Chapter 20

In the intervening weeks, Robbie read the book almost every night. It was only on the nights he didn't read it that Val would appear to him. The conversations were always superficial, stories about the kids, occasionally about their shared past. But neither of them broached the subject of the future or Laura's role in it.

The book had taken up permanent residence on his nightstand. One night as he was readying himself for bed Val finally addressed the book, "Have you thanked her for the gift."

He paused as he was pulling the t-shirt over his head. "I haven't really seen her to tell. We've been on different shifts. I've only seen her in passing with other people around."

Val traced her fingers across the cover of the book, "You should search her out. It was a very thoughtful gift."

Pulling the shirt down, he shrugged nonchalantly. "I will, when the moment's right."

James stood at the counter waiting for his order. He looked in the mirror in front of him and saw Laura Hobson at a table with a man who was definitely not Robbie Lewis. He turned and she saw him. He saw something flash across her face that he wasn't quite sure he recognized. He paid the person at the counter and then left.

He looked back through the window, watching her with the younger man. He wasn't sure why but seeing her with another man made him uncomfortable. Pushing the thoughts aside, he walked away from the restaurant.

He spotted Laura the minute she stepped on the scene. Val's words from the night before rang in his ears. He needed to thank her for the gift. Watching her walk, he missed James tense. He waved at Laura and was surprised when she didn't return the greeting.

She turned away, an annoyed expression marring her beautiful features. Perhaps Val had been more right than he'd given her credit for. Nodding to himself he strode after her. He would find the time to thank her. Perhaps she would let him take her to dinner as a thank you.

Robbie looked down on the crime scene watching the SOCOs finish with the body. Laura was directing them and their earlier encounter was worrying him. Hearing James behind him, he turned to him. "Laura Hobson was very odd. She didn't know the dead girl, did she?"

James looked out the doors to Robbie. Panic filled him as he suspected the cause of Dr. Hobson's behavior. Not wanting to be caught in the middle of it, he changed the subject throwing Dr. Ganza to the wolves. Robbie halfheartedly engaged in the conversation before leaning over the balcony to look at Laura once again. She chose that moment to look up and caught him staring at her. The look she gave him was aggressive bordering on challenging.

Entering the morgue, he had fixed in his mind he would thank her for the book, invite her to dinner. Doing it after a notification might not be the best timing but sometimes you just had to seize an opportunity. Perhaps it was time he started doing that more often.

As always, Laura was a calming influence during the notification. She'd steadied him even as the father had given them new information. This new information angered him, made him distrust Ganza even more. Laura was with him as he walked the father of the young girl out of the building. Once the man was out of hearing he asked her the obvious question, "Why on earth didn't Ganza tell us that he was Amy's therapist?"

"I'm sure he had a good reason."

Without warning, anger flared in Robbie. Why was she defending the man? Was this simply doctor's taking care of their own. "Yeah, I can think of one. He shouldn't enter his own patient in an experimental drug trial."

Taking a step back, Laura wondered, briefly, if James had told him what he'd seen. "Or maybe she entered herself? Or maybe he thought it would help her?"

"Yeah, right, stuff her full of psychotropic drugs, that's a great help."

His escalating anger made her even more certain James had told him, "Alright Robbie, calm down."

Hearing the tone in her voice, he suddenly heard his own anger. He could have kicked himself for taking it out on her. He'd come here intent on thanking her, asking her out and instead he was venting his own feelings about psychiatry. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just a bit upset."

"About what?"

Robbie looked at her, tried smiling so she would know his words weren't about her or even them. "Isn't it obvious?"

James approached and considered turning and walking away. There seemed to be some tension between them. He hoped Dr. Hobson had told the Inspector, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

They turned to him. Seeing the expression on James' face the entire conversation made sense. James had told Robbie. The boys were looking after one another. She didn't know why she was surprised, of course, James would pick Robbie. Her look changed from annoyance to icy coldness, "I see." She looked at Robbie, "Well I'll leave you boys to it." She stared back at James fixing him with one last icy glare.

Robbie was even more confused than he'd been moments earlier. A part of him wanted to go after her, apologize again, beg her to have dinner with him. James talking about the case pulled him back. He shook his head wondering when he would get his next moment to ask her.

He listened to her voice, if not necessarily her words, as she talked about the drug that killed the young boy. It was the first time he'd seen her since she'd become annoyed with him over something he wasn't sure about. He was angry James had come with me. He'd hoped to have a moment with her to discover what he'd done wrong.

As they were leaving, he got his chance at her request, "Robbie, can I have a minute?" He was surprised by the gentle tone of her voice. After the day before, he'd expected anger, "I don't want there to be any misunderstanding between us."

"Me neither, is there one?"

She shook her head, "Don't make this any more difficult than it already is. I know Hathaway has said something."

"Well he hasn't actually. But he has been…"

Laura interrupted, "He's an old boyfriend."

He looked at her stunned, "Hathaway?"

What he could only describe as horror, crossed her beautiful features. She shook her head, as if dispelling the idea. "No, Franco. He lives abroad and he was in Oxford because there is a chance his firm might send him back here. We had dinner together and it was well..."

Confusion filled him, what was she talking about? "Franco? Like the dictator?"

