Thanks for the reviews. Now meet the ex wife

Hospital Midnight

Jane's expression did not waver for an instant as she stared back at her ex-husband before continuing in the same biting tone.

"I would have thought that was obvious – I'm being patched up after being blasted by a faulty gas main into the centre of a London road. Surely the question is what the hell are you doing here?"

"And that," Harry retorted, as he recovered from the shock of seeing her lying where he'd expected to see his daughter,"should, I think, be equally obvious."

Jane's face clearly indicated that the reasons underpinning Harry's unwelcome presence were obscure as opposed to obvious. Before Harry could attempt to enlighten her he was interrupted by the entrance of the policemen he had unceremoniously assaulted in his anxiety to see his daughter. To Harry's experienced eye the body language of the disaffected duo indicated that their desire to take a punitive revenge was severely constrained by the political inadvisability of handcuffing a senior MI5 officer, particularly one with a title. The constable Harry had sent crashing to the ground had acquired a limp and was keeping his distance while regarding his assailant with an understandable apprehension. The older officer, in an attempt to reclaim some grip on events, made an effort to apologise for Harry's intrusion.

"Sorry doctor but he just burst in. Do you want us to remove him?"

Both Harry and the doctor were relieved from the responsibility of replying to this query when a voice from the bed shouted in exasperation: "I thought I'd got rid of him years ago but he's like a boomerang ... keeps coming back even when you don't want him so you've no chance of succeeding – nor are these circumstances under which I want strange men in my room, so GET OUT ..AND THAT INCLUDES YOU HARRY."

Despite the grimness of the situation Harry felt a mild frisson of amusement, twinned with the thought that as Jane's tongue was apparently in fine and feisty form the damage to her body couldn't be too extreme.

Routed the policemen vanished outside the door. Harry remained. The doctor, whose air of confusion was palpable, enquired curiously "So, who are you? – Really we should only allow family in."

"Ex husband, the name's Pearce and before you ask I was contacted as next of kin."

Jane's open mouthed stare of astonishment as Harry uttered this bare faced lie was unmistakable. Fortunately the doctor was still looking towards Harry as he pondered how to handle what was clearly a delicate situation before finally saying "Well Mr Pearce I've nearly finished treating the patient but I'm waiting for some test results. Could I ask you to wait outside?" Harry glanced at Jane whose bitten lip and silence implied that she was, for some reason, prepared to let his fiction stand. Deciding not to push his luck Harry continued to address himself to the doctor. "I'll leave for now but I will need to talk to you later."

Any further conversation was interrupted by the ring tone of Harry's phone. Aware that he was breaking hospital regulations Harry glanced at the caller display. The call was from Dimitri: "Sorry Doctor, but I do have to take this – is it okay if I do so outside?"

Taking silence for assent Harry departed towards the corridor although not before turning to Jane: "Don't run away, I look forward to continuing our conversation."

He hurried out of the room before he could decode her spluttered reply.

Once on the other side of the door Harry pressed to take the call as private thoughts haunted him: 'Please God let Jane be right, ... let it have been a gas explosion.'

Dimitri's voice was clear but cagey, from which Harry deduced he was trying to avoid being overheard and not certain of his success.

"It's rather strange Harry – the front door etc went up with a bomb but the rest of the flat is untouched. Special Branch have sealed the place and a forensic team are working on it. They should have a preliminary picture by the morning. I've told them we'll need to know asap to judge whether we get involved. I hope that was okay."

"Thanks. Tell me – was anyone in the property?"

"No – how's your daughter, not badly injured I hope?"

"That's just it – the woman who was brought in wasn't my daughter –it was her mother."

It took a couple of seconds before the point registered with Dimtri. He choked audibly before asking: "So what was she doing there and where is ...?"

"Catherine – exactly. I've not had a chance to talk to Jane yet, I've no idea what she's doing here."

