Jill raised her head at the sound of the front door closing. Hurriedly, she wiped the tears from her cheeks, sighed and made her way out to the hall, hoping she'd erased any evidence of her moment of weakness.
"Hi love." Gordon smiled as he hung his coat up by the door. He moved towards her, his smile gradually turning into a frown. "The television's a bit loud."
"Oh er..." She mumbled, wondering how she was going to explain this away. "I er, must have knocked the control when I turned it on just now. Anyway," she said quickly, walking towards him and sliding her arms over his shoulders to link at the back of his neck. "What are you doing home?"
He immediately encircled her waist with his arms, pulling her closer to him. "I was just on my back from my house calls, so I thought I'd pop by." He finished this with a soft kiss to her lips.
"Mmm. I'm glad you did." She kissed him again. "How long have you got?"
He lifted one arm from her to check his watch. "About 45 minutes. You had lunch yet?"
"No, I was just about to."
"Good. I'll make us both some then."
"No, no. I'll do that. I thought you took some sandwiches this morning." She frowned.
"I did, but I wasn't hungry. I am now though."
Jill rolled her eyes at him and slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "You're wasting our food!"
"Well, I could go back to the hospital if you prefer." He took a tiny step back, smiling teasingly at her.
"Don't you dare." She pulled him back towards her, smiling as their bodies came into contact once more. "Now, how about cheese and tomato?"
"Perfect."
She reluctantly slid her arms from around his neck and took a step and began to turn away from him, but Gordon caught hold of her elbow gently, halting her progress and turning her back to face him.
"Jill..." He sighed, his tone becoming serious. "Are you okay?"
She eyed him for a moment, wondering what answer to give before she spoke. "Yes, yes I'm fine." She smiled. "Now let me go, those sandwiches aren't going to make themselves."
Gordon turned to go upstairs. As soon as he did, the smile dropped from Jill's face. She dashed to the kitchen, grabbed the dustpan and brush from the cupboard under the sink, and dashed through to the living room. She tossed the cushion onto the settee, and swept up the fragments of porcelain littering the carpet. Luckily it was one of her own ornaments, a cheap souvenir from a trip to some seaside resort.
Once every piece was off the dark carpet and into the dustpan, she rose and re-entered the kitchen. She had just begun spreading margarine on a slice of bread when Gordon strode in. "The bathroom looks very clean, as do the carpets." He slid his arms around her from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder, so his next words tickled her ear. "You were meant to be resting, not working twice as hard in the house."
She rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see them. "I'm fine Gordon, stop worrying."
He didn't respond, but she felt his hold tighten around her as she continued preparing lunch.
They had lunch in the living room, sat together on the settee, he with his arm around her shoulders. Although having only one hand available to eat his sandwich with meant he ended up with a fair few crumbs on his jacket.
"Honestly Gordon." Jill laughed, brushing the crumbs from his jacket and to the floor. "I vacuumed this morning as well."
"I noticed. I also notice you stuck the wallpaper back on." He indicated the corner opposite them, where the wall meets the ceiling where previously the corner had furled down, revealing the grey coloured backing. .
"Mmm, well it needed doing."
She took his plate from him and rose, only to be pulled back down when he caught her arm.
"Don't go." He said, almost whining.
She rolled her eyes. "I was only taking these to the kitchen."
"But I've only got half an hour. I want to make the most of it."
She rolled the eyes again, but nevertheless snuggled up beside him, sliding her arm across his stomach whilst he wrapped both his around her, holding her securely to him.
They were both silent for a while before Jill spoke up in a nervous tone. "Have you seen Alex Heath?" She didn't look up as she said this; her still, resting against his shoulder, her eyes focused on his stomach.
Gordon didn't reply for a moment, debating what to tell her. A lie would result in the least upset, at least in the short term. But she was bound to find out the truth when she returned to work the next day. And as well the fact she would be angry when she discovered the truth, it would also be kinder for her to know in the privacy of their home, than the public workplace.
