8
It
took a while, but a persistent Zoe finally cajoled ( geez, she's
good
at Chinese burns, thought Nick) her husband into continuing the
Saga
Of Maggie And P.J.
"So,
Maggie had gone down to Melbourne in the C.I. car, P.J. was at
the
station looking like he had the weight of the world on his
shoulders,
and Ben was nowhere to be found. What happened next Nicky
boy?"
she asked.
OOO
Nick
had tried to leave it, he knew how P.J. was, and he was damn
sure
that P.J. would not appreciate anyone raking over his private
life.
Except that that wasn't what Nick wanted to do. What Nick saw
was
a friend in pain, and Nick wasn't the sort of man to let
that
lie.
"P.J."
he said, coming into the C.I. office intent on trying to help
him
and Maggie in some way. For Nick had no doubt that P.J.'s
problems
revolved around Maggie, especially not now, seeing as P.J.
was
hastily putting the station photo back on his desk as Nick
waltzed
through the door.
"Geez
mate, what is it with you today? Determined to scare the
living
daylights out of me?" asked P.J., embarrassed to have been
found
so deeply in thought. Except that he hadn't been thinking,
more
luxuriating, his blue eyes taking in every tiny detail of her
face,
the way her blonde hair framed her features, the way her
deep
chocolate
eyes seemed to stare into his very soul even from a
group
photo.
"P.J.
listen, - " Nick began, and then groaned as he heard the
outside
door open and Ben Stewart came slinking in, hoping to stash
his
stuff and pretend that he'd been here for hours.
Never
one to miss an opportunity – and at the same time perfecting
a
masterful
escape from Nick's perceptive line of questioning – P.J.
crept
over to Ben, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Nick,
I can – P.J.! Good grief! You're conscious before lunchtime!
What's
wrong?"
"Why
does everyone say that?" whined P.J. "And anyway,
whatever
happened
to Bright and Early?" he said, getting his own back.
"Car
trouble again" Ben said. "Tony Randall and his
delightfully
noxious
tow truck should just about be dropping my wreck of a car at
home
by now."
"Seems to be a bit of that going round lately" muttered Nick.
"Bit of what?" said Ben, looking between his colleagues.
Nick
grinned. "Car trouble. P.J. here has lent the lovely
Margaret
the
C.I. car for the weekend, and she's no doubt burning rubber on
her
way to Melbourne"
"Hey" P.J. rose to the bait. "Mags is an excellent driver."
"Yes, well, we all know you're biased, " teased Nick.
("Nick,
weren't you worried you'd really annoy P.J. by teasing him
about
Maggie? If you wanted him to talk to you, then antagonising
him
might not have been the best way to go about it!" said
Zoe,
staring
up at her husband.
"Bear
with me, oh pregnant one" Nick said with the air of a very
wise
one.
"Don't
remind me, " Zoe said, wriggling round, trying to
get
comfortable.
"And stop talking like you're the font of all bloody
knowledge.
Now, what happened next? Obviously P.J. didn't kill you,
so
what DID he do?")
"What? " said P.J., his blue eyes darkening.
"What
I mean is, you know Maggie is an excellent driver because she
drives
you around, and seeing as you want to remain in one piece,
you
must have trained her up to your standard" said Nick with
a
flourish,
watching the anger dissipate in the man in front of him.
Ben
stood watching them, noting how quickly P.J. jumped to
Maggie's
defence,
and noting the emotion that P.J. thought he'd hidden. What
the
hell was it that bound those two so closely together?
Friendship,
sure – but was there more to it?
He
sighed, grabbing a coffee and sitting down at his desk. Maggie
Doyle
was undoubtedly a beautiful woman, a very beautiful woman, but
she
was also a very beautiful policewoman, and therefore technically
out
of bounds. Ben knew the regs. – No member shall partake in
a
romantic
liaison with another member serving at the same station –
or
some such gumph like that. He vaguely remembered P.J.
mentioning
something
of the sort when he'd first arrived and become aware of
the
delightful Senior Constable Doyle. P.J. had been quick to remind
him
of the rules, just being a mate, so Ben had thought at the time.
It
struck him now, that there may have been more to it.
The
shrill scream of the phone interrupted everyone, and Ben reached
over
and grabbed at it. Taking advantage of the distraction, P.J.
glared
at Nick and retreated back into his office. Taking his life
into
his own hands, Nick knocked and stuck his head around the
door.
"Come for a walk, mate. You and I need to have a chat."
Nick
was unprepared for the emotion that he saw in P.J. Irritation,
anger,
worry – and then resignation. Standing up, he grabbed his
jacket
and followed the taller man out into the main office.
"Ben,
I'm off now. I'll ring you when I get home to let you know if
your
heap arrived in one ugly piece" he said, managing a
passable
grin,
although he still looked tired.
"And
I'll see you in a bit, " said Nick.
Ben
stared after them. What the hell was going on? WAS there
something
between Maggie and P.J. and was that why P.J. had warned
him
off? Would they break the rules like that? Ben thought about
it,
coming
to the conclusion that he was wrong. Both P.J. and Maggie
were
honest people, and neither would willingly break the rules.
But
what, niggled a small voice deep down in Ben's conscience, what
if
they couldn't help themselves?
What if the bond between them was too strong just for friendship?
9
"So there's nothing wrong?"
"How
many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine! There is
nothing
wrong!"
