Hi. Next chapter - just a short one which features some Jac/Jil interactions with a little bit of Jonny thrown in for good measure. Hope you enjoy, and as ever please review..
Monday Afternoon, Holby City Hospital
Darwin
"So, do you want me to phone Daniel and explain what's going on?" Jac asked
"No!" Jil answered, very definitely.
"But I'll be able to tell him everything. And, no offence, but I think I might be able to do a slightly better job of it than you could – it's sort of in my job description after all."
"No," Jil said "it's not that I don't want you explaining to him. It's that I don't want him knowing – anything. That I'm here, that I'm ill – anything."
"What?" Jac said incredulously, "you're not being serious, surely. You're not going to tell Daniel that you're in hospital?"
"No," Jil said, again very definitely, "and if you do I WILL discharge myself!" she continued.
And Jac, who had seen Jil in this kind of mood before, knew that this wasn't an idle threat, but was also not prepared to give up on this. "But Jil, he'll want to know" she argued.
"Yes, I'm sure he will – but I don't want him to, not tonight anyway." Jil stated, and seeing the look on Jac's face explained further. "He'll only just have got back now and I don't want him driving up here like a maniac, which you know he will, jet-lagged and at rush hour. I'll tell him tomorrow morning – when he'll have had a good night's sleep and the roads won't be so busy."
"And how are you going to explain your absence from home tonight?" Jac asked, still trying to find a flaw in Jil's plan.
"I'll think of something." Jil answered simply. "And I meant what I said, if you tell him anything about all this," she said, indicating her hospital bed and the plethora of monitors situated next to it, "I will discharge myself! Is that clear?"
"As crystal" Jac replied. "But for the record – I think this is one of the most stupid ideas I've ever heard, and that's saying something considering I've been working with Jonny and Mo for the past few months."
"Your comment is duly noted" Jil said, primly, "and don't worry I will let Daniel know that you were dead set against it, and tried your hardest to dissuade me."
"Yeah, well I think that will be the least of your worries when he turns up here tomorrow" Jac concluded. "He's going to be furious."
"Probably," Jil replied, "but he….actually no."
"What?"
"I was going to say he'll understand but, of course, he won't. But" she added, "he will forgive me. Which is the most important thing, I suppose, isn't it?"
And Jac marvelled at the casual certainty with which her friend said this, thinking how lucky Jil was to be able to say that so easily, to be able to rely on forgiveness seemingly without even giving it a second thought. Although, she reflected, as she glanced across the ward from her chair by Jil's bed and saw Ranjit speaking to Jonny, maybe she wasn't doing too badly in that department herself now – Jonny had put up with a hell of a lot, and was still here. So maybe, forgiveness was something she could, would be able to get used to having..."
"Jac!" Jac was pulled away from her thoughts by Jil. "Jac are you OK?"
"Mmmhmm" she answered distractedly, "I was just thinking"
"How many times have I warned you about that?" Jil asked smiling.
"Ha, ha," Jac replied "I won't be booking the Apollo just yet - you're so not funny!"
"Erm Jac, sorry." Jonny's Scottish brogue caused them to stop their pretend argument and turn to look at him instead. "Sorry to interrupt but Ranjit's just said they're ready for you now – Mrs Divas has just gone down."
"Oh right, thanks" Jac replied. Briefly wondering why Ranjit hadn't told her that himself, before quickly discounting this as unimportant, and focussing on the slightly more crucial question of the operation she was meant to be performing now. And getting up from her chair said to Jil, "Well seeing as not all of us can sit around doing nothing all day, suppose I'd better get going. No rest for the wicked, eh?"
"You said it," Jil replied.
"Ha, ha, bonk" said Jac, before giving Jil one of her best fake smiles. Then noticing the look on Jonny's face – a cross between puzzled and astonished – she explained, "that was me laughing my head off." To which he just nodded, beginning to think that it wouldn't be possible for anything to surprise him today. "Lead on then" Jac said to him, before turning back to Jil she said, "I'll see you when I finish – shouldn't be too long." Stopping just as she'd started to follow Jonny out of the bay to add, "Do NOT do anything stupid whilst I'm away!"
"Yes mum," Jil replied, giving her a salute and a smile as she said it.
"I mean it," Jac said. "I'll have your guts for garters if you get out of that bed for anything but a comfort break, and I will know if you have."
"I'm sure you will" Jil replied, still smiling "after all deities are omniscient aren't they?"
This earned her a wry smile from Jac, and just as she left the bay the throw-away comment, "You said it!"
To which she replied, quietly to herself "I know I did." Before she picked up one of the magazines Jac had brought her from the staff room to read whilst she waited for the nurse, Kate was it, to finish whatever she was doing with Rosie.
Jac meanwhile, had re-acquainted herself with Mrs Divas' case and was heading towards Darwin's theatre's. But as if to show that Jil really never was far from her thoughts she asked Jonny, just before she went to scrub in, to phone the MRI team to remind them about Jil's scan, and to make sure that they'd tell them the minute the last out-patient was in the scanner.
Sorry this one is so short but it did seem like a natural ending point. There should be some longer chapters soon, and hopefully I'll be able to keep updating fairly regularly too :)