Thank you for the reviews - it's good to know if I'm writing along the right lines or not.
Chapter 11
The knock on her door was heavy and well-intentioned.
"Any news on Rita?" came the cheerful voice that opened the door and stood before her with a beaming grin on his face.
"No, sorry Charlie," she replied carefully.
"Didn't you pop round last night to see how she was?" he asked, knowing full well of her intentions when she had left the hospital last night.
"Yes, of course," she stuttered, "I popped round." She paused. "I did!" she exclaimed as she watched him raise one eyebrow. "I am perfectly capable of doing tea and sympathy you know," she reiterated.
"So how is she doing?" he asked. Connie rolled her eyes slightly as she realised that Charlie Fairhead was like a dog with a bone when it came to such matters. She sighed deeply before replying.
"She's ok. I made her some dinner which she hardly ate and then we fell asleep on the sofa." She paused. What was she supposed to tell him next? That Rita had practically sent her away from the house? That she'd left the house a crying, emotional mess as she realised just what Rita meant to her; how she wanted to be there to comfort her and cocoon her in love until Rita felt better? She could hardly tell him any of that, could she?
"I care for her Charlie," she began, "I care for her so much." She paused, as if waiting for a response from him. "I don't know what's happened – it's like someone has switched a switch inside me. I care for her so much, but she doesn't want to know," she added forlornly before continuing. "She told me to go this morning. She'd been sick – violently sick – and after that she just told me to go. It's like she doesn't want to let anyone in," she paused. "And I've been so open."
"It's going to take time," Charlie replied. "She may well not be ready to let anyone in right now. It's very soon and what happened is still very raw." He paused to take Connie's hand in his own. "She's been through a lot – it takes a lot to push someone to do what she did. Be there for her, but don't expect too much."
Connie sighed. Charlie Fairhead: The voice of reason. Everything he said made so much sense. When she thought about it logically, she knew that she couldn't be disciplining Rita one minute and showering her in love and affection the next. She understood that Rita wouldn't know where she stood with her behaving like this; Connie needed to get her own emotions in check too.
"Just be there for her, she'll come round in the end, I'm sure of it," Charlie said whilst squeezing Connie's shoulder gently with one hand. "She'll appreciate the time and effort – maybe not straight away, but she will."
"You're right, thanks Charlie," she began, "I've gone from no nonsense clinical lead who's always bollocking her to falling madly in love with her, all while she's unconscious due to an overdose. I can see why she's getting confused."
"You'll do what's right in the end – you always do," Charlie said reassuringly as Connie gave him a slight smile. She hoped, for Rita's sake, that Charlie was right.
Short and sweet, this chapter. More soon.