5.

Stony silences rained down on the luxurious Beauchamp household the morning after the previous nights admittances, forgive Connie may have done but forgetting was something she was more unaccustomed to. Leaving Michael with the feeling that he was in the clear proved more fun than not speaking to him at all, winding him up with his guilt ridden gifts, the first of which had come this morning in the form of a bunch of elegant lilies, tossed in the bin outside. The second lying dormant at the table, a champagne breakfast, he forgetting the fact that she was still on call. Her favourite mug sat half full of hot steaming coffee, its aroma wafting from its spot on the table, fanned by Michael's movements and grumbles at the days news adorning his choice broadsheet.

"Michael if you are that disgruntled by the happenings in the world you should take a look closer to home" Connie sighed eventually, hacked off at his aristocratic comments by now in full flow, slinging mud in every direction but his own. For someone so intelligent he was lacking the self-modesty everyone in the world attempted to maintain in life

"Oh she speaks," he grumbled sarcastically, folding the jumbled paper onto the table,

"Could you be any more up yourself Michael, first you go and summon me down here out of the blue, then you sleep with my registrar and now you have the indecency to treat me like a child"

"Because you are my wife,"

"Excuse me,"

"Marital duties Connie, did anyone ever fill you in on them, tradition is man leads the family, household and everything occurring in it, and as my wife I wanted you to come to London, Kate, well Kate just happened"

"Since when has our marriage been conventional Michael, its not the fact you slept with someone else, I've coped with that before, no what's different this time is that you decided to do it on my territory, with a member of MY staff, does the idea of being discreet ever cross your horny mind?"

"I think you will find its our territory Connie I work there too you know,"

"You are the bloody high powered Chief Executive, it doesn't mean that you get the right to fuck any member of my staff that you like. Jesus Michael I just held out for the iota of hope that you would have the decency to leave me with some dignity"

"Connie, how dare you, you aren't angelic yourself, and anyway it's partly your fault…."

"Do I want to know why exactly?"

"Because you treated her like dirt, Connie a humble registrar she may be but she does have feelings,"

"She also has a pair of decidedly long legs, and the chest size to match, I didn't come down in the last shower Michael, she got the job for her looks as much as anything"

"She got the job because she was the right person not because of her looks, but clearly you think otherwise, so what you would prefer everyone to be just like you were as a registrar, a semi pretty geek who held her job in too high a position, is that it?"

"Michael I'm your God damn wife, and just because I felt the need to work hard at being a registrar didn't stop you, if I remember correctly you were the one who seduced me first"

Michael flushed slightly at that comment; she did have a point, he'd taken her on as a bet, the first one to sleep with her got 100 quid, a cheap bet born out of consultancy boredom, he'd been proved wrong however, she'd been surprisingly good, the first person to truly get under his skin in a very, very, very long time. There had been something about her, an enigma, something mysterious about her approach to life that he'd taken a shine too, fallen under her spell so too speak. "I…. errm…. well"

"God Michael, you were shallow then, I knew you only slept with me then for a bet, you are shallower than a puddle"

"It wasn't like that, Connie you were different, special, I stayed didn't I, and I married you, that is surely worth something"

"Not really, you found out about the implications of that night and felt the need to stand by me, twelve years later and here we are, you still screw anything and every living thing in sight, no change there clearly."

"Connie please, I hate so see you like this, all upset,"

"Should have thought of that before you did it, I'm going for a walk and don't bother following," Connie rose from the table in a fit of anger, calmly walking to the hall table, picking up her keys, phone and coat from its hook before slamming the door, causing Michael to recoil in shock, he'd expected her to react badly, just not quite like this, in two minds whether to follow her or not. Deciding he liked his anatomy in its current state he figured a lazy morning in front of the TV would be time well spent. Respecting her wishes would earn him at least a few brownie points.

Fuming was an understatement in describing Connie's emotions, she was fizzing at Michael for being such a berk, fizzing at Kate for being seduced by her leering husband, pissed off because it had taken place in her ward, feeling cheated out of her clean start and generally hacked off at the undercut methods he'd been using to control her, sex was the one thing she held in high regard, and he was using it as a bartering tool, another everyday thing that was becoming less and less important to him by the passing day, the fact that since their first night together they hadn't slept together spoke volumes to their relationship. What relationship? His dirty doings had only served to heighten her awareness of the state their marriage had disintegrated into. She'd been fooled by his effort in settling her in, making her comfortable for the rough ride she'd had so far. Ensuring that just when he needed her she would be there to hold his hand, play the loving wife to anyone willing to hear it, a façade, a mere mirror to the relationship they wanted everyone to think they were having.

