Thanks for all the lovely reviews, glad you're enjoying the ride.
Friday Night May 7th Week Minus 6
"Harry aren't you finished with that report yet?" Nikki did not sound amused. Harry ignored her and started typing with just one finger.
"Harry! You can be bloody annoying when you try, please I really want to go home." Harry continued with his hunt and peck typing but made the hunting part take even longer.
"Well if you're going to make it last all night, Please can you print off the bit I need to sign so at least one of us can enjoy our evening."
"I'm enjoying myself immensely" Harry replied with a self satisfied smirk,
"and surely Dr. Alexander, you are not going to sign off on a document you have not even read, even if it does have to be with the courier before 8pm this evening."
"Look Harry, I have places to be, you have places to be, could you please hurry things along?"
"Yes" Harry nodded sagely "places to be."
"But you said you were having dinner with your mother this evening...oh" Nikki stopped.
"Surely it's not THAT bad."
Harry looked into her eyes and mimed holding a gun to his head and pulling the trigger.
"Oh come on Harry, I've met your mum, she's lovely" Nikki encouraged.
"What if I read whilst you type? Or you could dictate and I'll type." Nikki pleaded.
"Well, I suppose" he pouted, "but only because it's you."
Nikki pulled a stool up and sat right behind Harry with her head leaning over his shoulder. They were almost cheek to cheek. Harry began focusing all his attention on his typing to distract himself from the fact that he could feel Nikki's warm breath on his neck and the smell of her perfume was filling his nostrils.
"So what's wrong with dinner at your mothers?" Nikki asked.
"Well just maybe I don't want to spend my evening hearing about all her friend's grandchildren and how Rupert has passed his Grade 6 cello aged 9, and Felicity is the chess champion of Surrey and whoever else has just landed the biggest bonus the city ever handed out." Harry grumbled.
"Don't whine Harry, it's not attractive." Nikki said.
Harry rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.
"See it's already started! Even you're at it! Everyone gets to tell Harry what to do" He turned to look at her and suddenly became aware of her proximity.
"Come with me?" he pleaded, his eyes locked onto hers.
"Oh no, Harry I'm afraid this is one you have to face alone. Why does it bother you so much?" Nikki asked. They were still face to face and the whole of Harry's being was screaming to look away and fob her off with his usual self preserving lies. But instead he held her gaze and said.
"Maybe I was hoping that by now I would have that someone special in my life. Someone to share life with and to have that possibility of producing those longed for grandchildren, when the time was right." Harry tailed off.
He could see that Nikki was unnerved by his unusual frankness.
"It's just not enough to be the tall, dark handsome doctor turned investigative pathologist any longer!" he said flamboyantly and with a smile in his eyes. He turned back to the screen and quickly tapped out the final paragraph and hit print.
Nikki was sat stock still behind him, Harry hoped his jokey ending had smoothed over the tension but he couldn't tell without looking at her. He wiggled past her and made for the printer, as he returned he took a deep breath and said
"Things seem to be going pretty well with you and Henry, it's great to see you so happy!" None of this was actually a lie, he didn't say he was happy about the relationship, just about her happiness. He squeezed her hand and gave her a big smile. Nikki hesitated for a moment
"You are happy, aren't you?"
"I think so, I just don't know sometimes Harry. Everyone I've loved has left me, abandoned me, died, lied to me or I've forced them away. Sometimes I think I don't know how to be happy." she confessed.
This time it was Harry's turn to not to know how to react.
"Of course you do Nikki," He then leapt out of his seat and ran around the desk, when he got to 'Nikki's side' he stopped and said "Happiness is a blocked nose when autopsying a decomposing body." and continued running back round the desks and fell back into his seat. Nikki just stared open mouthed at him.
"O.K. It's my turn again." He jumped out of his seat again and ran round to the other side of the desks.
"Happiness is getting the correct change out of the vending machine!" he completed the circuit and fell dramatically into his chair causing Nikki to chuckle.
"Your turn." he said.
"Happiness is..?" Nikki started quietly
"No, no no! You have to run!"
"Run?"
"Yes, come on. You saw how it's done. You have to run." Harry encouraged.
Nikki started to walk to the other side of the desks.
"RUN!" shouted Harry
"Nikki began to run.
"Happiness is proving one of the smarmy police officers that their theory is all wrong!" she shouted and belted back to her seat. As soon as she sat, Harry was off.
"Happiness is not being woken in the middle of the night when you're on call."
This time Nikki needed no encouragement. She was running and laughing.
"Happiness is letting Leo, think you're hard at work when you're really internet shopping."
"Nikki!" Harry spluttered but it was his turn. It was lucky he had been exercising a lot lately as they were both laughing so hard at the game now it was hard to keep running.
"Happiness is finding the one piece of vital evidence." Harry laughed
"Happiness is solving the case together!" Nikki countered.
"Happiness is playing jokes on Charlie with the corpses!" Harry struggled out. They were both laughing so hard now it was becoming hard to understand what was being said.
"Happiness is being able to sign a copy of this report before the courier gets here!" Nikki was shouting and running and misjudged her timing to land in her chair. Harry reached out and caught her in his arms before she hit the floor. She was still laughing but stopped suddenly as she became aware of just how tightly he was holding her. Harry pulled her up to standing and became aware of the intensity with which she was looking at him.
"Have I got something on my face?" he asked and then they both jumped as the security door buzzed.
"Quick, that will be the courier" Harry said, thrusting a copy of the report into Nikki's hands to sign and running over to the door.
"I need to collect a report from Dr Cunningham" the speaker phone announced.
"Press the door and come on up," Harry replied and then ran back to his desk to search for the envelope. He had the package ready to go, just as the next security door buzzed. Harry opened the door to a very confused and worried looking courier.
"I thought this was supposed to be where they kept the dead bodies, lots of my mates won't pick up from here you know, but I heard laughing and banging.
"Laughing and banging?" repeated Harry in one of his silly serious voices. Nikki had her hand clasped over her mouth but it was doing little to stifle the noise of her giggling.
"Are pathologists not allowed to laugh?"
"Who?" asked the courier.
"Never mind, Here's the documents, I'll go and check on the dead bodies for you, if you think I should?"
"I would, if I were you mate." the courier said very seriously before disappearing back down the corridor.
As soon as the door shut Harry and Nikki exploded with laughter.
"Come on, I've got a dinner to get to, and surely you must have something better to do than hang about in the lab with me?"
"Hmm, Not 'til Sunday." Nikki said dejectedly "But I'm still not coming to your mothers! Night Harry and thanks."