Page 31 of The Sleepwalker

‘Hugo?’

With a sigh, the teenager takes off his beret and drops it to the floor beside his chair. He has a bandage on his forehead, crusted with dried blood.

‘What happened?’ Bernard asks in a raised voice, getting to his feet.

‘Man, chill out,’ Hugo mumbles.

‘Can I see?’

‘Stop it,’ he says wearily, tilting his head away.

‘What happened, Hugo?’

‘Nothing, I just fell out of bed in my cell.’

‘You were sleepwalking, you mean?’

Hugo shrugs, and Bernard takes his seat again.

‘Because you’re going through a serious episode at the moment, aren’t you?’

‘I dunno.’

Bernard runs a hand across the table. ‘I spoke to Lars, and he said that he—’

‘What the hell did you do that for?’ Hugo snaps. ‘You don’t need to talk to him. I can handle this myself, I told you.’

‘I just asked if he could help if this went to trial.’

‘Ugh, please.’

‘He knows what he’s talking about, Hugo. He’s been a great help to you, and—’

‘Yeah,suchimpressive results,’ Hugo cuts him off, gesturing to his own head. ‘I’m just as fucked up as I was when I first went to see him.’

‘You know, I remember what things were like when you were little,’ Agneta says, speaking up for the first time. ‘We had to take turns sitting by your bed, night after night .?.?.’

‘Thanks a bunch.’

‘And it wasn’t until you were admitted for the second time that things got a little better,’ she continues.

Hugo sighs and turns his attention to his phone.

‘No sighing, please,’ says Bernard.

‘OK.’

‘And no phones at the dinner table.’

‘God, what isupwith you?’ Hugo mutters.

‘We need to talk, about your behaviour and your tone here,’ he says. ‘Towards us – towards Agneta, who I love, and who hasonly ever been kind and loving towards you.’

‘Whatever.’

‘No, I mean it .?.?. I’m serious, Hugo. You can’t keep living here if you’re going to behave like this.’

‘Fine,’ Hugo says, getting up and grabbing his laptop from the counter.