It's very quiet out there…maybe you're all back at college and working hard… Or maybe Nikki's psychosis is putting you off? Thanks to greylostwho and Freya82 for taking the time to review.


Chapter Forty-Three

Sunday 21st July

'But he's a liar and I'm not sure about you.'

Another Sunday, and Harry had another nervous wait on Nikki's doorstep. They'd talked briefly in the week, Harry had been in to LSSE to discuss the teaching they wanted him to do for the upcoming year. He'd had lunch with Matthew his old friend from neuroscience.

"So, you're back," Matthew had begun.

Harry had nodded but concentrated more on carrying his plate of food over to a table in the LSSE cafeteria.

"You had success though," Harry added.

"What? Me?"

"Your mission."

"My what?" Matthew looked at Harry with a confused look. "Oh, keeping Stretch away from Nikki. That wasn't my doing."

"What made him leave?"

"His father I think; was taken ill. He went back to Scotland to be with him. Stretch fell in love with the Macmillan nurse that came to the house every day. Apparently they'd known each other at primary school, so he handed in his notice and never came back."

Harry forked some slightly dubious student cafeteria curry into his mouth and nodded at Matthew. "It's a good story, happy ever after?" Harry said slightly sarcastically.

"Not entirely, his father was dying."

"How about you? Wife ok? How are the kids?"

"They're good thanks, number three is due before Christmas. We're really excited!"

Harry smiled up at his old friend, his life was so different.

"No chance of me jetting off to New York, with a new job." Matthew added.

"Oh I don't know," Harry said naively and the look Matthew gave him confirmed Harry's ignorance.

"I can't pull Philip out of school and move him across the world, he's just started his GCSE coursework, it wouldn't be fair."

"Fair point," Harry agreed eager to change the subject. He was thinking back to what Matthew had said about Stretch, he'd returned to his father when he was ill. Beto had gone back to Colombia to be with his mother after her heart attack. Who would go visit him when he reached old age? It wasn't a comfortable thought.

"Congratulations on number three!" Harry said trying to be positive.

"It was something of a surprise, but we've got our heads round it now. How's Nikki?"

"She didn't take Leo's death too well."

"I've not heard that there have been any problems over in that department though, she must be working like a Trojan. The new one, he seems pretty on the ball. His name has come up in a number of meetings."

"Eh?"

"All for good reasons. Jack isn't it?" Harry nodded. "Leo did well to appoint him."

"You must miss him too." Matthew had added after a beat.

"I do." Harry had agreed.

"So tell me all about NYU!" Matthew had asked and Harry gave him the edited highlights.

"Right I should get back to work," Matthew had said. "Good to have you back Harry." He shook his friend's hand and left him alone in the cafeteria. Harry hadn't the heart to go straight home, so popped his head round the door of his old office.

"Hi Harry, what are you doing here?" Nikki asked.

"I was just getting a new security pass, discussing hours that sort of thing."

"Do you want a coffee?"

Harry could feel the lunch weighing heavily in his stomach and a slightly bitter taste in his mouth. "No, I'm fine. Thanks."

He looked across at his desk. It looked just the same as before he'd left only Nikki was sitting on her side for once. He cast his eyes in the direction of Leo's office.

"It's weird," Harry had admitted.

"Tell me about it," Nikki had replied grimly

He knew now how uncomfortable being in Leo's house must have made her feel. She had to work all day in the office, with the door to Leo's office permanently shut. It wasn't any surprise that by the end of the work day she'd had enough. Being back at the Lyell was deeply unsettling.

"I should be going," he said hastily. "You still ok for Sunday?"

"Sunday at one?"

Harry nodded and she nodded back.

"See you then."

"Bye."

It had taken most of the afternoon to get over his feeling of unease, and even on Sunday he still felt tetchy, fed up. He couldn't explain it, but something wasn't quite right. It hadn't helped that he'd put in an offer on a house that the estate agent had sworn that no one else was interested in and that the vendors would be sure to take an offer on, only to find that someone else had offered earlier that morning at the full asking price. He hated the disingenuousness and had told the estate agent so. Only not quite so politely.

Nikki had answered the door with a big smile, but scurried off quickly, calling behind her as she went.

"Give me five minutes, I'm nearly ready."

"You look fine," he called to her back. They were only having lunch together at a pub.

Harry felt his stomach rumble and sat at her kitchen table. It could be a long wait. In a way he was glad she was taking time to get ready it showed that she was taking a bit more care of herself. It wasn't as if she'd been slouching about in sweat pants and a hoodie the first day he had returned, not physically but mentally she had been.

"Any luck on the house search?" she called.

"No," he shouted back angrily. "You don't want to go there!" He could only just hear her over the music she had playing in her room. He strained to make out the words.

'There's a guy works down the chip shop swears he's Elvis,

Just like you swore to me that you'd be true.

There's a guy works down the chip shop swears he's Elvis;

But he's a liar and I'm not sure about you.'

The music or the thoughts on his disastrous house search just depressed him more; he got up from the table and started to wander about her kitchen. He spotted his plant pot on the window sill. It still looked as it had the week before when he gave it to her.

"Have you been watering this?" he called.

"Eh?"

Harry poured some water into the tray.

"Ready," announced Nikki as she stepped through the door.

Harry gave her a weak smile. She'd got some colour back, maybe it was the heat wave and the chance for some vitamin D but her skin had lost some of the wan look, and her eyes didn't seem as deeply shadowed as before. He wondered if she'd finally started to take the antidepressants. Or maybe the insomnia was passing.

"You alright?" she asked. Harry looked up at her trying to assess whether she was just being polite or whether she genuinely wanted to know. They were talking but there was something superficial about their conversations. Despite hoping that things might be moving forward between them if he was honest with himself there was no apparent change.

He shrugged a non-committal response.

"Shall we just walk to the Crown up the road? Or did you have plans?" Nikki asked.

"The Crown," sounds fine. "I fancy a burger; do you think they do them?"

"Where doesn't do burgers?"

"It could have turned into one of those ultra fancy places where they serve tiny bits of food all piled up in a clump in the middle of a plate and decorated by some strange colour sauce."

"Have you been watching MasterChef?"

"Or one of those chains where you can get two meals for a tenner."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nikki!" he growled.

"It's just like it always was."

"Come on, let's go then." he said.


Kirsty Maccoll: There's a guy works down the chip shop swears he Elvis