Disclaimer not mine.

Tests and Tribulations.

"Jack." Mary smiled at him as she wheeled the 'bloods' trolley into his room. "It's only one blood test this time."

"Thankfully." He sighed. His chest felt as though a herd of African Elephants had used his lungs as a bouncy castle. The muscles burned with effort to breathe and he knew the ECGs the nurses insisted on taking at least once a day were probably no better than the last. Part of him had wanted to give up. To resign himself to the fact he was an old man now and not the young copper that had courted another Mary not so long ago.

"It's called a cardiac troponin." Mary smiled.

"I had that yesterday."

"Yes, well. Dr wants it repeated."

"And what doctor wants." Jack sighed. "Has it always been that way? A doctor orders something and you nurses just go along with it?"

"No." Mary began preparing the trolley. "No, we aren't just doctors handmaidens now. We are professionals in our own right you know."

"Sorry." Jack felt a bit embarrassed. He knew Mary was a good nurse. The way she told him off reminded him of his mother. "All I meant was."

"Will you forget about the murder case and concentrate on getting better." Mary huffed as she took the blood sample.

"Hear, hear." Jack looked up to see Sandra leaning in the doorway of the room. He smiled slightly as she took a step into the room. "Don't take any nonsense from him."

"She hasn't been." Jack huffed.

Mary smiled at the older woman, collected her samples and left to send them to the lab. Sandra smiled slightly as she watched her go.

"Sandra?"

"How are you, really Jack?"

"Old." He looked away. "Old and decrepit."

"You are not." She sat down. "The boys are worried about you. We've got Steve McAndrew filling in until you are well enough to come back. It's just too much work for three people. Especially when Emily is off sick and the others are tied up on secondments and courses. Did you know Pushkar has gone on a cyber crime course? We really need the man power."

"You don't have to explain that to me." Jack smiled slightly. "But I have been thinking."

"I'd be worried if you weren't." Sandra smirked.

"The nurse. The one that was murdered."

"Jack." She warned. "You have just had a major heart attack."

"Yes, Sandra. It was my heart that was damaged, not my brain."

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"Emma Lewis?" Brian asked as a young blonde woman opened the ornate front door. Steve stepped back, letting Brian take the lead.

"Yeah?"

"My name is Brian Lane, this is my colleague Steve McAndrew. We're from the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad. We want to talk to you about Debbie. Your sister."

"I know who Debbie was." The blonde's eyes hardened instantly.

"Can we come in?" Steve asked, trying to keep the atmosphere as friendly as possible.

"No." Emma glared. "Debbie died a long time ago. I am not having that dragged back up again." The door slammed shut before either Steve or Brian could say another word.

"Is that the reaction you usually get?" Steve raised an eyebrow at Brian as the older detective shoved his hands in his dark overcoat and marched back to Steve's car. "What?"

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"So I talked to the ex boyfriend." Gerry stated as he pinned another photo on the white board.

"Yeah?" Sandra dumped her bag on Jack's desk. "Any luck?"

"Poor sod was heartbroken. Says he couldn't believe his luck when a bird like Debbie looked at him. Apparently he doesn't have much luck with women You'd think being a junior doctor."

"Did he say anything useful?"

"Well, he said in the days leading up to her death Debbie had been arguing with one of the med students that was on placement on her ward. Apparently he thought he was God's gift to the NHS. Didn't make many friends among the nursing staff. The boyfriend."

"He has a name, Gerry." Sandra watched as Gerry rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Guv."

"Anyway?"

"Terry." Gerry watched her smirk. "Said he had been worried about her so he had turned up on her ward a few times, just to see how she was. It was mayhem apparently. Nothing like his care of the elderly ward. Means he didn't get to see her properly. He did say she seemed scared of the med student." He checked his notes. "Dan? Yeah, that's it Daniel Morgan is working in palliative care now."

"Isn't that what Paula specialises in?" Sandra knew she was being irrational. Paula was like her father, she knew how to take care of herself. All the Standing girls did.

"Yeah." Gerry looked at the floor for a moment. "You don't think? Nah, she'd have said."

"What is it?" Sandra's voice softened.

"Paula, she keeps things to herself a lot. Reading Debbie's profile is like reading 'ers. Nurse, single, good looking, works with elderly people a lot. Not much luck with men. Only little Gerry seems to be the difference."

"Paula is not Debbie." Sandra touched his arm lightly. "Gerry?"

"The little un was with his Gran for the day. When I went round there."

"So?"

"She seemed worried, really distracted."

"Like you are now?"

"Me?"

"Come on." Sandra picked up her coat. "I'm assuming you have an address for the eminent doctor."

"Other side of London."

"Come on then." She grabbed her bag from the desk and walked out the office leaving Gerry to follow behind her.

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A/N Please review. I'm thinking of a Christmas fic. Would anyone be interested.