“What if she doesn’t want to help?”

“She will. And if not, then you know. But don’t butter her up. It looks cheap.”

Seriously, Frazer needed to work on her game if it was that obvious. Her cheeks warmed. “We never, you know, chat. I barely see her, and when I do, it’s just in those stupid meetings. It felt rude to just ask for a favour.”

Tia rolled her eyes. “You’re not on different sides you know. You can help each other.”

“What can I offer her?”

“Something down the road, I’m sure. What makes you think she wouldn’t want to help this programme? It shoots right to the bleeding heart of a social worker.”

“It’s not like she ever spoke in support.” Frazer jutted out her chin. One point to her, finally.

“It’s not like she ever speaks in general.”

Her shoulders sagged. Minus one point to her. “True.”

Really true. Cora usually slipped into those meetings, then slipped out. Eyes downcast, off to save the world or whatever social workers did. Frazer had always assumed she was a bit…boring. But maybe she was just shy.

“Fine.” Frazer scowled, feeling fifteen as she did so. “I’ll speak to her like a grown-up.”

“Good girl. Now off you go. Oh, and enjoy passing Lauren on your way through to her office.”

Frazer groaned again. Loudly.

Tia tittered and walked off.

Frazer pursed her lips.

Really, Frazer had no idea why she liked that woman.

* * *

After a dramatic breech birth that had left even Frazer flinching, she finally managed to find the time to heed Tia’s advice. She left the new parents lying on the lumpy hospital bed, their tiny bundle of new life nestled between them. Snapping off her gloves, Frazer rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. Normally she would be buried in paperwork on a Monday, but this had called for someone with more experience, and Frazer had jumped at the opportunity. Warm water washed over her hands, the soap lathered between her fingers as she scrubbed at them.

A birth like that was far better than paperwork.

She left the first-year observing midwife to fill out the documentation Frazer would quickly check later and started up the stairs. Paperwork, the bane of any nurse or midwife’s existence. Frazer was doing the new girl a favour, creating the opportunity to practice her documentation, just like people had once done for her.

She smirked to herself. No one would believe that excuse. She’d just been happy to handball the work to someone else.

The social services floor was empty, and that was bad. How could Frazer hide behind people and dash through to Cora’s office when there was no one there?

“Frazer!”

There it was. Trying to look friendly and forcing her lips up in a way that probably wasn’t normal, she walked over to the desk. “Hi, Lauren.”

“How are you?”

Lauren was all teeth and lipstick right now, and she really was very nice. But so interested. And they worked together. And no.