I stood at the bar, watching her slumped shoulders and hung head. Poor Jemma. The symptoms she’d described were certainly indicative of dementia but they were also indicative of other things like stress and depression. Julie’s age was a big plus. She was very young for dementia, but that wasn’t a reason to rule it out because there were exceptions to every medical ‘norm’. Without meeting her, properly examining her medical history, and conducting tests, I couldn’t give a diagnosis, no matter how much Jemma might want me to.

‘Thanks,’ she said when I returned to the table and handed her a large glass of wine. ‘And I don’t just mean for the drink. You’ve explained everything really well. I think we both know it’s dementia but I understand that you’re not allowed to say that without having met the patient.’

‘I genuinely can’t say it because, unless I’ve done a proper diagnosis, it’s impossible to comment. It could be a number of things. It really could. Please don’t convince yourself that it’s dementia because, given her age, it’s highly unlikely.’

‘Really?’

‘Really.’

Jemma smiled brightly and, in that moment, she looked like I’d lifted the weight of the world off her shoulders. ‘Thank you so much, Sam. I can’t tell you how helpful you’ve been.’

‘Any time.’

‘So, subject change time. Talk to me about home. Were you brought up in Whitsborough Bay?’

I nodded. ‘Born and bred there and so was my dad. My mum’s from Middlesbrough. We moved to York when I was three but my parents missed the sea too much so we were back within a year. What about you?’

‘My dad was born in Whitby but his family moved to Whitsborough Bay before he started senior school, and Mum was brought up in Great Sandby. We used to live in town but we moved out to Little Sandby when my parents split up. Mum loves it there and it’s been great for Logan growing up in such a friendly village with loads of fields and woods to play in. I hope he still loves it when he hits the teen years and he can’t see his mates on an evening because buses don’t run.’

Small world. I’d been brought up in the next village to Little Sandby although I’d left home for medical school six years before Jemma had moved there. ‘I was bought up in Settering so I know what that’s like. My two best mates lived in Little Sandby, though, so I could cycle there easily.’

‘Can I ask who? I might know them.’

‘Stevie Barnes and Rob Harris. I’ve no idea if they still live there. We lost touch when we were eighteen. Well, I did. They’re probably still mates.’