She sat up with a start at seven, then flopped back with a hand over her eyes. She didn’t have to go to work that day, might never have to go to work again. Fifteen years a nurse and she’d never made an error. Never had as much as a reprimand. Warm, silent tears of self-pity slid from the corner of her eyes.

There didn’t seem any point in getting dressed either so she pulled a robe on and headed downstairs. The extension that housed the kitchen had taken up most of the small garden but the previous owner had made the most of what little space there was, and a small window to one side of the room overlooked a pretty courtyard. Jodie had been lucky. Because the owner had been going abroad, he’d been happy to leave several large pots filled with a variety of plants including some very elegant acers. As September rolled on, some of the flowers were fading but several vibrant geraniums continued to add a splash of colour.

There was space in front of the window for a table and chairs. Unable to find ones small enough in traditional furniture shops, Jodie had had the bright idea to buy garden furniture. And the white wrought-iron set she’d found – a table and two chairs – fitted perfectly.

She made a pot of tea and sat drinking it while she looked out the window and tried not to think of what had happened. There was no point in going over it again and again until she knew all the facts. As soon as it hit nine, she’d phone her union and see what advice they had to offer her.

Meanwhile, only another nurse would understand, so early though it was she rang Rivka, her go-to friend in times of crisis. She and her partner tended to be up at first light so Jodie wasn’t afraid of disturbing her.

Rivka’s reaction to the sad tale was heartening: a long silence was followed by a grunt of disbelief. ‘You’re kidding me, aren’t you? You don’t make mistakes, you’re a dot every I, cross every T kind of woman.’

It made Jodie out to be terribly boring and predictable but she appreciated her friend’s sentiments. ‘They’re saying that yesterday I wasn’t quite so efficient.’

‘Right, well, I’m not working today, I’ll be straight over.’

‘No, thank you,’ Jodie said quickly. ‘Honestly, I’m fine. Being able to talk about it with someone who understands is enough. I’m going to ring the RCN and see what they say. Then I’m going to treat the rest of the day like an unexpected day off and laze around reading and watching TV.’ She managed to inject so much enthusiasm into her plans for the day that she almost succeeded in fooling herself.