It took me a while to figure out where I was when I woke up. The predominant feeling was that I hadn’t slept, even though I knew I had.

I felt like I had been sedated, like a rhino with a dart gun, and a sensation of paralysis overwhelmed me.

Could I move? Not sure, and my feet felt numb.

I looked at the ceiling and didn’t recognise where I was, though deep in my memory something familiar: a pink lampshade with unicorns; curtains with unicorns; a duvet with unicorns...

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My daughter Fiadh’s room. Thank God. I wasn’t sure if I was tied to the bed, but I couldn’t move and thought best not to. Just wait a while and listen.

The rain was beating outside. Apart from that, silence.

Again, that feeling of not having slept and then a sort of remembering. Don’t force it.

There was a spicy taste in my mouth. My head felt strange. I sensed I had been involved in some kind of accident. There was a........

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