Harry reflected, as he uttered this statement, that he and Jane hadn't actually talked to one another for years, shouted yes, corresponded via their respective solicitors yes, but talked, no. The last time they'd set eyes on each other had been at the funeral of mutual friend about three years ago – On that sombre occasion Harry had endured several barbs from Jane about his knighthood – finally goaded he'd commented that, 'even staying married to me wouldn't have turned you into a lady' before walking away. So how on earth he was going to persuade the woman who'd regarded him with such unremitting hostility for a quarter of century to talk to him? His own words to Towers a few months ago echoed around his brain 'I'm an intelligence officer, not a diplomat' If ever he needed diplomacy it was now: somehow he was going to have to negotiate his way through his own, his very own personal Cold War, without even the vaguest of clues as to how to begin.

"Okay Dimitri go home, we'll talk tomorrow – if I'm not in first thing get Calum to run the CCTV checks plus all the usual Intel and make sure that you tell the plods not to remove anything."

Harry switched off his phone and re entered the ward adopting a breezily confident manner that he trusted would disguise his worry that Jane had, in his absence, seen fit to enlighten the doctor as to the true nature of their acrimonious relationship.

"Well, how is the patient?" The doctor seemed uncertain as to how to respond to this enquiry but was rescued by Jane snorting, "You might as well tell him, he'll find out anyway."

As she said it Harry gave a small nod towards the bemused medic standing by her bedside hoping that she would remember that the dissolution of their marriage had not negated her signature on the Official Secrets Act. Thankfully Jane took the hint and shut up, although the fact that the doctor had simultaneously taken the opportunity to stab her with an injection may have helped. Harry noticed her grimace of pain and took advantage of the pause in hostilities to view her injuries. The merciless glare of the ward lights revealed that the entire left side of her body seemed to be grazed with sundry cuts. He couldn't tell the exact extent of the damage but noticed that her left ankle was strapped up while her face bore signs of bruising. She was dressed in the usual thin, flowery hospital gown, whose claim to sartorial elegance was limited to providing an adequate, if skimpy, covering for her body. From the pile of tattered clothes lying in the corner of the room Harry concluded that Jane's claim to have been splattered over the road was not an exaggeration. Personal experience told him that next few days would be achingly painful for her: a situation that was not likely to improve her reaction towards the world in general and Harry in particular.

Having been given Jane's grudging permission the doctor proceeded to outline the condition of his patient, "Right Mr Pearce, that was the anti tetanus, just a precaution, sundry cuts, two cracked ribs, a couple of deeper cuts to the left shoulder that we've stitched and dressed, obviously bruising to come out, badly sprained ankle and possible concussion. Also ringing in the ears from the explosion, probably temporary ... Not much medication required other than painkillers. We could discharge her if she has anywhere to stay but she shouldn't be on her own for the next few days, especially since she's not sure if she lost consciousness when she hit the pavement and was a little disorientated when she came in."

"No problem, I'll sort out somewhere for her to stay. Could you give us a few minutes please? "

A cry of indignation rang across the room, "What can I have to say to you of all people?"

Ignoring her protest Harry again asked the increasingly puzzled doctor, "Please?"

The doctor, while not accustomed to being overawed within his own department, succumbed to Harry's natural air of authority and withdrew on the excuse of sorting Jane's medication. Once Harry knew that no one was in earshot he collapsed into the uncomfortable hospital chair by the side of the bed and rubbed his eyes. Wearily he set about the task of trying to placate the woman who lay there glaring at him as if he was something particularly unpleasant on her shoe. His best policy, he decided, would be to employ a limited honesty. Nerving himself to the effort he spoke to her quietly but firmly.

"Jane, let me sort you out with a safe house to stay in."

"Where did you have in mind?"

With a quick breath and prayer Harry said, "My place."

"Your place – you ARE joking! Have you possibly forgotten that when we did share a house we argued like two cats in the sack?"

"Jane, I know that given the choice between residing in house harbouring the Black Death and one harbouring me you'd probably opt for the former and I wouldn't blame you."

"Huh that's good of you."

Harry continued as if she hadn't interrupted although he raised his voice slightly, "...but do be sensible – what sort of hotel can you check into at this time of night?" As the resistance in her eyes began to fade Harry utilised the skills that had made him one of the most effective interrogators in the service to press his advantage, "You heard the doctor, you may have after effects, I can at least offer you a comfortable bed and warm shower, so please."

"Pity you hadn't been so concerned twenty five years ago."

