“Hey, Patrick.” Max walked across reception as he saw his rather disheveled registrar walking through the doors half an hour late for work. Any other time, he would waste no time in getting on to him about time keeping but today he let it slide. “Holly told me what happened yesterday, are you alright?”

Patrick nodded and rubbed him forehead. “Yeah, Spence had his finger broken but I’m OK.”

“Glad to hear it.” Max rolled his eyes about Patrick’s apparent lack of sympathy towards his colleague. “You didn’t have to come in today.”

“Why not? I’m fine.” He shrugged at Max and walked towards the staff room.

Max just stood there shaking his head. He couldn’t figure out that guy half the time. He’d give a medal to anyone that could.

Patrick saw Holly by the sink as he looked through the window in the door. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the ear bashing he was bound to get when he opened the door. He decided the best tactic was to get in there first before she had a chance to have a go.

“Listen Holly” he began urgently as soon as he opened the door. Holly swung her head round to look at him and groaned when she saw who it was. “I didn’t mean what I said yesterday, I’d had a rough day…”

“Still trying to make excuses?” Holly turned back towards the worktop and picked up a mug, washing it out.

“No, listen to me. I was an idiot, I know that.”

“Was?!”

Patrick chose to ignore that. “I really appreciate you coming to look for me.”

“Oh, it wasn’t you. I was only worried about Spencer. There’s a real shortage of porters at the moment.”

“I mean a lot of people would think it was only a wind up.”

“Barney did. It’s a good job I didn’t listen to him.” Holly paused, deciding she didn’t want a coffee after all and pushed past him, mumbling.

“Although if I had you wouldn’t be here right now, big plus.”

Patrick shook his head. “Charming.”

He flicked the on switch on the kettle and picked up where Holly left of. He trudged over to his locker and slung his bag inside, picking up his stethoscope and ID badge. He looked at it for a moment before stuffing it in his pocket. He flopped down on the sofa and sighed. Patrick was knackered. He wasn’t ready to play doctor yet, at least not until he’d had his morning coffee. And sorted things out with Holly.

* * *

“Chloe, have you seen Holly?”

The Welsh nurse shook her head and rushed down the corridor. “No, sorry” she called over her shoulder, “but Max needs you in resusc.”

“Great” thought Patrick. After the drama of yesterday he was hoping to ease back into things.

Chloe paused down the corridor. “You coming?”

Patrick pushed open the doors to resusc a few minutes later in his usual self-important manner to find Max staring at him. “So nice of you to join us” he said sarcastically.

“Don’t you start.” Patrick couldn’t cope with this today. If Holly was here right now she would poke fun at him for being too ‘sensitive’. As it was, he was only thinking the same thing himself. Maybe he shouldn’t have come in today, but he would be the last one to admit that he was wrong. Another perfect opportunity for Holly to wind him up. ‘Stubbon’ this time.

“Young male, 19. Steven Jackson. Passed out at a pub, but regained consciousness about 2 minutes ago. Complains of a headache and stomach cramps.” Max paused and turned to Barney. “Can you set up a saline drip please, he looks severely dehydrated.”

Patrick took a step towards the table. “He’s drunk” Patrick said dismissively and turned to walk out. “I can smell it on him.”

“Dr. Spiller?” Max called to him in his trademark annoyed voice. “It’s that kind of narrow minded thinking that gets patients killed.”

Patrick rolled his eyes and reluctantly turned to face his consultant. He looked at Max for a moment then addressed the patient. “Steven” he began, “how much have you been drinking this morning?”

“A few pints” the man slurred.

Patrick raised his eyebrow at Max. “See?”

Just then the doors to resusc burst open again. Penny and Josh wheeled the patient into one of the bays and called to max.

“Patrick. Deal with Mr. Jackson.” Max looked at him sternly. “Now.”

“He’s drunk, I’m telling you. But I’ll humour you. Head CT please and all the usual tests.” He stopped and lowered his voice. “If we must…”

* * *

“Yesterday must have really got to Patrick” Barney commented as they tended to a patient in cubicle 4 a while later.

Holly looked up. “Why do you say that?” she said sarcastically.

Barney grinned. “He was throwing his weight around in resusc earlier. I just left him to it.”

Holly sighed. She couldn’t deal with Patrick either when he was like this. Which was most of the time actually, which is why they had split up to begin with. Every time she started to warm to him, he went and acted like an idiot again.

“Erm, Holly?”

Holly blinked and focused her mind again. She found Barney looking at her with a bemused grin on his face. “Sutures?”

“Oh yeah, sorry.”

“You were thinking about him weren’t you?”

Holly made a face which she hoped conveyed disbelief and disgust. “No, of course I wasn’t.”

Barney didn’t seem to believe her, which lead Holly to believe that what Patrick said about her being a terrible liar was true. Dammit, she was doing it again. Why was she incapable of getting that guy out her head? There was just something about him that caused Holly’s mind to wander off in a daydream at the mere mention of his name. For the right and the wrong reasons.

“Yeah, yeah” Barney said, walking out the cubicle. “Whatever you say!”

