The Deal Doctors

MOBILE RINGS

BABY CRIES ON MONITOR

Will you hurry up? They'll be hearing her in Timbuktu!

ROB ON MONITOR: 'What have we got here?

'Mm!

'Oh, that's better, isn't it?' CRYING STOPS

Ah!

Ah!

She's taken one mouthful and flaked out. Should I wake her up or what?

-Are you kidding?!

-No, you're right.

-Coffee?

-Oh, yes, please. If you're making it.

I can't make it. I'm asleep.

-I'll do it.

-Is there a catch?

-No catch.

-I bet there is.

Well, yesterday,

you left me high and dry.

Usain Bolt couldn't have made a faster exit.

I cracked. Just for a minute.

It was a moment of madness.

-Sleep depravation. Am I the only one finding this hard?

-No.

But you're the one who legged it out of here.

BABY CRIES ON MONITOR

-Fancy seeing you here.

-Um, I'm going to be late for work.

No problem. I'll walk with you.

-Run that past me again.

-Well, you see, it's all about the flow.

If you put chairs close together and facing each other,

then people will talk.

They say that it encourages social discourse.

-Even in a doctor's waiting room?

-Yes.

You see, some of the patients who come here,

they don't see anybody else all day. Just like poor old Mr Avary.

Mr Avary's 43.

Yes, but he is single and he works from home.

Sometimes he doesn't talk to another person all day.

And you know what they say. A problem shared...is better for

the... So you think it's rubbish then?

-I bet Megan would know. I'll it by her later.

-Yeah.

Why don't you do that?

-Do you think I should warn her?

-No, I think Megan can handle Valerie.

-Speaking of Megan, are you seeing her again?

-Yeah. Today, actually.

-But um...

-What?

-Well, I just feel like I'm wasting her time.

-Morning.

-Morning.

-Morning.

-Morning. Excuse me.

I mean, I'm fine.

Well, why don't you see her today and then see how you feel?

OK.

-Ooh, for me?

-Yeah. Good deed of the day. Thought I'd get it over with.

Oh, thank you.

-Mrs Tembe. And how are you today?

-I am very well, thank you. Excuse me.

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

-Oh, Mrs Tembe.

I have come up with an idea to make the reception a little bit more...

DOOR SLAMS

-Is that just me or was that a bit weird?

-Mm.

What's the matter? Didn't you like the rose?

White's your favourite, right?

-Why can't you just leave me alone?

-That hurts, Abbie.

-I'll call the police!

-And tell them what?

An admirer gave you a rose?

KNOCK AT DOOR

Miss Pitman, I really do not have...

Before you say anything, I will not be handing in my notice.

Oh. Oh...OK.

My plans have changed.

-JJ has gone and I will be staying.

-Winifred...

-It was amicable.

I really do not want to go into the details.

-I'm sorry.

-There is no need for sympathy.

It was my choice. I... I have no regrets.

What happened?

-Look, if you want to talk...

-I do not.

OK. But I'm free all lunchtime, if you change your mind.

That is very kind, but I am fine.

Remind me again, why didn't you drive?

Oh, yes. Someone vandalised your car.

Just go away, please!

Magic word. Sadly, not always effective.

Where is it you're working today?

Doesn't matter. Wherever you go, I'll find you.

I've done everything you've asked.

Just leave me alone!

Not quite everything.

You made the deal, Abbie.

It's time to pay up.

-Do you think I should give her a ring?

-Give it another few minutes.

-She's probably just running late.

-Who are you talking about?

-Dr Whitwell.

-Abbie Whitwell?

-Do you know her?

-She's a partner at the Oak Avenue practice.

-She's a locum.

-I don't think so.

-Friend of yours?

-Hardly.

She's latched on to me at a couple of conferences we've attended.

Last time, I got pretty much her entire life story.

Oh! Hate it when people do that, don't you?

Go on and on about themselves. Un-self-awareness.

But I do feel sorry for locums, don't you?

Drifting around from place to place, carrying their little bag.

They can't make many friends, can they?

Well, at least she'll have a friendly face here.

Oh, don't tell me she's going to want me to go out for some catch up lunch or something!

-Surely she can't be that bad.

-Oh, no!

-What?

Look, just say that I'm out all day. Cover for me.

Say I've got home visits.

-Hi. Dr Whitwell. Sorry I'm a little late.

-Oh, no.

That's absolutely fine. I'm Dr Reid.

Ah, Herbie. Thank you.

-Everything all right?

-What?

