Reunion Doctors

I'm looking for Tessa?

You and me both, mate.

Doesn't she own this place?

She does, but she won't for much longer if her staff can't take a little bit of criticism.

You'd think it'd be part of the job,

but no, some people don't like being told they've over-cooked my eggs.

You a friend of hers?

Family.

-Yeah, you do look a little bit like her.

-Do I?

-Do you want anything?

-No, thanks.

You can't see any plates, can you?

Al, what you doing, where's Leon?

He had a strop and he's walked off home.

-Oh, God.

-I didn't say anything!

-I'll have to call him, see if I can sweet-talk him...

-Tessa?

Mark?

What about, you do it tonight, and I'll cook tomorrow night?

What, tomorrow night when you're not in, you mean? Nice try, Karen.

OK, what about Chinese takeaway? Sweet and sour prawn balls?

I'll wash up?

Chinese eaten out of cartons it is, then.

I swear Mrs Tembe saves stuff where you can't find it on purpose.

What you after?

Appointment list.

Yeah, she does. Says if you lot knew where it was, you'd just change it.

Budge up.

You are a genius!

I won't tell if you don't.

What are you not telling?

-Nothing!

-Nothing!

Has the cleaner been?

Ah, Dr Clay, unfortunately not - our usual cleaner had an emergency

she had to take her daughter to the hospital

and the agency has not managed to find a replacement.

Right. Is it just my room, or can I use one of the others?

I am so sorry, Dr Clay,

but all the other rooms are occupied for the rest of the morning.

-But I have emptied the bin and vacuumed.

-Right. Thanks.

-Is there anything else?

-No. No, I'm fine, thanks.

I will keep trying the agency.

-What's the matter with him?

-Don't even go there.

Shout if you need anything else.

Danke schon.

I look just like her. And you, don't you think?

Like peas in a pod!

Same colouring I suppose. Must be Mum's Spanish genes.

I brought this. Thought you might like to see that.

I've also got the fostering paperwork, proves I am who I say I am.

-Oh, I never thought...

-I know, it's fine. Did Mum ever mention me?

Sorry.

Don't be. She probably didn't want reminding.

Notice anything about the date?

13th of January 1974...

that's today. Oh, it's your 40th!

How dare you!

I'll have you know I am not, and never will be, a day over 28.

This face has no intention of aging.

The world is obsessed with looking young.

Ignore him. He's just bitter cos he started to sag years ago.

I've never spent a birthday with real family.

We should do something later to celebrate -

my birthday and finding my sister!

Sorry, I just need a breath of...

HE GASPS

Al?

You're OK. Take a deep steady breath, breathe with me.

THEY INHALE AND EXHALE DEEPLY

Sorry. It's just a panic attack, I get them sometimes.

How often?

Every day. Sometimes twice.

Right, I'm going to need you to come back to the surgery with me,

I need to check you out properly.

Oh, I'm fine, honestly, it's just stress.

Do what he says. No arguments.

Is everything all right?

It's fine, Mrs Tembe, this chap's feeling a bit short of breath.

Give me five minutes and I'll come and examine you.

His sister will give you the details.

Is your brother registered with us?

No, he's just visiting, but...

In that case, I will have to register him as a temporary patient.

Just fill in this form, please. Thank you.

Do you think this is too sombre?

It's fine.

I mean, I know we're not going to a funeral,

after all, it is a bravery award celebration, isn't it?

Our chance to pat Rob on the back for going the extra mile.

Yeah, real hero(!)

You played your part.

If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't be getting the recognition he deserves.

-Hmm.

-I just wish that Karen could be there.

Mind you, at least Imogen and Jack will be, so...

Don't stop on my account.

Sorry, Karen, I didn't mean to...

Look, I know things are strained between you and Rob,

but this is a really proud day for him.

Good for him.

And I know that he'd love to have all his family with him.

-You're welcome to my ticket...

-No, you're all right.

Howard'll tell you how brave he was. You don't mind taking her, do you?

She said it's fine.

Right.

Well, I'm sure Rob will understand.

It doesn't matter if he doesn't, it's nothing to me.

I barely know the man, why would I want to go and see him

get some medal?

Maybe you should drop it.

Do you know your NHS number? Silly question.

What shall I put for your temporary address?

Put yours. If that's all right with you?

Yeah, of course.

Nice road, that. Stayed with a foster family round the corner from there once.

We could've walked past each other! Maybe we went to the same school! Glebe Secondary?

No, I was only there a few days.

Said I was a bad influence on their own kids.

Did you grow up there, then?

We moved in when I was about five or six.

