The Nurse by J. Corrigan (list of ebook readers txt) 📕

thought I wouldn’t hear from Daniel again. After he’d dropped me home in the taxi, I was wired and sat up all night immersing myself in revision and drinking massive amounts of coffee. Morning had come and I’d done more revision, and that night I’d worked an extra shift at Mussels too. I’d wanted to go because I thought Daniel would turn up. Of course he hadn’t, though Miles had come in for an early supper. I really hoped he hadn’t seen my disappointment that it was him sitting at the table and not Daniel, although I surmised he must have guessed. He’d asked if I’d had dinner with Daniel the previous night. I tried to keep the conversation short, which was easy as it was a busy shift. When I nodded a yes, Miles had looked mildly agitated.

Last night I hadn’t slept again.

‘You shouldn’t do so many shifts,’ Tom said, leaning against Einstein’s poster on my bedroom wall.

‘I know, but it’s busy, Easter weekend and all that. Noah asked me to pull an extra one.’ I peered up at him from under the duvet, thinking of his ordinariness and his genius. It was appropriate that he was standing next to Albert.

‘Is that where you met him?’ Tom continued.

‘Who?’

‘C’mon, the bloke who was waiting for you outside on Friday night.’

I sat up in bed, picked up a stale mug of water, slurped at it. ‘Are you jealous?’

He smiled, and his eyes skimmed over my desk. He wasn’t, and that jolted me, though I was glad he was moving on. ‘How’s it going?’ he asked.

‘Revision? Like wading through treacle.’

‘You’ll be okay. Your photographic memory will help a lot.’ He turned his head and studied me. ‘Who is he then?’

‘His name’s Daniel. He manages Bluefields, the private hospital in the city.’

‘You going over?’

‘Meaning?’

‘Pondering private work in the future?’

‘Absolutely not!’

He nodded absent-mindedly. ‘Is he a doctor or professional management?’

‘Doctor, but doesn’t practise.’

He inclined his head again, already bored with the conversation. ‘Your mum called last night while you were at work.’

I pulled on a jumper. Nearly April, but it was still freezing. The useless landlord had never got around to fixing the heating. ‘What did she say?’ My mum always chatted to Tom. She didn’t want me to end up with him because he was a student, and poor, but she liked him. Everyone liked Tom.

‘That Sam isn’t going to bother with his GCSEs because he wants to join the army, and you don’t need GCSEs to kill people. Can you have a talk with him, your mum asked.’ He perched on the edge of my bed. ‘Oh, and why don’t you live at home? You’d save money on rent.’

I swung both legs out. ‘Christ, can you imagine?’

‘No. Not really.’

I found my jeans and slipped them on. Tom looked away. When we’d shared a duvet, he wouldn’t have felt the need to do that. He lay down on my vacant bed.

‘You’re still my mate, aren’t you?’ I asked, suddenly needing to know.

‘Course I am. Bloody hell, Rose, I’m the one who acts as secretary for you with your batty mother.’ He lifted his head from the pillow and grinned at me.

I worried about my mum. I knew that the factory where she worked had reduced the opportunities for overtime, and that for ages she’d been on a three-day week; and I knew this would encourage her to go back to her shoplifting habits. The weight of my family pressed down on me like an anvil sitting on my chest.

‘Me and Casey are going to the cinema tonight,’ Tom said.

‘I’d love to come, but—’

‘I’m not asking you.’ He grinned again.

‘Oh, I see… You and Casey?’ He had moved on. Good for him. Perfect. And I loved Casey.

‘She’s fun.’

‘She is.’ I moved towards the bed. He was sitting up now. ‘Can you help me with my clinical biochemistry and orthopaedics?’

‘Course.’

I heard the doorbell. It was about the only thing in the house that worked properly.

‘I’ll get it,’ Tom said.

He went downstairs and I finished getting dressed.

‘Rose,’ he shouted. ‘It’s Daniel Deane. The manager of the private hospital.’ He emphasised the last two words.

Jesus, Tom, give it a break. But relief flooded through me. I rushed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and comb my hair, and then headed downstairs.

Tom was still standing in the hallway. ‘Let me know when you want to go through the bio and ortho stuff.’ He said it with an edge of humour in his voice.

‘Thanks, Tom.’ I watched as he made his way towards the kitchen.

‘Sorry to just turn up,’ Daniel said, watching Tom’s disappearing form.

‘I’m glad you did.’ My gut flipped just looking at him.

‘Will you come out with me again, Rose?’

I plonked myself down on the bottom step. He was dressed casually, but his jeans were ironed. How could I fancy a man with razor-sharp lines in his jeans? But I did. I really did. ‘You’re too old for me.’

‘Don’t be ageist.’

I grinned. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’

‘Why don’t you get ready and I’ll take you out. Fancy a trip to Newstead Abbey? They’re open over the bank holiday.’

‘I like the sound of that. Haven’t been there for years. But what makes you think I’m not ready?’

‘Toothpaste on your chin.’ He used his index finger to wipe it away. ‘Perfect apart from that.’

‘Go through to the living room,’ I said. God, I hoped Tom and Casey had left it habitable. Casey was worse than Tom, and home more. An arts degree student with more reading time. Sometimes when I came home after a full day in lectures, it looked like she’d had a solo party while Tom and I had been out. I pushed open the lounge door with my foot. A whiff of marijuana too. I watched Daniel’s nose crinkle. Quite cute.

‘I’ll wait in the hall,’ he said.

‘It’s Casey, our housemate. She says it makes her philosophy original.’

He sat down on the step, looking out of place. ‘Whatever does it for her. Pot’s not good,