"Shush, Dylan will hear" Zoe whispered as yet again she tried to sneak Max out of Dylan's houseboat. Dylan was one of her closest friends but she didn't need him prying in to her sex life.

"Alright, alright I'm going" Max said in hushed tones before gently kissing Zoe on the lips. "See you later" he whispered.

Max carefully crept from Zoe's room through the kitchen and headed for the door.

"Morning Max" Dylan called as he came in from his and Dervla's morning walk.

Jumping and at total loss at to what to say "Errr, morning" he responded looking at his feet and hurrying out.

Zoe had heard all of this from her bedroom door and emerged in to the kitchen. "Surprised you remembered his name" she commented nonchalantly, filling the kettle and switching it on.

"It's hard to forget it when I hear you screaming it several times a night."

Colour began to creep up her face in embarrassment. She knew the walls were thin but genuinely thought they'd been quiet.

"Oh god, Dylan, I had no idea you could hear us."

"You're so easy to wind up."

She slapped his arm playfully. "I don't believe you, I was mortified."

"You still should be, I know you scream his name now."

"Shut up!" She ended the conversation like a teenager storming to her room but they both knew it was half in jest and half because they had to leave for the hospital in quarter of an hour and she wasn't dressed.

As the three of them, Dylan, Zoe and Dervla, walked in to the hospital, Zoe briefed Dylan on how to play it with Max.

"Just be normal around him, and pretend that this morning never happened."

"I'm not a total imbecile."

"How long have you known?"

"Oh so last night wasn't a one off?"

Zoe's face fell, thinking that she'd given too much away before he gently elbowed her letting her know that he'd got her again.

"You really infuriate me, you know!"

"I know but you just make it too easy."

"Right so how did you know? And how long have you known?"

"Zoe, we live on a small house boat. I hear you sneak him in at night and out again in the morning and anything else I hear I blank from my memory in case it scars me for life."

"Awww is poor Dylan afraid of sex?" she teased.

He huffed as he always did when he didn't have a witty comeback and they continued their walk to work in their usual good humour.

Arriving in the hospital car park Zoe saw Max standing by the doorway smoking and as always she wanted to go to him and enjoyed his company but also wanting to keep their relationship as private as possible. Dylan could see the debate she was having internally and shook his head at her.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just don't understand you two. You're acting like you're having a secret affair. He doesn't have a wife I don't know about does he?"

"Well if he does, I don't know about her either." She smiled to herself. Dylan was right but weirdly in this situation it was almost like she had the wife - Connie Beachamp. It was Connie that Zoe didn't want to know about this relationship Connie that would look down her nose and wonder why Zoe lowered herself to sleeping with a porter. Zoe wasn't in pursuit of status, she was a phenomenal doctor, everyone said so, she didn't need to prove herself, yet here she was shunning the one man who truly adores her in order to impress a woman who is so shallow she puts prestige in her career above her own daughter.

Walking in to the ED on that Tuesday morning, Zoe had decided things were going to change.