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The following day, Harry was moved from ICU to a regular ward, and in the evening he was asleep when Ruth arrived to visit him. She sat for a few minutes in case he was just dozing, but then took a notebook out of her bag, wrote on one of the pages and tore it out. Folding the page, she wrote Harry's name on it, and placed it under a glass on the stand by his bed. Then Ruth opened her bag again and took out a small object which she placed in the top drawer.
When Harry woke the next morning, he lay staring at the ceiling for a while, contemplating the day ahead. With concerted effort, he sat up straighter and turned, intending to pour a glass of water. His eyes instantly saw the paper under the glass and he reached for it, careful not to strain his wound as he did so. Ruth's handwriting was immediately recognisable to Harry, and he smiled as he unfolded the paper.
Harry
I'm sure you're already getting impatient with being in bed, and it won't be long before you start thinking about how you can leave hospital as soon as possible. Well don't! You still need to rest.
If you look in the top drawer, you'll find something I hope will help take your mind off work, at least for a bit longer.
Please rest.
Ruth
X
Harry's smile grew wider as saw the X Ruth had placed under her name. There's definitely something happening. His thoughts soon turned to wondering what Ruth could have brought him. He was pleasantly surprised when he opened the drawer to find an mp3 player.
He switched the player on and used his thumb to scroll through the music Ruth had loaded onto it: Verdi, Puccini, Van Morrison, Norah Jones ... You know me too well, Ruth. Then Harry laughed so hard his chest hurt, and he grasped at it with his hand, as he saw Ruth had also created a play list called Harry's musical edification. It was an eclectic mix of styles and included The Cranberries, Joss Stone, Dire Straits, Jamie Cullum, and U2.
Harry put on the headphones, highlighted Verdi, and pressed play, before laying back and closing his eyes. Ruth was right, he was already starting to feel impatient, but he also understood that his body wasn't ready yet. He knew he needed time to regain his strength. Besides, if it meant regular visits from Ruth, and the chance to envelop himself in his favourite music, the time would be well spent.
After the Monday morning briefing where they were joined by Malcolm and Dimitri, Simon ensconced himself in Harry's office – it was still Harry's as far his team was concerned - and mostly left them to their own devices. He closed his blinds for the best part of an hour before re-opening them and spending another hour or more on the phone, all the while keeping a close eye on the officers on the grid and shooting off emails, many of them to Ruth.
Mid-morning, Lucas took Dimitri with him to a meeting with the latest CIA liaison officer, and then on to speak with another source whom they hoped might be able to help with the Firmitas investigation.
Malcolm, who had been welcomed with open arms when he walked through the door, was debating use of the latest Trojan software with Tariq, while introducing him to the finer points of bugs. Tariq took it all in his stride, and his enthusiasm for the subject matched Malcolm's.
Ruth was alternating between phone calls and listening to GCHQ intercepts, still trying to identify their mystery man. Yet another email from Simon had appeared in her in box, and she was about to open it when her phone rang, and she welcomed the interruption. "Hello?"
"Hello Ruth."
"Harry?"
"The only and only." He knew she would take the bait if he teased her. "Anything interesting happening I should know about?"
"Harry, please don't start. You know I'm not going to … oh, never mind. How are you? Why are you ringing? Is everything alright?"
"Slow down, Ruth ... I'm fine. I wanted to thank you for your gift. It was a wonderful idea. Thank you."
"Oh. I'm glad you liked it."
"It certainly helped to pass the morning. I don't think I've had such a peaceful few hours in a long time."
Ruth smiled at the enjoyment evident in Harry's voice. "I'm pleased. You need it."
"Well, I'll admit I'm probably not quite ready to take on the might of the JIC just yet."
"I'm glad to hear you realise that ... Harry ..." Ruth could see Simon preparing to leave for a meeting. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I'm going to have to go. Simon is - "
"What's he up to now?"
"Nothing, Harry. It's just he's going to walk past in a minute and I don't particularly want to be caught talking to you. It turns out he's not your biggest fan."
"Simon Glen can go and - "
"Harry!" Ruth interjected in a hushed, but forceful voice.
"What?"
"Go and listen to some more music, Harry." Ruth could hear him laughing as she hung up.
On Friday, Simon announced that he'd found another new officer for Section D. Beth Bailey had recently completed her training with flying colours, and passed all the necessary clearances. According to Simon, she was a worthy addition and would join the team on Monday. He tasked Ruth with introducing Beth to the workings of the grid.
While new case officers were sorely needed, two in the space of one week brought extra pressure. Ruth felt she needed a clear shift to allocate to Beth on her first day, so she and Tariq tag-teamed with Malcolm for the rest of the day, in an effort to clear files and work through the remaining audio intercepts.
Also on Friday, Harry was officially discharged from hospital. He arrived home with detailed instructions from the doctor about what he was and was not allowed to do with regard to food, exercise and other excesses. He also had a follow up appointment scheduled for four weeks time. Work was strictly off limits until after the check up.
Relieved to be home again, Harry spent most of the afternoon pottering around the garden, tidying up, and talking to Scarlet who had been extremely pleased to see him. By early evening, the book he'd started to read lay on the floor and he'd fallen asleep in his most comfortable chair. Then just before seven o'clock, the doorbell woke him and he sat upright, carefully stretching his arms and wiping sleep from his eyes.
It was Ruth. Harry was both surprised and delighted to see her.
Ruth was laden with bags full of groceries and determined to cook Harry a healthy meal. "You need to start out the way you mean to continue. And I figured you might not feel up to cooking tonight."
"You're right about that, but there's really no need Ruth. I can -"
"Harry ... I'm here, you're here, and there's plenty of food. It's no trouble. Besides, I need to eat too."
Harry made a face, but was tired and nodded toward the kitchen, agreeing without further argument. "Come on then."
Ruth followed him down the hall and into the kitchen. While Harry unpacked the bags, she started chopping vegetables. Before long they were sitting at the kitchen table enjoying grilled chicken and a green mango salad. Both were hungry and ate heartily, Ruth updating Harry on events at Thames House.
"Simon's identified another new officer for Section D," she told Harry warily.
He looked up sharply, fork halfway to his mouth. "Who?"
"New girl. Her name's Beth Bailey, and she's just finished training. Very bright by all accounts."
"Hmm. She'd better be. I don't want to be landed with a hack. It's my team Simon Glen is messing with." There was more than a touch of outrage in his voice.
They continued eating, until Harry pushed his empty plate away. "Thank you, Ruth. That's far and away the best thing I've had to eat in a long time."
"I'm not sure that's saying much, given the state of the hospital food I've seen lately."
"Maybe so, but still."
She smiled and stood to clear the table, but Harry insisted that she had done enough. He would deal with the cleaning up, and no effort would be required. That's what dishwashers are for. Ruth conceded the point, and since both were craving an early night after an exhausting week, she left Harry to do as he pleased.
Dinner with Harry ... wouldn't you offer? :)