Yeah, yeah. It's fine.

Well, this is Valerie. She will show you to your room.

And any problems, just give us a shout.

-Thank you.

-Oh, yes. Right, OK.

Oh, and Dr Carmichael is out all day. Home visits.

-Oh, OK.

-Just in case you were wondering.

No, no.

We'll try anything.

OK, Ruhma, thank you.

I'll see you later.

Bye.

-So, did she have any pearls of wisdom?

-Fresh air and exercise.

-But she's barely a month old.

-Not for her, you twit! Us.

Fresh air and exercise?

Apparently, it keeps you awake during the day and helps you

sleep at night.

Falling asleep at night isn't the problem.

It's being woken up every five minutes, that's the problem.

Exercise(!)

Coffee.

Oh! Sorry. The receptionist said you were on home visits.

I was going to leave you a note.

Ah, yes. Well, that's Valerie for you. She gets confused.

Look, um...

I was wondering, are you free for lunch later?

Sorry, I am just jam-packed today. I'm backed up as it is.

You know, just some days are really crazy.

Yes, of course. Never mind.

I just wanted to apologise.

Apologise?

Well, the last time I saw you,

I wasn't in a very good place.

-There's no need to explain.

-No, it was totally inappropriate.

We hardly know each other and I just dumped all my angst on you.

Bet you thought I was a right weirdo.

-Not at all.

-Just the day before...

-There's no need.

-..he hit me.

My ex, Sean, he... He hit me.

What?

We hadn't just argued. He...

He used a poker and I had two cracked ribs.

I had no idea.

No, I... I just wanted you to understand.

Anyway, you're busy, so...

I'd better let you get on.

-TV:

-'OK, woo! You're doing great! Just keep those buttocks tight!

'Now, punch, to the left, to the right.

'To the left, to the right.

'To the left, to the right.

'Yeah!

'Feel that, girls!'

I don't think Ruhma had this in mind when she said exercise.

And what about the fresh air?

Well, you want to risk waking Marnie for a stroll in the park,

on your head be it!

'Left, right, left, right. Left, left, right, right.

'Left, right, left, right. Just kidding!'

Biscuit?

Oh, no, thank you.

So, how are things at the Oak Avenue?

The last I heard, you'd been made partner.

Yeah, well, being a locum suits me.

Patients without politics.

And how are things...? You know, on the home front?

Sorry. None of my business.

No, it's... It's fine, I just...

I just can't. It's fine.

Look, as it turns out, I am free for lunch after all.

-Oh, you don't have to do that.

-My treat. Really. What do you say?

Well, are you sure?

OK, that'd be nice.

Thank you.

-What?

-You should be careful.

-What do you mean?

-People will start to think you care.

Shut up.

Oh, come on. It would just take you out of yourself.

-I do not need taking out of myself.

-OK, a change of scenery.

-I know that you have the best of intentions...

-OK! All right!

I admit, I've got an ulterior motive.

Heston won't come with me and it just won't be any fun on my own.

-And you cannot find anybody to go with you?

-Not today, I can't.

Please, Mrs Tembe. I bet you have got a very good eye for a bargain.

Yes, well... Fine.

Yes!

If I'm honest, I feel like I'm a bit of a fraud.

-How so?

-Well, just like I'm wasting your time.

You'd be surprised how many people say that.

Why do you think you're wasting my time?

-Because I'm OK.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Well, I think I'm dealing with things a bit better.

I'm more confident.

Maybe, um...

The rapid response actually helped with that.

Yeah, we touched on confidence last time.

How long's that been a problem?

A lifetime!

-Um, even as a kid, I was..

-Even as a kid?

I'm an only child, so...

I'm not blaming my parents.

I put far more pressure on myself than they ever did.

Pressure?

Yeah, well, the usual thing. You know, trying to do my best.

Be as good as I could be.

As good as you could be or perfect?

Well, I like things to be done right.

There's nothing wrong with that.

OK, I guess I do give myself a bit of a hard time,

if things aren't exactly as they should be.

-I always have.

-Who do you know that's perfect?

So, trying to be perfect,

don't you think that you're setting the bar impossibly high?

Setting myself up to fail, you mean?

Yeah, I never really thought of it like that.

I just hate making stupid mistakes. That's all.

And what happens if you make a mistake?

People die.

I can't pretend that it's a bed of roses at the Mill,

but at least the irritations are familiar.

-Better the devil you know.

-Something like that.

So, why did you really quit Oak Avenue?

-Because if it's something to do with your crazy ex...

