About Time

She hadn't noticed him as she argued with herself if she should buy Charlie the shirt or not. It wasn't a colour he'd normally wear but the style was his. She still didn't notice him as he approached her, calling her name again. It was definitely her, no mistaking it. He was almost in touching distance as he once more called for her attention. "Duffy?" Suddenly hearing him she swung around not sure who the voice belonged to but only that she knew it. Smiling as she takes in the old friend before her all thoughts about the shirt are forgotten as she flings her arms around her former colleague.

"Max!" Squeezing him tightly she adds "It's so good to see you." Smiling back as she releases her grip of him she was the last person he expected to see. He had hoped he might bump into someone from the old days but he hadn't expected it to be her.

"It's really good to see you too. Also unexpected I might add. I thought you'd waved Holby goodbye years ago." Her smile changes slightly although why he wasn't sure. Running one hand through her hair she considers her reply first.

"Ah. Yes. Long story. Do you have time for a coffee?" No matter what she decided to share it was going to be met with questions, questions she'd rather not answer in the middle of Debenhams not to mention she was sure his life had changed a lot since they'd last seen each other it had been 16 years after all.

fifteen minutes later the pair were sat in a nearby Costa, he had to admit he was very curious to discover what had brought her back to the UK. He hadn't bumped into Charlie in some years but the last time he had she was still in New Zealand with no plans to ever visit home never mind return. She'd had enough of the pain this place had brought her so Charlie explained and to be honest he quite agreed. Sipping on his coffee he smiles once more, she hadn't changed much. Not really. She'd barely aged in all this time. Before he could ask again what had brought her home she jumped in first.

"Before I go into my long story tell me what you've been up to." She really hadn't changed. Shaking his head he couldn't help but remark it.

"Well I see you haven't changed have you? Well there really isn't much to tell. after I left Holby I moved to Yorkshire as you know and about seven years ago I moved to Scotland where I still am, most of the time. I work in a hospital in the highlands." Shock took over her face, she had assumed he'd left Holby even England maybe but for some reason she'd never have put him there.

"The highlands? I can't see you somewhere so remote and quiet. What brought you there?" Smiling it was common thought when he met people in Holby, it was rather funny that everyone seemed to believe the Highlands were still in the dark ages.

"Ah it's not really as remote as you think. Not where I am anyway. I enjoy the peace though. Most of the time." He pauses, knowing that smirk on her face. She'd read him already. "I was actually about to move to America but I met someone and we moved to Inverness instead. Worlds apart I know."

"Just a bit. That's good though. What's her name?" She was glad, after everything he went through in their time working together she wanted him to be happy. He deserved it after all the pain he had to suffer.

"Louise. She's a teacher I met her at some charity do. She's currently having a spa day with a friend, hence why I'm alone today. Now no more stalling tell me what brought you home." Wrinkling her nose at him she was curious, she wanted to discover more about Louise but she knew he would refuse to share more until she opened up.

"Spoil sport." Placing her cup back on the table she wonders where to begin. "I've not actually been back here very long just coming up two years. It started as just a working trip home nearly three years ago and I kept coming back over the year then eventually never went home." Deciding to play it safe he resists the temptation to make a comment on Charlie's hold over her.

"A&E get a grip of you once more did they?" She knew where he wanted to go with this and could only imagine what he was going to say when he discovered the whole truth.

"Well yes actually. I was about to go back, I'd been helping out after the helicopter crash i'm no doubt sure you heard about but between Charlie and the rest of them I got conned into staying." By conned he assumed Charlie asked. It would be all it took no matter what. As for her family he wasn't sure, he couldn't see if she still wore a wedding ring as she had placed her hand on her lap.

"I'm not surprised. What about the boys and your husband? Did they follow?" If only it was that simple.

"They aren't boys anymore I'm afraid. Peter and his wife did, I'm a Granny now. Jake travels so he wasn't in New Zealand anyway and Paul still lives in New Zealand with my now ex husband Ryan." He struggled to get his head around a lot of that. Duffy a grandmother? Surely she wasn't old enough? But then it had been a long time since they worked together. He also couldn't believe she'd allowed her youngest to stay in another country from her. As for her ex husband from what little he got out of Charlie he was shocked, then gone out for a drink before he left for Scotland and he'd revealed what he'd done to her. Bastard. Duffy didn't half pick them, himself not included of course.

