Atrocity Circle

I wanted to chase up a reference. A Dr Alison Sutton.

This programme contains some strong language and some scenes which some viewers may find disturbing.

I want to take you somewhere. Just you, me and Molly.

I think we need to be honest with each other, don't you?

Cath!

I know who you are.

Dr Alison Sutton left for a sheep farm in New Zealand

six months ago.

She had everything I didn't have and she was throwing it all away.

I took it.

You're a good doctor, the best we've had.

Come home with me. I want you in my life.

I can protect you. OK.

Come here. You take care of yourself, pet.

We got a delivery. In Edinburgh. You've got the job.

Cath told me that she'd moved away

because you got physical with her. That's not true.

Paul here is a fully-trained HCA.

All I want him to do is watch and report back to me.

It's just you and me this evening. Seriously?

We will have to cope.

So, what's the problem in here?

Dental abscess, lower jaw, I was about to call max fax.

Can we have a chat?

Anyone who doesn't need to be here, we get rid of them. OK.

That's him, the toothache. I can't do this.

That's four minutes. You try.

I sent him home.

We need to support each other.

I need you to alter this.

If there's a complaint,

they will rake over our records, our experience.

...seven, eight, nine, ten...

Can I get some help in here, please?

Cath.

Oh! Oops, oops-a-daisy.

Molly, are you after my pancakes?

Do you want pancakes, too? Go on, then. You do it yourself.

OK, third time lucky.

Are we ready? Ready. OK.

Three, two, one. Toss!

Oh.

That was your one. Coffee?

Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.

I couldn't sleep anyway.

How was the night?

Usual. You know.

Brigitte OK?

Five minutes, sweetheart, then we need to go.

I thought you were starting at two?

Oh, paperwork, appraisal, you know how it is.

Plus I'm paying for the nursery.

I mean it, Molly! Come on.

I'll get your coat. You can eat that on the way.

We don't want to be late.

Can't believe it's so quiet. Shh.

We never say the Q word.

Not unless we want the sky to fall down on our heads. What, "quiet"?

Shh!

Isn't that right, Ally?

Yeah, bad luck. Really, thought everyone knew that.

Hey, don't be so harsh on...

Dawn... Dawn.

She's new. ED virgin. Sorry.

Ally.

This one's yours.

Did you get some sleep? A little.

I've just been up there. He's still in ITU.

He's off all sedation but still no significant response yet.

Obviously there's a chance that he might wake up in a week or so.

Right. Sure.

I mean, where there's life, there's hope, right?

Is that all?

I'm sorry.

And, erm...

I wanted to thank you for supporting me and...

We need to stick together on this.

Are you asking me or telling me?

What?

Christ, I'm asking you.

As a friend, a... a colleague.

Look, no-one wanted this to happen

but I don't see the point in a postmortem. Do you?

I mean, everyone unleashes the retro-spectoscope, and nobody wins.

And that's all so easy for them when they weren't actually there.

I don't want to lie. I'm not a liar.

But it's us against them. Don't you get that?

How many mistakes are you allowed to make?

How many times can you get it wrong? I'll tell you - none.

You have to be perfect.

I'm not.

Are you?

Mr Connolly?

Mr Connolly?

James? James!

Hey.

Hey, Mr Connolly, are you OK?

Hey, are you OK? Hey!

Mr Connolly? Mr Connolly!

Get off me!

OK, he's fine.

He's a regular. I'll keep an eye on him.

All right.

Hey.

Got some work for you. Epigastric pain since the early hours.

Mona.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with me.

You can say it as often as you like,

but no-one goes without the doc here giving the OK.

You should have called me. Or your GP.

What, bother the doctor over a wee bit of indigestion?

Or a heart attack. Perforated ulcer. Leaking aortic aneurysm.

Oh, speak Scottish, dear. Or English at a push.

I'm bilingual.

It could be nothing or it could be something serious.

Well, I don't think much of your bedside manner.

Are doctors no' supposed to make us feel better?

That's fine. Your heart trace looks normal, which is a good start.

Right. There you go.

So how long have you been feeling this pain? And I want the truth.

On and off for a couple of weeks.

But this morning, must have been something I ate.

OK, I'm just going to examine you.

There you go. Going to put a pressure on your stomach,

so tell me when it hurts. OK?

Does that hurt?

It's annoying.

So, can I go soon?

I'm going to order an erect chest.

We'll need access, an abdominal screen.

Amylase. Oh, and nil by mouth.

OK. What, no tea?

Not until I say so.

Where is everybody?

It's like that ship. You know, the one where everyone disappeared?

Hmm... Titanic?

Marie Celeste. Anyway, it's really...

Don't you say it.

You know me better than that. Where's Ally?

With our only patient. Majors two.

Sorry, er, Dr Brenner?

Rob Beasley. Patient Liaison.

Ah, yeah, sure. I remember. Everything OK?

Er, you'll be aware there was a serious clinical incident

in your department last night.

Er, I am now. Is there a problem?

Possibly. I'd like to discuss it with you now

if you have a few minutes.

It, er, seems quiet enough.

Christ! It's like they all want us to die.

We never say that word. Not here.

What, "quiet"? Oh!

Let's talk in my office.

The patient's partner's already been in touch with us.

She's a solicitor. Sits on the District Council.

Ah, great.

I'd usually go straight to the clinical lead,

but in the circumstances, er,

we need to get all the facts from the department's point of view.

Usually best when everything's fresh in people's minds.

You know what medical notes are like. I understand.

I'm told, um, Dr Rayne

and Dr Sutton were the two clinicians involved.

Are they in today?

Well, er, I believe so.

Then shall we all swallow the frog?

Hey. I heard about last night. You OK?

Yeah. What about Ally? She takes it personally, you know, all this.

It's weird.

Maybe she gives a shit.

Hey. I give a shit. We all do.

They're all our patients.

When was the last time you actually talked to one of them?

I'm here to make them better, not listen to their life stories.

She does. I've watched her.

OK, so, maybe it's the multi-tasking thing.

See, that is it right there.

I try to talk to you and you make it into a stupid joke.

It's not. None of this is.

I'm sorry. Really.

What happened last night?

He couldn't breathe.

You could see in his eyes what was going to happen, like he knew.

She cut his neck and there was blood everywhere.

Oh, do you know the worst thing?

Like, the thing that gets me...

I'm used to it.

The... death, the pain, the blood, the tears.

It's just normal.

So what does that make me?

The chest X-ray looks normal. We're just waiting on the blood results.

Is the pain still there?

Better. As I said, something I ate.

How's the wee one?

Fine. Good. She misses you.

You weren't like those others. I wanted to keep you all to myself.

To those other doctors, I was just another nosey old woman.

Most people spy a lonely soul and they can't get away fast enough.

But not you.

Maybe I was lonely too.