"Thanks" Dempsey said gruffly as he opened the passenger door "I know I was a bit of a pain in the ass"
Makepeace tipped her head sideways – a bit was an understatement; she stopped the engine and made to get out. Dempsey looked surprised, his mouth opened
"Don't start" Harry warned "the condition of not being kept in was that you wouldn't be home alone"
Dempsey leaned on the car for support and Harry turned to face him across the roof
"They said there was no bleeding" Dempsey offered first attack
"They said they wanted you under observation"
"I've got a headache – I've had worse"
"You've got concussion – it could get worse"
"It won't – I ain't no girl" Dempsey was actually getting angry
"I'm not leaving you here…." The bit about not being a girl registered "Dempsey you are egotistical, chauvinistic, bigoted…."
"I ain't asking you to stay"
"Oh I'm staying" Harry's nostrils flared "– you can't get rid of me that easily Lieutenant – I ain't no girl!"
"Don't I know it" Dempsey sulked
"Well that's praise indeed" Harry marched up to the door but lost impetus when she struggled with the key "You should get a lock that turns the right way" she protested indignantly as Dempsey placed his hand over hers and turned the key counter clockwise.
"You found that coffee?" Dempsey moaned, slunk across the kitchen table, cradling his head
Harry put a mug of strong black Nescafe in front of him and sat back to sip her own.
"There's some tablets somewhere"
Makepeace took the inference and opened several cupboards, Dempsey watched her pass on to the cupboard that he knew housed crockery; he dragged himself to the second of the cupboards Harry had passed by and raked around "This is what I want" he declared as he pulled out the box of aspirin
"You can't take those" Harry warned
"They're for headaches"
"The doctor said Ibuprofen or paracetamol, Aspirin thin the blood – they might make your brain bleed!" Makepeace argued
"Might stop this blinding throbbing torture" Dempsey took two as he spoke
"Well if you bleed to death don't blame me" Makepeace was furious with him
"I'll come and haunt you" he jested without much conviction and wandered off announcing 'that he was going to bed' and 'that she could make herself at home'
Harry let him go, she found the supply of drinks and pouring herself a G&T she flicked the TV on. It was later than she had thought and the nine o'clock news was full of the latest pay disputes; five minutes later she switched it off, the stress of her own day was beginning to emerge and she sat with her own thoughts considering how they had got here and the two differing roles of chance and skill and how they played their hands.
Her mind rewound to the journey home from Hughenden Manor, she smiled as she recalled the debate of champagne versus bath essence – now that was an idea! Harry made a foray into the bathroom and there was the said bottle of Joie de Vie looking out of place nestled in with Lynx shower gel, Boots own brand shampoo, many deodorant sprays - she guessed most were waiting to be binned given the amount of rust around some. There was also some rather smart aftershave; she uncapped the aftershave and wafted it under her nose – yep that was Dempsey.
A quick survey noted bath towels and even a towelling robe; Harry started the bath running and raided the wine rack. As she slipped into the perfumed water through the bubbles and sipped the Californian wine it amused her to think of Dempsey's ignorance.
She had topped the hot water up and started on a second glass of wine and was beginning to consider that it might be time to get out of the bath and check on Dempsey when he walked in, straight past the bath and relieved himself. Alarmed Harry slid down into the water, allowing her knees to show in preference to any other part of her body and waited. The flow ceased and Dempsey adjusted the waistband of his boxers; as he return to bed his startled reaction broke his stride.
"How's the headache?" Harry asked with a fake brightness
Dempsey stopped and considered the question and the situation "Better" he decided "I can scrub your um…" he noted her knees "legs for you" Harry stayed slung down to her chin in the water willing him to go, Dempsey just carried on with uncontrollable verbal Diarrhoea "Uh look I'm sorry about… only I'd completely forgotten… I'm not used to…."
"Well I think you should just go back to bed" Harry's acute embarrassment shone through her words and now Dempsey was just standing - marvelling at Harry in his bath
"Dempsey" but Harry failed to nudge him out of his stupor
"Dempsey" he seemed frozen to the bathroom floor; she tried plan B and stared directly at his crotch
"Bed" Dempsey reiterated and left in a panic
Harry smiled; she slid upwards a little and finished her glass of wine before climbing into the green and blue stripped towelling robe.
It took nearly 20 minutes to clear the bed, habitually she folded shirts, T shirts, jeans, boxers and paired up socks, making separate piles of ironing and non. There were sports bags and two pairs of trainers but once finally clear the only items missing were pillow, sheets and blankets. Harry looked with dread at the wardrobe in the corner of the room 'in for a penny in for a pound' she declared to no one and tentatively pulled the door open anticipating the cascade of contents onto the only clear patch of floor. There was none; she opened the door and peered into the empty cupboard before closing it with a sigh
The creak of the bedroom door opening registered in Dempsey's superficial sleep; his throbbing head still holding him away from the deep sleep that he yearned. He was vaguely aware of Harry creeping around his bed and lifting the pillow that he wasn't using; she held it against her chest as she scanned the room trying to guess where he kept the spare linen. Her first and second guesses were both wrong and now she tugged on a large drawer which creaked and groaned with resistance.
"You're under arrest" Dempsey yawned and pushing his fingers back through his hair as he sat up asked "what the hell are you doing"
"Looking for something to make up the spare bed with"
"It's covered with junk"
"Not now"
"Ugh" Dempsey groaned – he had a system – unique, but still a system
"Do you have another quilt? Blankets? Anything to keep me warm?"
"There's room in here" he threw back his quilt and offered the warm bed sheets "and by the way that nurse told me that it's ok – sex don't make you short sighted"
As she listened Makepeace had to marvel at Dempsey's ability to try it on at every turn no matter what "I could have told you that" she informed him rather superiorly
"Oh yeh?" Dempsey slid upright and Harry noted his interest, she contemplated her options and chose "I can see very well without any glasses" she purred
Dempsey growled "You wanna double check that"
Makepeace shook her head, expecting nothing else "Uh Uh"
Dempsey gave up easily, his head still bothering him "They're in the bathroom cupboard"
Harry blinked a few times "of course, why not" she shrugged. As she was just about to leave she turned back "How's the head?"
"Could use another pill"
"And your vision"
"Seems pretty good right now" he still managed to leer.
Dempsey winked one eye and then the other, both seemed to be able to read the clock; he stood and he didn't sway or need to hold onto the bed; his headache was still there but it had faded dramatically. He made himself a double strength coffee and took two aspirin, the combination of which finally killed any lingering discomfort.
He was whistling and murdering some scrambled egg when a beleaguered Harry emerged.
"You're better" she observed
"Mornin Princess – you want eggs?"
"Are you offering to cook me breakfast?"
"Or just toast?"
"Are those eggs in date?" Harry nodded towards the egg box and its contents
"In date?" Dempsey questioned
"Yes Dempsey – how long have you had them?" she moved in and picked up the box to read the date
"I got them a couple of days ago" he defended
"You never have food in"
"I got brown bread with the bits in that you like and Frank Coopers Marmalade" he watched as Harry walked towards the fridge "but I've eaten the muffins and croissants" Harry opened the fridge as Dempsey continued to explain that 'he'd got some of those brown mushrooms that she went on about'
"So you got stood up!" Harry surmised as she studied a fridge that had food in
"Kind off" Dempsey admitted as he turned his eggs out onto the toast and passed them across
Harry took the plate "Thanks"