The sweeping-off into his arms didn't go quite as smoothly as Jack had expected. Nikki might be slim, but she was also currently a deadweight. It had been as much as he could do to prevent her slumping onto the floor, and his knees buckled as he deposited her into the nearest lecture seat. He knelt next to her, his arm around her neck. Her head fell back against his shoulder, her face deathly white. There was a murmur of concern from the students standing nearby.

He rubbed her cheek vigorously with his free hand, trying to rouse her, while snapping instructions to whoever might hear them. "Water – quickly!"

"Here." Harry crouched on the other side of her, a glass in his hand. His face was creased with concern and dismay, but his hands were sure and calm as he took over Jack's attempts to bring her around. Jack let him, recognising that the doctor was rather more qualified.

"C'mon, Niks." As her eyes fluttered open in his direction, Harry steadied her head and lifted the glass, encouraging her to take a sip. "I've never known her to faint before," he murmured to Jack.

"She's had a hell of a day." And, knowing Nikki, she probably hadn't eaten much. Too keyed up after the events at the prison, no doubt. As her eyes moved towards his voice, he summoned a shaky smile, trying to reassure her. "I bet you only had a coffee for lunch, am I right?"

The colour came back into her cheeks, and she managed to sit up. "Thanks… Sorry for the fuss. It was just a shock…"

This was aimed at the knot of anxious students. One of them, a young woman, leaned towards her. "Sophie's gone to get the nurse."

"It's really not necessary…" There was a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead, and her hands were shaking as she took the glass from Harry.

Jack muttered a curse under his breath. One-handed, he pulled a protein bar out of his pocket, ripped the packaging with his teeth and proffered it. She grimaced but nibbled the end of it before taking a gulp of water.

"Thank you." Her voice was stronger now.

"I really didn't mean to shock you that much." Harry sounded contrite, but there was now a slight smile on his face that made Jack grit his teeth.

As if she sensed his tension, Nikki put a hand on his arm, squeezing it slightly. "Give me a hand up?"

She made to get up, but Jack gently pressed her back into the seat, removing his arm from around her and sitting back on his heels. "Probably best stay still for a minute?"

"Yes, take a few deep breaths," Harry advised her.

She gave him what Jack could only describe as an old-fashioned look. "Only just back and already telling me what to do?" A panicked look came into her eyes, and she lurched forward abruptly. "Oh God, I'm going to be sick…"

At that moment, though he wished her no harm, Jack would have given anything to see Nikki vomit all over Harry's designer shoes. Both men hopped out of the way with an instinct born of experience, so the only thing to get spattered was the carpet, by what was mostly liquid and smelled strongly of coffee and bile. Jack and Harry glanced at one another, briefly united in their reaction to the stench.

Jack sighed and found a clean tissue in his pocket for Nikki to wipe her face.

"Eugh…It was that foul bar, Jack."

"Yeah, of course it was, and nothing at all to do with having an empty stomach…and being held at knifepoint by bloody Scott Weston a few hours ago."

He made the comment with relish, eyeing Harry as he did so. The pathologist's head shot towards him in shock.

Luckily, the campus nurse arrived at that point and took over. After some preliminary checks, she led Nikki off to the first aid room, ignoring her protests.

Jack and Harry followed them, meekly. As they approached the first aid room, the nurse stopped and gave them a quelling look. "It's a small room. I don't think we need a committee."

As the door swung shut in their faces, Harry grabbed Jack's arm. "Scott Weston?"

"Yeah. The shooter that you saved." He couldn't help the accusation in his voice, even though he knew it was entirely unfair. He knew from reading the records that Harry had had no idea he was saving the instigator – and even if he had, he was still a doctor with a duty of care to his patients. It was no different to Nikki just a few hours' earlier.

Harry was silent for a moment, his eyes distant. "Jesus. I need to know about this."

Jack glanced at the closed door. "I'd better go and get her something to eat."

