As planned he turned up for work at six. He did a handover with Ric, knocked out a couple of patients and assessed a couple more, and then he managed to slip away. He wasn't really looking forward to the conversation with Serena - he wasn't some kind of sadomasochist - but he knew that it had to be done. Talking things through like adults with Eleanor was only any good if Eleanor was prepared to behave like an adult. The fact that their daughter actually believed that he was in a position to just buy a house, like it was an impulse purchase, suggested that she was not on their planet. She was going to need a reality check at some point, but when she had it he and Serena needed to be in synch. There was no point in talking if Ellie was going to play one of them off against the other and get away with it.
ooooo
'Serena, can you talk?' he poked his head around the door to the office. Normally he would just stroll in and accost her but he knew how it irritated her and he didn't want to start this conversation off on the wrong foot.
'Yes' she glanced up from her paperwork. She looked exhausted and pale. Clearly she hasn't slept the night before which was understandable. After Eleanor's bombshell he hadn't slept either. Probably neither of them was in a fit state to work but they were also both used to powering through on coffee and adrenaline. Medical school, being junior doctors and then having a newborn almost as soon as they were senior enough to work slightly more sociable hours meant that neither of them had a decent nights sleep for the whole of the nineties.
'Here?' he stepped inside and turned to lock the door behind him. He didn't want this being gossip fodder for their colleagues. Not until they'd got their heads around it and he'd steeled himself for the inevitable grandad jokes. He didn't think Serena needed to worry about granny jokes; nobody would dare, not even him.
'No, not here. I need a drink, a large one, and I don't want to have to worry about being overheard'
'Albie's then?'
'Don't be ridiculous. I said I didn't want to be overheard, not that I want the entire hospital to be in the know. No, I know a quiet wine bar. Can you get away for an hour'
'You tell me; you're the boss' he pointed out. Other men probably wouldn't be terribly easy with being answerable to an ex wife, especially not one with Serena's capacity for vitriol, but it didn't bother him. He'd made his peace with the fact that she was more ambitious than him a long time ago and anyway, the state of his finances meant that he couldn't afford pride.
'Well then you can have an hour. You can drive since you won't be drinking' she added and with that she grabbed her coat and headed for the car park leaving him to follow her.
ooooo
'So you agree that Eleanor's plan to keep the baby is...' she trailed off, groping for the right word. One that demonstrated the stupidity without being disparaging enough that he would feel the need to weigh in on Eleanor's behalf.
'Short sighted?' he supplied wearily 'Yeah, it is. But this has to be her decision Serena. She has to live with it for the rest of her life and I'm not about to push her into something that she'll regret. If we do, she'll end up hating us for it and I couldn't stand that'
'You don't think that in five years time when all her friends are in good jobs and she's saddled with a child she'll wonder why we didn't stop her?'
'Probably, sometimes. Just like sometimes you cursed me for persuading you to have a baby when Eleanor was up screaming half the night. But at least this way she'll know that it was her decision'
'But she was going to be a lawyer. It's different for you; you've got Mark who might make something of himself. Eleanor is my only child and I don't want her to ruin her life'
'Firstly, the fact that I have Mark doesn't make me care any the less about what Eleanor does. Secondly Eleanor will still make something of herself because she's a bright girl and she is as stubborn as you are. And thirdly, I know you haven't met Mark but believe me, Eleanor is still the child most likely to be a success'
'Inherited his mother's brains, has he?' she asked. She managed not to sneer, and he was mildly impressed with her restraint. He knew how much she loathed Bethan and that she disliked Mark purely by association.
'It's not that so much. If he ever stopped playing football and started paying attention in school then he could probably do quite well' he shrugged. He loved his son but the boy's insistence that he was going to be a professional footballer was a source of concern because he'd stood on enough football pitches in the rain to know that it wasn't going to happen. The boy simply wasn't that good. He too needed a reality check but right now he could only worry about one child behaving ridiculously and Eleanor had his attention. 'Anyway, we're not here to talk about Mark. Where do you think we should go with Eleanor?'
'I think that we need to talk to her. Are you serious about working out something so that she can live with you?'
'If necessary yes' he replied but the thought of it made him feel despondent. It wasn't that he didn't want to live with his daughter because it would be nice to have her around, but he knew that this was the last thing standing between him and selling the boat. He should have done it years ago, it was ridiculous to have debts when he had £400,000 of yacht sitting in a harbour somewhere, but he loved that boat. He was going to miss it badly.
'Where will you find the money? I thought Mandy had rinsed you'
'It's Mindy and she did' he replied wearily 'I'll worry about funding it. Are you sure you don't want Eleanor to live with you?'
'If she does then I'm going to end up bringing up that baby. I don't have the energy to do it again. The hours I work are too long and she'll expect me to be at her beck and call'
'If that's honestly how you feel then I guess I'm going to have to look for a proper place to live' he sighed. He wished that he could have a glass of wine but he had to go back to work. If he drank and then went back then Serena wouldn't hesitate to report him. She, on the other hand, was on her second large Shiraz.
'You're thinking of selling the boat?' she guessed. She wasn't a stupid woman, she knew where most of his money was tied up and the air of despondency confirmed it.
'The only thing I love more than the boat is the kids' he shrugged 'I should probably have done it years ago'
'Well then I suggest we give it two weeks. Let the reality of what she is doing sink in, and then we'll go to York and talk to her. See if she's still set on keeping the baby. Maybe she'll have seen sense'
'Maybe' he replied but they both knew she wouldn't. Eleanor had gone too far down this road now. A change of heart would be embarrassing and he knew that Ellie wouldn't do it. She had made her decision and she was highly likely to stick to it.