She crept into the darkened room, trying her hardest not to disturb anything. She was determined to deposit the notes and run, fearing the wrath of her superior. As she walked in through the door, she closed it behind her quietly, looking around, double checking that she wasn't going to be caught. As she bent down to the desk to grab a pen, there was a click and she saw Will standing by the door, his finger on the switch, flooding the room with light.
"I err..." she started turning round, fully expecting to hear the quick wit of Connie. Instead she came face to face with Will. "Oh it's you."
"Thanks, nice to know it's not just Connie that wants me."
"Oh come on Will, you know who I thought you were. I just want one night without being held captive to discuss notes, or a patients treatment… my life doesn't revolve around…"
She broke off swiftly, hearing the familiar clicking of heels on tough linoleum. As Connie rounded the corner she stopped and leant against the doorway.
"Oh no, don't stop on my account Sister Williams. Let me know next time and I'll clear my office out for your little soirée."
Chrissie and Will looked at each other, the colour rising in their cheeks.
"I just came in to leave you the notes Mrs Beauchamp, they're for Monday's list. I'll see you tomorrow Will…"
Chrissie made to leave but Connie got in her way.
"Chrissie I'd like a quick word, Will you're on early tomorrow, go home and get some sleep, you look tired. Looks like we have a full day ahead of us." She turned back to Chrissie, smiling, listening to Will counting his footsteps. As she heard him near the door she grinned to herself, and as a parting shot she advised him, "You'll need your energy Mr Curtis."
Smiling to herself and her little victory for the day she walked back round to her desk and picked up the notes from her desk. Flicking through them casually she looked up at Chrissie.
"Contrary to what appears to be popular belief, my life does not revolve around the hospital either. Yes, I'm dedicated but it doesn't stop me having a life outside of Holby City hospital. How else do you think I survive a whole shift with Mr Excitement himself?"
A smile played on Chrissie's lips as she debated whether to try and make her escape now, or to go along with Connie's attempt at small talk then excuse herself claiming she had plans. As her mind wandered to the bottle of Merlot waiting for her at home, she was brought back to reality by the sound of glasses, chinking together. It appeared the decision had already been made for her.
"Drink?"
Chrissie smiled appreciatively, "Thanks."
Connie poured them both generous measures of gin into the glasses, topped up with tonic that looked like it had been flat since the minute it was open, and they both sat down, clutching the glasses.
"Sorry, don't generally have tonic with my gin… force of habit I guess."
"Its fine really, I can't stay long anyway. I've got to…" Chrissie faltered, quickly trying to make up a realistic sounding excuse. 'I can't stand your company' probably wouldn't go down too well she figured. "I've got to um…"
"Wash your hair?" Connie prompted.
"Actually no, I did that this morning!" Chrissie laughed. "I was going to give my dog a bath but I'm sure he can deal with being dirty for an extra night."
Connie raised an eyebrow, "If you're sure I'm not keeping you from anything more thrilling."
"You're not." Chrissie leaned back in her chair. "I've only had him a week and he hasn't quite grasped that people's ponds aren't to be played in."
"Hence the reason I never gave in to pets." Connie smiled. "What's his name?"
Chrissie blushed slightly, "Bambi, purely because when I first saw him, he reminded me of my old dog Ben, and I knew I had to have him. Then when he stood up it was like watching Bambi all over again, paws everywhere, ears dragging on the floor."
"Sounds… cute." Connie said dryly, accentuating the final syllable. "Never saw the attraction myself though. Much rather have a man in my bed, they make less noise and mess."
"It's company." Chrissie shrugged. "Best I have at the moment. And he's not about to run off with another woman."
"True!" Connie laughed, taking a long sip of her drink. "Ohh" she winced, tasting the flat tonic. "You don't fancy grabbing a better drink do you, I think this tonic needs reviving."
The lights in the bar were dim, 'Wet Wet Wet' were playing softly in the background and the only sound breaking the deathly silence of the bar was the piercing laugh of one of the only two women in there that night. It was knocking on 3 a.m. and the bar should really have been closed hours ago but it seemed a shame to send two such beautiful women home, especially when one of them was the hospital's medical director.
"…And then he walked away from me. I don't think he believed I was telling the truth!"
The two now familiar peals of laughter rang out around the room again. As the small clock behind the bar chimed 3 o'clock, the manager decided it was time to cut his losses.
"Sorry to break up the party…" he grinned. "But we really have to close now; you two lovely ladies must have homes to go to."
