Patrick had seen Lucy walking out the department and quickly made his excuses to Lara and went after her. She was already at her car by the time he caught up with her.

He wasn't prepared for the reception she gave him.

"What the fuck was that all about?" she demanded, throwing the piece of paper back at him. "What gives you the right to start organising my life? Why can't you just stay out of it?"

Patrick stayed back; Lucy was looking decidedly violent. "I thought it might help. And if I remember correctly, it was you who got involved in my life first."

"I never told you what to do!" Lucy pointed out angrily. Patrick could have sworn he could see tears in her eyes.

"I didn't either," he replied as calmly as he could. "It was a challenge, you could have said no!"

"Oh yeah, and have you win?" Lucy sounded incredulous. "You'd have loved that."

"Since when did this turn into a competition?"

"Since you made my life into a bloody game!" Lucy snapped. "Do me a favour Patrick, and keep your stupid ideas to yourself in future! I'm doing just fine on my own!"

"Oh yeah, cause still being in love with your dead husband is doing just fine isn't it?" Patrick regretted saying that immediately.

Lucy looked like she'd been smacked around the face. The fierce anger left her and she looked determinedly livid. "Don't you ever talk about Jamie like that again," she said quietly. "You have no idea what it's like, none at all. You never loved Rachel, that's obvious, or you'd never have asked me to do what I did today. Have you any idea how stupid and ridiculous I felt in that office? What good was that ever meant to do me?"

Patrick shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know, I thought it might help. You can't go through life keeping big secrets like that, you'll go mad. You needed to tell someone."

"Why? How comes you're the big expert on this?" Lucy demanded.

"Because I know," Patrick said shortly. "Because I've done the same for the past twenty five years. You don't want to end up like me, do you?"

Lucy frowned suddenly. "What do you mean?"

Patrick sighed. "My mum died when I was ten, okay? On Christmas Day. Happy? You're the second person I've ever told. Now do you get me?" He shook his head. "I was trying to help you, Lucy. But obviously you're doing so well without it." He began walking away.

Lucy hesitated, then called after him. "Patrick! I'm sorry!"

He turned round to look at her again.

"What's… what's challenge 2?" Lucy asked in a shaky voice.


Charlie's mind was still reeling the next day. He didn't want to treat Lucy any differently, she didn't want anyone else to know. But suddenly things were slotting into place: her stroppy behaviour, her reluctance to make close friends here. She was probably still grieving, he thought, though god only knew how long ago her husband had died. Her constant bad time keeping, was that connected to it all? Though she'd actually made it in on time today…

"That was evil," Lucy said quietly, not looking up from her paperwork as Patrick stood next to her, looking at an x-ray. "Have you any idea how loud that alarm clock actually is?"

"I particularly liked the noise it made," Patrick replied.

"Oh yes. I love waking up to the sound of cows mooing," Lucy retorted. They both shut up as Max passed by. "Challenge two completed though," she added when he'd gone.

"Not really," Patrick replied, still not taking his eyes off of the x-ray.

"What?" Lucy looked up at him in irritation. "But I did what you said."

"Ah, but there was never a time limit on it, was there?" Patrick ignored her outburst and carried on speaking calmly and conversationally. "Just be on time for work."

Lucy glared at him. "You're a bastard, do you know that?"

"Oh yes," Patrick took the x-ray down and gave her a cheesey grin. "And I'm proud."