Mum'd just opened the cafe and wanted somewhere within walking distance.

Lived there ever since.

So this was Mum's cafe? You inherited everything?

Yes, but I'm sure, if she'd known...

Oh, it's not your fault. Just turns out that way sometimes.

Some get all the luck and some don't! That stuff seems important.

Then something happens that puts it into perspective.

What happened?

Well, I was made redundant last year...

still haven't found anything.

Anyway, I was a bit down, so my boyfriend took me out

to take my mind off it. And...he was killed.

Oh, Mark,

I'm so sorry. How?

We were in a bar, someone punched him in the head.

One drunk idiot, one single punch,

and I'll never see the love of my life again.

We were together eight years.

Soon as they made gay marriage legal, he popped the question.

But he died... a month before the wedding.

Doesn't help not being in work.

Too much time to dwell on it, it's harder to move on.

What sort of work do you do?

I was an accounts assistant. I've always been good with numbers.

I wish I was. Can't make head or tail of my accounts.

I'll do them for you!

-Oh, I don't know...

-It's a brilliant idea!

I'm not working, you need help, it makes perfect sense!

I can't afford to pay you. And I wouldn't want to take advantage.

You're not taking advantage.

If things had been different, we'd be partners, anyway.

Mark - come on through.

Right. Do you often get chest pain?

Sometimes. And I get these little flutters.

It's like a panic attack coming on

but it doesn't always come to anything.

It's no wonder I'm stressed,

losing my job, then my boyfriend... I should be more careful!

You didn't put down your regular GP details?

What do you need that for?

Oh, GPs just love paperwork. Any numbness in the fingers?

No.

I'll need to tell him that I've examined you.

It's, er, Shardley Practice. Dr Cheevers.

Right. Firstly, I'm afraid

you'll have to cut down on those delicious fried breakfasts.

And do some more exercise.

I'll worry about that when I've hit my forties.

You've already hit your forties.

And secondly, I'm going to recommend an echocardiogram.

Why, what's the matter?

Hopefully nothing. But the ECG will reveal all.

So we've got two different tablets, one 50mg tablet, one...

Sorry. A 25mg tablet.

What you need to do is take one of each every morning with some...

First thing in the morning,

er, with some water on a full...

water on a full stomach.

Just let me get that.

HE CHUCKLES

There we go. That is much better.

I'll just wash my hands a second if you don't mind.

It's a good habit, washing your hands,

just sometimes I get a little carried away!

Do it a bit too often.

Like I said, a good habit.

Anyway, where were we?

So, we've got one 50mg tablet, one 25mg tablet,

you need to take one of each of those, in the morning with a glass of water, on a full stomach.

Anything else?

-No, that's fine.

-Great, thank you very much.

Shouldn't be too long now.

What is it?

The echo shows a thickening in your heart muscles.

Also the valves aren't moving as we'd expect them to,

which is affecting blood flow to your heart.

So what does that mean?

It suggests you have a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

But you could be wrong, right?

You can't tell for sure from that.

We'll refer you to St Phil's and an MRI scan will confirm the diagnosis

and then it's up to your own GP to follow up after that.

But it seems pretty likely.

But if it is this "hyper" thing...

What does that mean, is it serious?

Potentially.

But once we know for sure what it is, we can better manage it.

There are medications to prescribe

and we can give you some advice on how best to manage your exercise.

A cardiologist might want to take a surgical approach,

but that's not a conversation for today.

-What's it called again?

-Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

You should know that it's a hereditary condition.

So you need to inform your immediate family and get them tested.

Look. I can tell Tessa if you like?

No! No, I'll tell her. It's better coming from her brother.

HE SIGHS

I know we've only just met, but... if it is something serious,

you're not on your own.

You're so sweet. But there's nothing to worry about.

They were very thorough, did lots of checks

and it's just like I thought - panic attacks.

Oh, you had me so worried!

I thought, that'd be typical,

I'd finally get to meet my brother then find out I'm gonna lose him.

Sorry, that sounds awful. I'm just glad you're OK.

I'm not going anywhere.

I'm not used to this. I'm not...

..close to anyone.

Why not?

You can't be hurt when they leave.

Being alone's one thing.

It's worse when you know what you're missing. Sounds stupid.

It doesn't. I used to be exactly the same.

Until you met... Sorry, I don't even know what your boyfriend's name was?

Stuart.

Stuart. He was a lucky man.

Ha! I, er, need to pop in here. Dr Haskey gave me a prescription

for sleeping tablets, might as well give them a go.

I'd better get back. But I'll see you later.

Rather than go out, why don't I come round to yours?

You can show me more photos, Mum's stuff?

