Standard disclaimers applied. See Chapter 1 for further details.

Author's Note: Some female bonding in this chapter and hints of P&P fluff.

CHAPTER 11: Talk Between Women

Liz took the elevators up to the fifth floor of Memorial Hospital. She was picking Ann up from work before going back to Longbourn together. She was early, so she wasn't surprise to find that the desk area was relatively empty. Standing by the nursing station was the ward clerk who was talking on the phone. She had her head down, engrossed by the conversation. Standing behind her was a man dressed in a lab coat, he was studying the chart in his hand. 'Must be a doctor,' Liz thought.

She admired his profile. While Will had the classic regency look, this 'doctor' was more like the all-American kid next door. There was a sort of granite masculinity that was softened by his brown hair and hazel green eyes. He noticed her standing there in her business suit, and carrying a briefcase, "Hi, can I help you?"

"Yes, in fact you can. I'm looking for Ann?"

His eyebrows crossed at her inquiry. "Ann?"

"Yes. She is a nurse who works on this floor. Petite Asian with chic glasses, very sophisticated and intelligent."

He actually laughed at her description of her roommate. It was the kind of laughter that was shared between two friends who told an insider's joke.

"I see you know who I am talking about," she commented.

"Intellectual, hard-working woman is hard to find these days. Those with a understated fashion-sense is even more of a rarity," he replied.

Liz wondered briefly at his familiarity, when his pager broke his concentration. He looked sheepishly at her and said, "Sorry, duty calls. Ann is just reporting off. She should be along soon."

Grabbing his stethoscope and draping it across his neck, he gave her a brief nod. she returned her thanks, "Much appreciated, doctor ..."

"Wentworth. Frederick Wentworth."

-o-o-

Dr. Wentworth wasn't lying when he said that Ann was going to finish off soon. Liz only waited for about five minutes when she saw the Chinese girl coming towards her with her bag in tow. "Sorry Liz, I hope you weren't waiting long."

"Don't worry, hun. I was just chatting with one of the doctors here. You didn't tell me that there are cute ones who work here."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Liz."

"Sometimes I do worry about you, sweetheart. You have someone like Dr. Wentworth here and you are still single."

That got an unexpected reaction when Ann suddenly stopped in her tracks and faced the older woman. "What did you say?"

"Dr. Frederick Wentworth. I was talking to him earlier when I was waiting for you."

"Oh," as the Chinese woman resumed her walk.

"He said some pretty nice things about you, Ann. I definitely see some potential there."

Ann refused to take the bait, but she was clearly embarrassed. Still, Liz had to give her credit for maintaining her composure. "Aren't you interested in what he had to say about you?"

Ann remembered the last time she heard from a third person who relayed to her what Frederick had said about her. She shook her head and redirected the conversation. "He has half the people on floor in love with him, Liz. Besides, I have a major issue and I need your advice."

Liz knew what she was trying to do and realized that Ann was probably not for much teasing anyways. She nodded for Ann to go on with her request. "The hospital is having a Staff Appreciation Dinner, semi-formal but still dressy and I don't know what to wear."

-o-o-

When two women get together with dresses on their minds and armed with a credit card, there was no doubt that they would end up with lighter check books and plenty of shopping bags. Liz and Ann ended up window shopping around the mall, going through boutiques and trying on various pieces.

Despite being twins with Jane, the Bennet sisters had different takes when it came to shopping. Jane liked to meander through the racks, feeling the material and putting them back. She consulted the prices and then rechecked with other department stores. She liked to try things on, ponder them in her head, but never quite deciding on one thing.

Liz was similar in terms of bargain shopping, but she always came to the mall with something in mind. Anything red was always her first choice, then black. She was persistent and she won't leave the store without getting exactly what she wanted. She was singular in that.

Ann was probably a mixture of the two. She wasn't a choosy shopper, and liked to browse, but she knew what colours she could pull off and which styles didn't suit her. She enjoyed the company of both sisters and in this instance, she and Liz found themselves surrounded by a few bags and sipping mochas, talking about the men in their lives. Actually it was more Liz doing the talking.

"So, we are finally finished with the business contract?" Ann asked.

"Oh goodness yes, because it has certainly dragged on."

"There were definitely nights where I was afraid that you were going to blow up your laptop and burn down the apartment."

"Well, it wasn't my fault that the stupid thing crashed and I lost most of my files."

"At least, you had a backup copy."

"If you mean backup as in Richard Fitzwilliam, then yeah."

"Fitz can deceive everybody with that killer smile, but deep down he is a total computer nut, very dependable for tech advice."

Liz smiled as Ann's use of the nickname. "I have always wonder why you call Richard, Fitz."

"I've calling him that ever since the first time I met him in high school."

"I figure as much, but why though."

Ann shrugged, she couldn't really explain things that simply were. "Don't know. Pretty much everyone at Upper Cross called him that."

"I can see why people get so attracted to him. A guy who can make me laugh in any situation earns major points in my book and it's just a bonus that he's Will's cousin."

"And, how's Will doing?"

At the question, Liz seemed to light up. "Will is wonderful, so sweet. There is an understated appeal to him, because he doesn't flaunt himself around. He treats women in a way that makes her feel like she's at the center of his universe."

"But..."

"What do you mean, but?"

"Isn't there always a but-statement in it? Nothing is perfect," Ann countered.

"But, there are times I feel that our relationship is hanging in limbo."

"Like you don't know whether you are in an actually dating or just really close friends."

Liz nodded. "I mean we haven't really properly kissed yet. I don't think the kiss-on-the-cheek solidifies a relationship status."

"You think that a relationship is branded by a lip-lock?"

"No, it is jut a statement of fact. If nothing, Will is a man of action. He may not say the right words, but his actions and the way that he projects himself is very revealing."

"And, what does it reveal?"

"That he has so much to give."

-o-o-

Liz and Ann winded down their day with a trip back to Longbourn. They finally settled on a royal purple dress, with a ruffled frilly bottom and one-sided strap. After depositing their purchases, Ann went into her room to call up Auntie. It has been awhile since the two had spoken.

"Auntie?"

"An-Mei? Is that you?"

"Yes, Auntie. I'm sorry for not calling you sooner."

The conversation was along the same vein - Ann's job, Auntie's health, Ann's social life and Auntie's subtle hints of wanting to see her niece married. There were tender moments too about catching up on old friends and relatives, before Ann hanged up the phone over 45 minutes later.

It was then that the Chinese girl realized that she had another call to make. Fingering a specifically marked page on her agenda, she began to dial to the foreign, yet slightly familiar number.

End of Chapter 11

AN: Can anybody guess which number she dialed:D