"Let's go to the café." As Jack paused, irresolute, Harry added. "She'll be there for a while. They won't let her leave until they're sure she's OK. Text her to meet us there – then we can get her something, and you can tell me what happened this morning."

Jack let Harry pay for their drinks and a pasta salad for Nikki, figuring it was the very least the pathologist could do.

"So, I guess you're Jack," was his opening comment as he brought the tray over.

Jack took his cup of tea with a terse nod of thanks. "You've heard of me?"

Harry smiled. "She's mentioned you – yes."

"Sorry -," he put the cup down, staring at the other man. "There's something I'm not getting here. You've been in touch with Nikki?"

Harry paused. "I'll explain in a minute. Tell me about Scott Weston, before she gets here."

Jack recounted the bare bones of the case, his eyes taking in Harry's appearance as he spoke.

Harry hadn't changed very much. He was as conventionally handsome as he had appeared in the photographs. There was some grey in his hair, which was perhaps a little longer than normal and flopped over his face – in most men of his age, that would have looked ridiculous. He wasn't as tall as he had at first appeared – of course, few men were from Jack's point of view - but Harry was thin and wiry, which gave an impression of height. He looked unshaven and a little fatigued. His suit was crumpled from travel but bespoke – clearly, there was a lot of money attached to a New York professorship. He wasn't wearing a ring on his left hand, but there was a faint tan line on the relevant finger – Jack's eyes narrowed as he noted that.

He fancied he could see why Nikki might have been attracted to this man. It wasn't so much Harry's appearance, although Jack was objective enough to acknowledge his physical attributes. It was more to do with the aura of fierce intelligence that the man emitted – that and a certain glint in his hazel eyes that hinted at a rebellious nature.

Harry was silent for a moment after Jack finished, his eyes distant. Then he sighed and took a gulp of his tea. "Typical Nikki. Although, no doubt I'd have done something similar in her shoes..." He looked at Jack and there was a hint of amused apology in his eyes. "We doctors really are a bloody nuisance when it comes to hopeless causes. I'm sure it must be irritating."

Jack shrugged. "I get it."

"Do you?" Those eyes were very penetrating. "Well…anyway, it must have been a shock to see Weston again… Do you happen to know if she ever got therapy for that – you know, later?"

"Um…yes…but not for that," Jack told him, cautiously. He had no notion of what – or how much - Nikki would want Harry to know about her life since he'd moved away. "At least, I don't think so…" For obvious reasons, he hadn't known much about Nikki's therapy after the unfortunate incident with her hospital notes. He had no notion of the topics covered or whether they'd gone into any other traumas. But then, of course, he hadn't known anything about this incident until a few days' ago.

Harry's eyes narrowed, clearly picking up on what Jack was very carefully not saying. He might have pursued it further if Nikki hadn't arrived at that moment.

She was looking a little pale but otherwise fine as she sat down, a little annoyed. "She wanted me to lie down for ten minutes – 'just to make sure'! It's not as if I'm a doctor or anything!"

Jack shoved the salad in her direction. "Eat."

That earned him a look, but she picked up the plastic fork and stabbed at a piece of pasta with unnecessary force. She then focused her laser stare on Harry while she chewed slowly and oh-so-calmly. Harry earned a few grudging points from Jack for the length of time he managed to hold her glare before shifting uncomfortably.

Nikki made him wait, deliberately munching her way through her salad in silence. When she'd finished, she pushed the plastic container away and leaned back in her chair.

"Now, perhaps you'll tell me what the bloody hell you're doing here."

Her voice was icy cold, and Harry winced.

"I'm really sorry. I meant it as a surprise. Bit stupid, now I think about it."

"You're the visiting professor?"

He nodded. "I came over for a lecture series… didn't you see anything about it?"

She shook her head. "Too busy to even thing about anything but work…since Thomas Chamberlain died."

Harry paused, his eyes downcast. "That was terrible. He was a good man."

