The final couple of hours of the day dawdled by in a haze of wheelchair pushing and bed wheeling muddled with half ideas of what to cook for Zoe for dinner.
He made his way to the staff room to collect his coat as soon as the clock hit six. Cal, Lofty and Robyn were sitting at the coffee table counting out change.
"What're you doing?"
He asked, shrugging on his coat and turning up the collar.
"We've got a bet running on who can find out who your secret girlfriend is first."
Robyn wrote something down on a piece of paper as she spoke.
"Ah."
Max answered, pushing his hands into his pocket and retrieving his phone to turn it back on.
"So who is she?"
Cal asked as Max pushed his phone back into his pocket.
"I am sworn to secrecy."
He smiled, zipping up his jacket all the way to his chin.
"Well whoever it is we'd better work fast, he'll be onto the next one next week."
Robyn said as she used a yellow highlighter to highlight each persons name who had put a bet down.
"What do you mean by that?"
Max asked, pausing his hand on his zip.
"Well you're not exactly a one-woman man are you."
She raised an eyebrow at him, briefly looking up.
"I am."
He said, rocking on his heels and slipping his hands into his back pockets.
"Are you?"
Asked Cal, disbelievingly.
"Yep."
Max answered, refusing to give anything away.
"What about that new girl, the blonde in ENT, nice or what?"
Cal pushed, nudging Lofty for support.
"Not interested."
Max answered, smiling at the surprise on Robyn's face.
"Really?"
Lofty asked, passing Robyn a stack of fifty pence pieces.
"Yep. I've changed."
He said simply.
"What, overnight?"
Robyn scoffed, placing the coins into a bag and sealing them up before popping them into a small brown sack.
"Oh ok, what about Graham in dermatology?"
Cal asked, a smile toying with his lips.
Max rolled his eyes and made his way to the door.
"Changed as in 'I think I'm ready for commitment'"
He corrected, noting Robyn's raised eyebrow and open mouth as he exited backwards through the door.
As he left the room Tess was wheeling Zoe to the entrance in a wheelchair.
"Are we taking that back with us!?"
He asked, moving to take the wheelchair from Tess.
"It's ok I can push her to the car."
She said quickly, pushing Zoe over the grates in the floor at the entrance and out into the night.
"Ah yes, I haven't had much practise with wheelchairs."
He mused under his breath as he followed Tess and Zoe over to where her car was parked.
"Keys".
Zoe held out a set of keys for Max, which he accepted with a flourish, nodding briefly to Tess.
"See you tomorrow."
He called, tossing the keys into the air and catching them before he unlocked the passenger side and opened the door, moving to help Zoe out of the wheelchair and into the car.
"Make sure she rests."
Tess said again, clasping her hands, a nervous look in her dark eyes as he helped Zoe into the passenger seat and strapped her in.
"We don't really need this do we?"
He asked, gesturing to the wheelchair.
"Take it just in case, she's had a head injury she might be unsteady."
Tess spoke as she folded up the wheelchair and lifted it into his arms.
"Thanks..."
He moved to the back of the car and lifted the wheelchair into the boot, closing the door with a slam that made Zoe wince before he slipped into the drivers seat and clicked his belt across himself.
He started the engine and smiled as he felt Zoe watching him.
"I don't know what she thinks I'm going to do with you."
He said, checking the mirrors as he began to reverse.
Zoe raised a hand to wave Tess goodbye.
"She looks terrified."
He added, glancing at her as he pulled away from the car park and out onto the road.
"She just worries about me."
Zoe said, leaning back into the seat, using a hand to work the lever under the chair to allow it to tilt backwards. She closed her eyes.
"Relaxed are we?"
He asked, slowing to a halt at the roundabout.
"No, I just thought I'd probably better have my eyes closed for this."
She laughed, feeling the soft thwack of his hand against her thigh before the car moved off again, making its way remarkably smoothly around the roundabout and onto the duel carriage way.
They had only travelled a few metres before she felt the car slow to a halt.
"Why're you pulling off here?"
She asked, opening her eyes as he pulled into the Tesco car park.
"If I'm going to cook you dinner, I'm going to need some food."
He answered, pulling into a disabled spot just at the front entrance.
"You can't park here!"
She glanced out of the window and the disabled sign.
"You look disabled enough."
He answered, un clipping his seatbelt and opening the door.
"I won't be long. Stay there and remember...REST."
He winked, she rolled her eyes and folded her arms, watching him in the wing mirror as he crossed over the zebra crossing and made his way into the supermarket.
This is all for tonight folks, but there will be lots more tomorrow (more exciting too)
Night night all :) x