We can catch up properly - no interruptions.

Let me give you my address.

It's OK, I know where you live. It was on the form, remember?

Oh, course it was!

See you later, sis!

Here we go - "NVQ level 2 diploma in Beauty Therapy.

"Blah blah blah,

"skincare, facials...

"Brazilian and Hollywood waxing". What's that when it's at home?

Erm...

Well, erm, a Brazilian is like where they leave a little,

strip thing, and Hollywood is where they...

take the whole lot off.

Seriously? The whole lot? What, down there?

Is that quite common, then? Should I be doing it?

Do you do it?

Right. We're off.

Karen, do you want me to pass on a message from you to Rob?

Erm, good luck, I suppose.

You could still some come, you know, it's not too late.

-You might enjoy it.

-No, you're all right. Bye, then.

Bye.

You know what? I'm gonna phone them up and book it.

You shouldn't rush into anything, Karen.

Why not? When you know what you want to do, you just go ahead and do it, don't you?

I know, but... September's ages away - anything could happen

between now and then.

What, have a complete personality transplant?

Wouldn't be the first time!

You might even have your memory back by then.

Hmm.

Don't sound too enthusiastic(!)

Anyone'd think you like having a big blank space where your memory used to be.

Well, of course I don't!

But, what if there's things I don't want to remember?

That's why I'm forgetting them?

-Like what?

-Well, I don't know, I'm just saying.

Maybe it's better not knowing.

Ooh! Is that black pudding?

Mm-hm. With chicken and chorizo salad.

I was hoping for a pork pie, but I suppose it'll have to do.

No salad. And double up on the chorizo.

You are a heart attack waiting to happen, Al Haskey.

You could do with one of those echocardiograms yourself.

So Mark told you all about it?

Told me about the tests and everything.

You could phone in for an appointment,

or I could see you this afternoon, if it's easier for you.

Why would I have to make an appointment?

No, I meant for Mark.

You know, follow-ups and that kind of thing.

You know what would really top that off,

would be a runny fried egg. Double yolker. Bit of Tabasco on the top.

SHE LAUGHS

You look cute. Shall we get a table?

Yeah.

I made you blush. Sorry.

I used to blush all the time when I was young.

I read in Just Seventeen that green face powder was good for counteracting redness.

For six months I had to put up with everyone asking if I felt sick,

which was horrendous, because I'm terrified of being sick.

I'm really late, aren't I?

No, it's fine.

Sorry - I dropped my mobile in the loo.

I did that once. It worked afterwards, I just couldn't bring myself to use it.

Well, I did it on purpose.

I was convinced I was gonna ring my best friend

and tell her I'd slept with her husband.

-Had you?

-Course not! He's a two out of ten on a good day.

What happened to embracing your anxieties?

I did. I phoned her on the landline and said I wouldn't want to sleep with her husband if she paid me.

What did she say?

She said she'd give me £200 to take him off her hands.

Hi there, this is Dr Haskey from the Mill Health Centre,

can I speak to Dr Cheevers, please?

Thank you.

I don't mean this the wrong way, but that T-shirt does nothing for you.

I can't believe you haven't been punched in the face.

Who says I haven't?

OK. So I was thinking about what you said, living life in fear

isn't really living. And I was experimenting...

and I think you might be on to something.

Ooh, what have you been up to?

Probably sounds lame now. OK, my room hadn't been cleaned

and I knew it wasn't dirty cos it'd been cleaned the night before

but, everything in my hands was screaming, "Wash me!"

But instead of fighting it, I just did it. Right in front of a patient.

And then, in front of my mate Al. Then I talked about it, like it was normal!

So how did it feel?

Good, yeah! You're right - I should stop fighting it.

To embracing your crazies!

SHE CHUCKLES

Mark's coming round in a bit,

thought he might like to see some of Mum's things.

There's some photos from when she was 15, if I can find them,

and she'll have been pregnant with him!

I don't think that's a good idea.

I don't know who he is, but Mark isn't your brother.

But of course he is. I've seen his birth certificate.

Look. I spoke to Mark's doctor.

I'm so sorry, Tessa, but Mark died four months ago.

Hello, um, yes, please.

I was just wondering if you could send me some information on one of your courses

and an application form, please?

Oh yeah, erm, beauty therapy, NVQ level 2 diploma.

You've seen him, we're the spit of each other.

He's got Mum's Spanish colouring, we both have.

He had fake tan-stains on his hands,

so his Spanish colouring came straight from a bottle.

You need to speak to the police, let them deal with him.

I didn't even know I had a brother till a few weeks ago.

Now I find out he's dead, and I'll never know him.