"You knew him?" Jack couldn't help putting in.

Harry nodded. "Just in academic circles – you know…conferences… He was well-liked."

Nikki gave a half-laugh, half-sob at this, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "What did he always tell us, Jack? Funny how we didn't believe him at first…"

He stroked her arm gently, a little aware of Harry's sharp eyes taking in the tender gesture. "So, you haven't moved back over permanently?" he asked, partly to distract the other man.

"Oh no, nothing like that! I really did fly in for a lecture tour."

"To be honest, your timing is a bit shit," Nikki commented, wiping her eyes.

"Yes – I didn't mean to upset you -."

"I didn't mean that." She jerked her head towards a nearby screening, set to News24.

Harry frowned. "Yes, in retrospect, another stupid decision. But you know what those lectures are like. The institutes have already paid… Also," he added, in a quieter voice. "I'll be honest – I had a reason for wanting to get away at the moment."

Nikki looked meaningfully at his ring finger.

"I don't want to discuss that here." He glanced in Jack's direction. "But…anyway, half the lectures were cancelled by the time I got here, and I don't expect we'll go ahead with any of it now. My flight back isn't until the end of March, and it's damned near impossible to get an earlier one with all the panic going on. The Dean knew I was going to be over here and offered me a guest slot ages ago – bit of prestige for the university, I suppose." He looked a little embarrassed at his own acknowledgement of his star status. "Actually, she originally offered me the entire term, but I guess she knew I wouldn't be able to take it."

He glanced at Nikki, but she nodded, not seeming bothered. "Yes, I knew I wasn't her first choice, but I had no idea it was you."

"Well, anyway, as I was here, and couldn't get home - and had nothing much to do for the next few weeks… I've got no classes myself until after Easter - and I was a bit curious, I suppose." He looked around. "This place is hardly recognisable."

"Changes all the time," she agreed absently, frowning at her hands.

"Yeah, they've got the money to do it up… Just a shame they don't also have enough to employ a second pathologist," Jack commented caustically.

Harry leaned back, looking at them both with sympathy. "You've had it rough this year, haven't you? First Thomas… and then Clarissa Mullery leaving."

Jack huffed out a laugh. "Now I suppose you'll tell me that you knew her?" He knew they had never met, of course – Clarissa would certainly have told him if they had.

Harry smiled. "Only by reputation."

Both men jumped as Nikki thumped her palms on the table. "Ok, look. We need to talk – and I don't want to do it here." She looked at Jack. "Can you drive me home?"

"Sure." Startled by her sudden decision, he stood, grabbing his jacket.

She looked at Harry. "I'll text you my address. Can you meet us there in two hours?"

"Um – yes, I think so." Harry looked equally startled. "I'm staying in a hotel near here. I've just got to see the Dean first… Can I bring anything with me?"

She gave him a cold look. "Nothing…apart from a decent explanation for not telling me you were coming. Oh yes…and perhaps you can also tell me why you've left your pregnant wife."

They walked silently to Jack's car. Once inside, Nikki took a shuddering sigh and seemed to relax.

He glanced at her. "You OK?"

"Yes, I think so… God, that is so bloody Harry… I don't really know why I'm surprised."

He started the car. "Yeah - I'm a bit confused by all this. I didn't think you were in touch with him anymore?"

She ran a hand over her face. "Please don't get pissed off. I've had just about enough shit today, to be honest."

"Why did you invite him over, then?"

"Because I need to talk to him! If I don't do that today, it'll slip. I need to know what's going on…" She paused. "Look, Jack, I would have told you before, but my mind is just so full of… of everything. I feel so confused…"

She whispered the last few words. He suspected they hadn't been intended for his ears. He risked taking his hand off the wheel for a second to squeeze her leg.

"I'm not going to make anything more difficult for you. Just tell me."

