Ernie had almost drifted back into an unconscious state when he heard his name spoken somewhere rather far away. It took him a moment, for he felt like he was fighting his way through a stifling darkness, but he managed, finally, to crack his eyes open just enough to see Hazel's face.
"Hullo, Hazel," he said quietly, his voice hoarse and barely audible. "...I'd offer you a seat, but I'm not sure I can move." He tried to smile, but found that it rather hurt, his lip reopening from where it had split at some point over the previous night. Ernie raised a hand, touching it and noticing the blood. "...lovely."
He was rather unaware of how he looked, but figured it was unlikely to be pretty.