They both smiled apologetically at the manager.
"Of course, sorry, we got err… carried away."
Connie drained her glass and picked up her bag. Folding her coat over her arm she turned to Chrissie.
"Would Bambi mind if we carried on our party at yours?"
Chrissie giggled, shaking her blonde hair as she finished her drink and pulled her denim jacket on.
"He should be asleep by now, bless him, he doesn't like being in the house alone, so he goes and curls up on the end of my bed. I don't have the heart to move him so I sleep around him. It's like having a little, furry boyfriend but at least he's faithful."
They walked outside. The warmth they felt inside the bar left them and the cold air whipped their cheeks. Chrissie pulled her jacket closed around her and stepped out of the doorway. Connie pulled a tiny mobile phone out of her bag.
"I'll call us a cab. It shouldn't take long this time of night."
She dialled the number and reeled off the first of the address of her flat, slurring her words only slightly. She was obviously a regular as whoever was on the end of the phone knew her address and finished it for her, adding that a taxi would be with them in five minutes.
Leaning against the wall Chrissie shivered and tapped her stiletto heels on the floor, in a vain attempt to keep herself warm. She pulled her sleeves down over her hands and tucked them under her arms, wriggling them slightly to keep her circulation going.
Three everlasting minutes later a red car pulled up and the window wound down. The driver, a balding middle-aged Scooter popped his head out of the window.
"Y'alright Mrs Beauchamp?"
"Yes, thank you Dave" Connie replied, swinging the door open and climbing in. "You know the drill." She quipped, grinning and shuffling over to the far side of the back seat, enabling Chrissie to slide in beside her.
As the two women sat in the backseat, shivering slightly, Dave turned up the heaters. Looking at them from his rear view mirror, they were an odd pair he thought.
"Bit later than usual aren't ya Mrs Beauchamp, not been this time o' night for a while. And who's ya mate?"
Connie rolled her eyes, her usually perfect eyeliner slightly smudged from the night's activities. It had been a long time since she'd really laughed. She leant forwards on the passenger seat in front of her.
"Dave, this is Chrissie, she's ward sister on Darwin."
Dave grinned, flashing Chrissie a dazzling smile through the mirror. "Y'alright Chrissie?" he said, with a slight nod of his head.
Chrissie sat back, rather bemused by this extraordinary car journey, and the wine starting to make her feel quite drunk. She smiled back at the taxi driver and wondered how Connie seemed to know him so well. She made a mental note to ask her when they got back to the house.
Five minutes later Chrissie felt the taxi pull to a stop and the door open. She opened her eyes and saw Connie standing by the door, smiling softly at her.
"Sorry must have dozed off there." she muttered, swinging her legs out of the taxi and standing up gingerly. Pulling her bag over her shoulder and followed Connie up a flight of stone stairs at the front of an apartment style building. As they got to the door Chrissie watched Connie put the key into the latch and turn it, swinging the door open to reveal a beautifully furnished flat.
They both walked in and Connie put her bag down on a marble breakfast bar and pushed the button on a small answer phone, nestling in the corner of the kitchen worktop. She went through the six messages, deleting them all before listening to them fully until she got to the last one.
"Hi darling, won't be home tonight, meeting in Bruges ran over. See you when I get back."
Connie slammed the keys down on the breakfast bar and deleted the message angrily. She walked over to a large cupboard and opened the top half to reveal twenty or so crystal glasses.
"Drink?"
Chrissie leant back on the plush couch. Crossing her legs in front of her carefully she placed her drink on the glass-topped table a few inches before her. Chewing her nail slightly she watched Connie pace the room, stopping every few steps to take a sip of her drink then carry on. All of a sudden the pacing stopped and Connie sat down next to Chrissie.
"Sorry" she apologised quietly, quite out of character. "Michael… he just… sometimes."
She took another long gulp, this time draining the glass.
"I see my taxi driver more than I see my husband most months."
Chrissie picked her glass back up, resting it in her lap, not knowing quite where to look. She settled for down at the floor but looked up briefly. Making eye contact for a fraction of a second she saw the troubled look in Connie's eyes. Her usually sparkling smile fading as she quickly got up and began pacing the room again.
Finally Chrissie spoke. "Sit down Connie."
Connie spun on her heel and looked at Chrissie. Slowly she walked over to a chair in the corner of the room, next to the couch Chrissie sat on. She relaxed back clutching her glass between both her hands.
