Chapter 17

"Hmm," Emily said, her face contorted in thought "What about this?" she said

EPISTLE

"That's a good word Emily," Nikki said noting down the score

"You're still ahead though," Emily pouted

"I've just had better letters,"

BONES

"Triple word score," Emily noted "Hey!" she said as a patient went by, grabbing the green bag of tiles and walking off with them "Anna!" she pleaded as the nurse walked past

"It's ok Emily," Anna told her, "I'll get them back. Maybe you can play Scrabble later with Nikki,"

"It was a close score in the end," Nikki said looking at the paper she had been writing on

"I hate this place," Emily grimaced "You can't even do normal things without something happening,"

"Ladies," a voice came, and Nikki turned to see Jack beside her "Are you ready Nikki?" he asked, and she nodded

"Here, Emily," Anna said passing her back the bag of tiles

"I can't play now. Nikki's going out with Jack,"

"I'm sure there's other people who want to play with you Emily,"

Emily shrugged and giving both Nikki and Jack a wave, left the room bereft of a Scrabble partner

"So your leave is from one until five," Anna told her "If you get caught up in traffic or are going to be late for any reason, just call the ward. Also, Doctor Redford said to remind you that your review is the day after tomorrow, hence the leave this afternoon. It's just to see how you get on back in the community," Anna said and Nikki nodded

"Let's get out of here," Jack said and Nikki followed him to the ward door.

Anna used her pass to open the door and soon they were out in the hospital carpark in Jack's car

"Thomas is going to kill me if he finds out what you're up to,"

"You mean what we're up to," Nikki corrected

"Are you sure you just don't want to go for a coffee?"

"I need to do this. To get back on the horse. And Thomas is on annual leave at the moment so he won't be at the Lyell anyway,"

Nikki had planned to use her day pass, to go back to the Lyell. The place where it had happened. The place she'd been in before Fairview Hospital. The Lyell was only a short journey away and the traffic was light. Soon they had pulled up outside. Jack had parked and was getting out of the car when he saw Nikki hesitate

"We don't have to do this," he said gently

"I need to do this. If not for myself, then for Emily," she said

Jack nodded and they walked into the building. It hadn't changed. Life had gone on without Nikki. Jack buzzed her into the lab and she sat down at her desk. Someone had tided away the coffee mug she had left that she hadn't finished. Her papers had been tidied and her computer switched off.

"Clarissa, not me," Jack said, pointing at the mess on his own desk

"Where are we up to on the Hooper case?" Nikki said as Jack made her a coffee

She raised an eyebrow at Jack making the drink

"We told the nurse we were going for coffee, so we probably should actually do that," he justified

"Well they're not exactly going to check my caffeine levels," Nikki retorted, but accepted the drink Jack passed her

"The Hooper case has been passed on now. We've done our bit. Now we just wait,"

"Do you know what happened?"

"It looks like Edward Hooper was blackmailing William Brown. Hooper had incriminating photos in his office, in the safe. When we checked his office, we found traces of blood that someone had tried to clean up. The forensics point to there being a struggle, and that was the cause of death. Brown put the body in the car to try and make it look like an accident. But he still didn't have the combination to the safe, hence why he visited Emily,"

"Did Brown confess?"

Jack nodded "It was his prints on the safe that cracked the case. It was your lead. After that he didn't really have a leg to stand on,"

"At least Emily will have some closure now,"

"How does it feel to be back here,"

Nikki paused before shrugging

"Nikki…" Jack coaxed

"Familiar yet unfamiliar," she said after a moment "It wasn't the lab that was the problem. It was Mexico. It wasn't talking that was the problem,"

"I've been talking to Redford," Jack told her "She's impressed with how you got on with the psychologist,"

"She phoned you?"

"I phoned her. I wanted to know how you were getting on,"

"And you couldn't ask me?"

"I thought you'd be all 'Nikki-ish' on me," Jack shrugged

"That's not a word,"

"I thought you'd be all post-Mexico. Shutting yourself up. But… I don't know," he frowned "You've changed since you've been in hospital. Not a change," he said "More like a going backwards, but in a good way. You've gone backwards, to being Doctor Alexander again. You're going backwards but only to move forwards,"

Nikki mused "A breakdown can be a breakthrough," she said looking at Jack square in the face

"We should get back," Jack said, breaking eye contact

Nikki nodded. She gathered her things together, with a small smile on her face. Maybe she had changed. But she was still Doctor Alexander. She was still Nikki. And she was determined to show that to Doctor Redford at her review.

Nikki was ready to be Doctor Alexander again.