"Ruth, don't think I'm not grateful, but don't you have anything better to do than play nursemaid to me all day long? It's a Monday."

Ruth looked up from where she was placing a pot of tea that she had just made on the table at Ros who had been left to recline in state on the sofa. Through sheer force of willpower it seemed she had managed to persuade the doctor to discharge her- though Lucas had wondered if there hadn't been more than a little threatening cajolery involved on Ros' part- under the proviso that she was kept a close eye on.

"What are you supposed to do without me?" Ruth asked her in a slightly bored voice, knowing full well what the answer would be, "You can barely move."

"Did Harry put you up to this?" she asked with a disgruntled frown, and then a wince as she tried to rearrange the pillows behind herself so that she could sit up more.

"Careful," Ruth told her, adjusting the cushion for her so that she could relax again, "And yes, he did, as it happens. Because he's concerned about you."

"Well I hope he's paying you overtime."

"Look, Ros," Ruth sat down beside her on the sofa, taking up her own cup of tea, "I know you're probably sick of the sight of me, and you're angry with Harry because he's making you take time off, I agree the concept is fundamentally alien to your nature, but you're an intelligent woman for God's sake, you have to appreciate that your body needs a little bit of time to heal before it can work properly again. I make no comment about your mind because you've made it perfectly clear that you don't think I have a right to comment on that, but I can't imagine the break will do it all harm and no good either."

Ros said nothing, sipped her tea and only raised her eyebrows slightly.

"All I know is that Harry would never ask you to do anything that he didn't think was ultimately for your good, Ros," Ruth told her, "He looks at you like a daughter."

"Please spare me the sentimentality, Ruth," Ros replied, her voice a little harsh, "If I wanted a surrogate family I think I'd look for them somewhere other than among the British security services."

"Well, you wouldn't and you didn't," Ruth replied shortly, "And regardless of whether you wanted us, you've got us and we're damn well going to look after you."

There was a silence.

"I should go," Ruth told her.

"Ruth-..."

"You're right, I have been here far too long," Ruth told her, "I should let you have a rest. You must be sick of the sight of me. Anyway, Lucas said he'd call by on his way back from work, you don't want us all here at once. I'll go, but you've got my number."

Before Ros could utter a word of protest, Ruth had picked up her bag and left. The front door went a moment later. Letting her head fall back against the pillows, Ros let out a heavy sigh and swore a little under her breath. The movement caused pain to shoot up her side again and she began to realise that Ruth was right, she couldn't move, and now she had driven the person who would have taken care of her away.

"Well done, Rosalind, excellent, first class," she murmured angrily.

Before she could remonstrate herself any further, though, the sound of the front door went again. For a moment she wondered if Ruth had had a change of heart.

"Only me," Lucas' face appeared in the doorway.

"You should knock first, Lucas," she told him dryly, "You're lucky, I could have had you on the floor, breaking in like that."

He raised his eyebrow and smiled.

"I'll be more careful next time," he told her sitting down on the sofa, "How are you feeling?"

"I've been considerably better," she answered.

"Though probably not after being carried from a falling building," he reminded her.

"Yeah, alright," she scowled, "I do get it, you know. It was a big bang."

"This tea fresh?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, shifting a little, "And yes you are welcome to some, thank you very much."

"Cheers," he replied, reaching for the spare cup Ruth had left out for him and pouring himself some.

"So," she asked him, quite casually, perhaps a little too much so, "Anything interesting happen today?"

"Oh no," he replied, "You're not getting me like that. More than my life's worth."

She let out a distempered sigh.

"Come on, Lucas," she told him, "Humour me."

"The last time I humoured you, you nearly got yourself blown up," he reminded her, "Harry would have my guts for garters. What did you do today?"

"Well, let's see," she pretended to think, "I finally persuaded that fool of a doctor that I was ready to be discharged. Highlight of the day was undoubtedly the thirty minute car ride from the hospital to here, whereupon Ruth then continued to fret around me as I lay here in state until I couldn't take it any more and she had to leave. Because she thought I was going to kill her, I think, in spite of being virtually immobile. That's how my day has been, alright?"

"Sorry," he replied meekly, "I shouldn't have asked."

"No, you shouldn't," she agreed, "Now, just tell me what happened on the Grid today."

He remained tacitly silent, meeting her stern look with an apologetic smile.

"How did you persuade the doctor to let you out if you can't move?" he asked her, determined to change the subject.

"I told him I could have him struck off from practising."

"Jesus, Ros," he told her quietly, "You could have toned it down a bit."

"What," she asked him, "And take the fun out of it?"

He met her eyes and saw that she was smiling in spite of herself. He grinned too.

"You're insane," he told her.

"So are you," she replied, swiftly, "Running back into that building to get me."

"Oh, I don't know," he judged, "No more than you would have done for me."

She smiled ruefully.

"Not in my present state," she told him, "Harry wouldn't let me."

"Fair enough," he replied, "I'll play it safe until you're back to save me. What's the matter?" he asked, seeing a look that flashed suddenly across her face.

"Nothing," she replied quietly.

"Ros."

He gave her a very steady look, and would not look away until she spoke.

"I'm worried that I won't be able to come back," she told him softly, "If I stop now."

"What on earth makes you say that?" he asked, surprised by the admission, shuffling just slightly closer to her end of the sofa.

"Very few people can come back from time off like this," she replied quietly, "Adam Carter couldn't. I saw him. He was back, but never the same."

"That was different," Lucas insisted, "In lots of ways. I came back after Russia."

"Oh, Lucas," she told him, "You're not honestly using yourself as an instance of a successful recovery, are you?"

He smiled humourlessly.

"Maybe you could use the time off to work on your diplomacy," he suggested tenderly.

"Sorry," she sniffed a little, "I don't know what I'm saying. Pain killers are making me a bit funny."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, "Do you want me to go?"

"You don't have to," she replied, "But I'd like to sleep."

"I'll be back in two hours," he told her softly, "I'll check on you then. Do you need help lying down?"

"No, I'll manage," she told him, "You go."

She settled herself and listened for the sound of the door going again. She gave it ten seconds and then sat back up as well as she was able. Then she reached for her phone.

"Yes, hello, Home Secretary?"

"Ros?"

"Hello, Andrew. Get yourself well enough to take me out for dinner. If I don't get out of here soon I'm going to go mad."

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