"Drink?"
Max caught up with her as she was about to enter the ward. She stopped, exhaling with a smile.
"You always pop up just at the right moment."
She breathed, taking the takeaway cup from him and peering into it.
"Is this hot chocolate?"
She asked, the scent rising in the air.
"My one and only!"
He said, lowering his voice.
"You looked like you needed one."
He added softly. She raised it to her lips and blew across the surface, it bubbled and splashed against it's waxy cardboard confines. The smell of it was intoxicating, as though she were breathing in the thick liquid itself.
"Don't tell anyone though, they'll all want one."
He whispered, watching her take a sip. She closed her eyes and swallowed, sighing as she felt the warmth slip down her throat.
"Are you sure you haven't put booze in that?"
She asked, opening her eyes and looking at him over the rim of the cup as she took another sip.
"Something better."
He said, biting the skin of his bottom lip and looking rather pleased with himself.
"What?"
She asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
"Luuurve."
He hissed, nudging her with his elbow, his smile widening. She rolled her eyes, smiling in return despite herself.
"Well thank you."
She whispered, holding the cup with both hands to warm her fingers before taking another two sips and passing it back to him, swallowing the large mouthful that she'd taken.
"But I'm going to have to share the love. I've got Mr O'Donnell in cubicle five, and someone who I've forgotten the name of in cubicle three."
She raised a hand to push her hair away from her face.
"Mrs Potter?"
He asked with a tilt of his head.
"How do you know that?"
She asked, narrowing her eyes. He smiled again, a slow lazy smile and he shrugged his shoulders quickly.
"Dunno. Now, go! See to Mr Whatsisname in cubicle whatever and meet me in the staff room later, I've got something I want to show you."
He said with a wink of his eye. She arched an eyebrow, making to ask what it was but he pressed a finger against his own lips, smirking as he backed away from her along the corridor. She smiled , enjoying the heady rush of warmth that the brief hot chocolate break had given her.
She pushed the doors open to the ward, letting them close behind her with a soft putter as they fell back in line with one another.
She curled herself about the curtain to cubicle five, pulling it tightly shut behind her.
"Mr O'Donnell?"
She asked, the man on the bed opened his eyes, he was an elderly man. She glanced at his notes. 66.
A woman she guessed to be in her mid twenties stood by his bedside with her arms folded tightly about a rounded, pregnant stomach.
"I'm Dr Hanna, I'll be looking after you today."
She said as she thumbed through his notes.
"Doctor, it's my leg..."
He said, making to move to pull up his trouser leg but she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"you just lay back, I'll take a look."
She said, pulling on a pair of plastic gloves and rolling up his trouser leg to expose a large area of infected scabs covering his shin.
"How long have you had this?"
She asked, looking up at him.
He pulled up his shoulders.
"Oh...a couple of weeks now I think."
He said, looking to the woman next to him.
"Wouldn't you say?"
He asked. She pouted and screwed up her face, looking away from the revealed leg.
"I dunno!"
She huffed, pulling her arms tighter about herself.
"Ok, well, it looks to me as though it's celluloses, but I'll run some tests just to check. And in the mean time, I'll get someone to come and clean it up for you. Ok?"
She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, his face pale with worry.
"I was worried I was going to lose my leg!"
He said, almost laughing at himself. She smiled and squeezed his shoulder.
"I promise you won't lose your leg. It's nothing a course of antibiotics cant sort out."
She said, glancing again to the woman opposite.
"Have you got someone who can look after you when you get back home? You'll just need to keep the area clean and rest for a few days to let the antibiotics do their job."
The woman opposite rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"I already told him, I'd bring him in, but nothing else!"
She snarled with a curl of her lip.
"Well...is there any body else?"
Zoe asked, looking to Mr O'Donnell who shook his head mournfully.
"We were going to get married but she's decided I'm too old for her."
He said with a sigh, barely able to look up at her. She rolled her eyes again.
"She's traded me in for a younger model!"
He smiled slightly, and sighed.
"And the baby?"
Zoe asked, looking to the woman's stomach.
"It's not his if that's what you mean!"
The woman looked disgusted and tossed her blonde hair with venom whilst Mr O'Donnell chuckled despite himself.
"Don't laugh at me!"
She snapped, sighing loudly and looking to Zoe who merely stood, watching the pair.
"I'm going. You can find someone else to look after you and your leg!"
She scoffed, pushing her way through the curtain with much more vigour than was necessary.
There was a moments silence, Mr O'Donnell looked down at his hands and Zoe rearranged the curtain about the small room.
"She's off then."
She murmured, turning back to the man in the bed.
He nodded
"Yup, yup..."
He pursed his lips and drew in a slow breath as Zoe made her way to his side, leaning against the bed, her hand on his shoulder.
"Shame..she seemed really...nice..."
She raised an eyebrow and he laughed out loud.
"Yup! She was lovely!"
He shook his head, still chuckling in a way that made Zoe think suddenly of Father Christmas.
"I'm sorry."
She whispered and he glanced up at her.
"What have you got to be sorry for?"
He laughed.
"No, I mean...I'm sorry for you. I'm sure you'll make someone else a brilliant husband."
She squeezed his shoulder again and he placed a hand over it, patting it as an elderly relative might.
"Is that an offer?"
HE asked with an amused lilt to his lips.
"Maybe in another life."
She whispered with a wink, stepping back and pulling off her gloves.
"Now, let me go and get somebody to clean that leg up for you."
Coming up – the Christmas party, and the end of this story! Which makes me feel a lot sadder than I thought it would! I hope everyone is still enjoying it xxx