Seventh Heaven
A tall man entered the room and immediately took control. His soft Scottish voice was laced with authority, and despite his casual appearance and late arrival, nobody attempted to disobey him. The crowd of people dispersed and he hung back for a minute to check, almost doing a double take as he turned away. I knew there was nothing he was looking at or needed to glance at again; it was simply a subconscious habit of his. I smiled as I watched him throughout the day, dealing with patients and colleagues. The team he was working with seemed to treat him differently to the others, but maybe that was just because I could see past his abrupt front. I knew more of his past than anyone else at the hospital, and it made me love him even more. I had always being intrigued by Linden's mannerisms, and I kept noticing new ones. He always became devoted to, and stuck with something once he had started; his soft voice always drew me closer as I tried to catch every word he said; and his rosary beads always made their way into his hands if he was thinking hard about something.
I suppose it should have been clearer – there were so many small clues once you started looking, and they all pointed to the same thing. His reaching out to grab when at his happiest, his complete belief in ability, and his eventual opening up and talking. Equally, there was some reciprocation – a job was put on the line, and he was consistently backed up – neither would happen if there were no feelings behind them.
I smiled again as I saw them together, Maddy and Linden, enjoying a quick coffee while on a break. I had loved life with Linden while I had had it, but with me no longer there, I was glad he had someone else. He was slow to open up and show his feelings, but I had seen those expressions of his before, and it looked as though Maddy Young would succeed. I had never been the jealous type, and I knew, that as Linden's dead wife, I could do no more than watch happily as he and the SHO grew closer.