Hi everyone! It has been a very long time since I have written a fic so apologies in advance if it's not very good.
I must thank Beth for giving me a good kick up the proverbial backside and Jen for giving me the idea for it! Jen's challenge was to have a box where someone wasn't allowed to look in, mention Sandra's marriage and have the line 'not if you value your life'.
I hope you enjoy!
"What do you think is in it?" Jack remarked to Gerry as he put on his glasses hoping they would suddenly transform into x-ray ones. Jack and Gerry leant on either side of the door frame into Sandra's office staring at the object of their confusion.
"Maybe they're a load of case files for us to read; you know it's not like we have enough work to do already is it?" Sarcasm dripped from Gerry's voice, but in truth he didn't believe his own idea on this mystery item.
"Since when have MET files been sent down in a box that decorative?" Jack took a step closer to the box peering over the tops of his glasses deciding that if they were not going to become x-ray then he was better off without them.
"Maybe she brought us a present?" Gerry's eyes suddenly shot open, "Maybe some brought her a present? You don't think she's got a boyfriend do you?"
"Stop looking so shocked, she is allowed to date you know, she's not our permanent carer she is allowed a life of her own. What business is it of ours anyway? "
"You two are a fine lot to talk about whose business it is. You're the ones looking like you're about to plan something equivalent to a diamond heist just to get a peek in that box." Brian quipped looking up from his computer screen giving up his previous aim of trying to ignore them.
"Surely it can't be anything too secret if it's on her desk? Maybe I should just go and have a look, put us all out of our misery."
"Not if you value your life you bloody well won't Gerry." Sandra's angry voice was followed by her presence through the main entrance into the UCOS office where she was faced with three startled faces.
"Ah Sandra...we were..just..."Jack's inability to provide an excuse quick enough was not going to placate their boss.
"Don't you really think I've spent so little time with you lot that I don't know what you're doing? You really are getting old." Sandra stormed past them throwing her coat and bag onto the chairs opposite her desk, not even bothering to hang them up.
"Well." Gerry stated, still leaning against her door frame.
"Well what Gerry?" Sandra didn't even try to hide the sigh that escaped her. "Do you really have no respect for my privacy?"
"We're just concerned that's all Sandra."
"Concerned? And I thought you'd be the last of the three to lose your marbles Gerry but I think I may have been wrong. What on earth is there to be concerned about? Just go and get on with some work. All of you!" With that she slammed the door in their faces before slouching in the chair at her desk staring intently at the box in question.
"Well that was odd." Gerry returned to his desk and stared at the paperwork that he knew he needed to finish.
"It's Sandra, she's a woman, they're all odd."
"Well thank you for that insightful remark Brian but I'm worried about her. Why is she being so defensive?"
"I think you're reading too much into this Gerry, she's just annoyed that we were snooping in her office. She'll calm down; she always does in the end. Come on Brian lets go and interview this not so grieving widow, let's hope Grumpy hasn't killed Dopy by the time we get back."
*****
Half an hour went by and Gerry was still sat at his desk staring into space, thinking of all the things that could possibly be wrong with Sandra. She'd stayed firmly enclosed in her little private haven, but Gerry had had enough.
"Come in." He could tell by the startled response he had gotten that she had been thinking far too hard about something.
"You alright Guv, you've been in here for ages."
"Yeah I'm fine Gerry. Finished your paperwork yet?"
"Umm…well...not quite...you see..."
"Save it Gerry I really don't want to know." Sandra couldn't even hide the exhaustion in her voice let alone her face as she looked up at him. "Well what do you want then?"
"I came to see how you were, and to say sorry for earlier. I had no right to be so nosy."
"You most certainly didn't." Sandra's voice rose, threatening Gerry with the possible return of her anger. "But thank you for apologising. Well then, aren't you going to ask me again?"
"Ask you what?" Gerry really couldn't work out what was going on with Sandra today.
"What was in the box."
"Oh. Well I think I've learnt my lesson Guv. It's your business not mine." Gerry was desperately trying to bury the desire he had to find out what she was being so secretive about.
"Do you fancy a drink; we could have lunch at the pub?"
Now he really couldn't make head nor tail of what was going on in her mind, had she had a whack on the head or something?
"Um yeah, sure...why not?"
"No need to look so scared Gerry, I'm not planning to murder you or something; anyway I'll chose a much more private place than a pub when that time comes." Sandra grabbed her coat and bag off the chair where she had abandoned them earlier and picked up the box that was still positioned on her desk. "Come on then."
"Yes Guv." Gerry followed his boss through the door, worried at what she was up to.
*****
"Look Gerry..." Sandra began, now happy that she had a large glass of wine in front of her. It may have only been lunch time, but boy she needed it. "I want to apologise for shouting at you earlier, and just…well overreacting in general. You didn't deserve it, well not totally anyway."
"Oh right. Well thanks Guv." Gerry took another large sip on his pint, trying to decipher what on earth this was about.
"Here, open this." She slid the box across the table towards him. "It's not going to bite you Gerry just open it."
Gerry stared suspiciously at the box before peering under the lid. "It's a birthday cake. Sandra why do you have a birthday cake? Oh crap we haven't forgotten it again have we?"
"Keep the remainder of your hair on Gerry, it's not my birthday. My mum sent it."
"Why has she sent you a cake if it's not your birthday?" Gerry finished removing the lid and placed the cake on the table.
"I haven't wanted to talk about it before, I'm still not sure I do, but I think it's time I spoke to someone before I go mad. And...well you'll do I suppose."
"Are you alright Guv?" Gerry could swear that Sandra was about to cry, something was definitely wrong.
"It's just my mum has taken a turn for the worse. I mean she's seriously losing it. Even the care home has said that they may not be able to keep her there much longer. She even started asking me how my marriage was going; you know, to the husband that I divorced hundreds of years ago!" She tried to inject some humour in her voice but the tears started to escape her eyes, "And now this. I'm scared Gerry." She couldn't help the tears that were now freely running down her cheeks.
"Hey, oh Sandra, come here." He ran over to her and knelt by her seat and held her hands. "It's going to be okay."
"You don't know that. She's just going to get worse and worse Gerry and I can't bear to see her like that."
"You're right I don't know. But what I do know is that you're not going to be on your own okay. You've got Jack and Brian, and you've definitely got me, understood." He removed one of his hands and wiped the tears from her cheeks and squeezed the hand that he was still holding.
"I don't know what I'd do without you Gerry" she smiled shyly at him as he pulled her into a comforting hug.
"Well you're not going to have to find out honey, I'm with you every step of the way."
The fact that he didn't get a slap for calling her honey should have been a big hint at what was coming next. She leant forward and kissed him, smiling against his lips as she felt his expression change from comforting to all out shocked.
"Before you ask, no, I have no idea why I just did that!"
"I don't care why you did it, just do it again."
As she leant forward and kissed him again she felt him respond this time, and it was the most perfect feeling in the world. She knew that as long as she had Gerry with her, she could cope with anything that life might throw at her.
I hope that this was okay, sorry if I'm a bit rusty at this!
Thanks for reading
Ellie x