"Lady Catherine," Doc greeted warmly. "How are we this evening?"

The look on her face was answer enough and he quickly sobered up.

"Is Sara okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Catherine answered, casting a quick glance over her shoulder to check that the only person eavesdropping on their conversation was the corpse on Doc's table. "Well, I mean, she's not fine. But she will be."

"Has something else happened?" He asked, straightening up.

Cath pursed her lips, ambling closer to the coroner.

"There was an incident, but its okay now. I've found a way to keep her safe."

"Which is?" He raised a curious.

"I moved her in with me."

The curt delivery and the satisfied look on her face caused a surprised laugh to burble out of Doc.

"I see." He nodded, amused. "And how does she feel about this?"

"She's pissed." Cath hummed, resting her hands on the edge of the table, careful to avoid contact with the bloated young man staring up at her from it. "But she wasn't in any fit state to fight me on it."

Doc smiled affectionately at his old friend.

"I hope you know what you're doing." He warned carefully. "Just because she's under your roof, that isn't going to change her symptoms or the difficulties she's going to face. It's going to put a lot of strain on you, and Lindsey."

"I know that." Cath shrugged nonchalantly.

"Do you?" He challenged. "You've essentially elected yourself as her carer. That's not an insignificant role, especially if she doesn't agree to it. You're opening yourself up to a lot of stress, on top of your responsibilities to Lindsey and your job."

"Yeah, I get that." She frowned, getting mildly annoyed by his attitude. "But at least this way I can keep a closer eye on her, make sure that she's taking her medication when she should. I'll feel better knowing that she's with me, even if she doesn't."

"And you think it's that easy? To just move her in and you'll suddenly be on top of everything?" He shook his head sadly. "Caring for people who are unwell is a lot more complicated than that."

"With all due respect, Doc, I know what I'm doing." Catherine stated firmly, despite the tiny flicker of something behind her eyes which gave away her true feelings.

Doc narrowed his eyes, but whatever pearls of wisdom lay on his lips died there as he decided that it would be futile to argue with her right now. Instead, he released a sigh and gestured to the unfortunate soul she had come here for in the first place.

"May I introduce you to Mr Jenkinson."

x X x

"I talked to mom." Nancy offered by way of greeting, trailing her sister into the kitchen and hopping up onto the counter uninvited, swinging her heels lazily against the cabinet doors beneath. "She told me about your little meltdown last night."

"It was not a meltdown" Cath scoffed, clicking the coffee machine one.

"She said you cried." Nancy continued blithely, taking a mouthful out of the muffin that she had just snatched up.

Catherine rolled her eyes, electing not to dignify the comment with a response.

"I was just a little stressed, that's all." She murmured, slinking into a seat and clawing a hand through her hair.

"Sara's only been here one night and you're already struggling to cope." Nancy hummed, sliding off the countertop and joining her sibling at the table. "Can't say I didn't warn you."

"Thanks sis, that's really helpful." Catherine shot back sarcastically.

"What," Nancy shrugged. "I tried to tell you – looking after someone with Sara's condition is not as simple as just being there for her. It's going to be a lot of work, it's going to be upsetting at times, it's going to take you away from Lindsey..."

"Why is everyone suddenly so worried about Lindsey?" Cath bristled, cutting her off. Nancy raised an eyebrow, realising what had her sister in such a prickly mood.

"I'm not the first person to tell you this, am I?" She guessed, watching a sulky look cloud Catherine's expression.

"I'm not going to do anything to harm Lindsey." She replied, ignoring the question.

"Of course not." Nancy scowled. "Not intentionally. But remember how upset you were when you saw the state Sara can get into when she takes a turn. How do you think it's going to affect a child, witnessing that in her own home?"

Catherine cocked her head to the side, inhaling a deep breath. It pained her to admit when Nancy was right, but she had to acknowledge that she hadn't given a great deal of thought to how Lindsey might cope witnessing Sara's condition up close.

"So what do you recommend, Einstein?" She enquired, glossing over her internal admission that her younger sibling had touched a nerve. "Send Sara home, let her handle this alone?"

"No, not at all." Nancy folded her hands on the table. "I think what you're doing for her is very admirable. But if you're serious about wanting to support her through this, then you need to find a way of doing it without wearing yourself into the ground, or distressing Lindsey in the process."

Catherine cocked an expectant eyebrow, awaiting something further. When it never came, she raised her hands.

"And, how exactly do I do that?"