Another one shot from me. I do like doing a one shot, now and then. It's good fun. In the first episode, Roland tells Purbright that he and Grace found out that Prentiss reacted by crying to music. This is what happened.
Quite by chance
"Thank you." she took the cup of tea that he had made her
"We've got to keep you awake." Roland said
He had promised to make Grace a cup of tea every hour, if she did his paperwork. It was now 11 o' clock at night and she was starting to get tired.
"Hmm." She gave him a sceptical look "Just because you want me to do your paperwork."
"No," he insisted "but you are much better at it than I am."
"As long as you keep making me cups of tea." She assured him
"I still do a little of the paperwork, when I can."
"Only the pieces you like." She scoffed "Only the pieces that are easy."
"You make me sound lazy and negligent." he told her
"You are a little." She tried to convince him
"I might not do my paperwork but I do a lot of the practical work." He argued
"That's because you enjoy the practical work. You don't enjoy the paperwork." She retorted
There was silence for a minute.
"Well that is true. Thankfully being the Commanding Officer, I get to deal out the tasks that I don't like to my subordinates." He joked
"Am I your subordinate then, and I would think very carefully before you answer?" she warned him
"I think you should be careful. You've only been Matron for a few days, I can still reverse my decision." He returned seriously
"Oh, and find somebody else to do your paperwork?"
"Good point," he murmured after a moment of thought "I think you can stay."
She laughed lightly at this comment.
"I really am grateful though, Grace." He confirmed sitting down opposite her
"I'm glad. I would hate to know my talents are going to waste." She smiled
"I wouldn't call it a talent, your just better at the paperwork than I am."
"That's because you don't put your mind to it. You need to be determined."
"I am." he exclaimed
"No you aren't, you have as much determination to do your paperwork, as… Colonel Purbright does to be nice to me." She sighed
Purbright had been round, only yesterday to speak to the pair of them. He had made some rather cruel and derogatory remarks about her, when he thought she wasn't listening.
"He doesn't mean what he says." Roland defended
"Of course he means it." She scoffed "He hates me and he's made that perfectly clear."
"He doesn't like change." He snapped
"He doesn't like women." she retorted "He doesn't like women having senior positions in the army."
"God's sake, Grace, don't take against him!"
"Why not!? He's taken against me, why shouldn't I take against him!"
"If you take against him, then you become like him." He stopped and took her hand in his "You're better than that."
"I still don't like him." She sighed in frustration
"I suppose that's the best I'm going to get." He let go of her hand and sat back in his chair
"You can't expect me to love the man, Roland."
"I don't want you to, just don't hate him."
"I can try to do that." She reassured him
"Give him a chance."
"He's your friend, so you must defend him." She dismissed
"You're my friend."
"I am a women, Roland. Society dictates that men and women are not meant to be friends. I am your colleague, nothing more."
"You know that isn't true." He argued
"Really?" she gave him a sceptical look
"Yes, you're probably the best friend I've got." He smiled
"What about your buddy, Purbright?"
"He is not my buddy. I respect the man because he is my superior officer." Roland explained for her
"So you say." Grace said shortly
"It's true!" he insisted
"I don't know if I believe you." she stated simply
"You're my friend, you have to believe me."
"Oh, really?"
They both dissolved into giggles, after a moment of silence.
"I know what will convince you."
He went over to his gramophone and found a recording he knew that she would like. Madame Butterfly. He started the recording and held his hand out to her.
"Can I dance with a colleague?" he asked
"Not if you want your paperwork done by the morning." She answered bluntly
"Can I dance with a friend?" he reproached
"Alright then." She changed her mind quickly, placing her pen on the desk
He took her hand and gave her a little tug, to stand her up. She stepped slowly into his arms, before he pulled her closer.
"You said you would dance with me." Roland told her
"I did, that's very true, it's just a little strange. Dancing with you is not something I do every day." Grace smiled
"Well I still hope you enjoy it." he gave her a little twirl
The music was quiet and they turned to the music slowly. It wasn't proper dancing but it was enough for them. Roland had both arms around her waist and the other holding her hand. Grace had her hands resting on his chest. Grace raised her hands to his shoulders and he gripped her waist a little tighter.
As the music ended they both stayed in the embrace, neither wanting to break apart. She pulled away from the embrace but he kept her in his arms.