"I met him in Washington - at Christmas. Matt was so busy, there were a tonne of parties…" She shuddered. "All those politicians. I needed a break – needed to be with my own kind of people for a bit. There was a meeting at the Carnegie Institute – just a networking event, you know… And Harry was there. We chatted, caught up on things, and he came back for dinner to meet Matt." She caught Jack's eye and smiled. "It was fine. Just like meeting an old friend. I kind-of wished I'd done it years ago. He told me all about Jennifer; said they were expecting a child. I was happy for him. I thought he'd settled down at last…"

"At the grand old age of fifty," Jack murmured.

She summoned a weary giggle, swatting at his arm. "Don't be mean. He's not quite that old!"

"Not far off… Doesn't seem to me like he's grown up very much."

She frowned. "Well, if it comes to that…" But she bit off her comment quickly. He wasn't entirely sure which of them she was referring to. Neither of them had a sterling record when it came to settling down and starting a family. Who was he to criticize Harry?

"I'm sorry about dinner, by the way."

"Nah, not a problem. I hadn't had time to do much about it anyway." She didn't need to know that he'd booked a table at that new restaurant.

They drove in silence for a while. As they approached her house, she stirred and touched his arm. "Please don't leave. Please stay – if you can?"

He pulled up. "Not going anywhere. Not if you don't want me to… He might want me to go, though."

"He can want all he likes." Her voice was surprisingly harsh.

"Sure." His lips were twitching, a smile threatening. It was good to know that she wanted him there. He wouldn't want to interfere, of course, and they were very old friends and had a lot to talk about… Even so, he didn't entirely trust Harry's motives.

She was still sitting in the stationary car. "We're a unit, aren't we, Jack?"

Her voice was very quiet, and he sensed she was fighting tears again. She was so tired – the fatigue thickening her voice. All he wanted to do was sweep her into that house and put her straight into her bed - with the best of intentions on this occasion. She looked as if she could sleep for a week.

He leaned into her, trying to give her strength by the warmth of his arm against hers. "We are. We'll get through everything together."

She smiled up at him. By the streetlights, he saw the gleam of tears on her face.

"Promise?"

Jack considered himself a reasonably neat and orderly person in his domestic life. Nikki's style was a little more rambling and artistic, but her house was always sparklingly clean. It was homely though – at least, he'd always found it so. He wasn't sure whether that was the house itself or just because Nikki was in it.

Harry's eyes widened appreciatively as he looked around, handing his jacket to Nikki.

"Very nice. When did you move here?"

"Oh, a few years' ago. Not long after you left, actually."

He smiled, an expression of shared reminiscence. "I liked that flat. Remember when I moved in?" Catching Jack's eye, he added a quick explanation. "After my flat blew up."

Jack smiled politely, stepping back to give Harry access to the lounge, while Nikki went to the kitchen to fetch the wine. He felt a little awkward, hovering in the background like an over-protective bouncer. His height wasn't always a disadvantage, but he was aware that he could give the impression of looming. He'd learned to affect a casual leaning posture over the years to avoid intimidating people.

He was also aware that Harry might have the wrong impression – that Jack and Nikki might look just a little cosily domestic – and he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted the other man to know the truth. It was partly for that reason that he deliberately positioned himself on the sofa, waving Harry towards a chair.

Nikki joined him on the sofa, pouring out the wine and passing Harry's glass to him. "OK. Talk."

The pathologist looked a little shocked at her abrupt tone.

She sighed, rubbing her face. "Look, I'm sorry, Harry. It's been one hell of a day and all I really want is an early night… But I think you owe me some kind of explanation for just walking in on me like that."

"Of course – I understand." Harry glanced towards Jack.

Jack returned the gaze mildly while taking a long sip of his wine. He could see that Harry wanted to be alone with Nikki, probably for no other reason than the desire to tell his story in confidence. Maybe he felt that it would be easier to fall back into their old easy intimacy if it was just the two of them. Well, that was not happening.

