Page 24 of Love, Accidentally

‘Well, that’s up to you, but I’d definitely check out the mother if it were me. Something doesn’t add up here and she might just be the key to it. If she’s as he described then all good. But if she’s not the real reason he’s come south, then there’s something he’s not telling you.’

‘And when you say “check out”, what did you have in mind, Sherlock?’

‘I don’t know. Knock on her door, see who answers. Pretend you’re doing door-to-door sales or something.’

‘For God’s sake, Tash, listen to yourself. Even if I believed he was up to no good, which I don’t, there are hundreds of flats along Monson Road. I’m not knocking on every door, and how would I even begin to know when I’d got the right one? I have no idea what she looks like or anything.’

She’s still unrepentant. ‘Way ahead of you there,’ she says smugly, ratcheting my anger up another notch. ‘Greg tracked her down using the electoral register. There’s only one Milne on Monson Road.’

I’m speechless.

‘Look,’ Tash continues, completely misinterpreting my silence, ‘what have you got to lose? If his story is true, you’ll find a nurse looking after a confused old woman. You can make something up about knocking on the wrong door and forget all about it. If not, well, isn’t it better to find out that he’s lying to you sooner rather than later? Lance the boil before it gets too big and painful.’ She reads out the address. I have absolutely no intention of doing any of the things she said, but it’s the one piece of solid information that she’s been able to find so, despite my fury with her, I reluctantly write it down.

‘Is that everything?’ I ask her. ‘Or is there some other aspect of my private life you’d like to gatecrash?’

‘Look, I know you’re annoyed now, but I just have your best interests at heart. Maybe it’s nothing, but it might be something, and I wouldn’t sleep well at night not sharing what I knew.’

‘You wouldn’t know anything if you had left well alone.’

‘I don’t understand why you’re so cross with me. I’m trying to help you here.’

‘Bollocks. You don’t give a shit about me. If you did, you would just have been happy that I’d found someone. But no, there has to be something off, doesn’t there, so you can go sniffing around trying to dig up some dirt to share with your mates in scandalised whispers. And what did you find? Nothing.’

‘That’s not true.’

‘Oh, just fuck off, Tash!’ I yell as I stab the button to cut off the call.

* * *

‘Tilly, can I have a word?’ Dr Patel says a few days later as I finish dressing the wound on a lady who lost an argument with a kettle full of boiling water.

‘Sure, what’s up?’ I ask as I follow her to the area where Luke received his dressing-down from Dr Rogers. I’m pretty sure I haven’t done anything wrong, but my heart is beating harder in my chest anyway.

‘I bumped into your sister,’ she begins, looking slightly uncomfortable. ‘She, aah, indicated to me that there had been some disagreement and you’re not taking her calls or answering her messages.’

‘I’m sorry. She had no business dragging you into it.’

‘She didn’t, but I got the impression she was desperate. Look, I know our relationship is strictly professional and you’re therefore quite welcome to tell me to mind my own business, but I’m here if you want to talk about it.’

I’m trying not to let my surprise show, as Dr Patel really, really doesn’t do touchy-feely, so Tash must have seriously done a number on her.

‘We’ve all noticed that you don’t seem yourself lately,’ she continues when I don’t answer. ‘Is it something to do with Dr Milne?’

My attempt at a poker face disintegrates and I stare at her in disbelief. What does she know about Luke and me?

She smiles gently. ‘It’s very hard to keep a secret in a place like this,’ she says.

Dr Patel being pastoral and smiling is too much for me to cope with.

‘I know you all see me as some sort of emotionless automaton,’ she continues, leaning forwards conspiratorially, ‘but I am a human being and, whisper it, a woman. So, if you want to share, I’m here.’

I don’t know whether it’s because I do want to talk to someone other than Tash about it, or whether I’m just so knocked for six by Dr Patel’s attempt at care but, before I know it, I’m speaking.

‘We had a row,’ I begin. ‘My sister thinks there’s something not right about Dr Milne and went behind my back to try to dig up some dirt on him. We’re not speaking.’

‘Hmm,’ she says after considering it for a moment. ‘HR told me he had a clean record and solid references before I interviewed him, but he is a little bit of a loose cannon, as you know. Did your sister find anything that I ought to know about?’

‘No. He was dating a nurse and it ended badly, apparently. Hardly a disciplinary offence. Tash is convinced there’s more to it, though, and thinks I should go snooping around his mother. They even looked up her address. Can you believe it?’

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