Pregnant Cinderella. Carol Marinelli

ran a hand through her gamine-cut blonde hair that had once been long and lush but which she’d cut in a fit of anger. Just when Izzy thought the session was over, Jess spoke again.

      ‘Izzy, nothing can dictate what comes into Emergency, that’s the nature of the job.’ Jess paused for a moment before continuing. ‘No matter what is going on in your life, no matter how difficult your world is right now, you have to be absolutely ready to face whatever comes through the doors. If you feel that you’d rather—’

      ‘Are you going to recommend that I be sent to Outpatients?’ Izzy challenged, her grey eyes glittering with tears that so desperately needed to be shed but had, for so long, been held back. ‘Or perhaps I can do a couple of months doing staff immunisations—’

      ‘Izzy—’ Jess broke in but Izzy would not be silenced.

      ‘I’m a good doctor. I would never compromise my patients’ safety. If I didn’t feel ready to face A and E, I wouldn’t have come back.’ She gave an incredulous laugh. ‘Everyone seems to be waiting for me to fall apart.’ She picked up her bag and headed for the door. ‘Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you all, but I refuse to.’

      Izzy was a good doctor, of that Jess had no doubt.

      As she wrote her notes, she was confident, more than confident, that Izzy would do the right thing by her patients, that she was more than capable to be working in Emergency. But at what cost to herself? Jess thought, resting back in her chair and closing her eyes for a moment.

      Jess wanted to send a memo to the universe to insist only gentle, easy patients graced Izzy’s path for a little while.

      Only life wasn’t like.

      Jess clicked on her pen and finished writing up her notes, worried for her client and wishing more progress had been made.

      Izzy Bailey, while still fighting the most enormous private battle, was stepping straight back into the front line.