1.
Dr Nikki Alexander woke feeling positive about the day. She had had a few rough weeks but things were now looking up. She had always been one for looking on the brighter side after all. Nikki knew things had to change, and she knew it was for the better. Change was good, she kept reminding herself.
The Lyell Centre had lost an important member of staff recently and Nikki had not only had to say goodbye to a colleague but a friend. She knew very well that Harry Cunningham was better off in his new job in New York, but that didn't make it any easier. He had been requested on the grounds of his hard work and professionalism. In other words, Harry was too good. Nikki hadn't wanted him to leave, and not only for selfish reasons. The Lyell Centre worked so well with him that Nikki had struggled to imagine working without him. She would miss everything about him, but she had to face the fact that he was one hundred per cent the right man for the job he had been offered, and although it was hard, she was happy for him.
As she drove, Nikki let her memory wander.
"I can't take this job, Nikki. I can't just leave you one man down," Harry muttered as he sat on the bench in the scrubs room. He had changed back into his dark jeans and black shirt and now ran a hand through his hair with a worried sigh. Nikki finished washing her hands and closed her locker before taking a seat beside him. She looked sideways at him without saying a word and he finally swung his eyes to meet hers. She was fiercely torn between agreeing with him, begging him to stay, and doing what was best.
"Harry, do you value my opinion?" she said finally.
"Yes. What's on your mind?" he replied with a grin.
"This professorship in New York is the opportunity you've been waiting for. You're good at your job, one of the best pathologists I know in fact. I have so much respect for you, but I have to say that for a smart man, sometimes you're so stupid," Nikki laughed, shaking her head.
Harry barked a laugh and shrugged his shoulders in surrender. His brows knitted in amused confusion and he shifted his body so he was facing her fully. "Do I get to ask why that is?"
"Of course we're going to be a man down, and no pathologist in a million miles of here could ever replace you. But we will manage without you. If you don't take this position then you'll regret it forever. Leo is aware that we will need a new member of staff, and I trust him to employ the best. So don't let this place stop you from taking the position," Nikki said, meaning every word. He looked at her, processing what she had just said. His eyes drank her in, memorising everything from her neatly braided blonde hair to her soft brown eyes, her determined yet playful smile and delicate high cheekbones.
The corners of Harry's mouth curved into a smile and he sighed heavily.
"You know I'm going to miss you terribly, Dr Nikki Alexander," he breathed.
"I'm going to miss you too, Professor Harry Cunningham," she grinned, bumping her shoulder affectionately against his.
