From Paris with Love
The black cab slowed down and came to a halt outside Holby City. A tall, elegantly dressed women, carrying only a small leather briefcase exited. The woman lent over the passenger door, paid the driver then began making her way confidently, towards the hospital foyer.
Greg and Oliver had been laughing quite loudly as they entered the hospital, so much so several visitors and members of staff turned, to see who was making all the noise. As the two men advanced towards the lifts, it was Greg Douglas who spotted the attractive woman standing alone, and it was he, who walked most definitely towards her. Oliver followed, only too aware of how Greg operated. He was like some giant sexual magnet pulling anything remotely good looking into his gravitational field.
Just as Greg opened his mouth to speak, the lift doors parted and the woman walked inside, turning to the two men she asked, "what floor please?" Her accent was foreign as was her demeanour and this intrigued Greg. He leant over, pressed the button to his floor and turned towards the foreigner."You're not from around here, are you?"
The lady continued to stare straight ahead but answered, "No Monsieur, I come from Paris."
"You're an awfully long way from home, what you doing here?"
Oliver coughed as to alert Greg to the fact that he was being a little more than over familiar. Greg turned to Oliver, "what? Oh come on, I'm just being friendly, that's all."
Oliver blushed and began searching inside his rucksack, whilst Greg continued.
"Are you visiting a relative? Perhaps if you have time after, we can grab a coffee? Or... something stronger, if you like?"
The woman calmly turned ever so slightly towards Greg, and leant over so she was within inches of his face, and whispered, "no I'm not visiting a relative and yes I would love to have a drink with you."
Greg nodded and smiled, "now you're talking." He turned to Oliver and winked.
However as the woman showed she was eager to speak again, Greg stopped talking and listened once more. "However," said the Parisian in a not so quiet voice. I would love to, but you see I am having dinner with another man this evening, so it will not be possible. But I thank you for the invitation."
Before Greg got a chance to respond the lift stopped and both doors opened. Oliver exited the small square space and slapped Greg on the back.
Greg began making his way out of the lift , but stopped and turned to face the lady. He placed an arm up so the doors could not close.
"So is a man allowed to ask with whom, a beautiful lady like yourself is having dinner with?"
The woman parted her lips and smiled, "but of course you can ask Monsieur." She paused then turning to him said directly, "The director of surgery, Henri Hanssen."
Greg overcome with what could only be described as total astonishment, removed his arm from the door frame, where upon the doors abruptly closed.
"Hanssen, you dark horse," whispered Greg, as he made his way over to the staff locker room.
"Now, what's a piece of eye candy like that, doing having dinner with Henrik Hanssen?" Thought Greg.
Meanwhile in his office, Henrik Hanssen was whistling merrily and watering his favourite indoor plant. He had placed the ailing specimen nearer to the light in hope it would recover and show willing. He was right, it had responded well under his care and attention these past few days and he smiled to himself. How he hated anything to die and wither, especially when it could so easily be saved with the right treatment.
Hanssen placed the small copper watering can on the window ledge and made his way over to his soft leather chair. He picked up his suit jacket and put it on. He was always smartly dressed but today exceptionally so. He wore a silver two tone suit, a blue chambray shirt and the leaving present Sahira had given him. It was a silk bow tie embossed with tiny medical instruments; scalpels and stethoscopes. He stared into the mirror and began to adjust his tie when there came a knock at his office door.
"Come in," he shouted.
The door opened and in walked the French woman, Christine Autier.
"Bonjour Henri, it is a long time, no?"
Hanssen stood quite still, taken aback by the woman's beauty, and trying to compose himself, began to speak.
"Ah Christine, it is so very good to see you again. I trust your parents are both well?"
"But yes, of course, Henri. They both send their regards and tell you off for leaving it so long before contacting them. You know, they are both very fond of you." she added.
Hanssen smiled and made his way over to Christine. He held out his hand, but she ignored this gesture and kissed him gently of both cheeks. Hanssen was moved by her affection and surprised by his own reaction to her. She was very tall, and it made a pleasant change to be able to look into a face rather than stare down at a head full of hair, or shiny scalp, which was more often the case.
Hanssen pulled at one of the chairs and beckoned for Christine to seat herself. She nodded and sat cross legged in front of him. She was a very handsome woman indeed, short blonde hair and the most exquisite green eyes he had ever seen. He found himself admiring her, an emotion he wasn't accustomed to using.