-No, no.

-He's long gone.

-Well, good. So what happened?

Did your counsellor finally make you see sense?

I didn't need Larry Davies to tell me Sean was bad news.

Larry Davies! He's great! Are you still seeing him?

-Abbie?

-Look, Sean's gone,

so I don't need to carry on forking out for counselling sessions.

I'm... I'm sorry.

What is going on?

You have been jumpy since the moment we sat down in here.

I don't want to bore you with my problems.

Been there before, right?

Yes.

But this time I'm asking.

Well, I do have moments where I think I can be a good doctor.

But most of the time, that's not what I'm feeling. I just...

I don't feel like I spend enough time with people.

I'm even glad when it's something actually easy.

That sounds awful, doesn't it?

Patients probably think I'm rubbish.

When people say so-and-so thinks that of me,

it's usually a reflection of what they're thinking about themselves.

Does that sound about right?

Yeah, actually.

So, all pretty negative?

-Mm.

-So, you're telling yourself that you're a rubbish doctor.

What about outside of work? What do you see when you look in the mirror?

-What do you mean?

-Well, we all have an inner dialogue.

We don't even realise it half the time.

So what words would you use to describe yourself to you?

When I'm looking in the mirror?

-Um... I'm not sure.

-OK, to put it a different way,

how do you think others would describe you?

Well, um, I do always think that no-one's ever going to like me.

Why's that?

Cos I say stupid things.

It's just nerves.

And I do think everyone thinks I'm a bit of an idiot.

Who does?

Who thinks that?

Like I said before, do you think that about yourself?

Yeah, I suppose so.

Probably explains why I'm still single.

You've got to understand, I was desperate!

-Hang on, you're saying that you made a deal with the...

-Don't!

I'm serious! You know, he got rid of Sean and now he's come to collect.

-I have to do what he says or...

-Or what? What's he done?

He doesn't. He makes things happen.

My car got smashed up. My shed got burned down.

How do you know it was him? And why on Earth don't you call the police?

And tell them what? That's the...you know?

OK, look. At least make another appointment with Larry.

There's no point.

This is ridiculous. You need help. Should you even be working?

-Excuse me?

-You just told me that you made a deal with the devil.

What would you say if this was the other way round?

You always did think I was a little bit loopy.

That's not true.

Look, I left Oak Avenue because

I didn't want to be tied down. And when Sean went,

I didn't think there was any reason to carry on seeing a counsellor.

And this deal? This man who's been terrorising you?

Well, I know he's not... I don't know.

To be honest, I've not been sleeping.

And maybe you're right, Zara.

Maybe I do need to go and see Larry.

-Really?

-Yeah.

I'm going to give him a call.

I will.

And thanks for listening.

Maybe we should get going, eh?

-Are you up for some homework?

-Homework?

Yeah, it's the work that you do in between the sessions that's

going to make a difference. So?

OK, yeah. I'll give it a good go.

What do I need to do?

Get yourself a notebook and use your feelings as prompts.

So whenever you're feeling down, or lacking in confidence,

just write down what you're thinking.

And on the opposite page, challenge those thoughts.

You know, write down how you could look at things differently.

I'll need a pretty big book!

There we go.

Abbie?

If you'd like to follow me.

He's here!

-He was standing right outside this window!

-Come on. Come back inside.

-What am I going to do?

-We are going to sit down.

And you are going to tell me exactly what's going on.

BABY CRIES ON MONITOR

-KAREN ON MONITOR:

-'Rob?

'Is that flippin' bottle ready yet, Rob?

-'Rob?!'

-BABY CONTINUES CRYING

Come in here. Abbie, really, just calm down.

Calm yourself down, take a deep breath,

and start from the beginning.

-You made a deal.

-Yeah, to get Sean out of my life.

And it worked.

A couple of days later, he packed up his things and he went.

So, he left of his own accord.

What about this...Devil man? Does he have a name?

He said he's just the Devil.

-Oh, Abbie!

-He reminded me about the deal. He knew everything about me.

He said he'd come to collect.

-He wanted me to stop seeing my counsellor.

-And?

Well, I told him to get lost

and then my car was vandalised the next day.

That's why I cancelled my sessions with Larry and I thought

-that'd be the end of it.

-But he came back?

He was in my house. Standing over the bed.

-He didn't...

-No, he never actually touched me.

But he told me I had to quit my job at Oak Avenue,

stop seeing my friends.

If not, he knew my sisters' names, my nieces'.

-He knew where they live. And now...

