"Patrick," Lucy said, finally locating the elusive doctor. "Have you got a minute?"
Patrick frowned at her and turned back to his patient. "As I was saying, we can let you go for now, outpatients appointment to be made… Nurse Griffiths can organise that." He turned back to Lucy. "Now I have a minute."
"Then can I borrow you?" Lucy asked. She stepped into the adjacent empty cubicle. Patrick followed.
"That was incredibly unprofessional you know, Lucy, just barging in on me and a patient and…"
"Whatever." Lucy shrugged. "This won't take long."
"I'll take it you got the note then," Patrick surmised.
"I did. By the way, nice idea to combine challenge four and five," Lucy said. "But I'm afraid I still think you're completely crazy."
"And why would that be?" Patrick prepared himself to hear yet another reason as to why these challenges were a stupid idea, and why there was no way in a million years that Lucy would, or even could do these ones.
"Well for starters, they're so completely random!" Lucy said. "Get my hair cut and go on a date? What the hell have they got to do with anything? And while we're on the subject, what is wrong with my hair?"
"Nothing, it's lovely," Patrick said flatly. "Nicest hair I've ever seen."
"There's no need for that," Lucy pulled a face. "So it needs a trim. Whose doesn't? It's not like my roots are growing out or anything." She dismissed the hair challenge. "Anyway, that's irrelevant. If you really insist on me having my hair cut then I guess I could do it, though since when you became Nicky Clarke, I have no idea. More to the point, what the hell is challenge five all about?"
Patrick smiled. "If I remember correctly, it says something like, go on a date?"
Lucy glared at him. "Well aren't you smart, remembering what you wrote this morning? Seriously, Patrick, I'm not ready, I've done enough for this week, I can't…"
"You're so negative all the time." Patrick sighed.
"Coming from you!" Lucy exclaimed.
"There's no need to get cheeky," Patrick warned her. "Lucy, honestly, I don't think you realise how ready you are. I saw you the other night at the pub, you've changed in the past few weeks, past few days. Everyone's noticed. I just think you need to kick start things again, go on a meaningless date, have a one night's stand…"
"A what?" Lucy stared at him, her jaw dropping. "You must be joking this time!" When Patrick didn't reply she widened her eyes. "Well that is never going to happen! If you think for one minute…"
"Okay, so no sex," Patrick agreed. "But the date thing… you can do that."
"You fail to notice one thing," Lucy said. "I hardly have a line of suitors banging my door down to take me out, do I? I don't even have one, so as far as I'm aware, that means no date. Sorry." She smiled triumphantly.
"That's where you'd be wrong," Patrick said mysteriously. "And that's where challenge four and a half comes in."
"Now that is cheating!" Lucy insisted. "You can't go making up half challenges! There must be a rule against that!"
"My game, my rules," Patrick reminded her.
"Anyone would think you were Doctor bloody Who, not Doctor Spiller," Lucy remarked sulkily. "So what is challenge four and a half?"
"Accept the next date you get asked on," Patrick replied. His beeper went. "That's me."
"And does that have to happen before or after I get my hair cut?" Lucy asked.
"I think the word's restyled," Patrick retorted, before disappearing.
"You've had your hair cut!" Duffy remarked the following evening as Lucy walked into the department for an evening shift. She couldn't help thinking that losing those few inches of blonde wavy hair had made all the difference. It still swung attractively, but wasn't flying in all directions as usual. And was it her imagination or had she had a few streaks of amber put in it?
"Yeah," Lucy touched it self-consciously. It was disgusting to admit, but she hadn't had her hair cut since Jamie had died. Stupid now she thought about it; what the hell had her hair got to do with anything?
"It looks lovely," Duffy said encouragingly. "Doesn't it, Lara?"
Lara looked over at the nurse. She nodded. "Yeah, lovely," she echoed. When Duffy's back was turned, she raised her eyebrows at Lucy curiously. Lucy rolled her eyes.
"I think you can start on the waiting room," Duffy instructed Lucy. "Triage is a bit of a mess, slight accident with a bit of a wild character, so if you want to take them straight into a cubicle."
"Sure," Lucy agreed, heading out to the front desk.
"Listen, Lara, I'm sorry for asking you that question," Duffy immediately apologised to the SHO. "I completely forgot about… well, Lucy and Patrick and…"
"What?" Lara looked up from the case notes she was studying. "Oh, no, Duffy, forget it. It's fine."
"No, it's not," Duffy insisted. "It was insensitive and…"
"No honestly, it wasn't," Lara replied. "There was no Lucy and Patrick. The sooner everyone on this ward realises that, the better."
"Of course," Duffy nodded. Poor thing, she was in complete denial. It was easy to see how you could fall for Patrick Spiller; even with his trademark rudeness, he was still a charmer. But to let him make a fool of you like that… that was something else.