She smiled, "Yes, only this Franco is German. Don't ask."

He turned to walk away. "I won't." He looked back for a brief second. "Thanks for telling me." Then he walked away. He stalked away, angry. Angry at himself for thinking she could ever want him and angry with her for letting him believe.

As he watched Ganza reading to his wife, his thoughts turned not to Val but to Laura. It hadn't been anger he'd felt; it had been jealousy. He wondered when he had fallen for her, when he'd started to think of them as a couple.

Had Laura been the reason he'd scarpered his relationship with Frances? Even then had she woven herself into his life so completely he couldn't imagine life without her? And all along Val had known, sensed. Try as he might, he couldn't find it in himself to be angry with Val. She'd encouraged him, gently, to pursue Laura. Had he paid more attention to her encouragement and clung less to his dream of his life with Val, he might not be in this predicament.

He supposed he should consider himself lucky. He might have lost Laura but he still had Val. His life wouldn't be as full as it could have been but it was still something. He would go home to Val, make amends, it would be enough.

As he rounded the corner, it was Laura's laughter that pulled him from his thoughts. Looking around, he was almost certain it was a figment of his imagination. A cruel joke meant to torment him with all he'd lost. But she was there, chatting with someone he didn't know.

As if she could feel his stare, she turned, a half smile lit her face. She waved, raising her eyebrows. He waited, pleased when she excused herself and walked toward him. "What happened to you?"

He shrugged, "Suspect."

"I thought you had James for the hard work."

Shaking his head, "Nah, he's just around to do the paperwork. I do all of the real policing." At her laughter, he nodded toward the exit, "Care to take a walk with me." She fell into step beside him and they walked in silence. Once outside, he broke the silence, "Went to sea in a sieve."

She looked up at him, "What's that?"

"I went to visit Dr. Ganza and he was reading to his wife."

She nodded, "What's he going to do?"

He shrugged, "Go on reading. He's going to stay with her."

"I spoke to her surgeon. There's no chance of recovery. Absolutely none."

"Yeah, I know. He knows. But he's staying."

She paused then asked, "Out of guilt?"

He looked at her, "Maybe, more out of love I think."

They stopped walking and looked at one another, "Sorry Robbie."

He snuffed, "You don't have to be. It's not as if we…"

She smiled at him, "Yeah."

"Think Ganza really proves it doesn't it."

"Proves what?"

"That you don't get many chances. You don't want to waste them." They gazed at one another. Laura was hopeful his words had a different meaning. He smiled down at her, "Can I buy you a coffee, Laura?"

She smirked, "Coffee?"

"Something stronger?"

She smiled and nodded, "Sounds a bit more like it."

Silence fell between them as they walked to the pub. Without another word, Robbie went to the bar to get their drinks and she went to get a table. He watched her as he waited for the drinks. She'd picked a table outside; her face was upturned to the waning sun, eyes closed. Despite his internal bravado, he couldn't let her go, not yet.

Paying for the drinks, he walked toward her. He placed the drink in front of her, "A nice, cool drink for a warm, sunny day."

"Thank you, Robbie."

"Thank you for joining me."

She took a sip from her drink, she smiled at him over the glass. "Why?"

"I thought you were angry with me."

Confusion clouded her eyes, "Why?"

"The other day at the morgue."

She laughed, took another sip, "I thought you were angry with me."

"Why?"

"James saw me, out with Franco. I thought he told you and you were upset."

He shook his head, "He hadn't told me and I wasn't upset with you."

She bit on her lower lip, "And now that you know about Franco?"

"Still not angry. I want you to be happy."

"Happy?"

He took an overly large sip of his drink, almost choking on it. "Of course, I care for you, Laura. Don't you want to be happy?"

She smiled, looking down at the table. Her fingers traced a path over the rough surface. "Everyone wants to be happy." She paused, took a deep breath, "Are you happy, Robbie?"

He shrugged, "Don't I seem happy?"

"For a while, you did. But, of late…"

"Of late, what?"

She tilted her head to the side, "Of late, you seem…lonely. More so than you have seemed since you returned. Did something happen?" He couldn't help but stare, wonder at how she could know so much about him. He was deciding how much to tell her when she spoke. "I wondered if Val was slipping away from you. And perhaps that was causing you more grief?"

He could barely breath. She was so close to the truth. Before he knew what he was saying, the words had escaped. "No, the opposite in fact. It's almost as if she's with me all the time."

At his horror over his words, he missed her look. She blinked once, held her breath in an attempt to control her rapidly racing heart. Finally, she released the breath, slowly, evenly. Picking up her glass, she downed the contents in one swallow.

"I have to go. Thanks for the drink."

He looked up, could sense something was amiss. "I could buy you dinner."

She shook her head, "No, I have a few things I need to do."

He nodded, "Of course, you probably have plans."

Nodding tightly, she turned to leave. A couple of steps away, she stopped and turned back to him. "Robbie, Franco is only a friend now. I was helping him look for a place. The dinner was a thank you."

His heart raced at her words. He called after her, "Thank you." When she turned to him with a questioning look in her eye, he smiled. "For the book, I can't wait to read it to my grandson."

Her smile bloomed, "It's a boy?" He nodded. "Congratulations, grandpa."