Sitting opposite her, on the front of his desk, Hanssen coughed, removed his glasses and spoke. "Now, as we discussed on the telephone the other evening, this job I am offering you is purely P.A status. During the F.T. achievement I rather neglected my surgical work and now need to get myself back into the operating theatre.
Christine laughed, threw her head back and mused, " a sort of Phantom of the opera...ting theatre."
Hanssen smiled and thought "not only beautiful but witty too". "Yes indeed, very good Christine," he offered. "very good."
Chantelle was performing her normal bed duties and tucking Major Edwards in, when his pyjama arm fell onto her hand. "Everything all right Major?" Said a cheery Chantelle.
"Well not really me' dear, bit worried about this bloody op."
"Not to worry Major, I'll go and speak to Mr Levy and get him to come over and 'ave a chat with you, okay?"
Major Edwards sat up in bed and smiled at Chantelle. "Your a good girl me dear. Thanks"
Chantelle smiled at him and left for the nurses station.
"Morning Chantelle." said Sasha. "Everything okay with our Mr Edwards?"
Chantelle corrected him by saying, "actually, it's Major Edwards. He was a big war hero in the Falklands don't you know." She paused then continued, " I think he's very nervous about today's operation. He just told me he was. Will you have a word with him?"
Sasha Levy stopped looking at the C.A.T scan and peered over the top to see a very bubbly Chantelle staring back. "No. I didn't know he was a Major and thanks for letting me know. It's routine really his splenectomy, but I can understand his anxiety, so I will go and see him. In fact I 'll do it right now."
Sasha placed the C.A.T scan under his arm and walked towards the Major's bed.
Hanssen was chatting to Christine when there came another knock at the door.
"Enter." smiled Hanssen.
In walked, a grey haired elderly secretary, carrying a tray of coffee and biscuits.
"Just place them on the table Ann." commanded Hanssen. "Thank you."
The secretary, smiled , did as she was told and left.
"Shall I be mother?" He enquired.
Christine giggled, "such a strange expression. Very English. No?"
Hanssen took a coffee cup and started pouring the warm brown liquid. "I suppose it is. I hadn't really thought of it like that before"
"We don't 'ave the same in France. We have many strange dictons. I mean adages," she corrected , "but not as many as the English."
Hanssen passed the cup to Christine and momentarily her fingers enveloped his. "Merci bien, Henri."
Hanssen liked the way very much, how she pronounced his name, Henri and not Henrik. It was a welcome change, soft and gentle.
Taking only a few sips of the coffee, Hanssen this time, returned to the leather chair behind his desk, and sat down. Christine had shifted in her chair and her expensive skirt had fallen slightly higher than she was aware of, revealing a long slender, stockinged leg. "Ah Les Français" Thought a very happy Hanssen. Unable to quite remove his gaze, Christine coughed, smiled and readjusted her seating position and skirt.
"Now," said a serious director of surgery, hoping that his tone would distract her from thinking he found her more than just attractive. " I am offering a fantastic salary and an excellent, health package to boot. Your duties here, are mainly what was discussed the other evening over the telephone and I will need you to commence within the next 7 days, as you will be dealing with my paperwork, organising my day that sort of thing, I will need you to meet my colleagues, as it will be necessary to put a face to a name."
Christine placed her coffee cup on the edge of his desk and spoke. "Basically, what you are asking, is for me to be at your beck and call, day and," she paused, " night." She had mouthed the word 'night' in such a way that Henrik Hanssen was on the edge of his seat, spellbound!
Hanssen placed two perfectly manicured fingers inside his shirt collar and pulled at his shirt. "Well," he faltered, "yyes, I, I suppose so."
"Well Henri, if that is all, I really must be going, I 'ave an apartment to view today at 2 pm.
"Of course Christine, allow me." With that Hanssen stood up, and began walking towards the direction of his office door.
Christine followed him, " I trust we are still on for dinner tonight, Henri?"
Hanssen, with his back to her, smiled, raised an eyebrow and turned confidently to face her. "Of course Christine. You have my address, shall we say around seven, that way we can have a drink first, then continue onto Chez Max, a lovely little French bistro I stumbled upon some time ago."
Her beautiful green eyes, captured his warm brown gaze and she kissed him gently on both cheeks.
"Au revoir Henri, until tonight."
