The next few days passed in a tedious crawl. Cutter barely hid his amusement as the feisty Doctor Sullivan continued to make Lester and Leeks access to the women difficult. Unfortunately she had good reason to protect them from their approaching debriefing.
Since their arrival Claudia and Abby had spent most of their time sleeping. It was hard for them. They had mourned the loss of their 'world' and just focused on surviving for so long, that to stumble back home was such a relief. That they had only been missing for small fraction of the time they had been lost hadn't sunk in yet. In ways it helped. The world hadn't changed much at all. But they had.
It went beyond the physical differences Cutter had noticed whilst waiting for them to wake. Despite their exhaustion they stayed in a light sleep, waking at every little noise. They were hyperaware of their surroundings and having only had each other for company, they found other people unnerving.
After clinging to Nick so fiercely that first night, he was disappointed when Claudia withdrew slightly from him. He was comforted by the fact that she made an effort when he visited regularly, trying to draw him into conversation with Abby and Conner who joined him most visits. He had enjoyed watching them devour the large box of chocolate he had brought them. The pizza he had brought them the next time he visited was also demolished quickly. Today he was smuggling in two Starbucks latte's which they had begged for. He'd held off knowing that Doctor Sullivan would frown over the less than nutritional beverage but the two women's pleas broke him.
He was sitting there watching them inhale the much missed caffeine with amusement when Dr Sullivan walked in. She eyed the two travel containers with a disapproving frown then threw him a small glare, knowing who had smuggled the contraband in. He just smiled back at her, not feeling guilty at all.
"And how are we this morning," she asked the two woman walking to the end of their beds to read their charts, not noticing the eye rolls at the royal 'we'.
"I'm good," Abby told her, toasting Nick with her coffee. "I've just had my three-year coffee craving satisfied." Claudia laughed in agreement.
Nick waited outside when the Doctor quickly looked them over, preventing a late Conner barging in to the side-room. He was surprised when they were called back into the room to talk afterwards.
"Well Abby, Claudia, your both fit for discharge. Obviously you still need to finish the antibiotics and have your dressing changed, but this can be done on an outpatient basis." Doctor Sullivan's statement was met by an awkward pause.
Conner had refused to believe that Abby was not coming back and kept up her flat. Her devastated parents hadn't packed up anything. It had been an emotional reunion with the Maitlands', who had been overjoyed at their daughter's safe return. Unfortunately they had, had to return home sooner than they wanted, but Abby was on the phone to them throughout the day.
In contrast, Claudia's parents had brought out her tenancy contract and put her belongings in storage. This had all been done by a colleague of Mr Brown, who was over seas on business. Mrs Brown was on a retreat with members of her country club. There had been one stilted conversation between mother and daughter, a very slightly warmer one between father and daughter and one tearful reunion with a heavily pregnant sister in law who had managed the trip from York to see her.
Claudia had nowhere to go. And it was obvious that neither she nor Abby where ready to be separated. Abby immediately offered to set up a camp bed, but her studio flat wasn't really big enough for the three of them. Claudia suggested asking the Home Office for some temporary accommodation somewhere.
"Listen, I have two spare rooms and a pull out sofa." He broke into the mini brainstorming session between the three of them. "You two could have the rooms and start to get used to being a little separated, Conner could have the couch. It'd be better than some hotel, you can relax, and Conner and I will be around if you need anything."
It made sense, but the two independent women were reluctant to put him out.
"You won't be." Nick assured them. "The rooms are always there and if either of you can cook that would just be great." Claudia threw a pillow at him for that remark, grinning despite herself.
"You need to get used to being around other people," He said seriously. "It would be better this way." It took another half an hour discussion, but in the end they agreed, at least until they were healed enough.
With mixed emotions they were released from the hospital the next morning. Conner had thoughtfully brought in some of Abby's old clothes for the two ladies which earned him a quick hug. The poor guy afraid to return it, after a rather enthusiastic hug he'd given Abby previously had resulted in a hard punch. He'd forgotten her fractured rib and was now constantly aware of it. When Cutter arrived to pick them up he managed to hide his concern when he saw how baggy the jogging bottoms were on the girls.
During the car ride Claudia starred transfixed out the window at the modern world. Women with young children walking in and out of shops, at the bus station, people working on stalls. Just ordinary people carrying out their lives as usual, completely unaware of was happening behind the scenes, no idea of the past…or the future. Life was carrying on as usual.
Cutter lived outside of London in a quiet neighbourhood. For the past seven or so years he'd been a bit of a recluse, estranged from his neighbours, so people did a double take when his guests got out of the car. Claudia watched as he waved cheekily at a house opposite him. She turned in time to see a curtain twitch back into place. Nick caught her watching and grinned.
"Nosey busybody," he explained. "Gossips like anything."
"Every street or building has one." She told him, remembering fondly of the elderly Mrs Dorothy who lived in the apartment opposite. She had made it her life's mission to track her movements and give her 'sound' advice, whether asked for or not. She felt a tug of sadness at not returning to her flat. A phone call to her former landlord confirmed that her flat had already been given to someone else.
Picking up a bag from the boot she stared up at Nick's house nervously. It was a friendly looking house, a bit shabby and unkempt. Not unlike its owner. She stiffed a grin at the thought and followed as Cutter opened the door and let them in.