Nurse In Need. Alison Roberts

Nigel gave her arm a shake.

      Amy jerked away from his hand. ‘Don’t shake me, Nigel,’ she warned sharply. ‘And don’t tell me to shut up again either.’

      Lorraine glided into view. Her voice was deceptively light. ‘Goodness me! What is going on?’

      ‘I’ll tell you,’ Amy volunteered. ‘Nigel thinks I’m a sort of puppet. He can shake me and I’ll do whatever he thinks I should do.’

      ‘Nigel?’ Lorraine’s tone carried a distinct ‘please explain’ message. Amy was delighted to see the composure crack.

      ‘Nigel thinks I’m going to live in Sydney,’ she told Lorraine. ‘He thinks my job doesn’t matter a damn and I’ll just give it up. Just like that!’ Amy tried to click her fingers but the result was unsatisfyingly muted. She tried again.

      Lorraine glanced around them. Several nearby people had fallen silent and were pretending not to be watching. She gave an apologetic laugh. ‘Really, Amy. I think you might be overreacting.’

      ‘You would think that,’ Amy agreed. ‘But you’re just as bad as he is. You’ve even got my wedding all planned and you didn’t bother talking to me about it, did you?’

      More people were listening. The first group had given up any pretence of not being fascinated. They had been joined by Jennifer and the stranger in the leather jacket.

      ‘I have an announcement to make.’ Amy took a breath, hoping that the loud buzzing in her head might dissipate. She handed her glass to Noel who looked like he was trying his best not to smile.

      ‘I’m not going to marry you, Nigel,’ Amy said loudly. ‘I’d rather…’ She paused as a wave of dizziness threatened her upright posture.

      ‘Go, Amy!’ Jen crowed.

      Amy smiled lopsidedly. ‘I’d rather go home and stick needles in my eyes,’ she told Nigel.

      ‘Definitely preferable,’ the stranger agreed. He and Jen exchanged a grin.

      ‘Going home is certainly a good idea,’ Nigel said coldly. ‘I’ll drive you myself.’

      ‘No way!’ Amy wagged a finger at Nigel. ‘You’re not doing anything for me, Nigel Wesley.’ She could feel herself swaying. ‘You know what I think you should do, Nigel?’ Amy didn’t wait for a response. Her voice rose triumphantly and she enunciated with dramatic deliberation. ‘I think you should marry your mother!’

      Only Amy seemed to find this funny. The silence in the room was now absolute. Even the string quartet in the conservatory had stopped providing any background music. Jennifer and her companion exchanged another glance. Then the man stepped forward.

      ‘Time to go, Amy,’ he suggested firmly.

      Before she could make any kind of protest, Amy found herself swept up in the man’s arms. He turned and strode out of the room. For the first time Amy became aware of the amount of attention she had drawn to herself. Shocked and disapproving faces seemed to be turned on her from every direction.

      ‘Oh, no!’ Amy moaned. She buried her face in the leather-covered shoulder, wrapping her arms around the man’s neck to make her defensive position more secure.

      ‘What have I done?’