"For god's sake Nikki, will you just calm down!" Steve retorted, at the pacing doctor. "I'm starting to regret letting you come."
"No . I will calm down when I've seen that he's ok. You don't understand." the distressed pathologist answered shrilly from where they'd been instructed to wait. She had been intent on wading in to rescue Jack, but instead they'd waded through water, before being told to wait on the outskirts. She was stressed and didn't see the point if they weren't going to let her in to find Jack.. "I nearly lost him before. Our friend Thomas died and Jack nearly did too. He didn't die, but I really thought he was going to. I can't lose Jack."
Steve lifted his radio to his mouth. "This is DS Galloway. If anyone gets eyes on Jack Hodgson, let me know." He sighed as Nikki started pacing again. "Why don't you just tell him you love him?"
"Because he's not here!" She snapped.
"Yes he is." A voice said behind her.
Nikki spun around to see Jack standing there, shivering, but otherwise appearing to be ok. Within two steps they closed the gap in a tight hug.
"Hey I'm ok," Jack murmured softly.
Steve patted him on the shoulder. "Thank god! She's been doing my head in. I'm glad you're ok pal, I was just about to sedate her."
Simone appeared next to Jack. "She was worried then?"
"Simone, are you ok?" Nikki asked, giving her a sort of half hug – a hug that Jack was unintentionally involved in, due to the fact Nikki still had one arm around him.
"yeah, I'm ok." Simone agreed. "I just spoke to my Gran, Nikki. Thank you for checking she was alright in the storm and keeping her up to date."
"No problem" The older of the two women answered.
Nikki remained attached to Jack with her arms around him, all the way back in the car – with no intention of letting go.
"I properly had my head bitten of earlier" Steve complained during the journey. He indicated Nikki in the rear view mirror. "She wanted me to tie you to your desk to stop you going back to the care home."
"S & M, Nikki? Seriously?" Simone interjected, smirking as both Nikki and Jack gave her a slightly surprised look.
"I did not tell you to tie him up!" Nikki protested to Steve.
He sniggered. "Not in so many words, but you certainly implied that you thought I should have barricaded him in the Lyell! Ask your dad, Jack!"
"My Dad?" Jack tensed up a little. Why did Steve know his Dad?
Nikki sensed his agitation. "Shhh. Your Dad had a fall, but I found him and he's fine – so fine he was refusing to go to hospital."
"Yes – so were you!" Steve exclaimed indignantly.
"You needed hospital? What happened" Jack stammered, immediately picking up on it.
Nikki briefly covered her face, annoyed that Steve seemed to be dropping her in it every five minutes, but before Jack could probe the matter, they had arrived back at the Lyell. Nikki was clearly anxious to get both him and Simone in the warm with a hot cup of tea, as they had refused hospital too, so he decided to leave it for the time being.
However, when they were settled down after a hot shower and some dry clothes, with a steaming mug between their thawing hands, Steve broached the subject again, determined to get answers, as were Jack and Simone.
"So, now that Jack and Simone are safe, you can keep your end of the bargain and explain – because the taxi driver who dropped you off at Jack's was concerned."
"The taxi driver?!" Nikki repeated.
"Yes, last night he waited along the road until you went in the house, and this morning he apparently came into the station with his concerns. He said you seemed agitated and unwell with bare feet that were bleeding, but when he tried to take you to hospital you insisted you had to go 'home'."
"You told him Jack's place was your home?" Simone remarked with unmistakeable glee, earning another look from Jack and Nikki.
"Not to mention the paramedics, who said you were 'wobbly' and Jack's Dad, who said 'you kept holding your head' and 'you weren't yourself'." Steve added, ignoring Simone's comment.
Nikki glanced at Jack. He was looking more and more concerned by the second.
"Bleeding feet?" he muttered anxiously.
She sighed. "The truth is, I don't know what happened. It's like a bad dream and I feel so ashamed of the bits I can remember. That wasn't me, it was like I was someone else." She paused and fidgeted with her hands uncomfortably. "I was invited to the student's Halloween party – they wanted me to judge their costumes. It's all a blur - I was there and...the next thing I knew I was in Ollie's room acting like a bloody teenager..." She trailed off and looked down at her hands again. "Maybe my drink was spiked or something...but then I don't know I could still and walk and talk..."
Jack put his mug down on the table and stood up. "Well, there's a way to find out"