"Why didn't you tell me when we met at Christmas?"

"Because I didn't know I'd be here." Harry ran a hand through his hair. "You know what it's like! Well, OK, maybe you don't. My schedule is crazy. I'm practically full time at the university; I have guest lectures; on top of that, I occasionally get pulled into an unusual forensic case. Don't get me wrong – I love my job. But it's hard to keep track sometimes. My PA organized the guest lecture way back before Thomas died. I agreed at the time without thinking much about it, and by the time I saw you at that meeting, I'd forgotten. As for the work here, I really did only agree to take over a couple of days' ago. I didn't realise you'd been doing the lectures up to now. She mentioned it when I met her earlier on, so I thought I'd come along to hear you."

He smiled at Nikki, his eyes warm with admiration. "You were good. I mean, I always knew you were excellent at demonstrations, but you were quite inspirational. I was very impressed – and actually rather sorry that I'll be taking over."

"Oh well." She shrugged, looking down as she sipped her wine. "It's not as if we're not busy enough at the Lyell."

"Yes, well, I've got some ideas about that…"

"Really." Nikki leaned forward. From this angle, Jack couldn't see her face, but her voice was hard. "What kind of idea? Are you planning on coming back for a bit?"

"God, no! Nothing like that." The reassurance was quick and convincing, but Jack fancied that Harry was responding to Nikki's body language. For all that Nikki was unsure of taking the professorship, she clearly wasn't prepared give up her seniority. From the uncertain look in Harry's eyes, he was beginning to realise that this wasn't the wide-eyed, fun-loving young woman he had worked alongside. Eight years was a long time.

Nikki relaxed, but only slightly. Jack could feel the tension thrumming in her body, even with the gap between them.

"No, I was just thinking…" Harry shrugged, self-consciously. "I'm doing very well, as you know. I don't really need the money they're offering me for this term. I asked the Dean if she would reserve it for you instead."

"Why on earth…?" Jack couldn't keep silent any longer. "Why would you do that?"

"It's a substantial chunk of funding." Harry leaned back in his chair, gulping his wine. "It's not an idle brag if I tell you that my guest fees are pretty high these days." He looked at Nikki. "The amount they're prepared to pay me for one term is probably enough for you to hire an entry-level pathologist for a year. Obviously, the funding's not guaranteed beyond that, but it might help you expand the workload and get the Lyell back on track?"

He was looking at Nikki, but she didn't respond immediately. Her head was bent over her hands, and she seemed to be trying to work something out.

Jack shook his head in disbelief. "That's…extremely generous of you."

Harry shrugged again. "Like I said, I'm doing very well. I don't need the money. It's only an accident that I'm here at all… The only thing is – I can't help wondering if those lectures will even go ahead? The situation's not looking promising, is it? To be honest, I'm rather surprised that they haven't closed the universities yet."

Jack agreed privately. It was already clear that this coronavirus was going to cause a lot of trouble – and very soon.

"Talking of which… I'd be very careful, if I were you, Jack," Harry added softly.

Jack frowned. "How do you mean?"

Harry paused. "I've been reading the preliminary case reports… We don't yet know what this variant can do, but it's clearly not just severe pneumonia. I suspect there's something systemic going on – possibly vascular. You've been through a lot physically – insults to your renal and cardiovascular system in particular… You do not want to get it."

Nikki looked up, suddenly. "You think he needs to self-isolate?"

"Oh, come on! That's…ridiculous." He laughed, but his mind was suddenly racing. The new house… Dad… He needed to think about his father. As soon as the sale went through, it would probably be best if Connor moved in with him, rather than waiting until his own flat sold.

"Just…talk to your doctors about it. That's all I'm saying."

Nikki looked at him, her face serious. "I think he's right. Talk to the team and let me know what they think."

Jack huffed his annoyance. He still had regular appointments with a medical team – they felt increasingly irrelevant, but he knew that as one of the few survivors of a nerve agent, he was contributing to important medical research.

