"Yeah, patron saint of lost causes," Luke replied his eyes gazing off into the distance at something only he could see. He then suddenly seemed to realise that others were present. "Does anyone know what time it is?"
"About two, I reckon," Dave told him, Luke nodded glancing for the umpteenth time around their small prison. He couldn't think about it, he'd freak if he did.
"So Gordon, why did you suddenly show up? Lizzy told me she couldn't find you." Gordon swallowed hard suddenly finding that it was uncomfortably warm in here after all.
"I . . I er just popped home."
"Oh right, you seem to do that a lot. Are things alright at home?" Gordon wiped the perspiration off his brow and glanced over at Dave and Mick, the other miner, who had suddenly become very interested in the mine wall.
"Things are fine." Gordon loosened his tie, it was getting hard to breathe in here. What was Luke trying to do? Interrogate him? Why would he want to do that? No he wasn't, he was just asking questions, passing the time.
"How's your wife?"
"My wife," Gordon gulped in panic. Luke's eyes narrowed as he looked at Gordon, something was definitely wrong. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure what but it was obviously worse than what he'd originally envisaged.
"Yeah, your wife. You said she wasn't well the other night, remember?" Gordon nodded, repressing a sigh of relief. It was just innocent questions, he couldn't know, he'd been so careful not to let anybody find out.
"She's feeling a little better I think," Gordon replied carefully wracking his brain as to how he could change the subject. Luke nodded, he'd pressed him hard, gone as far as he should go, for now.
"So Dave, how long do you reckon it'll be before they get us out of here?"
It was three hours before the men were finally freed from their underground prison. Sadly in that time, despite Luke and Gordon's best efforts, Pete died from massive internal injuries. Due to the hour and the events of the day both Luke and Gordon were told they could go straight home. Gordon did so, worried about what might have happened in his absence.
Luke didn't, in his mind there was no point in going home. There was nothing there for him, not now anyway. He'd just be staring at the same four walls as he did all night when he couldn't sleep. Tiredly he decided on a walk along the seafront. It would be peaceful there and give him a chance to reflect on the disappointing conclusion that the call out had taken. He knew that you couldn't save them all, he knew that, he also knew that however many people he saved he could never save the one person who really needed saving. When he reached a small cove he paused and sat down on a rock embedded in the sand. There was nobody around and for that he was grateful because, as he pulled out the small polaroid snapshot, he couldn't stop the tears from falling.
"So you ready to go?" Jill asked, walking into Luke's office without knocking, the door was partially open. Luke didn't reply he was staring at a small photo, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings and an expression of great sorrow on his face. Jill walked round his desk and laid her hand on his shoulder, he jumped and sprang out of his chair, immediately hiding the photo.
"What you doing sneaking up on people like that?" Luke started shouting, slightly breathless from the shock. Jill looked at him, unsure of how to respond. After a moment Luke shook his head and sighed running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, you just made me jump."
"That's ok," Jill replied cautiously, Luke had jumped up before she'd got a chance to get a good look at the photo, but she thought it was of a child. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Luke nodded, clearly for emphasis. Jill wasn't convinced but she left it, if Luke didn't want to talk she wasn't going to push, not yet anyway. "So do you want to head off now?"
"That's what I came to ask you," Jill told him, Luke nodded.
"Right, well yeah, sure I'm ready." Luke reached over to the coat rack, retrieved his coat and donned it. "I'll cook tonight," Luke offered, Jill nodded readily in agreement. They'd been stepping out so to speak for two months now and she'd yet to sample his culinary skills. "So what's it to be, Chinese or fish and chips?" They both cracked up laughing erasing the tension between them.