"Aunty Chlo Chlo. Hiiiii" a little girl voice shouted as soon as the door was opened. The little girl jumped into Chloe's arms "hello Evelyn." The slight 5 year old was light in her arms. "Hi Soph." Chloe said to her friend trying to hug her despite the child in her arms. "Hi Callum" she said to the little boy. Who was standing behind him mum "say hello to Chloe." His mum encouraged. "hi" came his little voice. She was surprised Evelyn remembered her. It had been nearly a year since she'd seen her in person. She'd spoken to her briefly a few times when she'd face timed Sophie but it seemed that the little girl remembered her. Callum at 6 seemed slightly less confident than his younger sister. Chloe sat in the living room and read some picture books to the children and played some board games. Shopping list and giraffes in scarves. Evelyn talking nineteen to the dozen. "My bestest friend at school is called Ella and she's really lovely and she has a doggie called Molly and and a little baby kitty called Luna and when I went to her house we eated spaghettis."
"Oh that's nice." Chloe smiled. She didn't really feel confident around children. She was always worried she'd swear or do something inappropriate or upset them. But Sophie's children were sweet and Sophie was in the room too so she didn't mind too much. "Can I we do you a show? I want to show you my dancing?"
"Of course." Chloe smiled.
"Do you know my Aunty Fiona? She's really good at dancing."
"Yes I know Fiona."
"Well she lives in a place called Spain which is apparently far from Scotland and she taught me a Spanish dance called the flamingo." Evelyn said stamping her feet and twisting her arms above her head.
"No darling," Sophie laughed "it was the flamenco, flamingos are those pink birds you saw at the zoo."
"Oh whatever mummy." Evelyn said sounding like a teenager.
"Don't give me attitude Eve." Soph said sternly
But found a disney playlist on her iPad.
"Let it go. Let it go" Evelyn danced around the living room. By the time the playlist got to under the sea she'd pulled Chloe up to dance along with her and even Callum had joined in. Sophie wasn't sure what had been going on lately with Chloe but she hadn't been her self but now she seemed happy and carefree. She picked up her phone and discreetly filmed Chloe dancing with Evelyn until Chloe noticed. "Soph, are you filming me?!" And dissolved into giggles.
Nicky saw Ange Goddard in the cafe at the hospital. "Have you seen Chloe's Instagram?" Nicky asked her friends mother. "No is she okay?" Ange asked concerned. Nicky laughed and showed Ange the video of her daughter dancing round Sophie's living room to Disney songs. Ange smiled it was the first time in a long time she'd seen Chloe looking so carefree. She knew Chloe was anxious at work. Worried about bumping into Evan. Jumpy. She had thought about suggesting to Chloe that they might move, especially since Ange's YAU was closed. But she was selfish she wanted to be around both her children. And she didn't want Evan to think he'd won if Chloe moved away. Hopefully in time Chloe would become less anxious about Evan. However, She knew seeing the video of Chloe dancing with the children that this week away was exactly what Chloe needed. Ange was even a little bit glad it would just be her Chloe, Fletch and her mum. It ment she could spend some proper quality time with her girl.
"Do you know auntie Eilidh?" Evelyn asked Chloe "and Auntie Jessica?"
"I know Eilidh." Chloe said "but not Jessica."
"No, Chloe, Fiona, Eilidh and I went to big school together, I met Jessica when you were in my tummy because you're the same age as Olivia aren't you."
"Yes." Evelyn said and turned to Chloe "me and Olivia used to be babies but now we're big we're school girls."
"Yes you're very grown up" Chloe assured her.
"I can spell my name it's e-v-e-l-y-n" she said using the phonetic letters "but sometimes I just put e-v-e because that spells Eve and that's what people call me sometimes. I got a sticker for my counting last week."
"I got 20/20 on my spelling test." Callum said, not to be outdone by his little sister "and my painting is on the wall in our classroom but Eve had to move her name down on the traffic light because se was being silly and put paint on her face."
"How do you know that" Evelyn retorted.
"I heard your teacher telling mummy" Callum said smugly.
"You're so annoying." Evelyn said.
"Hey you two. No bickering or else we won't go to the park." Sophie said sternly and that stopped them.
Chloe and Sophie had wrapped themselves and the children up in hats, scarves and gloves and taken them too the park. Chloe shivered "ah has England thawed you out?" Soph smiled. "Do you not remember when I used to say I had 'female problems' every week in winter so I didn't have to do PE in the cold?" Chloe laughed. "Oh my gosh yes then Miss Mackintosh got really mad so you had to come out then got really concerned about your zombie fingers." They laughed. When Chloe got cold her fingers and toes went numb and white,Raynaulds syndrome. Fi has called it Chloe's zombie fingers which had stuck. "Do your hands still do that?" Sophie asked.