"You sure? Cos if anyone's done anything to hurt you – "
"Dad,
I'm a grown woman now. I can handle my own problems – NOT – "
she
held a hand up, as Pat tried to talk, " Not that there
is
anything
wrong"
"Ok,
ok, I can take a hint. No need to snap. So, " he said,
thinking
he
was changing the subject entirely, "How's P.J.?"
Maggie
bit her lip. Saturday had been good, she hadn't been lying
about
that. Of course it had got much better after she had stopped
thinking
about P.J., and the disaster emotions she now had for him.
Sunday
was good as well, at least, up the evening.
She
knew her Dad loved her, knew she was the apple of his eye. The
Golden
Girl - and boy she hated that! - but Patrick Doyle was a
man's
man, the original honest bobby, and nothing would ever change
that.
Pat Doyle was an old fashioned policeman. He saw things in
black
and white, right and wrong. There was no middle ground, no
if's,
but's or maybe's. Rules were there for a reason, and Pat Doyle
was
the type of man who stood by the rules, whatever
the
consequences.
So
of course Golden Girl Maggie was going to walk up to her father
and
say, Yes, Dad, of course I'm fine. Head over heels in love
with
P.J.,
the man who not only outranks me but works in the same station
as
me. Not that he has any idea of course, I just lust after him
like
some stupid lovesick school girl!'
Of course she was.
"Maggie?
I asked you a question. You all right girlie?" Pat said,
staring
at his daughter, wondering what he'd said now. Maggie had
been
most odd all weekend, not her usual self. "Maggie!" he
said, a
little
sharply.
"What?
Oh, P.J. No, he's fine. As good as usual." Maggie
managed,
spearing
another potato and cutting off the conversation as she
kept
eating.
Things
had been stilted from there on, and it was a silent relief
when
Maggie had put her bags by the door and told Pat that she was
going
to head off, back to Mt Thomas.
"I'm
on duty tomorrow, and there's some paperwork I should look
over.
Dash is at her Mum's for the weekend, so if I hurry, I'll have
some
time to myself. Listen Dad, there's no need to worry about me,
I'm
fine, really I am, " she said, kissing his cheek as he stood
on
the
front porch. "Now, it's bloody freezing out here, you go on
in,
and
have a whisky to warm you up. I'll call you in the next few
days"
she promised, getting into the car and starting it up. Pat did
as
he was told for once – no great hardship, he thought as he held
the
double whisky in his hand and watched his daughter drive away.
One
thing he did know. There was something bothering Maggie, and he
was
going to get to the bottom of it.
10
Nick
had stopped talking, and Zoe manoevoured herself so that she
could
look up at her husband.
"You
all right, sweetheart?" she asked, seeing the faraway look
in
Nick's
eye.
Coming
back to reality, Nick looked down at her. "Do you have any
idea
of how much I love you? Any idea at all? " he said, placing
a
quick,
but rather passionate kiss on her lips.
"I
love you too Nick. " she said, coming to realise exactly how
much
P.J.
loved Maggie if Nick was equating P.J. and Maggie to
themselves.
Nick kissed her again, before taking a deep breath
and
continuing.
OOO
P.J.
had followed Nick outside with the intention of telling
him
everything.
He needed to talk, and Nick was the best person to talk
to.
Nick was still in the first flush of being married, still
smiled
every
time he said Zoe's name. If anyone understood, P.J. knew it
would
be Nick.
Nick
watched P.J., and could almost see the cogs turning in P.J.'s
mind.
Opening the door, Nick got into the police car and waited for
P.J.
to get in the other side. Starting the car, Nick reversed
carefully
out onto the road, and when he could stand it no longer,
Nick
began to talk.
"P.J.?"
What is it mate? You're not usually this quiet – well, you
are,
but not – "
"Shut it Shultzy. I'm fine."
Since
this was so obviously a lie, Nick didn't even dignify it with
a
reply.
"Look,
Nick, I – it's nothing. Just something I need to get my
head
around"
"It helps to talk, Dash says"
"Now
I'm supposed to take advice from Dash? From Mt Thomas' very own
Dr.
Phil? You have to be joking!" grinned P.J.
"She
does have her uses – but if you ever tell anyone – and I
mean
ANYONE
I said that, you will regret it matey. I'll get the Boss to
swap
Margaret and Dash, and you'll have Dash full time!"
"A
fate worse than death! I'm very happy with Mags, thank you
very
much!"
laughed P.J., his laughter fading as he realised exactly how
true
his words really were.
"I know you are, mate." Nick said softly.
P.J.'s
blue eyes swung up to meet Nick's gaze, before Nick turned
back
to concentrate on the road.
"You want to talk?" Nick asked again.
P.J. sighed. Nick knew.
But still, P.J. couldn't bring himself to confide in his friend.
"Nick, thanks, but I – mate, I can't. Not yet. "
"But – "
"But
when I do, you'll be the first one I talk to. Nick, I –
thanks.
You're
a good mate, you know that?"
Nick
grinned that famous Shultz grin. "Well, of course I do!"
he
said,
turning into P.J.'s driveway.
P.J.
grinned back as he got out of the car, before stopping and
turning
and bending down, leaning into the car.
"Nick, listen – "
"I
know, I know. I won't say a thing. But you need to get it sorted,
for
your sake and for Maggie's " Nick said.