Page 82 of Lost in Love

Katherine wasn’t sure what response she could give that would help the situation. It felt as if Anna was spoiling for a fight, and she was going to do her best not to give her one.

Anna continued. “Well, it seems you’ve got your way. He’s there now, and you were right. I have nothing; no one needs me.”

Katherine took a step forward but stopped herself from getting any closer. “Anna,youneed you, and at this moment you need to pull yourself together and carry on. Deep down you must have seen this coming; it was just a matter of when. It was just a shame that it took Harry falling for it to happen.”

Katherine wished away the last sentence as she finished speaking it.

Anna glared at her. “You still hold me responsible for his fall?”

“No. If anyone is responsible it’s me. I should have made a better job at getting you to realise he needed a care home rather than making things easier for you and prolonging the inevitable.” Katherine’s tone intensified. “It seems I was too busy trying to get into your knickers than doing the one job I needed to do, and that was looking out for my patient. At any point, I could have made a call and had him moved, but I didn’t, and that’s on me. That’s why we’re not supposed to engage in relationships with patients or their families. It makes us blind!”

Anna’s lips parted.

Katherine took a deep breath and then paced the patio. “You might as well know; I wrote to the GMC as soon as Harry was transferred and told them the truth. Don’t worry, I said I coerced you into giving a false statement.”

Anna’s faced dropped in surprise.

“I’m not a liar, Anna — well, not by nature. I’m sorry that I asked you to lie for me; it was unfair. I knew what I was doing; I should have stopped myself.”

“What will happen now?” Anna said softly.

“I have a hearing next week. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a suspension.”

“If not?”

Katherine stopped pacing and faced Anna. “I’ll be erased from the register.”

They fell into silence.

“Well… good luck. I better go and ring the council and make myself homeless.”

Anna turned before Katherine could respond and was gone.

Rebecca reappeared. “Is it safe to come out?”

“Yes.” Katherine flopped back onto her lounger. She removed the straw from her glass and took a large swig of Pimm’s.

“At least that answers the question of whether she’d speak to you again. What did she want?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest, but I don’t like it. I’ve never seen her like that. I thought she couldn’t get more broken.”

“Well, you know what we do when we have broken friends.”

Katherine looked at Rebecca. “We fix them.”

Rebecca nodded.

Katherine wasn’t entirely sure how she would even start, but giving Anna a few days to calm down would no doubt be the best course of action.