Compromising Positions- Missing Scene
Gordon entered the garden, breathing in deeply the clean sea air. He'd just escaped from a lengthy operation, and so the hospital grounds were a welcome escape from the stuffy room, and pipe smoke. Ahead of him was the fountain, and further along, the door opening onto the ambulance bay. See this as his destination, and ultimate escape from the hospital, he set towards it. A casual glance to his right made him pause. Facing out through the windows into the garden was Nick Burnett. And with her back to the window was the unmistakable form of his wife. Through the reflections on the glass panes, Nick seemed to catch his eye and tilt his head, indicating Gordon should join them. And so his path changed; his escape from the hospital grounds forgotten.
He entered through the door of the glass walled room, and immediately he knew something was wrong. Jill still had her back to him, but her folded arms, her slightly hunched shoulders, and Nick's worried expression were enough to tell him all was not well with his wife. "Hi." He merely said, stopping beside Jill. He placed a gentle hand to the small of her back, hoping to convey some support and comfort through just his touch.
"I'd best get on. Patients and all that…" Nick shot an awkward smile at them, already inching towards that door that would lead him into the rest of the hospital. Pausing, he held Jill's gaze for a long moment before disappearing into the corridor and from their view.
Husband and wife were silent for a minute or so. Gordon brushed his thumb against the material of her suit jacket, his hand level with her lumbar vertebrae. "Jill…" He finally uttered, stepping around his wife to face her, his hand trailing up her back, tracing up her spine. "Are you alright?" Looking at her properly, he could tell she wasn't alright. One solitary tear had slid down her cheek, following the contour of her nose; its track marked by a flaw in her otherwise impeccable makeup. The rims of her eyes were tinged with red. The signs were unnoticeable to anyone else perhaps, but to Gordon who knew her so well, her upset were obvious. But it still came as no surprise when she hurriedly assured him she was fine. "Nick said you and he talked earlier. He didn't mean to question your professional judgement." At her surly shrug and breaking of eye contact, he continued. "Have you both sorted everything out?" She nodded, still silently, and still her gaze remained averted. She sniffed and he knew then that she was fighting back tears, no doubt desperately clinging to her professional, emotionless mask. A heavy sigh escaped her and she finally raised her eyes to meet his.
"I'm sorry Gordon." She raised a hand to cover her quivering lips. A tear fell from her eye to roll down the backs of her fingers.
His hand, now on her shoulder moved, rubbing up and down her arm. His voice was gentle as he questioned her. "What for?"
"Everything." The word was chocked. She bit her lip hard, her desperation building by the second at the realisation she was about to lose control in the middle of the hospital where any one of her colleagues could enter and see her at any time. "I'm sorry about losing your baby. I'm sorry about not being able to give you any more. And I'm sorry for being so stubborn with the bequest." The tears began to fall after the first sentence, and by the end she had lost all control so her words came out in a fit of sobs and great gulping breaths.
"I-" He started but she shook her head, cutting him off as she stumbled through her next words.
"I kn-know I'm never going to have another-" She sniffed. "B-baby. And I, I know it's my fault we lost our baby. But I thought somehow- I thought the prem-baby unit would make up for that. But it won't will it?"
It wasn't a question and he didn't reply to it as one. He pulled her to him, his hand cradling her head to his shoulder as she sobbed brokenly into his jacket. It was a long-awaited release and Gordon knew at that moment all he could do was hold her and hope none would enter and interrupt them. Knowing her so well, he was certain she'd clam up and refuse to mention the matter again.
Thankfully, no one entered the conservatory, and she continued to talk, many of her words muffled against his shoulder. But he caught the pain she was feeling, the guilt at having, as she saw it, ruining his life. Many times he'd tried to get her talking about what had happened. But she always managed to talk around the subject, change the direction of the conversation, or distract him entirely. She's even found an excuse to walk out of the conversation on numerous occasions. Now, he continued to rub a hand up and down her back, listening as her sobs lessened and she regained some control over them. Her voice too quieted, having exhausted everything she needed to say at that moment. He took a deep breath; it was his turn to speak.
The End
It's only a one off as the healing process would have taken much longer than one scene. And I think at this point, the rest of the episode could possibly plausibly have happened after this. Hope you liked it.