As one Christine Autier, chic, beautiful and very intelligent left his office. Hanssen closed the door and leaned back against it. "Awkward, bloody awkward" he said out loud. The last time he had met with Christine was when she had been a nineteen year old, rebel student. He was fourteen years her senior and until today that was about it. He had known both her parents who were consultants for more than twenty five years, having worked closely with Pierre, her father in Stockholm.
Hanssen opened his office door and walked towards the stairwell, opening the door, he walked down the first flight of stairs and stopped. He turned and stared out of the window at the vista that lay ahead. "He mustn't lose his heart again so quickly. Sahira had only just left a few weeks earlier and he was still coming to terms with her abrupt exit. He must be allowed the time to mourn her parting."
A booming voice from nowhere took him away from his thoughts.
"Mr Hanssen. Mr Hanssen?"
Hanssen turned to see Luc Hemingway standing at the bottom of the first flight of stairs, "you are needed urgently in theatre 2. An R.T.A has just arrived and Miss Naylor requires your assistance immediately."
Hanssen grateful for the interruption, smiled and followed Luc.
"So much easier dealing with other people's hearts than one's own" thought a confused Hanssen.
Jac Naylor had opened the road traffic victim's chest with a sizeable incision but was still unable to locate the shard of glass that had penetrated the chest. It was in bedded deep inside.
The theatre doors opened, and in walked the director of surgery.
"Ah Miss Naylor, all under control I fancy?" Hanssen toyed.
"It's a difficult bugger, this one." Panted an annoyed Jac. "Now is not the time Mr Hanssen for witty banter!"
"No?" enquired Hanssen, smiling beneath his surgical mask
"No!" said Jac, almost shouting.
Hanssen looked at the man's chest and the images of the impaling glass.
"Might I suggest, you go deeper and more to the right." he offered calmly.
Naylor stopped in her tracks, composed herself and sliced deeper. As she performed this action, the glass as if worked by some powerful magic, began working its way out of the tissue. She placed a pair of tweezers into the chest cavity and removed the item carefully.
"Well done Miss Naylor" sighed Hanssen.
Jac looked up over her mask and retorted by saying "I was referring to the glass as the difficult bugger, I hope you were aware of that?"
"Indeed Miss Naylor, although it wouldn't be the first time, someone has described me, thus so, and I'm sure it won't be the last."
Jac Naylor was growing on him, he had always admired her candid and self assured approach but that was the extent of it. She was a good sparring partner, he needed that in a woman, especially at work.
Hanssen walked out of the theatre and removed his gloves, gown and bow tie.
Major Edwards, drugged, lay on the bed in the operating theatre. Sasha and Frieda masked stared at the ink mark on the Major's stomach.
"So. You prefer to go in using the minimal invasive surgery approach, and not to make a bigger incision?" enquired Frieda.
Sasha Levy looked at Frieda and said, "yeah, it's a pretty routine operation, his spleen shows no bleeding only slight distension. So...I think that...we will try the softly softly approach first and should things go not according to plan, then we will open him up."
"After you," said Frieda.
"No. This is your baby...so to speak," retorted Sasha smiling
"Okay, but I would prefer to make a bigger cut and get the spleen out quickly and comfortably.
Sasha stood staring at Frieda and she soon realised he was right and that her approach was bordering on the cowardly.
"Go on, you can do it," laughed Sasha.
"Okay, okay," Frieda answered.
Carefully she made a small incision and placed the long tube into the torso. Carefully looking at the screen she made several small nips and slowly removed the spleen. The strange doughnut shaped mass was placed into a kidney dish and moved to one side by the theatre assistant.
"See," said Sasha, "not so difficult was it?"
Just as Sasha was congratulating Frieda the machine started bleeping. They both stared at the machine then at the major. Then, quite suddenly the machine, started to beep normally.
"Just a blip with the bleep" Sasha said incredulously.
Frieda moved both her eyes to the ceiling and heart in mouth said, "let's finish shall we?"
Hanssen clock watched all afternoon until he left at five o'clock on the dot. It was totally unlike him to leave so early, but it wasn't every evening he entertained an attractive young lady. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken a woman out for dinner. "possibly around the time the Berlin wall had been pulled down," he laughed out loud to himself.
As he travelled in the hospital lift, it stopped on several levels before finally arriving at the ground floor. He continued walking towards the exit, when Greg Douglas came into view.
