On Tuesday morning, Pat went back to work. He didn’t see any point in sitting around at home doing nothing. Alex was catching up with friends while they waited for the days to pass before his father’s planned funeral on Friday. His mother would be stuck in the hospital system for weeks. By the time she was ready to be discharged they’d know the outcome of her aged-care assessment and, hopefully, they’d have somewhere for her to go. Work, Pat decided, would be a useful distraction.
Once in the office, he logged into the administrative system to update his attendance records and complete an application for the periods of bereavement leave he’d taken and planned to take. He was checking through his inbox when Lina arrived.
‘Wasn’t expecting you back today, Pat. Everything okay?’
‘Need some