* * *

“Mr. Cartwright, will you just sit down.” Patrick squared up to a furious man in a suit and looked him in the eye. “If the board says there’s a 4 hour waiting time, there’s a 4 hour waiting time. No amount of yelling at the staff will change that.” Patrick relaxed a bit. The man opened his mouth to say something more but Patrick jumped in before he could. “Is that clear?”

The man grudgingly stepped back.

“We’ll get someone to see your wife as soon as possible” he continued. “Just wait. We’re very busy, only urgent cases are being seen at this point.”

“My wife has been up with stomach cramps sinse last night. Look at her, she’s in agony. She needs seeing now.”

“Wait your turn!”

Patrick nodded to himself, satisfied that his message had got through to the irritated man in an expensive suit who was now looking daggers at him. He ignored it and grabbed a patient chart off the reception desk.

“Patrick, have you sent Mr. Jackson up to CT yet?”

Patrick rolled his eyes and turned around to see Max standing behind him. “No, they’re totally backed up.”

“Like we are you mean?”

“Yeah. I can’t do anything about it. They’ll come down when they’re ready.”

“No Patrick, it’s not Ok. You have a duty to get your patients the best care you can.”

“I am” he replied, getting more and more worked up. “Spare me the lecture, I’m dealing with it.”

Patrick would have continued letting his frustrations out, probably saying something he shouldn’t but was saved by Duffy poking her head out of a cubicle and asking Max for some help. He should have been greatful that he didn’t swear at his boss or something but everything was getting to him today and he walked through to cubicles with his latest patient with more pent up frustration than ever.

* * *

Patrick pulled off his sterile gloves 10 minutes later and chucked them in the waste bin. He’d carried out that examination without saying more than 2 words to the patient, let alone engaging in small talk. He quickly mentioned something to Colette about pain meds. He wasn’t in the mood to talk.

He never was. His dad had told him that being a doctor required real people skills. That was a load of balls as far as Patrick was concerned. He had none and had managed just fine.

He started to walk off outside for a self imposed break when he looked down to find a small boy running full speed towards him. The curtains to cubicle 7 opened and Holly and an apologetic looking mother came rushing out after him. “Watch it!”

“Ollie, come here.” The boy was scooped up by his mum and whisked back inside.

Patrick folded his arms and glared at the SHO. “Please keep control of your patients. Some of us don’t like being mowed down by hyperactive little brats.”

Holly had began to walk back to her patient but turned round. “You know what Patrick, give it a rest. We’ve all had to put up with your attitude all morning, it’s about time you start acting professionally.” Holly’s voice was getting louder and louder and people were beginning to stare. “I get yesterday was tough for you, and I know you were scared, even if you don’t want to admit it. But there is a very frightened little boy in there that doesn’t need shouting at by a big bully like you.” She gave him one last angry look and vanished again before he could respond.

Charlie had watched the whole thing and came up beside Patrick, raising an eyebrow at him. “About time you take a break don’t you think?”

Patrick shrugged, not wanting to agree with anyone but pushed open the double doors to reception, ready to get a bit of fresh air. He felt a tap on his shoulder before a fist met his face with a thud. He stumbled back, putting a hand to his nose and focused his eyes on the man in front of him.

“My wife’s just collapsed because of you!” he shouted. Patrick mopped the blood off his nose with his sleeve but didn’t reply. “I’m talking to you!”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Max appeared and stood with his hands on his hips.

“Nothing” Patrick said, and continued outside.

“Patrick, have u called Neurology?”

“Not yet, give me a minute yeah?” It was more of an instruction than a question. Patrick was inside just about long enough to hear Max reprimand Mr. Cartwright for assaulting staff but in truth, he didn’t care.

His nose had stopped bleeding now but it still hurt like hell. He sat down on a bench near the entrance and sighed. Maybe he could do something about his attitude problem. Ok, he knew he had too. Holly was right; he was taking out everything on other people and acting like nothing was his fault. She hadn’t said as much but he had a way of knowing what she was thinking.

It could prove a bit of a challenge sometimes, he couldn’t figure her out when they were dating and he sure as hell couldn’t now. Anyone trying to work him out wouldn’t have much of a problem though; the only thing that was ever on his mind recently was Holly.

They hadn’t gone out in years and more or less hated each other now but he still found himself thinking about her constantly. Yesterday, when he was on that boat, he had been scared. The only person he wanted to see again was Holly but when he finally got out and had seen Holly, he succeeded in mucking everything up.

Spencer had been right, he did want more. But she wouldn’t have him, certainly not based on the way he had been acting this morning. He was picking a fight with everyone and most of the staff and patients were thoroughly fed up with him. The only reason he hadn’t chased up that CT was out of spite. Even if Steven had been drinking, his medical training told him, against his stubbon half that there could be an underlying reason for his condition.

He sighed and stood up, ready to call upstairs for tests when the decision was taken out his hands. “Patrick, Mr. Jackson’s in V-Tach!” Chloe yelled at him from the entrance and he picked up his stethoscope, rushing inside.