‘We’ve all noticed that you don’t seem yourself lately,’ she continues when I don’t answer. ‘Is it something to do with Dr Milne?’

My attempt at a poker face disintegrates and I stare at her in disbelief. What does she know about Luke and me?

She smiles gently. ‘It’s very hard to keep a secret in a place like this,’ she says.

Dr Patel being pastoral and smiling is too much for me to cope with.

‘I know you all see me as some sort of emotionless automaton,’ she continues, leaning forwards conspiratorially, ‘but I am a human being and, whisper it, a woman. So, if you want to share, I’m here.’

I don’t know whether it’s because I do want to talk to someone other than Tash about it, or whether I’m just so knocked for six by Dr Patel’s attempt at care but, before I know it, I’m speaking.

‘We had a row,’ I begin. ‘My sister thinks there’s something not right about Dr Milne and went behind my back to try to dig up some dirt on him. We’re not speaking.’

‘Hmm,’ she says after considering it for a moment. ‘HR told me he had a clean record and solid references before I interviewed him, but he is a little bit of a loose cannon, as you know. Did your sister find anything that I ought to know about?’

‘No. He was dating a nurse and it ended badly, apparently. Hardly a disciplinary offence. Tash is convinced there’s more to it, though, and thinks I should go snooping around his mother. They even looked up her address. Can you believe it?’

‘What has it got to do with his mother?’

‘She’s not well and he cares for her. Tash thinks there’s something dodgy about that as well. It’s like she’s determined to sabotage my happiness.’

Dr Patel frowns. ‘I don’t know your sister, obviously, but that’s not the impression she gave me. She knows she’s done the wrong thing and she seems desperate to make amends. It’s not for me to tell you what to do but, if I can stick my professional head back on for a minute, I’d quite like you to sort things out with her, because your miserable face is dragging down team morale.’

At school, we had to go to chapel every day and whoever was doing the Bible reading had to say ‘Here ends the lesson’ when they finished. The phrase ‘Here ends Dr Patel’s compassion’ has suddenly swum into my consciousness and I have to fight an irrational urge to laugh.

‘What would you do?’ I ask her.