"Here's a nice cup of tea for you both."
"Matron." Jill whispered, surprised; with all the emotions, she had forgotten the other woman's presence in the house.
Sometime whilst they had been huddled in the hallway, Matron had retreated to the kitchen. After Jill had calmed sufficiently, Gordon had managed to help her stand and manoeuvre them into the living room. They sat there now, Jill curled up, holding Gordon tight, whilst his arms encircled her, encasing her against him. She didn't move away from him, just lifted a hand to brush her hair from in front of her face, allowing her to see Matron place two cups of steaming tea on the coffee table in front of them.
"If there's nothing else I'd better be getting back to the hospital."
"Of course Matron." It was Gordon who spoke, Jill not trusting her voice to not to crack. She was embarrassed enough as it was with her show of emotion, without presenting more. "Would you like a lift?"
"No, no. I'll take the bus. You stay where you're needed." She looked down at them, concern evident in her eyes. "Don't worry about coming in today, I'll sort it with Mr Middleditch and Doctor Goodwin. If there's anything else, just give me a ring."
"Thank you Matron."
They were both silent, allowing them to hear Matron's footfalls through the hall, the click of the front door opening, and the bang of it shutting.
She drew in a shuddering breath, releasing it slowly, attempting to control her emotions. She had yet to explain to Gordon, and she could only imagine how worried and confused he must be at the past hour.
She shifted her position, lifting her head from his shoulder and sitting up straighter, feeling his arms loosen to give her room. She was level with him, allowing her to meet his concerned gaze. She attempted a reassuring smile as she brushed the tears from her cheeks, but it did nothing to alleviate the worry from his expression. "I suppose you want to know what happened." She laughed humourlessly, the sound falling flat around them. Gordon merely sighed in response, his hand rubbing her arm in comfort.
She took a deep breath, preparing herself to divulge the reasons, but instead, questioned him. "Why was Matron here with you?"
"I went straight to the hospital; I thought you'd be there. Lizzie was in a state when I arrived, I couldn't get any sense out of her. It was Matron who told me you hadn't turned up, weren't answering the phone. She offered to come with me back here in case something had happened and I needed help."
She nodded, averting her eyes guiltily. "I'm sorry." She whispered tearfully.
"It's alright sweetheart." He murmured, reaching up to stroke her cheek gently, raising her head, forcing her to look at him. "I just want to know what's upset you."
She nodded, her hand reaching up to cover his for a moment, before turning her head and kissing his palm as she readied herself to speak.
A car accident, he'd said, Gordon... And that was all she heard. The constable's words were muffled as her world crashed down around her. She had no recollection of how she'd ended up in the living room, couldn't even remember the constable, all that remained with her was the absolute devastation that had consumed her at the thought of never seeing Gordon again.
She said this to him, whispering, brokenly, repeating herself, placing no order to her words, she couldn't even be sure if she made any sense, if he understood her at all. But he didn't question her, instead staying silent, tightening his hold on her, his arms enveloping her, holding her close to him.
She couldn't help reliving the moment, couldn't help the tears coursing down her cheeks, almost as fast as before. The only difference was, Gordon was beside her, holding her tightly. She buried her face in the crisp white material of his shirt. She fell silent, drawing a shuddering breath, releasing it against his neck.
"Oh Jill... Sweetheart..." She felt it more than heard it, his lips pressed to her head, each inhalation and exhalation gently moving the strands of dark hair. He stroked her hair, occasionally placing kisses on the top of her head.
After a while, she calmed sufficiently, Gordon's presence serving to sooth her, reminding her that her world hadn't fallen apart.
