed most of his exams with ease, and with little effort.

How she wished her son was back at school now.

"Mum." Marc held out his hand and Maureen moved towards the bed and cradled Marc's head in her arms. He had not called her 'Mum' for many a year but his vulnerability was showing through in every expression. She held him for a long time as Bill sat with his head bowed.

The next few hours were filled with silence, palpable misery and tears. Maureen took a break while Marc slept to visit Meg who was critically ill in intensive care. She had sustained two head injuries and had a broken pelvis. The doctors had run a series of tests to ascertain the seriousness of her injuries and even though they were quietly hopeful of a positive resolution there was always the chance that Marc could lose his one remaining child.

Rosemary and Don, Ruth's parents, were sat next to Meg's small hospital bed when Maureen arrived. It was their first meeting since the accident and an important moment for all of them. Rosemary made the fist move by standing and drawing Maureen close to her in a genuinely compassionate hug. Dan then did the same and they all held hands watching over Megan like three angels watching over their chosen one.

Small talk was made for a long time until the subject of the accident came up. "Maureen, do you know what happened?" Rose stumbled over her words trying not to seem pushy.

"Not yet sorry. Marc is in no fit state to talk at the moment." The silence returned, conversation ended for today.

"Mr Barchol. We have just completed some more tests and I can confirm that you will be fine... physically." He made sure he added the last word in an attempt to show understanding.

"Um..." Marc stared at the wall behind the doctor and whisper. "I want to see Meg."

Bill moved closer to Marc and also looked at the Doctor. "OK. I need to speak to the ward nurse. Megan cannot be moved at the moment due to her injuries..." "What injuries?!" Marc cut him off quickly.

"Uh..." The Doctor looked to Bill for assistance and Bill placed his hand on Marc's forearm. "Marc, we haven't been able to tell you yet but Meg is seriously ill. She has head injuries and a broken pelvis but we're sure everything will be OK." To say he sounded unconvincing was an understatement. Strangely no shock hit Marc as he was just numb now and could not fully take in what was happening around him. Bill and the doctor waited for a response but he just let his head fall to one side and stared at the wall.