She looked back at Harry. She was calmer now, focused on something important. "What about us – the Lyell? I've ordered in extra PPE…"

Harry shifted. "I would expect you'll get some briefings within the next couple of weeks."

"You don't know anything for certain? You sound as if you might." Her expression was keen as she stared at him. "Something you're not supposed to say?"

"No, Nikki." His eyes met hers fully. For a moment, there was a silent communication between the two pathologists, and Jack felt a little excluded. Then Harry went on. "No, I don't have any kind of insider knowledge, if that's what you think. But I've read up on this – and I think they would be foolish not to prepare for a high mortality rate over the next few months. Pathology labs need to get prepared for that."

There was a silence as they each contemplated what might lie ahead. Jack found his hand sliding automatically across the sofa towards Nikki, seeking comfort. His fingers bumped against hers, evidently on the same quest.

Eventually, Harry sighed and drained his glass. "The question is…will they be prepared? I'm not confident with our PM. Whitty's good, but will they listen to him? The situation's no better over in the States of course…"

"Knowing all this," Nikki said quietly. "Knowing what might be coming…why are you staying here? Why aren't you making more of an effort to get back before Trump closes the airports?"

"I should be, shouldn't I?" Harry muttered, leaning forward to refill his glass.

"What about Jennifer and the baby?"

This time the pause was so long that Jack began to wonder if Harry intended to reply at all. The pathologist was staring at the floor, his overlong hair concealing his expression.

"The baby…it isn't mine."

"What?" Nikki leaned forward. "Are you sure?"

"Certain." His head turned sideways to give Nikki a significant look. "The timing's all wrong. She's…um…further along than she thought – or further along than she told me, anyway."

The back of Jack's neck prickled with discomfort. This was not meant for his ears. He made to get up. "Er – I could go and put the kettle on..."

Harry made a weary gesture. "No, you're OK. I don't care, anyway. I suspect Nikki would end up telling you, even if you weren't here." He grimaced. "You're radiating suspicion about my motives as it is – don't bother to deny it."

"Did you already know when we met at Christmas?"

Harry shook his head, his eyes distant. "We'd taken a break from each other. We got back together a few weeks before Christmas." He gave Nikki a wry look. "You know me well enough. I was never a family man, was I? What with the issues with my father and all that… I never planned to be a dad. Then, Anna…when I found out that she had been pregnant when she died, it was a shock. It made me think – what if she'd lived? She would have told me – and how would I have reacted? What if I'd made her feel that the baby wasn't welcome?"

He choked on the last few words and broke off to take another gulp of wine.

"Oh, Harry…" Nikki leaned over and put her hand on his arm in instinctive sympathy. "You wouldn't have done that – you'd have adjusted."

"Maybe… Anyway, when I went the States, I wanted a new start. I wanted to feel more settled. From the moment we met, Jennifer felt right. There didn't seem much point in waiting. I'd done a little too much of that already…" The look he gave Nikki was loaded with significance. Jack noted, absently, that her hand was still on his arm.

"So, we got married, but we didn't talk about having kids. She's a lot younger than me and she's ambitious. I think she thought there'd be time enough for that…but I wasn't sure. I didn't want to be that old a father. I felt that we needed to either forget about having them altogether or – well – get on with it. She didn't agree. In the end, with all the arguments, we agreed to take a break... Then, last November, she said she'd missed me; she wanted us to give it another go. Maybe – I don't know – maybe I convinced myself that the baby was her way of saying that she was committed to us."

"And so…?"

"It was at the twelve-week scan. It was clear enough to me, let alone the radiographer, that she'd got her dates way out; that she was at least sixteen weeks' gone… She didn't try to deny it. I suppose she realised there was no point." He gave a humourless laugh, putting down his empty glass and rubbing his face. "I'm surprised she even tried to dupe me, with my background."

