Ospedale Civile di Venezia, Venice They stitch Tom's hand wound and strap his sprained ankle, but because of the head injuries they insist on keeping him in overnight. It's not what he wanted. Not after his nights of incarceration in the Plague Hospital.
To make matters worse, the TV in his room spouts nothing but news about the thwarted bomb attack in Venice. So far the media haven't joined up the international dots, but Tom knows they will, it's only a matter of time.
Somewhere in the early hours he leaves his bed and asks a nurse how Tina Ricci is.
He finds her just a door down – almost the same distance away as when they were both imprisoned. She's conscious, staring at the ceiling, lost in her own thoughts as he slowly approaches her bed.
'Hi there,' he says gently. 'How you doing?'
It takes her a second to realise who's talking. 'I'm okay.' She squirms a little in her bed, and can't quite hide her embarrassment. 'And you?'
'I'm fine.' He moves closer to her. 'I won't stay. I just wanted to see how you were.'
'You don't look so fine.' She glances pointedly at the bandaged hand and ankle.
'Cuts and bruises. I've come off sports fields with worse.'
She can see a thousand unasked questions in his eyes. Questions about them. Questions about her part in everything. 'Tom, they made me write that piece that was in the newspapers. I went to that commune on Isola Mario to do a story and that bitch Mera made me write it. Then they took me to that other awful place.' She looks close to tears. 'They made me, Tom, look…' Tina tentatively draws back the bed sheets, revealing a mass of burns on her legs.
'My God. What did they do to you?'
She covers up. 'A poker. Nothing special. Just a hot poker in a fire, like you see in B movies.' She stretches out a hand to him. 'They've given me a sedative, I think I'm going to doze in a second. Sorry.'
'No need to be. Get some sleep.' He squeezes her fingers. 'Let's talk later, when both of us feel stronger.'
'For sure.'
He lets go and heads for the door.
Tina wants to say something more but doesn't. Sleep is washing up over her and she can't find the energy to fight it.