“Was there anything else is on your list you want to talk about here?” Marcie asked Ben quietly as they settled down to wait. He held it out so that they could at it together, and she read the last two items aloud, “Air, fire. Very mysterious. Was it something to do with elemental alchemy?”

“I don’t know,” Ben admitted, “I was thinking about us, about my feelings, when I was alone. It made me feel positive. Perhaps it is magic.”

“I’m intrigued, but perhaps it’s better to talk about this later,” Marcie said, glancing around at the few other people seated in the waiting room then quickly squeezing his knee. “Did you want to check your hospital letters again before you went in?”

Ben gladly opened them out. “That’s my sick note. This is the discharge form,” he explained.

“These have your Shieldfield address on. Do you think you should give them my address now?”

“Yes, I think I should. That’s a big step though, isn’t it? It makes it kind of official, our status,” Ben knew he was skirting around things, trying to avoid saying the bureaucratic word ‘cohabiting’ out loud. He finished shyly, “But it’s true.”

“Oh Ben, I’m sorry! I keep letting my words run on without thinking, I rush you into saying things that need time. You’re right, we can talk about it later,” she paused, reaching for his hand to squeeze it firmly, “But I’m really happy that you think it’s true. Can I see what they put on your discharge notes?”

As they read it together in silence, Marcie obviously got ahead of him, as she pointed out a line some way down the page. “Ooh, I’d forgotten that,” she said, her finger under the words “possible allergic reaction”, but she didn’t say them aloud. She just asked, “Are you going to ask the doctor about that too?”

“I can do. I’ll try and find out as much as I can.”

Still gripping his hand, she looked deep into his eyes, her mouth making a brave smile, perhaps to cover up the worry that Ben saw in her own eyes. “It will all work out okay,” he found himself saying, realising that he was saying it as much to reassure himself as Marcie.

There was a loud beep and Ben glanced up to see his name scroll past on the electronic display, along with the doctor’s room number. He rose to his feet and gave Marcie a brief peck on the lips as she reluctantly released his hand. “I’ll be right here,” she promised him with soulful sincerity.

He turned, stepped into the corridor and saw the room number he was looking for. He gave a polite knock and stepped in. At the desk he saw an older dark-haired man with a kindly face.

“Come in, Benjamin. Take a seat. I’m Doctor Jacob Mitrani, I don’t think you’ve seen me before, but I heard you’ve been in hospital. Is that right?”

Ben explained about his collapse at the gym, getting taken to the RVI by ambulance and being put on oxygen. He said that the hospital doctor had thought it was an asthma attack, but he’d had an x-ray and there was something called pneumoconiosis on his lungs from wood dust. Doctor Mitrani helped him to get the right word for it, then asked about his job and his workshop, as well as his referral to a consultant. Ben remembered to say that they’d mentioned a possible allergy in the hospital too.

“Well, yes, an allergic reaction could have developed even if you’ve not had one before. It’s good if you’ve already been referred for that.” Ben was worried that he might have to breathe in the dust for the test. Doctor Mitrani explained that the respiratory consultant might give him some kind of provocation test, but they would probably just check for allergies with little pricks on his skin, which would be very safe but might make him itch.

The doctor went on to explain that the practice hadn’t had the letter from the hospital, and that it would be best to wait for the consultant’s diagnosis as the final word. He was glad to read Ben’s copy of the discharge notes though, then he said that he’d like to listen to Ben’s chest too. He explained that he wanted to check for asthmatic wheezing and to find out if he could hear the damage that had been caused by the pneumoconiosis. Ben stood and took his t-shirt off, feeling as if he were getting used to this routine. After listening carefully all over Ben’s chest, the doctor seemed satisfied, asking him to pop his shirt back on before they both sat down again.

“Well, the good news is that your asthma’s not causing a problem right now. It constricts your lung’s pipes, your bronchioli, and they’re fine for the moment, though I could hear them struggle a little when I asked you to breathe out fast. But I can also hear what you might call a rasp or a knocking around the edges of your lungs. Pneumoconiosis gets you there, in what I’d call the interstitium around your alveoli, where the oxygen crosses over into your blood. The tiny, microscopic particles of irritating dust have damaged the tissue there and left it scarred, I’m sorry to say. Do you cough a lot? But you’re not a smoker? Good. Well, I suggest you wait to see the consultant, who’ll be able to tell you more, but in the meantime, did the hospital talk to you about treatment?”

“Not really. They didn’t give me any pills to take.”

