I'm sorry this took so long, Scott and Virgil refused to cooperate so I decided to give myself a little bit more time to beat them into submission... I mean bribe them with pie and coffee. Definitely bribe them with coffee and pie. Anyway, lets take a look at how Hollie's coping.
Hollie likes this particular coffee shop, she likes the coffee and the comfy chairs. She likes the cakes and the music. This is a place that she can bring Ashwyn and not feel like the world is staring at her. This is the place that she brings Scott on the rare afternoons that he has been able to spend with her and it makes her heart ache for the fact that he is not there.
"You've spaced out on me again," Cassandra says, waving a hand in front of Hollie's face and smiling when the young woman seems to come back to herself. She covers her lapse in attention by checking on the baby, ensuring that Ashwyn is covered and sleeping peacefully. She apologies, taking a sip from her latte and almost splutters it out when her friend speaks again. "Thinking about Scott? You get that silly look on your face when you do."
"Am I really that transparent?" She asks, something like shame rippling through her at the thought. As much as she does not mind the idea of Scott knowing how she feels about him she is not sure she wants the entire world to know it. Hollie has been exposed to the way that people think and gossip in the past. She has been exposed to the hard words and the vicious gossip of people who see a nobody and the son of one of the wealthiest men in the world. Even her own friends have muttered the implications when they thought her distracted. They are words that still hurt her and still scare her.
"Only to the people with eyes," Cassandra points out. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, it's about time." Hollie laughs softly, shaking her head at the memories of nights curled up on her couch with Cassandra and Amelia eating ice cream. The memories of regretting her decision, being too proud to try to call him, and giving up hope of ever seeing Scott again. "Just promise me that I get to be the maid of honour," Cassandra continues. "The maid of honour always manages to get with the best man and I hear Scott's brothers are pretty easy on the eyes."
"They aren't bad," Hollie admits and her friend makes a surprised noise. "I'm in love, not blind." She points out. "Besides, you're jumping ahead a little bit aren't you?"
"He's asked you to go to that island paradise of his, hasn't he?" Cassandra queries and Hollie nods. "Then I'm not jumping anything. If you're not on that island and engaged by the end of next year I'll marry Clarence in the corner over there." The blonde points at the elderly man across the room, his eyes are bleary behind his thick glasses and his thin hair has been haphazardly combed to try and cover up the fact that he is almost entirely bald. He is well known in this coffee shop, though mostly during the fall when he attracts the attention of gathered customers with his collections of giant vegetables. It is a cruel jibe at a lonely old man, but Hollie smiles at it all the same.
"I think he'd like that," she replies and is about to speak again when her attention is caught by the radio.
-...from Cornwall where a rescue operation has turned into a hostage situation. The field commander of International Rescue is apparently being held at gun point by a local man. So far all we know about him is that he is the son of one of the trapped miners.-
Hollie knows that her worry must be clear to all around her, tries desperately to hide it by fussing over Ashwyn and taking a deep breath to try and calm her suddenly racing heart. She also knows that she is not going to fool Cassandra, her friend has known her for too long and knows her too well to miss the sudden change in demeanour, but no one else in the store seems to have noticed and she takes Ashwyn into her arms so that she does not start to fiddle while she waits to hear the outcome.
"Hey, Sheila, turn it up," Cassandra calls to the woman behind the counter who does exactly that so that all gathered can hear. The world is still enthralled by the idea of International Rescue, still completely fascinated by the organisation who would risk their lives for seemingly no recognition or reward at all. The look she shoots at Hollie, however, says quite clearly that Hollie owes her in the future and that an explanation will only be the half of it.
They listen in silence, Hollie trying not to betray her concern too clearly, as it becomes more obvious that this is one of those times when International Rescue cannot save everyone. Evidently this is one man who is not going to take no for an answer, the reporter repeats that the mine has become unstable, too unstable for even the advanced equipment of International Rescue and Hollie feels her heart break for Scott. She knows that he hates the idea of leaving anyone behind, she knows that he hates to let those who rely on them down, but her only thought is that she wants him out of this safely. Her only thought is that she should not be hearing about this in a coffee shop with one of her closest friends watching her like a hawk. She should be on the island with Scott's family where she does not have to worry about hiding her fear for him. It tells her louder than words that she should stop hiding behind her nervousness and fear of the unknown and join him on Tracy Island. She promises herself that she will call him as soon as she gets back to tell him she is ready to go with him if he still wants her there.
The sound of the gunshot is startlingly loud over the radio, drawing collective gasps from the gathered and silent customers, and there is a moment of terror and screaming before the report is cut off and silence falls.
Ooops, cliffie!
Artemis