A slight trembling of Jill's body against his prompted him to give his answer. "It's not good I'm afraid." He gently ran his hand up and down her arm, hoping to provide at least a little comfort. "He won't eat, and he won't talk to anyone. Jeff's trying to get Lucy in tomorrow to speak to him." He stopped and looked down at her, trying to gauge what she was thinking. Her face was still turned down, so he couldn't see her expression, but her body was tense and still.
Suddenly, she sat upright, and turned to face him, taking him by surprise. "Maybe I should go see him, try and talk to him."
"I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Why?"
"Because..." Here, he paused, wonder whether it was wise to allow the words to pass his lips, wary of the reaction it might provoke. Nevertheless, he continued, albeit tentatively. "Because, you're still too emotional."
"I'm not!" Came her sharp, indignant response, her eyes flashing a hint of anger.
He raised his eyebrow at her, but her expression hardened further, so he proceeded quickly. "Look, you can see him tomorrow when you're back at work."
When she still continued to stare at him, he reached out a hand and placed it on her knee, stroking gently with his thumb. "Come on, I'm only thinking of you here."
She scowled, but flopped back against him, grumbling something he couldn't make out. He smiled as he felt her slide her arm around him and hug him tightly, knowing she wasn't too angry after all.
"I need to be going to in fifteen minutes." This came out muffled, said into her hair, making her smile as his breath moved her hair slightly, but she then sighed as a glance at the clock confirmed that he was indeed right.
"We'll just have to make the most of it." She murmured, tightening her arm around him and snuggling closer to him, closing her eyes and letting out another sigh, but this time more contended.
"I think I can think of something." Her eyes flew open only seconds later as she felt his hand slip under her blouse and move up her back.
"I don't think fifteen minutes is long enough for what you have in mind Doctor Ormerod."
"Ah well, I'll just have to think of something else then."
She raised her head to look at him, surprised at how readily he backed down. That was until she felt his fingers moving against her side, tickling her. She squealed, squirming. "No! Gordon please! No! Stop!"
"No way," he laughed. "I'm having too much fun."
He tickled her more, and she squealed again, flicking out her legs, catching the plates on the coffee table and sending them crashing to the floor. The smash make them both pause, glancing from the plate, to each other, before bursting out laughing. She revelled in the laughter, how good it felt, momentarily forgetting about the previous day, her state that morning before Gordon had arrived home. All of it was blocked out by the hilarity. Eventually though, the laughter died down, Jill once again curling her legs up and settling against his side, Gordon encasing her in his strong arms.
They were silent for a while, before Gordon spoke, simply saying her name, but the seriousness of his tone make her sit up to look him in the eye. "How are you?"
She smiled, feigning confusion, making it seem as if she thought it was a daft question, pretending she didn't know exactly the reason why he was asking. "I'm fine Gordon." She laughed, keeping up the pretence in her words, her tone, trying to lighten the mood once more, just so she could hide behind some other daft occurrence.
Gordon sighed and removed his arms from around her. The smile dropped from her face to be replaced by fear. She thought he was going to move away from her completely, upset or angry with her. However, he took hold of her hands, holding them gently, rubbing her knuckles with his thumbs. The fear faded from her face, and her eyes filled with tears, the exact reason of this she couldn't pinpoint. Nevertheless, she blinked them away, determined not to ruin what little time she had left with him.
"Can I look at your wrists?"
"Of course."
He stood, still holding onto her hands, bringing her up with him, and leading her into the kitchen. The sunlight flooded through the window, reflecting off the steel taps. The kitchen always received the best sunlight in the early afternoon, as did the back garden beyond it, proving the family with plenty an afternoon playing or lazing in the warmth.
Gordon moved them to stand by the window, proving sufficient light with which to examine her red raw wrists, a result of the biting, chaffing rope that had been so roughly tied around them only twenty four hours previously.
"How do they feel?" He asked, his eyes still trained on them, turning her hands over to view the injury from all sides.
"Sore." She admitted, sighing as she did so. She had knocked them numerous times that morning; her fault, some might say, due to her ferocious attack on the dust and dirt in the house.
She watched him as he raised her hands, she thought to take a better look, but he bought them to his lips, placing a soft kiss on each of her wrists, so gentle, not causing the slightest bit of pain.
Her eyes glistened with tears once again, the simple gesture telling her more than any words could.
