I laugh humourlessly. ‘A fact you demonstrated so beautifully when you threw me under the bus without a moment’s hesitation. There’s only one fantasist in this room, Luke, and it’s you. For all I know, you might genuinely believe all that crap you’ve just spouted, but there’s just one problem. I don’t believe a word of it and I don’t care. I will work with you because I don’t have a choice, but I won’t socialise with you and I never want you to disturb my breaks again. Do you understand?’

Although there is still plenty of time before I’m due back at work, I’m suddenly anxious to be away from here, so I close the lid on my uneaten sandwich and start to get to my feet.

‘Oh, no, you don’t,’ Luke snarls, his face contorted with ugly rage now. ‘You don’t get to just walk away. You owe me.’

‘I owe you nothing.’

‘If you turn your back on me now, I’ll finish you,’ he continues. ‘Don’t forget I outrank you in this department, and any situation where it’s my word against yours is not going to end well for you.’

‘That’s a chance I’ll have to take.’

‘Everything all right in here?’ Dr Rogers asks. In the intensity of our exchange, neither of us heard him enter.

‘Absolutely,’ Luke tells him, his voice suddenly pure reason and calm. ‘Tilly and I were just straightening out a difference of opinion on patient care.’

‘I’ll remind you, Dr Milne, that break times are supposed to be exactly that.’ Dr Rogers’s voice is stern. ‘If you have a difference of opinion, you will bring it to me during working hours, not threaten senior nurses on their tea breaks. Am I making myself clear?’

‘Yes, Dr Rogers.’ Luke is trying to sound subservient, but his eyes are filled with rage. I can’t believe I was ever taken in by those eyes.

‘Good. The patient in bay three needs your attention. Would you mind?’

Luke pushes back his chair with a scrape and stalks out of the door without looking back but, even though it’s unsaid, I know I haven’t heard the last of this.

‘Are you all right?’ Dr Rogers asks me, sinking gently into the chair that Luke has just vacated. ‘You look rattled, if you don’t mind me saying. If you need extra time, or if you want to file a complaint… I didn’t see or hear that much, but it sounded unpleasant. We don’t tolerate bullying in this hospital.’

‘I’ll be OK, thanks, Dr Rogers,’ I tell him shakily. ‘I don’t think he’ll try something like that again.’

‘Hm,’ is all he says as he levers himself back to his feet. ‘Well, it’s your decision. Enjoy the rest of your break.’