Back to work, Monday morning. Getting out of the house wasn’t too bad – I think it’s because the sun was shining. I’d managed to sleep better over the weekend, more than a few hours at a time. I made sure I ate three times a day, had some proper dinners, and it seemed to do the trick.

Even though the Monday morning checking went well, I was still late, hurrying along the pavement, my breath in clouds in the frosty air. I heard someone behind me and turned with a start. It was Stuart. He looked so wonderful, so happy, so out of breath. ‘Hiya,’ he said. ‘You walking to the Tube?’

‘Yes,’ I said. My step felt lighter already as he walked along beside me. ‘Listen, Stuart, I know I keep saying this every time I see you, but I’m sorry.’

‘Sorry?’ he said. ‘Why?’

‘You get enough of that sort of shit at work, I expect. You don’t need it when you’re off duty. And the other day, when you made me soup and I ran out on you. I’m sorry for that too. It was really rude.’

He didn’t say anything for a moment, his chin buried in the collar of his jacket. I chanced a look at him. ‘No, I’ve been thinking about that. I was pressuring you. I shouldn’t have done that.’

‘But you were right. I need to do it. I’ve been thinking about it over the weekend. I’m going to go and find a GP to register with.’ The words were out before I even really thought about them – where the hell did that come from? It was him, it was the fact that he was here and for some crazy reason I wanted to see him smile.

He stopped in his tracks. ‘Really?’

‘Yes, sure.’

The look on his face made me laugh.

He carried on walking. We crossed the main road together, the noise of the traffic roaring. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘sign on at the Willow Road Medical Centre. They’re the best round here, lots of really good clinics, they’re great, really friendly. Sanj – Dr Malhotra – when you’ve registered, make an appointment to see him, okay? He’s a good bloke. He’s nice, too.’

‘Alright. I will. Thanks.’

We went through the barriers at the Tube and parted company: he was going south, I was going north. I watched him walk away down the tiled corridor, a bag slung over one shoulder.