“Did they explain this is a problem that doesn’t go away? I’m sorry, I know that must be bad news. But the most important thing to do is to stay away from the dust that caused the problem in the first place. Do you need a sick note for your employer?”

Ben explained that the hospital had given him one, but when the doctor saw it he agreed to extend it from the week they’d given him to another whole month. “Again, I’ll ask you to wait to hear what the consultant says, but I’m sorry that I don’t think you’ll be able to go back to your old job.”

“Yes, I had guessed that,” Ben said gloomily.

“I wonder, did your employer give you protective equipment and assess how you worked?” Ben explained that he used disposable masks. “That may not have been enough. Did you have anything like an extractor fan or a hood over the sawing area? What I’m getting at here is that the law is pretty strict about employers not exposing their employees to this kind of thing. Historically you know there were lots of industrial diseases, but the law is there to protect people like you. It could be they’ve been in breach of health and safety regulations. You could be owed compensation for being forced out of work.”

“How could I find out?” Ben asked, feeling some surprise at Doctor Mitrani’s thoughts, whilst also feeling foolish for not having thought of such things for himself earlier.

“I’m sorry, I’m not the expert. Do you have a union?” Ben said not. “Do you think you could find a suitable lawyer for yourself then?”

Ben’s thoughts went to Marcie. He wondered if she knew someone. “Maybe I could find one,” he confirmed.

“If you do that, give them my details. They may need to wait for the specialist consultant too, but I’d be very happy to present any medical evidence that I can. This is a genuine condition that I’m afraid you’re stuck with now. But we were talking about treatment, weren’t we? The oxygen that they gave you at the hospital would do you good, and if we need to, we can arrange for you to have it at home. But for the time being, I can make sure that we get that asthma under control. We really don’t want you to have another attack like the one in the gym, and I think we can easily avoid that.”

The doctor said that he would give Ben two inhalers, one to take each morning and evening, which he called a preventer, and another to carry around with him all the time, called a reliever. He explained that this was the one that the hospital thought that he should have had at the gym.

“Take a good puff at the first signs of any wheezing or tightness in your chest and you should be absolutely fine. I hope you won’t have to use it more than three times in a week, but I’d like to see you in a week’s time anyway, just to see how you’re getting on.” He went on to give Ben some more instructions on how to use the inhalers, but said the pharmacist could show him too. He explained that he would also ask the pharmacist to give him a big tube that he called a spacer to use with the preventer. “And another thing, remember to keep all this nice and clean. Just soapy water is fine, but we wouldn’t want you to get a throat infection like thrush on top of everything else.”

Something was still on Ben’s mind, but he started by asking, “I guess I shouldn’t go back to my workshop at all, but my flat is right above it. My, erm, girlfriend thinks it is very dusty too. Will I be okay going back there?”

“Are you staying at your girlfriend’s place now?” Ben confirmed he was. “It might be best if you carry on like that for the time being. I would imagine that you will find it all right to pop in and out of your flat, but it may not be a good idea for you to sleep in a dusty environment. Remember to carry your inhaler when you’re visiting it too.”

“Thank you. And what about going back to the gym? Should I avoid that too?”

“My first impressions on seeing you were that you look fit and healthy, apart from your lungs, we know now. Were you in the habit of going there regularly?” Ben agreed that he was. “Well, I wouldn’t want you to stop that. It’s good for your heart and your bones, as well as all sorts of other things. I would guess by looking at you that your BMI is high. If you suddenly stopped exercising but didn’t change your diet, you might find that your muscle turned to fat, in a manner of speaking, which would put another burden on your cardiovascular system. So I suggest you just try taking your exercises a bit slower, and stop to give the inhaler a chance to work if you get breathless.”

“So I’m more unfit now?” Ben asked.

“No, I wouldn’t say that. Think of it like this,” Doctor Mitrani suggested, leaning back into his chair, “The pneumoconiosis has damaged your lungs. If they had five litres of capacity before, maybe they’ve got three or four litres now. That means you’re getting less oxygen from the air in every breath, just like someone climbing Everest. If before you could have climbed up to five thousand metres without an extra oxygen tank, now you could only climb to three or four thousand metres without one. Those wouldn’t be the numbers really, but you get the idea. I wouldn’t recommend you book a trip to Nepal to try it out! But you’re not unfit. Your muscles, your heart and your blood flow are all still good. It’s as if you just have a slight handicap now that means your performance won’t be what it was. Just take it a bit easier, and you should be fine. But was there anything else?”

