Chapter 34
"It's not right," Ray shook his head, all hunched over, "it's not natural." His face was a picture of utter despair.
Alex glanced at Gene and nodded towards him.
"What's the matter with Ray?" she asked.
Gene sighed.
"I just broke the news that I stopped smoking," he said.
Alex sighed and shook her head as she watched a fight breaking out between Eddie and Malcolm for supremacy over the desk in the corner.
"This dream is getting weirder!" Eddie was crying as he tried to wrestle Malcolm to the floor, "now I've got members of Pulp trying to steal my job!"
"I earned my post!" Malcolm cried, trying to bite Eddie on the ankle, "I worked hard!"
"Stop that!" Susannah charged at them, desperately trying to pull Eddie away from her fiancé, "I'm almost out of bandages, I won't have enough left for the two of you."
Alex closed her eyes and shook her head again.
"One life," she mumbled, "I save one life and all hell breaks loose."
"Don't you mean all heaven breaks loose?" Simon commented.
Alex glared at him.
"Not if you want to remain bandage free," she said rolling up her sleeves.
Simon gulped and backed away.
"Fine," he mumbled.
Alex sighed and looked around at Kim who was standing a little way behind. Her arms were folded and her face a picture of sheer sadness. She followed her line of sight to where Shaz and Chris were standing in the middle of the room, their arms around each other. It made Alex's heart sink.
"Oh Kim," she sighed.
Kim didn't even glance up. She kept on staring. It hurt so much but she couldn't stop.
"I know she's not my Shaz," she whispered, her voice crackling as she tried to keep herself together, "but it's so painful to watch that. She doesn't even know who I am. It's… it's like it never happened."
Alex bit her lip, feeling worse by the moment.
"Kim, I am so sorry," she whispered.
Kim breathed in deeply.
"It's all started to make sense now," she said. She glanced at Alex, "some of the things you saifd that I didn't understand at the time. Why you were so surprised when me and Shaz started going out. Why you made that comment when I told you she was bi. It was because she had a boyfriend when you knew her, wasn't it?"
Alex nodded.
"Yes," she whispered.
"And the reason you were so down on Shaz joining Fenchurch East."
Alex nodded again.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"And when you told me Shaz wouldn't be around forever?"
"Kim, I wanted to tell you the truth, but I couldn't," Alex said quietly, "you can understand why, can't you?"
Kim was torn between saying she understood and demanding to know why Alex hadn't told her the truth in the first place. Eventually she nodded slowly.
"Kind of," she whispered.
Alex looked at her face. It was pale, almost dead. The external signs of a broken heart.
"I wish there was something I could say," she whispered.
Kim shook her head slowly as her eyes fixed on Shaz and Chris again.
"There isn't" she whispered. She'd just lost the love of her life and she knew that she was never going to feel the same way about anyone again.
"Bolly," Gene's voice interrupted Alex's thoughts. She looked around slowly.
"Hmm?"
Gene shuffled a little, getting twitchy about the number of people standing in the office who knew the whereabouts of his scotch.
"I think we'd better get this lot back to the Railway Arms before they have to start arresting each other for trespass and common assault," he said.
Alex bit her lip.
"Can we do that?" she asked, "I mean… can we just take them back? They're not stuck here are they?"
Gene shrugged.
"We're in rubber pants territory here," he told her, "I have no idea. Me theory is, the pub's parked somewhere with its doors wide open and this lot can walk back in without having their ID checked or getting hassled by the landlord. It's got to be here for them all to get out."
"At least they didn't have to jump out of the bloody window," Alex muttered a little crossly.
Gene rubbed his forehead. Getting them all to the pub was going to be no easy task, especially as he'd already spotted Chris sitting on Eddie and telling him to get the hell out of his seat.
"Alright," he clapped his hands like a schoolteacher about to lead his class on a field trip to the museum, "I don't know about all of you but after a hard day fighting each other in the office there's nothing like a nice cold beer. And there's nothing like a nice cold beer to be found in the Railway Arms, but there's some slightly acceptable, room temperature beer, so get moving. Go on – out. Two at a time. Think Noah's Ark." He saw a lot of blank faces staring back at him. "Out!" he barked, "The sooner you get there the sooner you can all start getting rat-arsed again!"
With an exchange of glanced, many many people started to walk out of the office, some dusting themselves off from their fights, others trying to rip off the plasters and bandages that Susannah had forced upon them.
"I'm never going to get to bloody smoke this," Ray muttered, throwing his unlit cigarette on the floor.
Gene rolled his eyes as he spotted someone following them who shouldn't be off to the pub.
"Not you," he said, hooking Eddie out of the crowd and pushing him against the door.
"Don't I get to go to the pub?" he cried.
"Not this pub, no," said Gene.
"Why not? I'm over eighteen!"
"Pray you never have the chance to find out why," mumbled Gene as he took his coat back off of Shaz, "Oi, Granger, that's mine. You've got Chris to be chivalrous now."
Kim hung her head as she watched Shaz pass by without even a glance in her direction. She didn't think her heart was going to take this much pain.
"So what now?" Simon asked.
"Need your help," said Gene, "You too, Stringer. Got to make sure none of this lot wander off-course. "
With a sigh Simon and Kim joined the snake of people making their way out of CID.
"I feel like a bloody sheepdog," mumbled Simon, his arms folded in annoyance.
~xXx~
Nelson had never been to London. Well, he'd never been around London. His time in the capital was always short and lasted only as long as it took for Gene to say goodbye and for the doors to close behind the latest person to step into the bar. He never had a chance to step out into the city and to explore it.
His eyes were drawn to a garish stall, bearing an enormous union jack on the top. Curiosity got the better of him and he wandered over.
"I Love London T-shirts, just ten pound!" the street seller boasted.
Nelson reached into his pocket and found his wallet full from the previous night's takings.
"Ten pound?" he repeated, "that's my kind of deal!"
He gladly paid for the t-shirt.
"Cheers, mate," the seller smiled as he handed him one.
Nelson smiled, pleased with his purchase, and tucked it under his arm. He began to walk away but at the last moment he hung back.
"And how much for the red telephone box hats?" he asked.
The seller looked at him curiously.
"Where are you from, mate?" he asked.
"For the sunny climes of Manchester," said Nelson.
The seller smiled and hid the "Hats: £10" sign with his hand.
"For you? Twenty quid, mate!" he said.
Once again Nelson happily paid up. He was going to be the best dressed tourist in London.
And also, the most broke.