As soon as Sally got Rob through the door of their flat she guided him straight to bed. On the car journey home he had become quiet and withdrawn again,

"Do you want something to eat..drink?"

Rob, sat on the edge of the bed, shook his head slowly,

"No...do we have any pain killers?"

"Yep, but you can't have them on an empty stomach. Tea, toast, paracetamol, sleep...order of the day, ok?"

Rob nodded and Sally headed for the kitchen. She returned to find Rob, still sat on the bed, with his head in his hands, rocking slowly back and forth. A floor board crecked beneath her foot and Rob instantly looked up, his whole demeanour changing as he forced a smile on to his lips,

"Thanks Sal" he said taking the cup and plate from her. Sally lean't against the wall, watching him closely,

"Are you ok Rob? Seriously?"

"I'm fine Sal honestly, I just need to get rid of this head ache, get some sleep and I'll be right as rain for the shift tonight...you don't have to worry"

For the rest of the morning Sally tiptoed around the flat, trying to make as little noise as possible, but she could hear that Rob was restless. Occasionally he would get up and pace around the bedroom or groan with frustration. When he had finally gone quiet, she made herself a coffee and settled down with a book, but she had barely got started when the bedroom door banged open and Rob ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. As she stood to follow him she heard the lock click. She banged on the door,

"Rob? Are you alright mate?...Rob?!"

Rob gripped the edge of the wash basin, his knuckles turning white. He was going mad, he must be. He had tried to hide it from Sally and the rest of the watch, put a brave face on it, but inside he was falling apart. He remembered what happened in the hot boxes, that awful dark shape rushing at him then a constant, intrusive presence at the back of his mind. His head throbbed, a splitting headache that made him feel as though someone was trying to force his eyeballs out of their sockets. He felt constantly sick, as though his body was trying to reject something. But what was worse was the voice, a tormenting, nasty little voice that plagued him as he lay in the dark trying to sleep, that rifled through his memories and dissected them, warped them and turned them into nightmares. The voice told him that he was disgusting, unnatural and unworthy of the uniform. That he was useless and unloved. He splashed some cold water onto his face. He was aware of Sally banging on the door,

'You're useless'

"No"

'You're disgusting'

"No"

'You're unworthy'

Rob shook his head, trying to dislodge that awful voice and make it go away. He looked up into the mirror and the face that looked back at him wasn't his,

'You're mine!'

"Rob, open the damn door before I put it in!" Sally yelled, still hammering on the door. Suddenly the door opened and Rob draped himself in the door way,

"S'up Sal?"

"What's up? What are you playing at?!" Sally was livid. Rob raised an eyebrow and shrugged,

"Call of nature Love, that's all"

Sally ran a hand through her hair,

"I thought you'd collapsed, this whole episode is very unusual for you. I'm concerned Rob...I care about you"

"Hey" Rob crooned, stepping forward and embracing her, "I'm fine babe, really. Although I love the fact that you care for me"

He dipped his head into the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply, his hands sliding down her back to gently cup her buttocks. Sally stepped back away from him, momentarily shocked. Rob stood and looked down at her, bare chested, with a strange look in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. He smiled at her,

"Is it time for work yet?"

Sally glanced at her watch,

"Yeah, you feeling better?"

"Much" he stepped forward and stroked her cheek, "I've had the best nurse in the world, you could make the dead feel better"

Sally turned away, forcing a smile as she went to change for work,

"I don't think so" she said over her shoulder and as she went into her bedroom, Rob, watching her from the hallway said quietly,

"I do", and grinned.