‘Well, there he was, saying how we should all put a bit of excitement into our lives and now this.’

‘Not the kind of excitement he had in mind.’

‘Poor sod. You don’t realize how much you take your mates for granted until something happens to one of them, do you?’

‘No.’ Christopher looked thoughtful, as though he were weighing up Tiger’s chances. ‘It’s a shame they didn’t get to him sooner. The next twenty-four hours will be critical. God! I’ve heard that said a few times in the last couple of days.’

Gary looked quizzical.

‘Oh, it’s all right. Someone else. Lost a colleague this week and I’m still smarting.’

‘It’s no easier then, when you’re a doctor?’

‘I wish it were. I’m sure people think it is. That you can somehow distance yourself. And you can, up to a point. You have to. The old surgeon at college–the one who taught us anatomy–always used to point to one of us and then to the cadaver lying on the slab and say, “That is a person, and that is a body; never confuse the one with the other.”’

‘That simple?’

‘Sometimes. Sometimes not. Especially if you know them.’

Gary took a sip of the whisky, then asked, ‘So when will we know about Tiger?’

‘We should have a better idea of how he’s progressing tomorrow. Find out if everything’s working properly.’

Gary looked into the flames again. ‘Fragile, isn’t it?’

‘Sorry?’

‘Life. As solid and as strong as a rock one minute, then hanging by a thread the next.’

‘’Fraid so.’

‘Like relationships.’

‘That sounds ominous. Has Sarah given up on you? Or you on her?’

‘Neither actually.’

‘Oh?’

Gary turned from the fire and faced Christopher across his glass. ‘How old am l?’

‘Younger than I am, you keep telling me.’

‘I’m fifty. Been happily bonking everything in sight for a good thirty-odd of those years and now…’ He sighed heavily and shook his head.

‘Oh dear.’

‘Yes, oh dear.’

‘You poor chap. Is this the one then? You’ve finally realized the error of your ways?’

‘Not the error. It was always fine before. I was very happy to shop around.’

‘But not any more?’

‘It’s taken me a while to work out what it was. It’s a weird feeling.’

‘Well, you won’t be the first person who’s taken their time to work it out.’