The day passed uneventfully. Text book cases followed by routine procedures and the absence of Connie for most of the day meant that everyone was relaxed.
There were no questions of the America trip, just the odd half-glance or curious gaze in her direction as she passed through the ward. And outside there was the first flurry of snow, glittering white and dancing in the air, falling through the dark flecked sky. It was only 3:30PM but already the sky was black.
She wondered briefly how Max's first day back was, and whether or not he had had any questions asked of him. As she thought she caught sight of him in the distance, he was pushing a patient, talking to Rita who moved by his side. For a moment it was as though they hadn't been away, as though they had slipped back in time. But then she felt the tell-tale flutter low in her pelvis and as if he had felt it too he glanced up at her, biting his lip through a smile, missing whatever it was that Rita was saying.
She placed a hand across her stomach. Had the flutter been the baby? Hunger? Wind? She watched Max push the patient into the cubicle and retreat, watched as he made his way over to her, his eyes glancing to her hand. He reached out instinctively, touching her own so that she let her hand fall, interlinking her fingers with his.
"Ok?"
He asked, again glancing to where her hand had been. She nodded.
"Any progress on the scan...?"
He lowered his voice to a whisper as he spoke, rubbing his thumb across her fingertips. She smiled slightly and shook her head.
"I haven't had time..."
She began, squeezing his fingers. He raised an eyebrow and leant towards her.
"Do I look like a mug? Have I got a handle? Am I made of china? Am I kept in a cupboard or on a small wooden tree? Would you like to put your lips on my rim? You may answer that question, the rest were rhetorical."
She laughed at his words.
"I will..."
She glanced over his shoulder but he raised himself on tip toes to block her view.
"Make time."
He hissed, lowering himself back down again as she drew in a breath, looking up at him.
"I'll meet you in my office in five minutes."
He added, giving her fingers a quick squeeze before letting them go.
She opened her mouth to speak but he placed an index finger against her lips.
"No buts."
He whispered, turning his back on her before she could say anything, hearing her sigh as he left the ward.
She flexed her hands, she could still feel the touch of his fingers upon hers. She drew in a long breath, exhaling slowly. The back of her throat felt dry and it pained her to swallow. She could feel that age old flutter of nerves within her stomach and the erratic beat of her heart within her chest.
Without thinking too much about what it was she was doing she made her way back out of the ward and into the large storage area packed with BP machines, portable scanning devices and various boxes of equipment.
She thought of Max waiting for her, expectantly waiting to see his child.
She untangled the power lead of the nearest ultrasound machine, winding it deftly around her left wrist before making her way backwards out of the room, turning herself around and pushing it slowly along the corridor, feeling it teeter worryingly back and forth on it's wheels.
As she bypassed RESUS she caught sight of Connie, who looked up just as she was passing, her eyes moving to the machine, her face remaining expressionless as she looked back down to the patient laid flat before her on the bed.
She quickened her pace, not wanting to bump into anyone else on the way. Once outside the door to Max's cupboard she paused, pretending to check the time on the wall opposite, waiting for the corridor to clear of people before using her elbow to open the door, backing in with the machine as quickly as she could before closing it behind her.
"Well done Miss Marple."
Max stood up from where he sat as she entered.
"I'm pretty sure Miss Marple solves murder mysteries...she doesn't steal ultrasounds..."
She placed a hand on her chest, she had been holding her breath without realising.
Max smirked.
"Alright, You can be the Artful Dodger...how does this thing work?"
He asked, watching as she unravelled the power cable.
"Where's the socket?"
She asked, holding out the plug. Instead of replying he took it, unplugging the kettle and plugging it in it's place.
He watched as she switched it on, her face lighting up green from the acid light of the screen. She frowned.
"You do know how it works...?"
He moved behind her, watching the small monitor. She murmured a response, fiddling with various things until she seemed happy.
"Where are we going to do it?"
She asked, glancing about the office, he followed her gaze.
"I can put my coat on the table...pad it out a little bit?"
He offered. She arced an eyebrow, she hadn't thought this far.
"Fine. But hurry."
She agreed, awkwardly reaching a hand behind her back to unzip her dress while he padded out the small coffee table, just long enough to hold her body from the hips up. She let the dress fall to the floor and stepped out of it, picking it up and folding it neatly, placing it on the back of the chair.
"You do realise this is one of those things that I used to fantasise about before we got together..?"
Max stood watching her, black stilettos, black underwear, her skin darker in the dim office light.
She moved a hand to her lips, suddenly self-conscious.
"Tell me what to do."
He said, moving towards her.
She just stood for a moment, seemingly unable to move. The lump that appeared within her throat taking her by surprise and she felt her lip wobble uncontrollably.
He remained silent, but reached out to her, taking her within his arms, wrapping his own around her so gently that she had to blink profusely against the tears to stop them from running streaks through her make up.
"Tell me what to do."
He said again, this time his voice was a whisper. He felt her clear her throat and she moved away from him.
"I can do it."
She breathed, sniffing, moving herself to the table, lowering herself down so that she lay flat, one hand shielding her eyes against the murky light from the overhead bulb.
Max, noticing, took a quick step back and flicked off the light switch by the door, the room seemed to dim slowly into black and white with the lurid green screen providing the only light.
Zoe twisted slightly so that she could reach for the gel, squeezing a good sized glob of it onto her stomach before setting It down on the floor beside her. She reached out and Max silently passed her the scanner. She closed her eyes as she pressed it against herself, the cool of it slipping across her wet skin bought back the memories of Nick which she fought against. Opening her eyes to banish them.
She looked to Max, who was watching the screen, his profile illuminated. She followed his gaze, the room filled with the crackling whooshing noise as she moved the scanner. She watched the screen, disorientated, she knew what she was looking for but she seemed unable to find it.
She could hear Max breathing, see his parted lips, his eyes unblinking as he looked at the screen. The gel began to warm against her skin as she searched, moving her hand back and forth, stopping every now and then, tilting it this way and that, until at last, with a violent crackle of the machine she found it, a twitching, flickering black shape, she held it there, again she held her breath, just staring, the heartbeat sounded, racing, racing, thumping...
And then she heard it, the blip, the stumble in the beat, the crush of their happiness that she had been expecting. She looked to Max who remained unmoving. Had he heard it too?
More tomorrow! xxx