Battle of the Sexes
Hello! Thanks for the reviews, much appreciated! Right, I know some of you are confused about what happened so I'll explain it (if you do understand, skip the rest of the intro):
Sam came into work in floods of tears. Robyn and Aoife found her crying in the toilets and cheered her up. She told them that Tom and here WERE still an item, but he slept with the 'blonde bird' (who, as you'll find out, is called Tanya.)The day after she saw the two flirting, Sam apparently went round to Tom's house to collect her things because she didn't want anything to do with Tom. The blonde woman had been there overnight (and they weren't playing scrabble, if you know what I mean… *raises eyebrows suggestively*,) and she worked out that Sam and Tom were still together and stormed off, upset.
Meanwhile, Tom was telling the boys that Sam had deliberately ruined his chances with Tanya because she was jealous and clingy. He said that the relationship was already over.
The ED divided into 3 teams:
TEAM SAM: Sam (obviously), Dixie, Tamsin, Robyn, Aoife, Jamie (the only boy in team Sam!) Linda and Louise. Tess WAS team Sam but she became more neutral as the story went on… you'll find out why later!
TEAM ASSHOLE (ahem, I mean TOM): Tom (obvs again!), Jeff, Lloyd, Mac, Noel and later on, Ash.
NEUTRAL: Zoe (because she's the boss,) Fletch (because he thinks it's pathetic, and- although he believes Tom is in the wrong, he values his position) and later on, Tess.
The boys ignored Sam and the girls stuck up for her. Zoe tried to intervene but failed. The boys tried to throw eggs at Sam… they hit ZOE. The girls set Tom up with a mad old farmer with a psychotic sheep… that ate ZOE'S hair. Zoe is getting a bit fed up…
In the last 2 chapters, everyone but SAM, TOM, TESS, ZOE and CHARLIE met up to try and make up. They realised that they had no proof of how it actually started. Fletch has started mission: find the blonde bird, AKA 'What the HELL actually happened?'
…..
"You ready?" Aoife asked Robyn.
"No."
"Me neither." Aoife sighed.
The two were stood outside Tanya's flat. It was grubby and dirty, with cigarette butts lining the floors and suspicious yellow stains up the walls.
"What d'you reckon she's like, then?" Robyn asked.
"I dunno- I mean, she must have some dignity, if she DID walk away, that is."
A voice came from behind the door.
"I ain't got yer bleedin' money! Gimme a few weeks and I'll… oh. Sorry 'bout that."
The two girls looked down and realised that the woman was looking out of her letterbox. They crouched down.
"What can I help you with?"
"I'm Aoife and this is Robyn. We're from Holby ED- we work with Tom Kent?" Aoife began.
"I'm Tanya. And I DO NOT want to hear about that bastard."
"Ah, well, you pretty much answered my question, but I'll ask it anyway- What happened the day after you stayed round at Dr Kent's house?" Aoife asked.
"What's it to ya?" Tanya asked, opening the door.
…..
Her flat was a little grubby, but she'd made it comfy. Paintings and posters covered the manky walls. The ratty old sofa was covered with a leopard print through and the table had been hand-painted black. It looked okay.
"So, what's all this about?" Tanya asked, sitting on the red, modern recliner, near the sofa that Robyn and Aoife were sat on.
"Dr Kent and Dr Nichols- the woman who came round the day after… y'know… well, anyway, they've fallen out. Badly. It's making work really difficult and everyone's taken sides. Do you mind if we record an interview with you? So we have evidence?"
"Feel free. I'll happily ruin that bastard."
Robyn began recording.
"So, Tanya, how did you meet Tom?"
"He came up to me in a bar and chatted me up. I thought he was with that scary-looking woman- I'm guessin' that's your Dr Nichols?"
"Can you describe the woman?" Aoife asked.
She had been warned by Jeff, Fletch and Linda that even the slightest details were important. And, as she wanted Dr Kent to have to apologise- hopefully in a grovelling, embarrassing way- Aoife was going to get EVERY detail.
"She was short and skinny… except she was sort of muscly, like she exercised a lot. Um… she had long, strawberry blonde hair. It was almost straight but a little wavy- like it had been tied up in a bun. She looked scary and violent… the sort of woman that wins all the fights she gets in? She came in with Tom, lookin' a little harassed. I heard someone call 'er Sam?"
"That'd be Dr Nichols," Aoife nodded, "Can you tell us what happened next?"
"Your Dr Nichols walked out. I'd just been dumped and when Tom started flirtin' with me I was flattered. So flattered I went home with him. I shouldn't have. I'll tell you something- your Dr Nichols must either be really patient or really easily pleased- cos Tom wasn't that good in the 'bedroom department.'"
"Ugh! Too many details!" Robyn groaned, hiding behind a pillow. Aoife filmed that, too.
"Anyway, what happened the morning after you'd slept together?"
"The door rang, early in the morning. That Sam of yours was stood there, lookin' ready to cry. Tom appeared behind me and I could tell that he'd never broken up with 'er. It was the look on his face. Like he was guilty, but he didn't care- y'know, like when a cat kills a mouse and leaves it at your feet. The way it looks at you? It was the same way he looked at her. She asked for her things and he threw some clothes into a carrier bag, then gave them to 'er. At the last moment, as she was about to go, he threw a bra in her face. The poor thing went bright red. I just left there and then, told 'er I was sorry- that I had no idea… then there was shouting and a noise, like a shove, and I heard a yelp. It sounded like he'd shoved her over."
"That bastard…" Aoife muttered.
She looked at the camera and all three women realised that she'd recorded her last sentence.
"Oops." She smiled, "Anyway, Tanya, could you tell us who you blame for this?"
"Tom! He didn't finish with her properly, had a one night stand then treated us both like shit! And you tell him- I am NOT his girlfriend, and I do NOT want to see him again."
"Thanks, Tanya." Aoife smiled. "That'll help A LOT."
…..
Aoife and Robyn returned to the B&B. They played the tape and everyone watched and listened in silence. When it ended, the first person to speak was Tamsin.
"Right, where's my ferret?"
Noel smirked and went to say something.
"Noel, just don't. Okay? Just don't." Louise smirked.
"What?" Tamsin asked, "All I said was… oh. I get it. Very mature."
The group laughed.
"Ok, down to business." Fletch said, "What do we do now? We know that Tom has to be the one to apologise… but how do we make him?"
"We don't." Aoife said. "We make him feel bad, then get him to make it up to Sam."
"We want them to get back together." Robyn said.
"WHY?!" the group chorused.
"Because Dr Nichols won't be happy without him. You might have missed it, but we didn't. We looked back into her window and she was curled up into a ball, sat on the sofa… crying over a picture of Tom."
The group fell silent, thinking. Then, Linda jumped up, making everyone else jump.
"We need to get them to talk. Alone. With no space for a fight. Somewhere that we can monitor them without them knowing. Somewhere where they have to talk."
"I don't like where this is going…" Dixie murmured.
"We lock them in a store cupboard." Linda finished.