"A Granny? God last time I seen you Paul was still a baby and Peter wasn't even a teenager! What are they all up to? Ex? I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm a lot happier now. Peter works as a manger in some I.T business I don't understand, Jake is on youtube and a blogger which he loves and pays for him to go wherever he wishes and Paul is defiantly not a baby anymore. He's 17 this year and doing well in school. He travels here for holidays and such." Laughing her at lack of understanding about the modern world he couldn't help but agree, it was all a mystery to him.

"That's amazing. I can't believe they are all grown up. You must miss Jake and Paul." 'Not as much as you must miss Frank.' Pops into her head but she decides not to say it. She couldn't handle that look of pain in his eyes, she'd seen it too often.

"Ah yes but technology is a brilliant thing. Peter eventually taught me how to 'FaceTime' or whatever it's called." She usually said it wrong and got a telling off from Paul but she was hopeful she'd remembered it right this time. If not he was here to tell her off anyway.

"Oh of course. I'm afraid I'm not up on all that. Louise is but it's beyond me. Anyway tell me what Charlie has been up to." He instantly spots that twinkle in her eyes. If he were honest he wasn't sure how they'd managed to stay apart for so long.

"Oh where to begin..." Her smile turned into a grin, glad to talk about him. "He got married." Shock. Instant shock crossed his face. The man who was married to the job finally met someone? brilliant. At last.

"What?! When? To who? Someone I know?" He was so glad for him that man had spent far too long helping everyone else and not allowing any happiness for himself.

"Last February." Finally lifting her hand off her lap she allows herself to pick up her cup once more, casually showing her ring. "Could say that..." Realisation crossed his face and eventually the shock gave way. So he'd finally told her how he felt, at last! Smiling he couldn't help but make a joke.

"What?! Well It's about time you made an honest man of him!" A memory of himself bitterly telling Charlie to accept he had feelings for Duffy so many years ago flashed into his head. "He finally took my advice then. Even it was about 15 years later." Confusion consumed her now, what was he talking about?

"Sorry? What advice?" Having finished his coffee he places the cup down on the table once more, knowing where this would lead, maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell her.

"After you'd finished with me we had an argument about it, which you know. He insisted you wouldn't leave Andrew for anyone I remarked that I agreed, not for anyone and told him to accept he had feelings for you and do something about it. Before the job was all he had left. Not my finest moment I'll admit but I was right." That was not where she expected this conversation to lead to so much so he regretted his words. The pain at her late husband been brought up and her complicated marriage to him filled her face. Andrew was a nice bloke but he didn't appreciate what he had in Duffy not when he spent more time with his mistress nor did he treat her right when she was pregnant with Paul. He regretted not been there for her more back then but he felt it wasn't his place and of course after Andrew died the guilt at not been able to save him prevented him from getting too close again.

"I had no idea Max and I honestly didn't end our relationship because of feelings for Charlie. He did however have a lot to do with me ending it when I did, I was too worried about what would happen if anyone else found out." Pausing she meets her previous lovers eyes. " I wish it had got out, if it had Andrew might still be alive to see his boys grow up." Reaching over he takes her hand into his. Even after all this time they both seemed to hold onto the guilt over Andrews death but they hadn't killed him.

"Don't go over what if's or feel guilty about the past. I'm glad you and Charlie finally seen what everyone else has said for years. You deserve to be happy. Andrew would be glad to know you were happy and with Charlie. Who better to watch over his boys?" Smiling she lets a stray tear escape before focussing on the positives. Laughing she changes the atmosphere.

"Yeah I know. In that case I'm glad he never met Ryan. He certainly wouldn't have liked him anymore than Charlie did." Pretending not to know anything about Ryan's past he instead makes a remark.

"Well Charlie never really did like anyone you dated did he? Anyway I'm sure he was good to your boys, he must be for you to let Paul live with him." She quickly tried to think of someone Charlie hadn't disliked at some point but her mind came back blank. Andrew was really the only one he had blatantly told her he didn't like or trust.

"I guess not. He is, he adores the boys and he's the only father Paul has ever known." Unaware of Max's knowledge on her marriage she decides not to mention Ryan's past either. It wasn't relevant and not to mention the less people knew about that the better. Telling people only increased the risk of her boys finding out the truth. "Anyway you should come out for a drink with Charlie and me. I'd love to meet Louise. If you had time that is."

"Sounds great. The usual pub?"

"Where else? 8pm?"

"Perfect. We'll see you there."