Harry was tempted to abandon tact and shout but with a patience that would have astonished his subordinates on the Grid continued to speak in a quiet but insistent voice, "Give it a rest Jane –At present I have two priorities, one is to get you somewhere that is comfortable – no don't lie and tell me you're okay because I can see the state you're in and I've been injured often enough to know you feel like shit.. I also know that making peace is impossible but...," pausing for a moment, "we really do need to call a truce..." Before he could explain further Jane cut across his speech to ask sardonically: "And the other reason... the one that makes it so important that we call a truce?"

No help for it. Harry said as gently as he could:"'Jane – the reason I'm here is because I was contacted about the explosion at work ... as a work related matter.."

Jane stared at him. "Oh God... do you mean ...but Harry it was a gas explosion wasn't it?"

Harry looked at the fear in her face and simply answered, "No."

While the shock was still fresh he added, "and here is not the place to talk about it– but if you need to be defended by a man with a gun I'd rather not delegate the task to anyone else."

"I thought you'd become a - what did you used to call it – a desk spook not a field officer?"

Harry felt disinclined to explain exactly why he'd recently taken to sleeping with a gun nearby and limited himself to saying: "Call it a home safety precaution," with the sound of the doctor returning he added, "discussion later."

Jane shot him a look of deep resentment: one that implied that she recognised that she had been out manoeuvred and cornered. It was an expression that also stated that she was very far from reconciled to the situation despite her lack of a practical alternative. Hoping to convey her annoyance she snapped: "Okay then but don't get any ideas about being touchy feely. In any sense of the phrase."

Harry raised an eyebrow before replying in the sarcastic tone she recalled from times past, "I'll manage to restrain myself – somehow."

As the doctor entered he handed Harry the medication and then made to help Jane off the bed. The hospital gown nearly fell off her as it parted at the back revealing a display of bruised thighs, bare flesh and knickers. Noticing Jane cringe with sudden embarrassment Harry shoved the package into his trouser pocket and grabbed the shredded clothes lying in the corner. The garments were not only tattered, they were also covered with grime and embedded with grit, some of which showered onto the floor as he shook the offending fabric. Harry reckoned that he'd seen less ragged items on vagrants. Oh well...Wordlessly he stripped off his jacket and tie and then, to Jane's evident confusion, began unbuttoning his shirt. Handing it over to her he smiled wryly, "Sorry, I've been wearing it all day, but at least it fastens."

Jane shot him a glance that might just possibly have resembled gratitude before commenting, "Not my best look – shirt and trainers."

"Yes, well jacket over vest isn't mine –Put this on while I see about some transport."

Harry strolled outside to dial up a driver. When he'd finished he spoke to the policemen. "This operation is now going to be regarded as an MI5 matter. I'm taking the witness to a safe house. You can go as soon as my car arrives." Watching the young policeman wince as he rubbed his injured leg Harry added as an afterthought, 'And constable can I suggest you brush up on your self defence techniques? If an overweight, out of practice, elderly MI5 officer with a dodgy knee can fell you I wouldn't fancy your chances against an inner city yob."

Returning into the ward Harry looked at Jane critically. His shirt just about skimmed her backside and upper thighs, as a covering it was a minimal improvement on the hospital's offering, but still revealed an excessive length of leg. While Harry noted automatically that Jane's limbs were as shapely as he remembered he also knew that under the current circumstances she'd cavil at making a public display of them.

"Here," he said holding out his top coat. "I could put it on the floor for you to walk over but I think you'd do better to wear it– we don't want the police outside arresting you for indecent exposure."

Jane made no attempt to take it. Looking at her Harry realised that her earlier bravado was fast fading into a confused exhaustion. He understood so moving towards her he shook out the coat and held it while she shrugged herself into it. The contact of the heavy material with the various injuries on the damaged left side of her body brought forth a groan. Before she could attempt to fasten the front Harry stayed her hand; "Let me, the less you move that arm the better." Avoiding eye contact or any other gesture that could conceivably be misinterpreted he carefully fastened the buttons.

"Okay, you now look respectable so let's go." Pausing just long enough to thank the doctor Harry gently took Jane's elbow as he prepared to steer her out of the room on the first stage of their journey to his home.