"Another dance?" he whispered
"Roland, we really shouldn't." she told him in an equally low tone
"Why not?" he asked sadly
"What if someone found us? How would you explain the situation?" she looked at him with a quizzical look
"I would say that I am dancing with my best friend." He explained to her simply
"One more dance then." She offered him
Roland went over and started the record again. He came back over to her with a big smile on his face. Grace smiled in reply to him. He took her into his arms and once again they went back to the embrace they had danced in the previous time. As they danced, Grace rested her head against Roland's chest.
"Grace?" Roland spoke her name over the sound of the music
"Hmm." She murmured "What is it Roland?"
"I want to tell you something." He said simply
Grace looked up in confusion.
"Roland, shh." She went to stop him
"No, Grace I need to te-"
He was cut off by the finger on his lips.
"Roland, shush!" she insisted "Listen!"
He listened but all he heard was the music.
"I can-"
She stopped him again.
"Listen!"
Once again he listened and he managed to pick up the sound of sobbing. Grace walked out of his embrace and towards the back door of the office and flung it open.
"Oh my Lord, Roland, come here!" she called to him
He rushed to her and saw her kneeling beside a young man, who was sobbing. He was wearing a dressing gown and his pyjamas were soaked. He must have been a patient.
"Help me get him into the office." She implored him "He'll freeze out here."
Roland snapped to his senses and helped to bring the young man into the office. Grace sat her down in the armchair and Roland went to the stove to make him a cup of tea.
"Who is he?" Roland asked
"Lawrence 'Laurie' Prentiss. He's a Lance Corporal. Been here for a few weeks." She said to him quickly
Roland sat down opposite Prentiss as Grace tried to stop him crying. When he had finally calmed down, they found out his story. He was Captain Gillian's patient and he had been nursed by the VAD's. He had been at the front and was apparently had been shocked badly. Roland and Grace found themselves, comforting Prentiss for a bit. They found that the music seemed to calm him. They offered to let him come to the office whenever he needed it.
When Grace took Prentiss back to his ward, he fell asleep the minute his head hit the pillow. She returned to Roland's office with a weary smile.
"What an evening!" he exclaimed, passing her a cup of tea
"Certainly a tiring evening." She agreed "Poor Laurie."
"Well, he's always got someone to turn to." Roland told her "Before we were interrupted, I wanted to have a serious talk, Grace."
"What about?" she asked curiously
"About our friendship." He stated plainly
"What about it?" she asked casually, sitting down in one of the armchairs
"I wanted to know how you feel about our friendship." He said tentatively
"Well your friendship means a lot to me. You're most likely the only friend I have."
"That's not true, Grace. Don't you have friends in some of the nurses?"
"Not really. I've never been very good at friends." She said quietly
"What do you mean?" he asked, slightly confused
"My mother educated me, my father didn't like me leaving the house, I had a brother who was cut off from me because my father spent a lot of time with him. I never really had anybody, my age to talk to. I was lonely, that's why your friendship means so much to me." she explained to him
"Oh, Grace, I'm so sorry. If it's any consolation, I know a little about what you went through. My younger brother was always the success of the family, I was the failure, so a lot of the time I was left alone. My grandfather was the person who appreciated me. He got me into medicine."
"At least a small success story for you." she credited him
"You too. You're a fantastic nurse, whatever anybody says." He turned the conversation back to her "You are a special person."
"Maybe." She shrugged
"Definitely." He told her, taking her hands "You're special to me."
There was a moment of silence.
"You do know that you're the only person who thinks that." She gave a small smile
"I don't mind." He said seriously
He brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of her hand.
"You're more special to me, than anybody is." Roland told her sincerely
"Roland, what are you saying?" she asked tentatively
"I'm saying, that I love you, Grace." He stated simply for her
She gasped at what he had said.
"What?" she looked at him in astonishment
"I mean it, Grace. I love you." he repeated
"Roland, you're married!" Grace shouted jumping from her chair
"I know, I know but I haven't seen my wife for a many years now." He tried to explain "I don't love her anymore, actually no scratch that, I have never loved her. It was a marriage of convenience. Our fathers new each other, in the army. We hadn't even met the day before we were to be married. Hetty was as angry about it as I was. We never loved, Grace. We never even liked each other. Please Grace, give me a chance." He pleaded with her
He turned to see Grace with tears in her eyes.
"Roland, I'm so sorry." She told him, before launching herself into his arms
"Oh, darling." He exclaimed "I've got you."
"Love you, Roland." She whispered into his shoulder
"Really?" he asked
"Really!" she confirmed
"Oh Grace." He pulled her even closer to his chest
He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek but then worked across her cheek to her lips. They started out chaste but soon deepened.
"You do know all this has happened quite by chance."
The End
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