Perhaps the doctor could see that he was still pensive about something, but Ben steeled himself and went on, “Well, erm, what about sex? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Oh, you must ask if you’re worried about anything at all,” Doctor Mitrani replied with reassuring confidence, “You do hear stories of men expiring during sexual intercourse, don’t you? But if you and your girlfriend are alert to the signs and you keep your inhaler nearby, I would not worry at all.”

“You mean it would be okay?” Ben asked, with relief.

“Yes, I really do think so. I’ve asked you to make another appointment in a week’s time anyway. If you wanted to tell me anything or ask any more questions then, I would be happy to help. I won’t probe, so to speak, but you must say if you have any concerns at all about you or your partner’s sexual health. As a GP, I assure you, I really have heard it all before. Now, was that all for now?”

When Ben confirmed he didn’t have any more questions, Doctor Mitrani concluded, “Well, you have your prescription. Ask to make a follow-up appointment at the desk, and I’ll see you next week. I hope all goes well.”

Ben thanked him, still feeling a little embarrassed, as he took the prescription, stood up and left. Marcie was pleased to see him when he found her thumbing through a much-read magazine in the waiting room. She put it away quickly as she rose to her feet, then reached out to squeeze his hand with reassurance as she asked if things had been okay. He said that the consultation had gone well, but that he needed to make another appointment. When that was done, they walked out onto the street and into the spring afternoon. She asked again with real concern whether he was really okay, and Ben said he was. As they walked back to the car, hand in hand, he went on to repeat everything that he could remember of what the doctor had said about his medical condition.

“Oh, you poor thing! But you have a prescription? We can drive home then and pick it up from the chemist at the end of Acorn Road.” As they reached the car and got in, she asked, “Did he say anything else?”

“There was something. He said the Trust might not have followed health and safety rules. A lawyer might be able to get them to pay compensation. That might make changing trades easier.”

“Oh, Ben, of course!” Marcie almost wailed as she joined the traffic, “I’m so sorry, I should have thought of that. What was the point in three years studying law at Manchester if I can’t spot it when my friends need legal help? You should get a specialist workplace solicitor, and I guess you’d need to avoid the ambulance chasers who might take an excessive cut of your win. But let me have a think, and I’m sure I can find a friend of a friend.”

“Will you have to ask Richard?” Ben asked anxiously.

“No way! But I met some pretty big shot lawyers through him. Well, big shot for Newcastle. Yes, Trish McDonald maybe. She’s a partner now, in her firm I mean. I’ll phone her to talk about this as soon as I can.”

“Aye, and I better phone my work, to give them an update.”

“So, did you talk to the doctor about anything else?” Marcie asked with a kind of breezy innocence that made Ben suspicious. He wondered if had anticipated what had been on his mind.

“Well, he said I can go back to the gym, if I take it easy,” Ben mentioned.

“That’s good. If you like, I can go with you. I’d be anxious about you going in on your own, until I was sure you’d found your new safe pace at least. I guess I’d be fine with you popping in on your own whenever you wanted once my mind was at rest.”

Then Ben said as causally as he could, “He also said that it would be okay for us to have sex.”

Marcie looked at him sharply in surprise, letting the car drift a little before she jerked the steering wheel sharply, straightening them up again.

“Ben, you did that deliberately!” she accused, with exaggerated shock. He could see that she was smirking, even though her cheeks had blushed. “You could have caused an accident! But I can’t believe you spoke to him about that.”

“Well, we were both worried, and if you can’t talk to your doctor, who can you ask about that?”

“Does what I said about the gym work with this too? I said I’d like to go with you. I might be a bit anxious until I saw that you could find your new pace,” she was grinning from ear to ear as she spun out her joke, concluding with a laugh, “But I’d be happy with you popping in whenever you wanted once I saw you were safe!”

Ben grinned foolishly beside her, enjoying her enthusiasm, as she went on, “Well, talking of being safe, we’d better pick up some condoms with your prescription. I threw out the old ones I had, and I didn’t pick any up from your place. I’m sorry, we shouldn’t be talking about this flippantly while I’m driving.”

“No, it’s fine. That sounds very good to me. We can choose together. It will be exciting!”

Marcie found a parking space near her flat, then they took the short walk to the shops together, hand in hand once again. The chemist’s shop was quiet as Ben handed over his prescription to the woman on the till and explained that it was his first inhaler. The pharmacist came over when she overheard and, with a quick glance at the clock, confirmed that she’d be able to take him through everything in the tiny consultation room. Marcie volunteered to wait outside, explaining that she’d try to call or at least leave a message with her lawyer friend.

