‘She sleeps all the time,’ Nick said. ‘I don’t know why she’d be tired.’ A tinge of concern hiding the fact this was another dig.

‘Could be anaemia. Quite common in pregnancy. Schedule a blood test with the nurse on your way out.’ I could see she wanted me off her hands, filed away, and that was fine with me. But not Nick.

‘Then there’s the confusion,’ he said, taking my hand and threading his fingers through mine. ‘She keeps forgetting the alarm code. She’s hot, then cold, then hot again. Is that a pregnancy thing?’

‘Can be hormones, yes.’ The doctor was frowning now. I wondered if she had to tick some box about prenatal depression or whatever. Was that even a thing?

‘Plus she’s been . . . a bit ratty. Irrational, upset.’

‘I am here, you know,’ I muttered. The doctor gave me a sharp look and made a note about something.

‘Again, hormones can lead to mood swings. It’s quite common.’

Nick leaned forward earnestly. ‘I’d love to know what I can do to help. She just seems so unhappy. She goes wandering off in the countryside for hours.’

I gaped at him. ‘You told me to walk every day!’

‘Just a gentle stroll, sweetheart. You’re gone hours, sometimes.’

‘But . . .’ I subsided. Was this gaslighting? How could I explain that if I didn’t go for long enough, he pulled me up on it?

‘Don’t overdo the exercise, especially in this trimester. If you’re low on iron, you’ll get tired very quickly.’ She tapped at the computer. ‘Let’s do some blood work, test your thyroid and so on. Pregnancy can be a tough time. Maybe opening up to a friend would help.’

Sure, I’d just tell everyone that I’d slept with someone else and this might be his baby and now he’d buggered off. No problem. Nick was frowning. ‘You don’t think it’s serious? She doesn’t need, I don’t know, antidepressants or anything?’

The look she gave him was enjoyable for me. A man, telling her how to treat her patient. ‘It’s too soon for that. Blood tests first, don’t be afraid to rest, and like I said, talk to someone if you need it.’ That was it, we were dismissed.

In the car, I sensed Nick brooding. ‘Not much use, are they? What do we pay our taxes for?’

‘You’d honestly rather pump me full of drugs before we know anything? The baby eats everything I eat, you know.’ I parroted his words back to him and he scowled. ‘Maybe I just need someone to talk to. Nora—’

‘That’s another thing. Who is this random woman? You’ve only just met, and already you’re having heart to hearts with her?’

‘I’m not—’