Chapter 5
The entire next day was worse than usual. So much of Mandy's mind was thinking about Greg and Sara's date that she nearly got hit by the bus, nearly walked into a pole and, worst of all, nearly contaminated the evidence she was processing, and was only caught by Nick who was waiting for her to finish. When he'd asked what was on her mind, she'd just shrugged absently, not able to answer and he hadn't pressed her…or maybe he just didn't care enough to ask past that. Mandy didn't know and she didn't want to know.
Leaving the crime lab, she remembered to her great annoyance (and a bit of fear) that she now had to walk the dark street to the bus stop, without Greg around to drive her home. Since it was almost an hour past the end of shift (she'd had to work overtime) there was nobody around she could ask for a ride home. Sighing, she squared her shoulders, flipped her brown hair over her shoulders, and set off, keeping up a fast pace.
About halfway to the crime lab, she passed by a few guys, who looked at her 'inappropriately', but didn't approach her, and she sped up her pace, glancing over her shoulders to make sure that they remained where they were. When she finally reached the usually well-lit bus stop, she found the light burnt out…or was it broken on purpose? No, stop being paranoid…just because that's what happened to that girl, that the light was broken and they she was attacked, raped and murdered…no, that's no reason to be paranoid…not at all…oh thank god, there's the bus.
Sitting at the very back of the bus, she let the lights from out the window wash over her slowly, like waves hitting the shore of the distant ocean. Her dark blue eyes were blank, like a deep pool in the middle of a dark forest. Suddenly something out the window made her snap back into reality, and she nearly pressed her face to the glass. There were Greg and Sara, walking down the street and…they were holding hands and laughing…for a moment she thought she was mistaking them for someone else, but there could be no mistake. Greg's hair stood out from the crowd, and she knew that if it hadn't been for her tips, he would not have made such a good impression. Feeling suddenly sick, she slunk down in the seat, holding her face in her hands. Greg and Sara were happy…but where did that leave her?
-------------------------------------The Next Night----------------------------------------------------
Mandy got to work early the next night and sat in the lab, twirling slowly in her chair, staring blankly at the piece of paper in front of her. There was nothing written on it, just random squiggles and doodles, and (suspiciously) a couple of broken hearts. Now she had to just live through an entire day that was sure to be filled with Greg rambling on and on about how wonderful a date it had been.
Suddenly there was a soft knock at the door and Mandy swiveled, startled to see that there was somebody else other than her there from the night shift. It was Catherine and she held forward an envelope, smiling one of the first real smiles she'd ever directed at her. Had she not been the only one in the room, she might have thought she was smiling at someone else.
"Hey Mandy, here, this is an invitation to the annual night shift Christmas party. I'm in charge of organizing it…again…it's at my house, on Christmas Eve" Catherine said, and Mandy, startled to be both actually called by her nickname for once and also to be invited in such a friendly manner, took the invitation, smiling. "I was hoping you could help me out with the Secret Santa and decorations…?" Mandy blinked for a moment, not realizing she was asking for her help.
"Uh, sure Catherine, I'd love to help!" Mandy said, when she'd finally recovered, and Catherine grinned. "Uh, just give me a time and place and I'll be there…" An even wider grin and she felt glad that she'd brightened her day.
"Great, oh and can you give Greg his invite when he comes in? Don't bother asking him about decorations…I wouldn't trust Greg to decorate my house, considering his taste in shirts…" They shared a knowledgeable look and Mandy nodded, taking Greg's invitation. "Thanks Mandy, I appreciate it!"
With that, Catherine walked off, obviously to find more night shifts to invite, and Mandy stared at her retreating back for a moment before turning her attention to the invitation. Opening the envelope carefully, so as not to rip what was enclosed, she finally pulled out a bright red piece of paper, folded in half. She glanced at the front, which read her name and the words: You are invited… After a moment, she opened it, reading the inside, which said:
…To the Night Shift Christmas Bash!
When: Christmas Eve 7pm – 2am
Where: Catherine's
house (RSVP for directions)
Dress Code: Guys must wear some sort
of suits and Girls must wear dresses
RSVP: Speak to Catherine
Dates Optional
Mandy re-read it a couple times before carefully replacing it in it's envelope and placing the envelope in her 'section' of the desk, which consisted of about a three square foot area of desk and one drawer. Remembering that she still held Greg's, she placed it on his part of the desk, which was about three times the size of hers, with at least five drawers plus some cupboards. As you can imagine, it had been him who had split it up, and, as she didn't really need much space, she hadn't complained.
Before she could think to do anything else, Greg had burst through the door, picked her up by the waist and spun her in a circle, laughing like a maniac. "Mandy, you are the best! The date went great and all thanks to your tips! I don't know how I'll ever re-pay you, but I swear I will!" Slightly winded by the unexpected flight through the air, she didn't get a chance to respond and he didn't really give her a chance, attention immediately being drawn to the red envelope sitting on his desk.
