James holds the door open, but she stops to look at me. ‘Thank you,’ she says. There’s a look on her face that makes me feel the words don’t quite convey how she really feels. As if it’s all too big to describe. I get it. ‘Thank you for everything.’

I clasp my hands to my chest and smile at her. Because I can’t find the words either.

The door closes and I watch Susan and James take their time as they head for the lift. A buzzer goes in one of the private rooms, and whilst I don’t want to walk away until I know she’s gone, I’m on duty. Life on the ward goes on, so I turn on my heel.

‘Hey, Kat.’ Mark approaches from the opposite end of the ward. He’s undoing the top button on his shirt, loosening his tie. ‘I’m glad I caught you. Was that Susan? Has she gone?’ he asks, peering towards Susan’s empty bed.

‘Yeah, she’s gone. Another one bites the dust.’ Though I say it with a smile, my eyes sting and blink.

‘You did a great job,’ he says with a shuffle and a cough.

‘Thanks.’

Mark looks up and down the corridor, then back to me. ‘So look,’ he says, with a half-smile. ‘I have a transfer.’

‘What?’

‘A transfer. To Loughborough. There’s a great opportunity for me down there, a new challenge and…’ He looks around, suddenly nervous. ‘I guess there’s not much keeping me here at the moment.’

‘I didn’t realise you were… I thought you said you were staying?’ I realise my voice sounds more bothered than I probably need to be. He’s just a consultant. They come and go. It’s no big deal.

‘Yeah.’ He adjusts his tie looser still. ‘I guess things… change.’

‘Right,’ I say, stunned, searching for something to say. ‘Well, I guess the nurses can get on with their jobs if you’re not here to distract them.’

‘Pardon?’

‘Nothing.’ I colour.

‘Right.’ He stuffs his hands in his trouser pockets. ‘Anyway, this is my last shift so I just thought I’d…’

The buzzer in the private room goes again. ‘I need to…’ I say, looking around for anyone who might be able to answer it. ‘You can’t get the staff!’ I joke, then swallow, despite my mouth running dry. ‘Well, good luck then, I guess.’

Mark looks at me and it feels as though he sees deep inside of me. My stomach flips and I cross my arms. ‘Maybe we could keep in touch?’ he offers, taking a paper with his number on from his pocket. ‘If you fancy…?’

‘Sure,’ I say, taking it, unclear why this has suddenly got so weird.

He goes to say something, then stops himself and instead drops a clumsy peck on my cheek. I can feel my colour deepening.

‘Bye, Kat.’

‘Bye.’

He walks away, not with quite the swagger he’s had in the past. He throws a final glance in my direction before heading down the stairwell. There’s a pause, an echo of his footsteps coming back up the stairwell. ‘Kat,’ he says, poking his head back through the door. ‘One more thing.’