Chantelle ignored the cold wind as she made her way out of the hospital and walked quietly across the landscaped gardens to the bench with her snack. She glanced up at the glowering sky with a sigh, the weather seemed to match the mood inside the wards at that particular moment. Her natural exuberance was dented and she was struggling to smile.
Three months had passed and still her mind wandered back to the day Henrik Hanssen walked out of Holby.
"See you tomorrow" he'd said to her. She almost kicked herself in hindsight for not realising what was going on seeing as he was carrying a box. She did't entirely know what sort of stress he'd been under but thinking back, she had seen it but believed him when he said he was...safe. An ache had started that day, people suddenly realised in the light of his absence how much they truly appreciated the tall, acerbic Swede. The hospital without his prescence was just not the same, it was worse.
Chantelle opened her pot of yoghurt and tried to ignore the nip in the air. Thoughtfully munching her lunch, other thoughts of the hospital and patients crowded her mind. Mr Griffin would be wondering why she wasn't in the nurses' room, he noticed small things like that and she knew she'd get questioned when she went back in. She simply couldn't stand the atmosphere.
She looked up at the sky and noticed a few flakes of snow dropping from the dark clouds. Sighing, she pulled her jacket tighter around her and stood up, watching as cars drew in to the car park and left, she waited for an ambulance to pass before glancing up again as the snow started really coming down in thick flakes.
She had the oddest feeling in a split second that someone was nearby and turned her head to see a tall figure clad in a long overcoat looking up at the hospital. When he saw her, she saw glasses glint in the light and dark, focused eyes peering at her.
Henrik Hanssen. She blinked softly and wondered if she was going mad, seeing what she wanted to see to feel safe and secure again. Like someone smart and strong who could make a difference actually cared. Then he smiled that gently-amused smile at her and she let out a little gasp.
"MR HANSSEN!"
She threw herself across the road in three bounds and locked arms around his torso with a yelp of delight. The tall Swede almost toppled over in shock. "Nurse Lane kindly control your-" He looked down at her owlishly behind his glasses and shook his head with a smile, knowing it was hopeless. "Never mind"
Chantelle looked up into his face with an almost whisper. "Are you back? Oh please tell me you're back, what happened? You said "see you tomorrow"?"
"It doesn't matter, Nurse Lane." Hanssen looked down at her, thoughts of whatever had happened moving enigmatically behind his eyes for a moment. He simply patted her shoulder as she continued to squeeze him and gave her a quiet, serious smile.
"Tomorrow has come."