Mark ran to pick up the phone, knowing it was stupid to be this excited and he'd be far too disappointed if it weren't her.
"Hello?" he asked the receiver
"Hey." Susan's familiar voice replied.
She could almost hear his grin, "Oh, hey you. How's it going?"
"Oh, you know." She yawned. "Sorry."
"Is she okay? Are YOU okay? Is Suzie..?"
"We're all fine. Suzie is doing okay – well as good as can be expected. Chloe is… she'll get there."
"Good. Are YOU okay?"
"I'm exhausted." Susan sat down on the chair by the phone in her motel room.
"I wish I could save you from all this." Mark sighed.
"Go for it." She teased. "but it's not me that needs saving."
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah."
"You should have woken me up – I could have come with you. I might not have been able to help much, but I'd be there cause I know Chloe and Suzie can hardly look after you."
"When it comes to looking after me you raise the bar significantly. But I can look after myself. For a couple of days at least." Susan played with the phone cord.
"So how long are you away for?"
"Hopefully just a couple of days cause that's what I said on my message on the answer machine at work. I should go. I just wanted to hear your voice."
"Okay, let me know if there's anything I can do. I'll drive over if you like."
"No, it's okay. Enjoy your day off."
Mark didn't reply. Not immediately anyway.
"Mark?"
"I miss you. How pathetic is that? You've been gone, what, twelve hours."
Susan laughed, "What can I say, I'm addictive."
"Maybe I should book into this place Chloe's at – since apparently I'm an addict too."
"Na, you can have as much of me as you can bare – you'll just have to wait a couple of days."
"well, I'll tell you now, the withdrawal symptoms aren't pleasant. This place is a mess, maybe if I leave the bed unmade, the dishes in the sink and last night's spaghetti on stove then you'll know it's not so wise for you to leave again."
Susan laughed. "If I come home to that I might just have to leave straight away."
"Okay, I'll clean up today." He pretended to be a scolded ten year old.
"I really have to go."
"Okay. See ya."
"Hello?" he asked the receiver
"Hey." Susan's familiar voice replied.
She could almost hear his grin, "Oh, hey you. How's it going?"
"Oh, you know." She yawned. "Sorry."
"Is she okay? Are YOU okay? Is Suzie..?"
"We're all fine. Suzie is doing okay – well as good as can be expected. Chloe is… she'll get there."
"Good. Are YOU okay?"
"I'm exhausted." Susan sat down on the chair by the phone in her motel room.
"I wish I could save you from all this." Mark sighed.
"Go for it." She teased. "but it's not me that needs saving."
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah."
"You should have woken me up – I could have come with you. I might not have been able to help much, but I'd be there cause I know Chloe and Suzie can hardly look after you."
"When it comes to looking after me you raise the bar significantly. But I can look after myself. For a couple of days at least." Susan played with the phone cord.
"So how long are you away for?"
"Hopefully just a couple of days cause that's what I said on my message on the answer machine at work. I should go. I just wanted to hear your voice."
"Okay, let me know if there's anything I can do. I'll drive over if you like."
"No, it's okay. Enjoy your day off."
Mark didn't reply. Not immediately anyway.
"Mark?"
"I miss you. How pathetic is that? You've been gone, what, twelve hours."
Susan laughed, "What can I say, I'm addictive."
"Maybe I should book into this place Chloe's at – since apparently I'm an addict too."
"Na, you can have as much of me as you can bare – you'll just have to wait a couple of days."
"well, I'll tell you now, the withdrawal symptoms aren't pleasant. This place is a mess, maybe if I leave the bed unmade, the dishes in the sink and last night's spaghetti on stove then you'll know it's not so wise for you to leave again."
Susan laughed. "If I come home to that I might just have to leave straight away."
"Okay, I'll clean up today." He pretended to be a scolded ten year old.
"I really have to go."
"Okay. See ya."