"Occasionally, although I'm not forced to play netball in sub zero temperatures anymore. And I discovered reusable hand warmers!" It was half term in Scotland, a week before England and despite the cold the park was pretty busy but Chloe and Sophie found a bench where they could keep an eye on the little ones on the play park. They spoke about the people they used to know. "Zuzanna has 2 children now Maria and Peter, Slovak names that work in Scotland too. She married a Scottish lad Anthony. They live down in Glasgow." Sophie told Chloe. They got on well with Zuzanna at school.
"I treated Ben McDowell a while back. He lives in Holby now. He was still trying to tease me but he works in Tesco, never got to be that rugby player like he always told us." Chloe smiled wryly.
"And did you hear about Sam Gallagher?"
They continued to talk about their school mates until Evelyn fell and started crying. "Oh my goodness are you okay Evelyn?" Chloe asked. "I bumped my head and my arm hurts." Evelyn sobbed. "Let me look at you." Chloe said "I'm a Doctor."
"Are you really?" Evelyn asked her tears subsiding.
"Yeah she is." Sophie assured Evelyn.
"I can't see anything." Chloe said looking at Evelyn's head and arm "although" she said quietly looking at Sophie "it's always worth getting head injuries checked."
Sophie laughed and shook her head "oh Chloe, I can tell you don't have kids." Then looked at Evelyn. "Let me kiss you better."
After another 2 minutes cuddling with her mum Evelyn was back hanging upside down on the climbing frame. "Honestly Chloe, if I took Eve to hospital every time she bumped her head I'd be there every day. She just has no sense of danger. The complete opposite of her brother. Parents first aid is stick a plaster on and kiss it better and 19 times out of 20 that's all they need. Especially Eve, she bounces rather than breaks. She's a terror but I reckon she'll end up running the country or a major company in 30 years time." Sophie laughed, "If she doesn't kill me first."
"Hola Amigos." Fiona smiled through the screen of Eilidh's iPad. Callum and Evelyn had been fed and put to bed and left at home with Sophie's husband Andy and Chloe and Sophie we're in Eilidh's appartement and all three girls were getting all dressed up to go out for cocktails.
"Hey Fi, how's Spain?" Chloe asked.
"Probably warmer than Aberdeen!" Fi quipped
"Too true Chloe nearly froze at the park earlier with the littles." Sophie laughed.
"Oh no she's turning English!" Fiona feigned disgust. "Oi stop it." Chloe laughed "as I told you earlier Soph. I've never exactly been good at cold temperatures. And at work I'm basically known as the 'blonde Scottish doctor' I'm Scottish okay!" Chloe said more strongly remembering the conversation she'd had with Evan when he'd told her she might not be Scottish. "Hey, you're okay Chloe, we're just teasing." Eilidh smiled. Eilidh always knew when people took things too far and was a real peacemaker. "How's the new job Eilidh?" Chloe asked. Eilidh worked in marketing "oh I love it! I get so much more indépendance to come up with my own ideas and stuff. How's the hospital Chlo and how's your research going?"
Chloe gave a brief explanation. Eilidh was always happy to listen to other people stories and interests even when she didn't fully understand. Chloe looked around at her friends, thinking how different they're lives all were. Eilidh spending her working week in power suits and in meetings working on projects and she had a beautiful apartment in the city centre. Fiona had her beautiful children. She lived in a world of school books and homework and the PTA. Fiona had immersed herself in a culture and language so different from their own and was teaching young children and teenage students. Chloe had scrubs rather than Eilidh's powesuits, Chloe had medical textbooks rather than Sophie's schoolbooks and Chloe had mostly elderly patients rather than Fiona's teenage students. It occurred to Chloe that they we're each doing what they had wanted to do when they were teens, and truly they were all happy. Their lives weren't all sunshine and rainbows but they were alive, healthy and happy. And Chloe felt happy too, truly happy for the first time in a while.
They continued to get ready with Fi on FaceTime it was almost like old times.
Once the girls got in a taxi Chloe checked her text hey girl. Was so good to talk to you before. You seem so much happier and more like yourself since you were with Evan. I didn't want to say in front of Soph and Eilidh because I don't know what they know but I'm so proud of you for standing up for yourself and being the amazing strong gal that I know you are. Have the best night and don't miss me too much. Fi
Chloe pinged a reply thanking Fiona for her discretion. Sophie and Eilidh knew she had broken up with Evan but they didn't know why with Sophie Hall (different from Chloe's Scottish friend Sophie) and the harassment.
The girls had a lovely time going out for cocktails. They all decided that they'd rather have a more Sophisticated night at a bar rather than the clubs. The club really wasn't Chloe's scene although she was sure if Fiona was there she would have dragged them into half the clubs in Aberdeen. "It's so lovely to see you girls honestly. I mean I have friends in Holby but it's not the same as you guys." Chloe smiled.
"We miss you too." Eilidh said "you have to come back more often. And I think this summer, a girls trip to Barcelona to see Fiona"
"I'll be there." Sophie smiled and Chloe agreed. It felt so good to be out with her friends somewhere where Evan couldn't just come round the corner.
