All of a sudden he was back there, doing the same thing, wearing the same clothes, only this time he stopped to talk to Lizzie longer as she made one final attempt to discover the identity of their mystery patient. He drove the same route to her house, but this time when he arrived, it was already full of smoke. He broke down the front door and called out, but everything was engulfed in flames. He went outside to find another entrance, and that's when he saw her. She was looking straight at him front an upstairs window.

'Lucy! Lucy, jump!' he called repeatedly, but she couldn't hear him over the roar of the fire. Then she disappeared from the window and his cries became more desperate.

Suddenly he heard her call. He looked around, but he couldn't see her, couldn't find her. The house was beginning to collapse.

He heard her call again, but everything was beginning to get hazy. Where was she? He couldn't see.

'Jeff?' he heard, as he sat bolt upright in bed. He was breathing heavily and his bed clothes were crumpled and tangled. He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped. Looking round he realised that a very much alive, but tired, Lucy was sitting on the edge of his bed. Instinctively, he reached out to hold her. She was surprised at first, but knew that he had been having a nightmare, and needed comfort.

'Are you okay?' she asked, carefully loosening the embrace and moving back a little.

'Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that.'

'Don't be. You were having a nightmare. Can you remember what it was about?'

He looked up at her and saw nothing but concern in her eyes, 'I was back on the day of the fire. I arrived too late. When I got there, I couldn't get to you. I lost you. It felt so real, I thought you were really…'

'But I'm not. I'm right here. See?' she said, poking his arm to prove it.

'Okay, I believe you.'

'Good. Now come on, back to bed.' She stood up and he lay back down. She untangled the covers from round his feet and pulled them over him.

'Goodnight,' she said, leaning down to kiss his forehead. She turned to leave, but he grabbed hold of her arm.

'Stay. Please,' he asked, calmly but desperately.

She didn't argue, she didn't want to, just climbed into the bed. They settled into a comfortable position and it wasn't long before they were both fast asleep.

O>

Lucy was alone when she awoke the next morning, and briefly believed that the events she remembered from last night had been a dream, before noticing that she was in Jeff's bed. Breathing a sigh of relief, but wondering where he had gone, she swung out of bed, grabbed his dressing gown from the back of the door to keep her warm and made her way downstairs. She found him in the kitchen, still dressed in his night-clothes, a T-shirt and shorts, making hot drinks.

'Nice outfit,' he commented as she came through the door, 'Sorry if I woke you, I was just making us a drink.'

'No, I think it was just the lack of heat in the bed,' she replied, taking the mug of hot tea he offered and sitting down at the kitchen table.

'Thanks for last night, by the way. I know it was a bit forward to ask, but that nightmare really shook me up,' he said, joining her at the table.

'It's okay. Have you had it before?'

He nodded, 'A couple of times. Sometimes I'm late for different reasons, sometimes I see different things, but the end is always the same. I always arrive too late.'

She put her hand over his and their fingers entwined.

He looked down at their hands for a while, before looking up and meeting her eyes, 'Do you think it's a sign of insanity?'

'What is?'

'To keep re-living it.'

'No,' she replied, 'I think it's just a sign that you're scared of the same thing now that you were scared of on that day.'

'Losing you,' he said simply. They looked straight at each other, hands still tight, and before they knew what was happening their faces were a hair away from each other. Jeff's free hand reached up and touched her cheek gently, but just as he moved to close the distance…

the doorbell rung.

Lucy jumped as if she'd been hit and Jeff cured under his breath all the way to the front door, planning to berate the person on the other side for interrupting such a moment. He decided against this as soon as he saw who it was.

'Mum!' he exclaimed in total surprise, 'What are you doing here?'

Trudy Goodwin stepped through the door and dropped her case, 'Don't tell me you forgot? I told you last week I would be arriving on the seven o'clock train this morning. Remember?'

Jeff looked blank. He had absolutely no memory of the conversation she was talking about.

'You've got a memory like a broken sieve. Aren't you even going to offer your poor mum a drink?' she asked, wandering off in search of the kitchen.

Jeff stood where he was, still trying to work out how he had managed to forget that his mother was coming to visit, and was having little luck. Suddenly, he remembered that Lucy was sat, half dressed, mostly in his dressing gown, in the kitchen. However, by this point it was far too late. Trudy had found the kitchen and was staring hard at poor Lucy, who was on her feet but seemed to be shrinking under his mums glare.

'Jeff, perhaps you'd like to introduce me to your…friend,' she finished, shooting a disgusted look at Lucy.

Jeff looked desperately between the two women, and decided it would be safer to stand with her.

'Lucy, this is my mother, Trudy Goodwin. I forgot she was coming to visit. Mum, this is Lucy, my…' he stopped. What should he call her? Friend, colleague? Luckily, she finished his sentence for him.

'I'm his damsel in distress.'

'His what?' Trudy asked.

'We work together at the hospital and he kindly offered to help me decorate my new house. When he arrived, the house was on fire and I was trapped inside. He saved my life.' No need to mention the psychopath patient.

'Congratulations,' she spat out at her son, 'but why is she now sitting in your kitchen at half past seven in the morning in what I assume is your dressing gown?'

'Mum, her house burned down, she needs somewhere to stay.'

'And her attire?'

Lucy thought quickly, 'Mine is in the wash, and I was cold.'

Trudy obviously didn't believe a word either of them said, but remained tight lipped.

'Right,' Lucy said, very uncomfortable, 'I should probably go and get dressed for work then.'

'Okay, I'll see you in a while,' Jeff said, equally as uncomfortable.

When Lucy had left the room, Trudy still stood watching her son, searching for indications of the truth. He was not about to be found out though. Shooting her his best smile he clapped his hands together.

'What can I get you to drink then?'