Gently, I placed a hand on his arm. ‘Hey, you weren’t driving the van. You can’t beat yourself up when something like this happens. You’re a brilliant vet – so good with the animals and their owners. Look at the number of cards you get from grateful clients when things go right – which they usually do. But it’s the nature of the job. There’ll always be times when not everything goes according to plan. You’ve just got to pick yourself up and get back on that horse, because there are so many more needy animals out there that you can help – and you will.’

He forced a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘Thanks for the vote of confidence. At least you still believe in me.’

I hugged him tightly and he buried his face in my shoulder. He felt rigid. I hoped that at any moment the tension would be released and the floodgates would open, but he seemed to be holding back. His pain was tangible and it was awful to see. I knew how tired he had been lately, putting in long hours to bring in some extra cash, and I suspected this had been the final straw.

‘I wanted to do this job to help, to make a difference,’ he said, his voice quiet and strained. ‘I’ve lost animals before, but this one’s really got to me. I kept thinking how we’d have felt if it’d been Jobie …’

The very idea brought tears to my eyes. I shook my head. ‘Don’t. Come on, I think you could do with a drink. Take your mind off it all. D’you fancy going to the pub this evening? We can grab a bite to eat in there, too – it’ll make a nice change.’

He thought for a moment and let out a huge sigh. ‘Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll only wallow if I sit here all evening. Let me get a shower first.’

*