"Have a wonderful evening Mr Hanssen." Greg said in a knowing voice.
Hanssen fully aware of the insinuation in Greg's voice, stopped and turned to face Greg.
"Mr Douglas, thank you for your interest in my personal life. I am fully aware you have met my dinner partner for tonight and trust I can rely on you for absolute secrecy. After all, you know only too well, after the incident with Miss Shah how people can get all sorts of wrong idea's about something purely innocent. Yes?"
Greg scowled at Hanssen. "That was a bit below the belt even by your standards" Greg bit back.
"No, Mr Douglas. I think not. You have over stepped the mark once, please do not assume you can do it again. Especially when it concerns me. Good night."
With that Hanssen turned and walked triumphantly towards the direction of the car park
The drive home was fairly easy and pulling up outside his house, he touched a small hand held device which operated the large wrought iron gates that stood in front of his driveway.
The gates swung open slowly and he entered. Bringing his Volvo to a gentle stop, he opened the car door and started to make his way towards the house.
Once inside, Henrik Hanssen placed his over coat and briefcase in the study and walked towards the drinks cabinet, where he poured himself a large single malt whiskey.
Removing his suit jacket and unbuttoning several of his shirt buttons, he advanced towards the kitchen, where he made his way over to the freezer for some ice.
On his return he reflected on how his house could possibly do with the personal touch of a woman. He was a bachelor first and foremost and although there had been many times when he had craved the companionship of a woman, someone to share his most inter-met thoughts with, lady love had always eluded him.
Shower and change, he told himself.
Hanssen wet, walked from the shower room to his bedroom, swathed in just a white bath towel. As he adjusted his watch strap, he heard the intercom sound.
"Bonsoir, please to let me in." Christine Autier's singsong French voice echoed through his home.
He pressed a similar gadget and started for the stairs. It wasn't long before a loud knock came at the solid oak door. He, in a blue towelling dressing gown made his way to the front door.
He opened it and found a very agreeable sight waiting for him. "Entrée" he said in his best French accent. Christine giggled amused and walked in.
"I am sorry for being a little early Henri, but I do not know this location and it is not easy for me to guess my time of arrival."
"It is me, who is running late," Hanssen retorted quickly, "my apologies, if you could give me a few minutes please. And you look stunning by the way."
She nodded and smiled, pleased he had complimented her on her efforts.
Hanssen offered her a drink and poured another for himself. Advancing towards Christine, he raised his glass and said, "Salut,"
"Here's to a new beginning" said Christine staring intensely into his deep brown eyes.
Very slowly, she walked towards him and taking his glass and placing it on the table, said,
" are you not a little over dressed for tonight? Henri?"
Hanssen a little shy, turned to leave, but Christine pulled at this dressing gown making him stop. Hanssen aware of her feelings for him, instinctively grabbed Christine by the hair, and kissed her fully on the lips. Her response was immediate and this gave him the incentive to do what he had wanted to do all day, make love to her.
"Sorry," came his second reaction, but before he knew what was happening she had taken him by the hand and was leading him upstairs.
When at the top of the stairs, Hanssen changed tack and positioned his hand so he did the leading, he most certainly was not used to following in anyone's footsteps, boardroom or bedroom. Christine laughed as he jostled her along to his room. Once inside, she turned towards him and with great force pushed him onto the large bed. Hanssen intrigued watched as she undressed in front of him. "How erotic the removal of clothing was, but dressing never seemed to have the same appeal," he thought.
Christine, now in underwear only straddled him, and gently parted his dressing gown, began to kiss him. Hanssen found himself, for possibly the first time wanting to be submissive. He closed his eyes and relaxed, after all they were consenting adults and it had been an awfully long time.
Some time later when both were relaxing in bed, Hanssen enquired,"Are all French women as forward as you?"
"Forward, I do not understand, did you not want to make love Henri?" She asked, pretending to look hurt.
Hanssen leant over and kissed Christine gently on her neck. He then wrapped his long arm around her and pulled her to him. She instictively laid her head on his chest and traced her finger around his nipple.
Hanssen smiled and closed his eyes. It had been a very exhausting day in more ways than one and it most certainly was time for a change.
He would always be grateful for old friends and good memories, but now was the time to make new friends and new memories.
I realise this is a little full on but as we get older then time is precious, so, sometimes we have to grab at what life has to offer. This storyline will be continued. Please review if you like? Or if you dislike!