If there were enough worrying signs, enough red flags, Paula would speak to one of the permanent doctors in the practice about following up with the woman, making sure the mandatory reporting was done. Dr Kaczmarek was only temporary so it wasn’t up to her. She couldn’t be responsible. She tried not to let her mind follow those patients any further than the door.

This Saturday ended with another straightforward run: sinus infection, sprained ankle and a blood test for a gent at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Paula put on a reassuring performance as a thorough and caring doctor, even though, in truth, she was keeping real human feelings in frozen suspension. It helped that this was her last day at the practice. On Monday, she would move on to some other anonymous locum job and she would have no idea what happened to anyone in this town.

After work, Paula planned to go for a last walk, filling her head with an audiobook rather than think about bruises or broken bones or strangulation injuries. She was untangling her earbuds as she passed the front office. Fiona, the receptionist, was on the phone, so Paula mouthed ‘I’m off now’ as she headed for the door. But Fiona signalled wait and beckoned Paula over.

‘Hang on a sec, sweetie,’ Fiona said into the phone and then turned to Paula. ‘This kid says her little brother’s got a temperature and a sore ear.’

‘Well, I’ll stick around if she wants to bring him in.’

‘They live ten k’s out of town and got no transport at the moment. I mean, if it was something more serious, we could send an ambulance, but not for this.’

‘No. I understand. Okay. What would Tanya normally do in a situation like this?’

‘She’d drive out there, take a bunch of antibiotics and whatever. But doesn’t mean you have to.’

‘Of course, yeah. A sick kid with no transport. Can I speak to her?’ Paula asked.

Fiona handed the receiver across the desk.

‘Hi, this is Paula. I’m one of the doctors here. What’s your name?’

‘Ruby. Jye’s my brother. He’s five.’

Paula immediately pictured the spiky whippety teenage girl and the little boy she’d seen in the supermarket on her first night in town.

‘And Jye’s got a sore ear, has he?’ Paula asked.

‘Yep. He had an ear infection last year and it’s same as then. Forehead’s really hot and he reckons the inside of his ear really hurts. He loses his balance if he stands up and that. He’s just, like, quiet and doesn’t want to eat, which for Jye is a big deal.’