Part 1 of 3.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The BBC does and it makes me very sad because they won't do things my way.
She slammed the file down on the desk in front her, a little harder than she had originally intended on, her mind still spinning from the argument with Dylan. With her and Dylan, occasionally tempers eventually flaring up and caused an almighty differing of opinions, much like today she realised. She was saddened to find herself blinking back furious tears, because never before had an argument - well a work related argument - with Dylan reduced her to tears.
Noticing Noel looking at her curiously, she pushed the file towards him, and made to hurry away; trying to establish the safest place for refuge until she had composed herself. However, as she turned, the receptionist grab her wrist, halting her in her tracks: "Actually, Sam, there's a woman…" He paused briefly to point out who he was talking about. She noted the dark hair, falling across her oval shaped face and tanned, not naturally, skin and the loud vibrant colours of the clothes - recognising immediately who had decided to walk straight back into her life at the worst possible moment.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and was successful in forcing out words "Tell her I'll be ten or so minutes." Noel took this opportunity to let go of her arm, and watch her rush off in the direction of the ladies toilets.
The tears were threatening to fall from behind her closed eyes, as she rested against the sink, desperately trying not to cry, when she heard the door creek open and she was forced to open her eyes when the newcomer spoke to her: "Having a bad day?" She took in the sympathetic, kind look of Tess' face for mere seconds before she dissolved into tears and covered her face with her hands. Almost instantly, she found herself wrapped in the nurse's arms, Tess' hands moving in soothing circles across her back; as she gulped desperately for air trying to stop the salty tears which were steadily pouring down her cheeks and disappearing into Tess' blue tunic as they ran off her cheeks.
She pulled away, after a few minutes, wiping her face roughly, and looked up at Tess apologetically. The nurse simply shook her head, and reached out to take her hand - which was something that she might never have accepted before this very moment, taking comfort from the fact that someone had cared. "Charlie was worried about you. He thought Dylan was a bit harsh." It took all the strength she had left in her to, in that second, not burst into tears again, at the elder woman's words. She closed her eyes briefly, which the nurse had obviously taken as a sign that she wasn't quite as composed as she'd like to be, because she tightened her grip on her hand slightly.
"It's silly…" She began quietly, not sure why she found herself trying to explain why a work related argument with her estranged husband had caused her to flee to the toilets in a desperate attempt to not show him that he had upset her. "…I don't even know why it upset me so much. It was like, I was back there, and it was like every time I got something wrong and he shouted and lectured until I knew what was what." She stopped suddenly, unsure where the words had come from, she doubted she had ever been so honest with someone when she had been upset before. Tess' face was unreadable and she was completely unsure of what the older woman was thinking as she stood there, still holding her hand. "Sorry." She blinked as she whispered the word, and nodded softly when Tess waved her hand dismissing the apology, but the unreadable expression remained.
It took her well over the ten minutes she had told Noel to compose herself and think about trying to face the person who defined the term 'happy-go-lucky', during some of her more difficult weeks with Dylan as her mentor, Kate had been her support system; dragging her up from the ball of self-pity and despair when she and Dylan had come to blows - long before she become Mrs Keogh. The whole idea of Kate being here today of all days, simply perplexed her.
"Kate." She paused, waiting on the brunette to looking up from the magazine she was leafing through.
The brunette stood before she spoke, though, as if debating whether or not it was safe to pull the blonde into the hug which she was now wrapped in: "Sam." She released her and held her at arms length, as though examining her. "You've been crying." She whispered the statement, daring Sam to lie; Sam, who couldn't bring herself to admit it, so simply didn't answer, instead she glanced around the reception area, trying to track down Dylan. "Let's go out? Tonight?" The blonde doctor looked around from where she had found her husband buying lunch from the shop, to look at the seriousness in her fun-loving friend's face. In truth, she'd never been one for wild nights out - she'd agreed to a few but when she was much younger. She glanced to where Dylan was standing, while contemplating the decision, before looking back to Kate and nodding her head slightly. A motion which not only seemed to a elicit squeal of glee from the brunette stood in front of her but also prompted her to immediately regret her decision.
Even pulling the dress out of wardrobe felt wrong; he had hated it, always hated it and it wasn't her favourite thing to wear either but it seemed appropriate for where she was going and who she was going with. She seemed to remember that it was Kate who had talked her into the dress, some years previous.
After much debate, she let her hair fall around her shoulders, she looked at her reflection in the mirror barely recognising herself as she self-consciously began to tug at the hem of her dress trying to pull it further down her legs. She sighed as the black material simply resumed it's original position above her knee, and focussed on finding something to wear over the top of the dress, or alternatively something else to wear.
She had just found a thin black jacket when she heard someone at the door, grabbing her shoes from the bottom of the wardrobe, she made her way to the door expecting it to be Kate. She pulled her long hair over one shoulder and attempted to make herself feel more awake, as she pulled the door open, letting the brunette dress in pink dress that Sam was sure was so bright she wouldn't be able to remain looking at her when speaking. "Wine?" She blinked as the brunette's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and immediately noticed her waving the bottle in her hand around.
Same time, same place tomorrow.
Anny x