Author's Note: New George Gently in three days! Who's excited? Me.
Kind Eyes
Isabella Gently watches with kind eyes.
She watches as Detective Chief Inspector George Gently sits at his desk. There's a haze of smoke above his head, the single desk lamp casting a warm glow and leaving dark shadows in the corners. She likes to watch him think in these moments when it's just the two of them. She can study him; the lines on his face are slightly deeper than she remembers, his eyes sadder. He looks down at something typed onto one of the many pages scattered on his desk, and his little frown of concentration appears. That makes her smile, because that is something that hasn't changed. Tendrils of smoke climb upwards from the end of his last cigarette before he falls asleep. She watches him breathe, one arm tucked under his chin, one hand outstretched towards her.
She watches from her place above the fire as George limps carefully into the living room in the dark. John hovers close behind him like a concerned parent, flicking on the light as he passes. George reaches his armchair and sinks gratefully into it with a heavy sigh. The hem of his trouser leg rides up a fraction of an inch to reveal a flash of a clean white bandage. John fetches a cushion and props it under George's ankle on the coffee table. George is wincing with the pain one moment, and then when John moves to light the fire, he insists that he's fine, there's no need to bother, he can go on home now. John ignores him. She likes him for that. She keeps watch over them both as they fall asleep in front of the warm, flickering fire, even though John agreed to go home.
She watches as George's work—his life—gets ripped apart. A man she doesn't recognise uses George's desk as a footstool. The end of his cigarette glows hot as he talks about George to his colleagues—and John. They leave, the desk rattling as the man moves his feet to stand, and for a while the room remains undisturbed. Then PC Taylor appears, his shoulders heavy like gravity has pulled them downwards. He straightens the papers on both of the desks with care and attention, unnecessarily dusts a filing cabinet with a handkerchief, and for the first time, Taylor picks her up.
She watches over George in hospital when Taylor leaves her with him, on the bedside table next to a jug of water. Taylor's visit is silent and swift, and he takes care not to wake George. She understands why, because even in sleep he looks exhausted. Many hours pass before he opens his eyes, and she is the first thing he sees.
She watches him slip ever deeper into a sombre mood as the glow of sunset filters through the blinds. She knows there's nothing she can do to stop it—all she can do is watch, like she always does. Then he starts to chuckle at something that John has said or done, and the chuckle blossoms into a full and uncontrollable guffaw. His gaze is no longer lingering on her. John hides a tiny, satisfied smile behind his palm before he starts laughing too. She thanks John for that.
She watches George on the nights when he thinks he's all alone. He sits in an empty house in the middle of nowhere and stares at her until the fire dies down and he can see his own breath misting in the air. Some nights he talks to her, but not always.
Isabella Gently watches George believe that she is gone. It makes her think that he didn't know her as well as she thought he did—she could never leave him.
THE END
A/N: ... I have feels, okay? I think the photo of Isabella Gently is a character in its own right and so I wanted to write a little fic about it. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the new series! :)