Then it would come again, in the midst of everything, the turmoil and anguish, out would come the comparison to Ric, always comparing, seeing who was the better match for her, who could give her more of the loving sustenance that she craved, desired, wanted…. Everytime she thought to compare it Ric would win hands down, he lacked in the ability to provide the material things in life, a nice house, a swanky car. She didn't want that. All she needed was someone who appreciated her for what she was, love her for the person she was, and just enjoy being with her. Michael was the polar opposite, he was more than aptly able to provide the material for life, just lacking in the emotional intelligence of living, loving and caring. The essentials to a proper wholesome life, the life Connie had been jealous of, her career stopping that dead at the tender age of 18 when she took on the challenge of medical school.

Leaving Holby had been the biggest mistake of her life; she was regretting it now on top of everything else, she'd gone from feeling the positive effect of love to being the victim of its cruel sister, lust, and she was damn sure that is wasn't pleasant, for the very reason it made her the one thing she couldn't bear to feel, vulnerable. Being so with Ric was ok, her true personality without its veils was what Ric saw, vulnerability came with the package, but in public, in front of Michael it was a no-no, it just showed weakness, the evidence of a crack to her double life, letting a secret she didn't want to seep out appear, trickle slowly out, like a knife to skin, a knife to the midpoint of shoulder blades, often referred to as backstabbing, something which she took pleasure in, but now felt its acidity, the cold blooded sting with which it left.

The gentle pulsation of her phone in her pocket immediately caused her to groan, it was most likely to be her waste of space husband, a number she came close to deleting on more than one occasion, squinting at the coloured screen proved her to be wrong, the flashing picture of Ric drew a smile onto her face as she flipped the phone open, her iced heart melting as his honey drew tones drifted down the line "Connie, I got your letter, please say you are joking" his voice however worrisome couldn't do anything other than soften her anger

"No, no I wasn't joking, sadly" the waver in her voice was only angry music to Connie's ears, he'd hoped above everything else that Michael would keep his dirty little tricks to himself, time apart had proved the best healer for Connie, he wasn't pleased with the thought that all the progressed had been backtracked so quickly.

"I take it this has everything to do with Michael and him…um…. Shenanigans"

"Yes it does, I have yet to make peace with him, I can't quite frankly, he sees fit to blame me now, I didn't think he'd stoop that low, screw my staff and slump the blame on me"

"That man surprises even me sometimes" Ric sighed "and I would assume this registrar is paying for severely,"

"Not exactly, I haven't spoken to her since, I'm worried in case I do something I will regret"

"Oh how the mighty have fallen"

"Ric this isn't a laughing matter, the man had been a jerk and I am at faults as to what to do, you being sarky isn't helping"

"I'm sorry Connie, you're just surprising me, that's all"

"I do that to most, just answer me this, if you were me, what would you do?" Connie could hear the line run dead for all of two minutes, faintly make out the slow deep breathing only known to Ric, his contemplative breath she'd joked, poking fun at him when she was at Holby, when she was home, home being the place were friends, family, lovers reside, not some over rated city where your husband happens to be, forcing you into a job where your opinion is valued as much as a cleaners because of your gender, the place where you feel out of place, the place not called home.

"How willing are you to spending the next fifteen years in jail" Ric said eventually, the reception of a nervous laugh expected "because short of ridding the world of your husband I suggest you come and take a break in Holby, I miss you"

"I miss you too but I really can't the hospital is too busy at the moment, its out of the question, anyway Michael would just be left free to do again"

"But without your knowledge, surely that's worth something, please Connie remember the offer is open to you, come home,"

"I will keep it in mind, if I survive Christmas I would love to right now I need to stay here,"

"Need or must, look I need to go I have a patient incoming but please don't hesitate to call Connie, I am here for you" the line went dead, stone cold dead, Connie sighed and closed the phone, he'd given her food for thought, just how was she going to tackle the problem before her?