"You were making me dizzy" Chrissie smiled warmly. She leant on the chair arm and looked hard at Connie. "What's going on?"
"I just shouldn't let him get to me. It's not like I even care that much. I just like…"
"…Being in control?" Chrissie grinned. "You can't handle people having the upper hand over you!" she said, feeling braver with the drink warming her inside.
Connie laughed slightly, a smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyway let's not talk about it now… how's your love life?"
Chrissie blushed. "About as good as yours sounds. But at least you know you've got a man for all the good it does you. Drinking alone isn't exactly attractive to the opposite sex."
Connie raised an eyebrow suggestively. She stood up and refilled her glass from the cabinet, pouring herself a generous measure of gin and drinking it straight down. She winced slightly then didn't hesitate in refilling her glass once again and carrying the bottle over to the table. She silently offered Chrissie a top-up then replaced the lid.
This time she sat down on the couch with Chrissie. She crossed her legs towards the empty space between them both, tucking her right leg under her left. Shifting forwards to pick up her glass she edged closer to Chrissie. Closing her hands around her glass she leaned back and sighed deeply. She ran her fingers through her short dark hair and smoothed her trousers down. The silence hanging uncomfortably between them.
Reaching over to the table she picked up a silver remote and seconds later the room was filled with soft classical music. Chrissie turned and smiled softly, closing her eyes as she rested back against the warmth of the couch. Opening her eyes slowly she saw Connie looking her up and down. She turned herself around to face Connie, mirroring her position.
"You miss him?"
Connie looked uncomfortable. "I don't miss him particularly. I miss having people around. I guess that's just why I throw myself into work. I'm needed there, I'm constantly surrounded by people, and I don't really have the time to think about what I want. It's a welcome distraction most of the time. But then when Michael comes home he complains that I'm at work twenty-four seven and he never sees me."
She sighed deeply and finished her drink. Taking a deep breath she added. "And he wonders why I find my fun elsewhere…"
Chrissie said nothing, slightly taken aback by the fact that her boss was revealing her feelings, something which Chrissie didn't believe she was capable of. Connie Beauchamp and feelings weren't words you particularly heard in the same sentence. She began to feel slightly guilty for being so judgemental since Connie had taken over Darwin. Reaching over, she touched Connie's elbow gently.
"I guess I know how you feel. After Owen, and Amanda, I just threw myself into work, it didn't give me a chance to think, to grieve. But now I know it wasn't the right thing to do."
Connie smiled appreciatively.
"We all deal with it in different ways, I love my job and it's my way of coping."
Chrissie nodded, finished her drink and checked her watch. It was coming up to 5 a.m. "I'd better be off. I'm due on the ward early. Can I call a cab?"
Connie stood up and walked through to the kitchen, her feet padding along the wooden flooring. She picked up the phone and pressed speed dial number two. The now familiar voice of Dave answered and Chrissie heard Connie ask for the cab. Minutes later she walked back through and placed the phone back in the cradle.
"Dave'll be here shortly, he's on his way" she said despondently. The misty look returning to her eyes as she sat back down next to Chrissie. Noticing this Chrissie moved ever so slightly closer and touched Connie's arm.
"You'll be ok won't you?"
Connie nodded and stood up as she saw the headlights of Dave's taxi outside. She stood in the window her back turned to Chrissie. She folded her arms in front of her and stared coldly out past the blinds into the deserted street.
"Taxi's here." she said quietly. "Best not keep him waiting, he'll charge you."
Chrissie stood up and pulled her jacket around her.
"I'll err… I guess I'll see you tomorrow at work." She said quietly, stepping backwards and walking into the door.
The noise made Connie turn round sharply. She walked away from the window and towards the door. She held it open as Chrissie walked through and towards the hallway. Stopping half way down, in the dimmest part of the hall, she turned back to face Connie.
"Thanks for tonight, it's been fun." She moved to hug Connie but as they both moved together they moved the same way. They ended up face to face. Chrissie could feel Connie's warm breath on her cheek as she stared into her piercing green eyes. The corner of Connie's lips slightly upturned as she moved in closer and kissed her very softly.
After a split second she moved away, releasing her hold on Chrissie's arm. Grinning and walked forwards and opened the front door. Smiling at Dave she held the door open for Chrissie to walk through, a puzzled look on her face.
As Dave got out of the car and opened the back door for Chrissie to get in, Connie walked onto the top step and shouted down to Dave.
"Look after her for me." She said, smiling.