"That's an invitation. Catherine gave it to me to give to you. Night Shift Christmas party." She explained, watching as he opened the envelope and read the invitation for himself. "So are you going to go? I am."
"Christmas Eve…Christmas Eve…that's in…that's in…" A couple of seconds of thinking, then he came up with the answer. "That's in only a week and a half…hmm…do you know if Sara is here yet?" Knowing what he had planned, she shook her head honestly.
"Not yet…" Seeing his frustrated look, she turned to her supposed work, which wasn't anything, and continued after a moment. "You should probably wait until she gets her invitation before you ask her. Don't rush things too much…maybe even wait until tomorrow…" He was nodding, as if not at all surprised that she had already guessed his idea.
"But what if someone – " He started, but was cut off sharply as Sara walked into the room, and he probably forgot all about whatever he was asking as Sara grinned at them. Mandy forced a smile back before returning to filling out a report, which she should have been doing before shift started. "Hey Sara, what brings you to my – excuse me, our – humble lab?"
"Well Greg, I was just recruited by Catherine to make sure that everybody got their invitations to the Christmas bash…did you guys get yours?" Glad that for once she'd been included in a question, Mandy looked up and smiled, nodding her head without answering. Greg, however, was more detailed in his answer.
"Why yes, I did receive the lovely crimson envelope on my desk this morning, courtesy of Catherine's other message service over there. And I was also wondering if you – " He was cut off sharply as Mandy kicked his shin under the desk, but he disguised it as a cough, looking at her strangely, and she discreetly shook her head. " – was wondering if you'd gotten recruited as well…I guess you have…" Sara gave him a bit of a look, then she laughed a bit, and nodded.
"Yeah, well, she almost recruited me for decorating committee as well, but I resisted on that count…" After a second where everybody grinned except for Mandy, who kept her head down at her desk, pretending to be writing when about seventy-five percent of her mind was on the conversation around her, Sara said something about having to go get her assignment. She sounded, to Mandy's horror, almost awkward. A sure sign that she was beginning to fall for Greg.
As soon as Sara was out of hearing range, Greg turned to her and, of course, began to regale her with requests for advice. "When should I ask her? Should I be up-front about it or sort of approach it slowly? Should I go up to her when she's by herself or ask her when she's with a group?"
Sighing, Mandy broke away from her supposed report, and answered his questions unwillingly. "Ask her before she leaves, and be sure to find her alone, not with a group. Up-front or slowly depends on the person, with Sara…I'd try a mixture." With that, she returned to her report and Greg looked at her curiously.
"Hey, is everything ok, Mandy? You seem kind of uptight…" He asked, and she didn't answer, wanting to cry right then and there, knowing that, for one thing, Greg and Sara would be going to the Christmas bash together, and, for another, that she wouldn't have a date because she wouldn't have the heart to ask anyone else.
"Everything is just fine…I just…didn't get a lot of sleep, that's all." A straight-out lie, she'd slept like a baby last night, although her pillow had been wet with a few tears. "By the way, I'm on the decorating committee and in charge of Secret Santa…I'll make sure there's lots of mistletoe, make sure to end up under it at some point with Sara, and as for Secret Santa…there's not much I can do about that, but if you get her, tell me…" She forced a smile onto her face, as if she were doing this as a little favour, and he gave her a great big grin.
"You rock, Mandy…easily the best person I've ever shared my lab with…" He said, and it was heartfelt, and she nodded, looking back down at her report, suddenly forgetting what she'd been writing and having a lump in her throat. "Hey, I thought of what I can do to repay you…I'll set you up with a date for the party! Who do you like? Name anyone! Nick's free at the moment, and so is Warrick, as far as I know…or then there's Archie, you know him, right? Or Bobby, the gun guy? Name any guy, and I can get him to ask you out. I just got to name your good points, and there's lots to choose from." Grinning at her, she opened her mouth, startled at this offer, and knowing exactly who she wanted to go with…but seeing as he was taken by Sara at the moment…
"Uh, I'm not sure…give me a few days to think about it…" By then, she should be able to come up with some suitable replacement…or at least someone to escort her to the actual party.
"Alright, that's a deal, and I'm going to keep pestering you!" He smiled at her and Mandy smiled back, and finally managed to commit her full attention (or at least most of it) to her report, finishing it off. Greg, noting that she seemed to be in a rather dismal mood, didn't talk to her, letting her work on her tests in silence, as she thought about how she was going to keep Greg from finding out how she felt…
((There! I know, it's been a while since I last updated, but I swear, I'll try to update more often from now on. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it was a little…bleh, but I'm trying not to rush things…Later!))
