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Can you pick up a couple of litres of milk on the way over? I completely forgot to stock up. I have enough for the morning but I’ll be running low by the time of the wake in the afternoon.

Sure, he messaged back. I’ll be there soon.

He knocked again, calling out Nora’s name, but this time the door gave a little. He nudged it with his foot, finding it unlocked. It opened a few inches, then lodged against something on the other side of the door.

At first Jacob thought the door was caught on a mat or something that had fallen, like a hat stand or shoe rack, but as he gave it a gentle shove, he heard a groan from the other side of the door.

‘Nora?’

The only response was another low groan. Jacob tried to peer around the door, but it wasn’t quite wide enough for him to squeeze inside. Instead, he squatted down.

‘Nora, just hold on. I’ll call an ambulance.’

A frail hand appeared through the crack in the door. ‘Don’t leave me,’ came Nora’s weak voice.

‘I won’t,’ Jacob said. ‘I’ll stay right here.’

Having explained the situation to emergency services, the fire brigade showed up too, and had to cut the door off its hinges to get inside.

‘Are you the next of kin?’ a paramedic asked Jacob as he waited on the landing outside the flat while others attended to Nora, who was lying on the floor.

‘No. I’m just … a friend.’

‘Looks like she fell, maybe broke her hip, knocked herself out. The carpet there is loose.’ He reached up, slapped a hand at the broken light. ‘Look at this place. It should be shut down. Health and safety would have a field day over this, but no doubt there’s a backhander going on somewhere.’

A fireman came over. ‘We’ll leave someone to seal the door with tape, but someone will need to contact the landlord.’ He looked pointedly at Jacob.

‘Ah, right.’

‘Poor old thing,’ the fireman said. ‘Can you imagine living like that? A good job you found her, mate. How did you get in, anyway?’

‘The front door is broken. I was just bringing her a Christmas card.’ He pulled the card out of his pocket and held it out as proof.

‘Right that’s it,’ another paramedic said, lifting an extendable stretcher with Nora strapped onto it. ‘We’ll take her to Brentwell General,’ he said to Jacob. ‘She might have to go into emergency surgery, but if you ask on reception they’ll tell you where to go.’

‘Okay, thanks.’

‘Roy,’ came a weak voice.

‘Is that you, lad?’

Jacob shook his head. ‘Ah, no. That’s her … um, dog.’

‘I can’t find my Roy,’ Nora moaned.

Jacob pushed through the group and took Nora’s hand. ‘I’ll find him,’ he said.

‘He’ll be worried,’ she moaned. ‘Do look after him!’

‘I will.’

‘She has a dog in there?’ one of the firemen said.

‘I’ll deal with it,’ Jacob told him.

‘Thanks, lad.’

He went down to the lobby to watch them load Nora into an ambulance, then waved as it headed off to the hospital. A few locals and some other residents had appeared to see what the fuss was about, but Jacob ignored them as he headed back inside and climbed the stairs to Nora’s flat.