"That looks nice," he hissed, "but I think it's just carpet burn and bruising."

He carried on his inspection of her leg. When he got to her ankle it was by far the worst of her issues.

"This is badly sprained. I'll get my bag and wrap it up for you. Is..." Benjamin stopped talking and seemed to swallow back the words. "…your husband due back soon?" He had to force the words out

"No, he's not," she replied calmly. Benjamin returned a nod with the same intensity.

"Just give me a few ...