As she left and Ben waited for the pharmacist, he browsed the shop, spotting the display of condoms along with all the related products. He wondered if Marcie had already forgotten that he’d said they could choose some together. He saw they had his usual choice, Durex Featherlite, alongside some called Pleasuremax that he didn’t know. He saw there were Durex branded lubricants too, which he thought looked more interesting than the familiar K-Y gel.

He heard the pharmacist call his name and turned, then followed her into the little room that perhaps gave them some privacy. Opening the boxes in front of him with quick professional confidence, she got out two inhalers, the brown preventer and the blue reliever that the doctor had mentioned, along with the big spacer. She showed him how to make them puff and explained how to breathe the cloud in. Next she got him to demonstrate that he could make the puffs too, then had him act out the process of doing the inhalation. Ben felt somehow like a child as he put the clean plastic in his mouth and pretend to take his medicine. The pharmacist seemed satisfied though as she picked everything up and gestured to Ben to lead the way out.

Ben saw that Marcie had come back into the shop now and was standing just where he had been earlier. He caught her eye, and she gave a little wave, while the pharmacist piled things into a bag by the till, also bundling away the rubbish. “Do you pay for your prescriptions, Mister Osborne, and did you want anything else?” she asked.

“Erm, aye, yes to both. Could I just pick something out, with my friend, and pay in just a moment?”

“I’ll leave you with Sally then,” she said, indicating the woman at the till, “Pop back in if there are any problems, especially if you lose your blue inhaler and need to replace it,” she added as she retreated to her sanctum at the back of the shop.

Ben joined Marcie in front of the shelves of condoms. It seemed she was trying to be cool and unconcerned, but he wondered if she was also covering up some embarrassment or even excitement. “We don’t need latex-free, do we?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“I like these,” Ben said, trying to make the decision easy for them, taking down a small packet of the Featherlite ones.

“Oh, but it works out cheaper if you buy more,” Marcie said, putting her hand against his to stop it, then taking the large box herself. “What about these too?” she added, pointing to the Pleasuremax, giving him a calm smile while she raised her eyebrow.

“I don’t know. We can try them,” he conceded.

“We’ll start small with them then,” Marcie decided, still smiling to herself. “We can get more if we decide we like them more than your usual. And that should be enough for now, but have you seen all these gels too? Shall we try something different?”

“Aye, but nothing too odd,” Ben suggested, looking with some trepidation at words like ‘warming’, ‘tingling’ and ‘sustain’.

“I agree. How about this?” Marcie said, picking up one with ‘natural’ clearly written on it. She grinned up at him, hands full, but still speaking quietly as she asked, “Are we good?”

“We’re good,” he eagerly affirmed, aware that he was grinning too, then making a deliberate effort to seem cool and composed as he took the goods from Marcie. “I’ll pay. It’s my prescription we’re getting.”

The bored-looking Sally rang their purchases through and dropped them into the bag with the inhalers. Ben deliberately made eye contact as he paid and thanked her, resisting his latent embarrassment, then dropped his remaining paperwork into the bag too before turning to catch up with Marcie, who was already making for the door.

She grasped his free hand and swung it happily as they turned out of the shop and began walking back to her flat. “Ooh,” she exclaimed, “Before I forget, with my mind wandering onto other things, I managed to get straight through to Trish McDonald, the lawyer. She recommended someone in her firm who she assured me was a very experienced workplace solicitor, and her secretary put an appointment in for us tomorrow lunchtime! I hope that’s okay?”

“That’s amazing, Marcie! Once again, you’re helping me so much. I don’t know what I would have done…”

“Oh, you know where you can stow that, sailor boy. Trish remembered me, and asked after Richard, but when I explained what had happened, she was suddenly very keen to be as helpful as she possibly could.”

“It wasn’t too painful, was it? Having to rake over that stuff?” Ben asked anxiously.

“No, don’t be daft! There was a moment’s awkwardness, then she immediately got used to the idea that I had a new boyfriend who needed legal advice. But seriously, I hope you don’t mind that I kind of implied we’d see the solicitor together. I just can’t help sticking my nose in, I guess.”

“No, that’s really good. I want you to be there. You’ll know what they’re talking about, but more importantly, we’re a couple now, right? I want us to share our journey. That’s okay, right?”

“It’s more than okay, it’s perfect,” she reassured him, stopping on the corner of the pavement to pull him towards her, standing on tiptoes with pursed lips to give him a little kiss, then dragging him on towards her flat.