For Joodiff. Lots of hugs xx
Thanks to Got Tea for her gentle nudging and the beta
The Bracelet.
The desk is a mess. Books are scattered on the surface around her laptop; some are left open, others stacked in piles, many of them with different coloured strips sticking out where she's found some useful lines or paragraphs.
Most importantly, her handwritten notes are strategically placed to her left, easily accessible for reference at any time, with her pen casually abandoned on the top.
Grace Foley is busy. Head bowed, glasses threatening to slip off the tip of her nose and her fingers flying hastily over the keyboard. Looking up from time to time, as she consults a textbook or her notes for reference, she bites down on her lower lip in deep concentration before returning to her laptop to continue building her psychological profile on one of several suspects in the latest murder case the CCU is working on.
She's lost to the world. Her mind and intellect are singularly focused on her task, and it's not before she eventually reaches for her mug to have a sip of tea that she notices her friend and colleague Eve Lockhart standing in her office right in front of her, looking faintly smug.
"Oh, my God," Grace exclaims, unconsciously placing a calming hand on her chest as she sinks back toward the backrest and continues with a soft chuckle, "You startled me, Eve. I didn't hear you."
"Clearly," Eve replies dryly. "You didn't notice me knocking, or even when I walked in." Gently mocking, she shakes her head.
"Sorry, I was completely absorbed with my profile," Grace says, waving a hand over her messy desk. Shrugging slightly, she goes on, "Boyd wants it yesterday if not the day before. Nothing new there, though..." She reaches for her glasses, removes and places them on the desk before again turning her attention to the younger woman with a gentle smile. "What can I do for you?"
Stepping closer to the desk, Eve inclines her head slightly and extends her right hand, two rows of dark, delicate pearls connected with a chunky rectangular golden bead dangle from a finger. "Yours, I believe..." A mile-wide smirk is plastered across her face as she quirks an eyebrow in question. "I just found it on the floor in the ladies."
"Oh," Grace gasps, unconsciously touching her right wrist where her bracelet should be. "I hadn't even noticed..." Her heart almost skips a beat at the mere thought that she might have lost this precious token, and it takes effort to remain calm. Catching Eve's gaze, she reaches for her jewellery. "Thank you so much."
"No need," the younger woman drops the bracelet into the open palm in front of her and pirouettes on the spot. "Now, I better be off to my weekly meeting with our dear commander before he gets too impatient." She heads towards the door but, halfway out of the office, hesitates and for just a moment looks back over her shoulder with a wicked grin before she disappears towards Boyd's office. "Rest assured, Grace. My lips are sealed..."
Completely baffled, Grace gazes after her, her hand balled into a fist around the bracelet; a late birthday gift from the man in her life. It means a lot to her. It's the engraving on the back of the gold bead, though, that has surely caught the attention of Eve's perceptive mind.
Counting backwards? P
A rush of emotion flushes through her body and she feels a little shaken. Eve knows now – she probably has for a long time, really – but now she must know for sure.
But, and it's a significant but, even if her close relationship with Boyd has been realised, their secret is secure, Grace knows. Eve would never tell. She's far too good a friend and besides, she's very discreet. She will keep their secret.
A sigh of relief escapes Grace as she slowly opens her hand, carefully placing the bracelet on the surface before her, gently caressing it with a finger. Nobody, not even Eve – no matter how observant and perceptive she may be – will ever know the meaning of the words or how much they mean to her; that's for Peter and herself to know, and only them.
Twisting slightly, she looks through the glass and into Boyd's office. He's deep in conversation with Eve now, but Grace doesn't really notice their resident scientist. Instead her eyes focus on the man behind the desk and the look of intense concentration on his faces as he listens to what he's being told. So handsome, so dedicated.
Hers. Entirely hers. Shaking her head at her folly, and smiling to herself, Grace gets back to work.