Robert woke when sunlight hit his face. His eyes fluttered open but he couldn't see a thing. He COULD feel though – his back, crooked and aching, his feet cold, hanging over the end of… his eyes adjusted… a couch? He forced himself to sit up. It was his office – wait, no, OLD office. Elizabeth's office. He smiled slightly and rubbed his eyes, swinging his legs onto the floor.
Elizabeth was asleep at her desk, hunched over, head resting on a forearm, hair sprawled delightfully all over the place.
Robert slipped his feet into his shoes and tiptoed out.
Elizabeth woke when she heard the door close. She sat up though every muscle in her back objected. She looked at the couch, disappointed that he was gone and trying to convince herself she wasn't. Had he JUST left? Or was that just her overactive imagination combined with tiredness and all those falling-in-love again emotions that we all know are very effective at completely throwing off your sanity. 'Can't be them.' She insisted, checking the coffee cup Robert had brought her last night. Empty. Gutted. It would have been cold and semi-solidified but legal addictive stimulants hit the spot other things won't. Other things? Like those chocolate covered coffee beans. Where had she put them? Oh, there's got to be some left or she'd never have slept. Flip, how long had she been asleep? She looked at them memo in front of her trying to remember if it was the one she'd been looking at when Robert had walked in. Then she realized, as discouraging as that would have been, she didn't care. She wanted to know two things – where were the coffee beans, and where was Robert – or was he coming back?
The door swung open and there he was, all lit up from the rising sun like some kind of angel or superhero in a b-grade movie. Plus, he was holding two steaming paper cups – assumabley full of coffee. Elizabeth was up in a flash.
"My hero." She took the offered cup and sipped desperately.
"You're scary before you've had your coffee." He grinned at her and lifted his own cup to his lips.
"Long night eh?" someone said as they passed in the hallway. Both Robert and Elizabeth turned but didn't care who it was. Robert shut the door.
"You know I got nothing done last night?" Elizabeth sat back on the edge of her desk.
"Yes, I had my suspicions. You're a disgrace to the surgical department, nay, the entire medical profession… Internationally. In fact your father will be on the phone in moments."
Elizabeth laughed. "I think I need to go home. To sleep."
Robert nodded. "The caffeine hit will help you there."
"You're a bad influence. You know that?"
"I delight in it." He finished his coffee. "But, I'll be the gentleman and take you home."
"You're not working?"
"Maybe. Unless I get a better offer."
"There are definitely some head-of-department perks I'm missing out on." She quipped, taking his cup from him and putting them both in the rubbish bin.
He nodded. "See, my excellent tutelage prepared you for the worst."
"Indeed. But I didn't expect it could be this bad. I mean, a lady expects to have her chocolate covered coffee-bean rights respected."
"A lady?" he pointed to the table at the end of the sofa. "I needed a midnight snack." He said by way of an explanation.
She pretended to look shocked – whether it was at his theft or insinuation that she wasn't a lady, he wasn't sure. "Well, since your excellent supply of coffee has destroyed my plans for a morning nap we're going to need these," she picked up the half-gone box of coffee beans, "in order to… function today."
"Indeed." He nodded. "Shall we?" he opened the door.
*~~~*
Apologies that the next post won't be for a few days as I'm going on holiday. Try ten days in Australia! Yay! I go tomorrow and I'm not even packed! And it's 10:41 pm here. Crikey. Well, I'm all achy. Off to Bedfordshire.
Elizabeth was asleep at her desk, hunched over, head resting on a forearm, hair sprawled delightfully all over the place.
Robert slipped his feet into his shoes and tiptoed out.
Elizabeth woke when she heard the door close. She sat up though every muscle in her back objected. She looked at the couch, disappointed that he was gone and trying to convince herself she wasn't. Had he JUST left? Or was that just her overactive imagination combined with tiredness and all those falling-in-love again emotions that we all know are very effective at completely throwing off your sanity. 'Can't be them.' She insisted, checking the coffee cup Robert had brought her last night. Empty. Gutted. It would have been cold and semi-solidified but legal addictive stimulants hit the spot other things won't. Other things? Like those chocolate covered coffee beans. Where had she put them? Oh, there's got to be some left or she'd never have slept. Flip, how long had she been asleep? She looked at them memo in front of her trying to remember if it was the one she'd been looking at when Robert had walked in. Then she realized, as discouraging as that would have been, she didn't care. She wanted to know two things – where were the coffee beans, and where was Robert – or was he coming back?
The door swung open and there he was, all lit up from the rising sun like some kind of angel or superhero in a b-grade movie. Plus, he was holding two steaming paper cups – assumabley full of coffee. Elizabeth was up in a flash.
"My hero." She took the offered cup and sipped desperately.
"You're scary before you've had your coffee." He grinned at her and lifted his own cup to his lips.
"Long night eh?" someone said as they passed in the hallway. Both Robert and Elizabeth turned but didn't care who it was. Robert shut the door.
"You know I got nothing done last night?" Elizabeth sat back on the edge of her desk.
"Yes, I had my suspicions. You're a disgrace to the surgical department, nay, the entire medical profession… Internationally. In fact your father will be on the phone in moments."
Elizabeth laughed. "I think I need to go home. To sleep."
Robert nodded. "The caffeine hit will help you there."
"You're a bad influence. You know that?"
"I delight in it." He finished his coffee. "But, I'll be the gentleman and take you home."
"You're not working?"
"Maybe. Unless I get a better offer."
"There are definitely some head-of-department perks I'm missing out on." She quipped, taking his cup from him and putting them both in the rubbish bin.
He nodded. "See, my excellent tutelage prepared you for the worst."
"Indeed. But I didn't expect it could be this bad. I mean, a lady expects to have her chocolate covered coffee-bean rights respected."
"A lady?" he pointed to the table at the end of the sofa. "I needed a midnight snack." He said by way of an explanation.
She pretended to look shocked – whether it was at his theft or insinuation that she wasn't a lady, he wasn't sure. "Well, since your excellent supply of coffee has destroyed my plans for a morning nap we're going to need these," she picked up the half-gone box of coffee beans, "in order to… function today."
"Indeed." He nodded. "Shall we?" he opened the door.
*~~~*
Apologies that the next post won't be for a few days as I'm going on holiday. Try ten days in Australia! Yay! I go tomorrow and I'm not even packed! And it's 10:41 pm here. Crikey. Well, I'm all achy. Off to Bedfordshire.