Jigsaw Chapter 2c

If anyone else, Dean included, had tried to get Jackie to accept that, he'd have gone 'off on one'. Jackie was well aware of his shakes, and well aware that they hindered him at times. Actually the shakes were a side effect of his medication but they were still a 'bloody nuisance', to use Jackie's own words, to the otherwise very independant mechanic. Tilly had quite naturally managed to help Jackie without drawing attention to what he saw as a huge fault in himself, and thus causing him no embarrassment.

"Want one?" Jackie help out one of Tilly's rollups to her.

"No thanks Jackie, I don't smoke." Tilly put the lid on Jackie's tobacco tin.

"You must be a reformed on eh? Rolling them like that." Jackie said what Dean was thinking.

"Reformed or deformed?" Tilly sniggered. "Nah I've never smoked, Jackie. Can't afford to! You mechanics must be on a good thing." She got up and went back over to the tea trolly. "Refill Sue? You want another one Dr. Hawthorne?"

"No thanks Tilly. Dean, ok? This lot call me Dean so you do too." Dean smiled. "What time's your lunch break? I've got one of the other doctor's vendng card. Shame to waste it."

"Oh I'll just grab a sandwich from the lunch trolly." Tilly answered with a smile.

"You sure? It's only valid today, it'll only go to waste." Dean tried. Tilly nodded and began stacking saucers. Dean could almost taste the awkwardness. Joe had been right about that too.

"I'll come!" Carol saved the day. Carol who was due to be discharged after months recovering from a breakdown after the death of her mother. "Just let me go change my smalls!" Everyone burst out laughing, Carol the loudest. She was at least eighteen stones in weight and nothing could be small regarding Carol. Oh well. Dean thought as he wandered back up to the wards. Nothing gained, but nothing lost.