Her hand stroked Harry's arm, almost tentatively. "I'm so sorry…"

"Yes, well…" He stood up abruptly, walking over the window to stare out at Nikki's darkened garden. "I guess it's the same old story… What do you think that is?" He suddenly swung towards them both. "Why are we all so shit at maintaining a relationship? Having a normal family? Only Leo seemed to get it right…and then he lost them. Maybe that's it…maybe it's because we know what can go wrong. We've seen so many families that have imploded – domestic violence, suicides, murder, just plain old motorway pileups… All those crying parents…" He shook his head. "Is that what it is? Can you explain it to me? Because, right now, I just don't have the answers."

He strode towards the table, poured himself another glass and drained it.

"Right now," Nikki said, quietly. "Right now, Harry, I don't have any answers myself. But…to be honest, I don't think we should be talking about it now. You've had a bit too much to drink, for a start…"

It hadn't escaped Jack's notice that in the time he and Nikki had taken just a few sips from their glasses, Harry had downed three, finishing off the bottle.

"Yeah. You're right about that." Harry fingered the stubble on his chin and gave a humourless laugh. "I'm probably still a bit jet-lagged too. Not the best combination. I – uh, I'd better get a taxi…"

"Where're you staying?" Jack asked, standing up. "I can probably give you a lift if it's on my way."

"Really?" He blinked at Jack, seeming startled. "If you don't mind…they've got me in a guest room at the University at the moment."

"No problem." It wasn't entirely on his way, but he wasn't sure how much heavy drinking had become an issue for Harry and slightly feared he'd end up directing a taxi to a bar instead.

"Well, thanks…" Harry paused, looking at Nikki. Again, there was that sense of silent communion between them. "Do you get why I'm here now? Even though it's probably the most stupid thing I've ever done – knowing I could be stuck here for months?"

"I think so." She took a tentative step towards him. "You've…come home. Except…it's not home anymore – is it? Not since Leo…" She choked on the name.

"God, Leo…"

"If you'd been here…maybe – just maybe - he wouldn't have gone there. You always had more influence over him than I ever did."

He shook his head, wiping the tears from his face. "I don't know how you can say that. He'd have done anything for you. No, he'd still have gone, if he'd believed in it…. Oh, Nikki, I'm so sorry I wasn't here. Sorry for all of it…"

As she surged forward and pulled Harry into her arms, Jack turned away. He collected the glasses and empty bottle and quietly made his way into the kitchen.

She joined him there a few minutes later.

"I won't ask if you mind giving him a lift. I expect you do mind…but you'll do it anyway," she said, quietly. "Because that's you, Jack."

He finished rinsing the glasses and wiped his hands. "Not sure he'll make it otherwise."

She paused. "He's a mess. I'm worried about him."

"I think you're right to be."

"Did I ever tell you? His father committed suicide. I think he's always been very careful of his mental health because of that. He was always the cold, logical one out of the three of us. Whenever Leo or I would go off on some – some cause…he'd be the one to pull us back. So yes – seeing him like that…I am worried. He's come back, hasn't he? He's trying to – to find something that he lost years ago."

He rehung the tea towel and turned to her. "I'd better get him back. You need to sleep." He touched her arm, gently. "Please tell me you won't come in early tomorrow. I'll write that report about this morning – you can just sign it off later."

She looked up at him for a moment and then stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. She'd often done so before – it was a familiar 'Nikki' gesture of greeting or farewell, both for him and others. But…this time, there was something more to it. She lingered, her lips very close to the corner of his mouth, her hand coming up to stroke his other cheek – a feather-light, barely-there caress. If he'd turned his head just a fraction, their lips would meet…

A sound from the lounge recalled Harry's presence. She stepped back, her dark eyes meeting his as she continued to stroke his cheek. He saw the pain reflected there. "What am I going to do, Jack?"

It was more a lamentation than a question, and he couldn't have answered it, even if he had been capable of speech at that moment.