All through the long drive down to the hospital, Tom had tried to console his fiancee, as she kept crying and talking to herself. He knew that she saw Ella as a sister she never had, but he could also tell that she knew the reason behind Ella's unconsciousness.
Tom was also unhappy when Denise kept blaming herself for Ella's condition. She kept saying, 'I should have been there for her.'
He was able to conclude his suspicion due to the way Denise had been behaving since the previous evening. It was as though someone or something had suppressed her from expressing herself.
Even when he tried to make her open up to him, she adamantly refused.
Hence, he was forced to manage her coldness and anger all through the night till the following morning.
They had just woken up and were planning on having an early breakfast when Paul called and dropped the bad news about Ella's unconsciousness.