It removes the insignificant. My chilled feet were nothing compared to the cold lumps sticking out from the bottom of the bed. I quickly established that the cold extended to the rest of Willie’s body. His face was pale as a ghost, his skin had the clammy feel of a corpse, and he was only wearing a vest. I didn’t need a thermometer to diagnose hypothermia. Willie’s condition was serious but at least I could tell on taking his pulse and feeling its sluggish flicker that he was still alive. I prodded him gently, unsurprised when nothing happened. Knowing Willie’s reluctance to speak, I didn’t expect floods of eloquence. Still, it’d have been lovely to have heard a grunt. ‘See what a grand sleeper he is, he is.’ Jock stood in the doorway and spoke in admiration. I ran over to him, grabbed his hat and stuck it on Willie’s head. ‘Look, Jock, if he was any colder, he’d be frozen stiff. That’s a fine enough vest he’s got on but have you any scarves, more blankets and have you a phone?’ Jock patted his head as if to check his hat had really gone.