-Now what?

Now he wants sex.

Abbie, listen to yourself! Come on!

Put your professional head on just for a moment.

You said that you were traumatised by Sean. Could you be...?

Is it possible that this is the trauma talking,

your mind calling out for help?

-No, I can't think about this. What if he hurts them?

-Abbie!

No, I can't risk it. I'm going to have to give him what he wants.

No worries. Yeah. That'll be fine.

Are you deaf or what?

OK, speak to you later. Bye.

-How long does it take to heat a bottle?

-Keep your hair on.

I've done it. It's ready. Just feed her.

-Argh! Take her off me.

-What's wrong?

-Take...

It's scolding hot. I could have hurt her.

It can't be that hot.

Feel it!

-It looks like they are selling everything.

-Yeah.

Apparently, they're moving to Arran and she doesn't want to take

all this stuff with her in boxes they're never going to open.

-So they have lived here for how long?

-I think she said 40 years.

-It's a lifetime. All those memories.

-Look at this. Um...

-Excuse me, how much is this?

-Only a fiver.

-Oh!

-OK. Hang on a minute.

-A cigarette case?! You do not even smoke!

-There you go.

-Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, it's not for me.

It's silver. I'm going to sell it. It's about profit, Mrs Tembe.

Remember, profit. So look out for small stuff.

Nobody notices the small stuff.

What about this?

No, I don't think that's as old as it looks.

Her daughter probably just made it.

Surely, they would want to keep something like this.

Yeah, but you can't keep everything.

SHE SIGHS

Oh. Now. Now, I think this would look very good on you.

-It is beautiful.

-There's no money in it.

I'm just looking for things I can sell on.

Well, I could not get rid of my memories like this.

But you take your memories with you. This is just things.

People, places, they all have memories.

Ooh!

Hello, Abbie.

All right?

Like a couple of fried sausages.

Sorry.

I've just been so tired.

I was only joking.

Do you know? I could just do with some sausages right now.

Have we had anything to eat?

Um, we had our breakfast for our lunch and you had some cold beans

-out of the fridge.

-Oh, yeah.

I'm still starving.

Me too.

Go on then.

What?

I cooked last night.

-Takeaway?

-Ooh!

Yes, please!

Thank you.

Ooh.

I saw you having lunch with Dr Carmichael.

So, you were there.

I'm everywhere.

You told her, didn't you?

Course you did.

So, tell me, what was the good doctor's opinion?

She didn't believe you.

I told you.

Now, look, you've gone and made me angry.

Why are you doing this?

-Who are you?

-You know who I am.

Time's up, Abbie.

-No! No! Get off me!

-Oh, so you want to play, yeah?

No! Help! Help me!

Hey!

You set me up!

You set yourself up, you pervert! Please, just get him out of here!

Are you OK?

Did he hurt you?

He's gone now.

It's over. It's over.

They seem very happy.

They do.

-Even with all this upheaval.

-I suppose they get to start afresh.

Yes, I suppose so.

But sometimes, there comes a time when...

Anyway, we cannot all be the same.

You OK?

I will be.

-And?

-His name's Daryl Blunt. He's an admin assistant at Larry's office.

-And you told Larry all about the pact.

-I told Larry everything.

Well, that explains how this man knew so much about you.

I can't believe how I was sucked in. It was like I was brainwashed.

Give yourself a break. You've been through a hell of a lot.

What you did earlier took guts. I'm impressed.

Well, I couldn't have done it without you. So, thank you.

-So, now it's over.

-Oh, yes.

It's over.

So, you just weren't tempted?

-Oh.

-You won't make any money on that.

-MOBILE RINGS

-Well, I don't intend to.

-Hello.

-'It's Marnie.'

-Oh, Karen. I can hear her.

-'She's proper poorly. Maybe it's a virus.'

No, it isn't. It's just the withdrawal.

'She's not been like this before.'

-OK, look, have you tried skin to skin?

-'Take my top off.'

That's it, yeah. And just snuggle in as close as you can.

-And call me if it doesn't work, all right?

-'Thanks.'

-Good luck.

'Bye.'

Aw!

They are having such a tough time with that little kid.

I'm just going to say thank you very much and good luck.

-How long have you been here?

-Oh, 37 years.

You'd get less for murder!

-What are you doing?

-I'm trying to find my car keys.

-Are they not hanging up?

-Karen, if they were hanging up,

then I wouldn't be looking for them, would I?

Last time I saw a mouth like that, it had a hook in it.

I would like to take you out to dinner.