I don't even know how he died!

Last September, he was in a bar, someone punched him in the head.

He died two days later.

Mark - or whatever he's really called, he told me about that.

Told me it'd happened to his boyfriend.

Maybe that part's true, maybe your brother was his boyfriend.

I mean, either way, he's lied to you

and for all we know, he could be dangerous.

You need to go to the police, let them sort it out.

I will come with you if you want.

Does that freak you out? Not cleaning it properly?

No, no. It's not really about that.

It partly is, but it's, um...

about feeling trapped, wanting to wash that feeling away.

I don't really get it, to be honest.

But then most people don't get my crazies either.

You see that lady over there, with the thing on her coat.

At my worst, I see that and I think,

I must have something on my coat and that dirty clothes equals dirty mind

so then I'm terrified I'm going to go and say something dirty

to that poor woman who's just out for a quiet G&T!

And you saying that makes me worried about what you're going to say,

and makes me want to go and wash my hands!

Come on, then.

Come on! You want to wash your hands, wash 'em.

Come on. I'll come with you.

Mmm, lime and lemongrass!

Are you going to let me in?

Who are you?

-Eh?

-My brother Mark died four months ago.

You even told me about it.

No, that wasn't Mark, I'm Mark. That was my boyfriend.

Not according to this.

OK. I've not been entirely honest. But the important stuff was real...

-The important stuff like lying about who you are, telling her you're her family.

-This has nothing

-to do with you.

-Making her think she's got a brother when he's dead!

-Don't talk about him!

Spare me the grieving widower act.

Although my mistake - you weren't actually married, were you?

So you're not Mark's next of kin. Tessa is.

If we'd have been married, you'd be family anyway, so what's different?

Is that what this is all about? Because Tessa gets the inheritance?

If he'd left a will, we wouldn't even be having this conversation!

You don't understand, Tessa. It's my home, my furniture.

So you thought you could cheat Tessa out of it?

No! Half of their mum's cafe should've been Mark's.

You know it's only fair!

At least your mum wanted you - Mark didn't even have that!

-That's not my fault. I never knew I had...

-You never knew him.

You didn't love him like I did! Why should you get his house,

my home, as well as everything else?

Sign Mark's house over to me, and you're welcome to the cafe.

It's what Mark would've wanted. Do it for his sake.

Everyone is going to think we've just had sex in the toilet. Does that freak you out?

-It's not what people think that worries me. It's what I might say!

-What you might say?

That we've just had sex in the toilet!

You made me embrace my crazies.

See my friend over there?

We've just had mad, passionate sex in the toilet.

With a very happy ending!

I'll have what she's having.

You need to ask him to leave, call the police.

-You don't know anything about...

-Don't tell me what to do!

I wanted to believe... I feel so stupid!

I wanted to believe I actually had someone, some family.

There wasn't just...me.

I'm sorry, Tessa. I'm sorry I lied.

And I'm sorry your brother died before you met him.

You're not sorry. You're just interested in money.

You think money can replace the love of your life - what sort of love is that?

I loved him with all my heart.

Is it so awful to think I wanted to keep hold of all the other bits -

the bathtub we found in a skip at two in the morning, drunk,

wheeling it home in a shopping trolley.

The red wine stains on the kitchen tiles from our third anniversary,

or our bed. I've already lost him,

I couldn't bear losing everything else as well.

You lied to me, you took advantage of me.

I know. And I desperately wish I hadn't.

And not just because of the money or the house,

but because you're his sister.

You're my sister-in-law and we should be comforting each other

through this, getting to know each other.

Cos we're all we've got left of him.

What's your name?

Stuart.

I want you to go now, Stuart.

Don't contact me again.

Thank you, Al. For all your help and everything.

But I'd like you to go now as well.

I thought you might want some company.

I'll be fine. I know where I am on my own.

Look, I don't like what you've done to Tessa.

But I have a duty to remind you to go and see your GP

and get your heart condition checked out. All right?

At least Tessa's all right.

No, I wouldn't describe her as "all right".

I meant, the heart thing.

If I could undo everything, go back to this morning

and be honest with her, I would. She'd like me, I know she would.

Do you think, when this has all died down a bit,

she might be able to forgive me?

I wouldn't hold your breath.

This is Sian and Louis. They need somewhere to stay tonight.

-Louis, say hello.

-Who are these people? You didn't know

who they were on Monday.

-They're harmless.

-What about

who they're hiding from? Are they harmless?

-You made a complaint against him in the past.

-Just a misunderstanding.

'That woman's in trouble.'

Say cheese!

Are our kids in danger because they're here?