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This was true. Despite studying for seven years to get where I was, surviving never-ending rounds of studying and exams, I knew it’d be worth it in the end.

“If there’s nothing else. I’m going to call it a day.” I checked my watch. Two hours past the end of my shift, but it was the holidays, and an unseasonable heatwave had hit the country, sending more patients our way.

“Leave if you must.” She waved me away. “Are you in tomorrow?”

“No, thank God. Four days of sunbathing and beer gardens.”

“You lucky devil,” she said. We both knew days off were a godsend, giving us much-needed time to wind down, ready to do it all again in a few days.

“I’ve another two in, then I’m out of here.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “Two weeks in glorious Greece.” I envied her. Two weeks away, in sunnier climes. With all my student debt, it’d be years before I’d be able to do that.

“Have a great time, and I’ll see you when you get back. Don’t drink too much.” I pointed a finger at her as I walked away.

“Oh, I intend to. See you in two weeks.”

I stopped by the locker room and collected my belongings, saying goodbye to the few medical staff I knew, and stepped out into torrential rain.

Cursing my bad luck, I ran to my car. Shit, this wasn’t forecast.

There went my idyllic sun-drenched four-day break, but at least I was away from work.

Rain pelted the windscreen; the wipers struggled to clear it. I crawled along at a snail’s pace, ignoring the blaring horns of the cars behind me. The roads were treacherous, slick from the rain, and I’d witnessed the aftermath of too many car accidents to risk my or anyone else’s life.

Home was usually a fifteen-minute journey, but at this rate, it’d take longer. The main street was almost empty, shoppers sheltering in nearby shops. Only a fool would be out in this downpour.

I peered through the windscreen, my nose almost touching the steering wheel as I clutched it tightly. A vaguely familiar figure appeared on the left, hunched against the deluge, the bright orange T-shirt darker, soaked through.

I indicated and pulled over, lowering the window.

“Frankie?” I’d look like a right fool if it wasn’t him, but when he turned, I knew I was right. “Do you need a lift anywhere? You’re drenched.”

He ignored me and carried on walking. Maybe he hadn’t heard me, the sound of rain pelting the car was almost deafening. Plus, he didn’t know me other than through a two-minute conversation. Why should he trust me and get in my car?

But I couldn’t let him stay out in the rain. He’d catch his death of cold in just his T-shirt. I could have left him to tough it out, but what if he had miles to walk? I called out again, and this time, he hesitated.

“Are you sure I can’t drop you somewhere? Get you out of the rain?” I asked, but if he said no this time, I’d leave him to it.

He stopped and looked over at me before realisation dawned. “I didn’t realise it was you. Some right weirdos about. Thanks for stopping.”

He opened the car door and got in, his clothes wet through.

“It’s no problem. It’s really coming down heavy now. Where can I take you?” I asked, pulling out into the traffic.

He shrugged. “Anywhere but home. My gran’s isn’t far.”

“I can do that. Why don’t you put the address in the Sat Nav?”

“It’s okay, I’ll direct you. Turn left here, then the next right.”

I followed his directions, glancing at him as I drove. “You did the right thing, you know, bringing your brother to the hospital. It could have been a nasty break.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter what I do. S’never good enough.” He pointed to a bungalow halfway down the road. “You can drop me here, thanks.”

“No problem.” I pulled up where he indicated and watched as he got out of the car and walked up the path. He knocked on the door, rocking back on his heels. I could have driven away, but something made me wait. He knocked again and thrust his hands into the pockets of his jeans, nodding his head.

Realising there would be no answer, he walked back to the car. “I’ll walk home from here. Mum should be there by now.”

Rain still hammered against the windscreen. “Is it far? I can drop you if you’d like. I don’t want you getting pneumonia.”