Connie flicked the jagged hang nail at the side of her thumb until it began to hurt. She was sitting at a table in the bar, a glass of Viognier before her, the bottle next to it.

For the second time she glanced up at the clock that hung behind the barman's head. It was only ten past but she felt convinced that she had been stood up.

She touched her fingertips against the smooth stem of her glass, watching the condensation pool and ripple from her skin, skuttering down onto the flat base of it where it stayed.

A hand pressed against her shoulder, disappearing as she turned...

Rita.

"You're late."

Connie said.

Rita set her bag down on the floor and sat down on the chair opposite.

"Sorry. I got caught up with a patient...you know how it is."

She said coolly, and Connie couldn't help but guess at the hidden meaning behind her words.

Without speaking she raised the bottle and filled the spare glass before pushing it across the table to the other woman.

"Thank you."

Rita said as she pulled her arms from the sleeves of her jacket and hung it over the back of her chair.

Connie sat looking at her. She raised the glass to her lips, taking a sip of wine before setting it back down on the table and swallowing.

"So..."

Rita paused and drew in a breath.

The bar was busy, littered with people fresh from work, all eager for a drink and there was the faint sound of music playing, though they couldn't quite hear what it was.

"You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

Rita sighed, a pained look in her eyes, her fingers splayed about the stem of the wine glass.

"I'm still waiting to find out why you asked me here."

Connie said quietly, and Rita raised an eyebrow.

"You know why we're here, I told you earlier! You never listen!"

She slumped back in her chair and looked across at Connie.

"Sorry."

She said quietly, and Connie inhaled slowly.

"I just want you to talk to me. I want to understand you. Because we cant keep on how we have been. It's affecting the staff, the patients, not to mention it's exhausting..."

She trailed off and placed both of her hands on the table in front of her.

Connie remained silent, just watching, she could see the soft rise and fall of Rita's chest beneath her jumper and it began to quicken the longer she remained silent.

"Do you agree or am I just wasting my time here?"

She said eventually, her eyes pleading with Connie to say something...anything.

"No, I agree."

She said finally and Rita expelled a breath of relief, a smile creeping across her lips and Connie thought for a moment how pretty she looked when she smiled, the dim light from the bar against her cheek.

"Ok."

Rita looked at her expectantly and Connie raised her gaze, just looking over her head, into the mirror that showed the bar, looking at a group of tall young men who had just entered, already they staggered and their faces were flushed, their voices loud.

"I don't really know what you want me to say?"

She said, watching as the tallest of the five men ordered a round of drinks, and as he paused, waiting for his order he looked across, meeting her gaze in the large oval mirror.

She looked back to Rita who was looking over Connie's shoulder at the men.

"Just tell me what's wrong? Preferably without accusing me of anything."

She paused and glanced again at the men at the bar.

"He's staring at you, you know."

She said quietly and Connie raised her eyes quickly to the mirror, the group of men huddled together, laughing, tossing the occasional glance in their direction.

"Let them stare."

Connie murmured, raising her glass to her lips, feeling the wine fill her mouth.

"I blamed you for Audrey taking Grace from me."

She said once she had swallowed, and Rita widened her eyes though Connie raised a hand, stopping her before she could say anything.

"I realise that's ridiculous."

She added and Rita pursed her lips and drew her hands together into the middle of the table, only inches from Connie's own.

"I..."

Connie made to speak again but she found no words could come, her throat throbbed and ached and at the mere thought of Grace she felt her eyes sting with tears.

"Sorry..."

She whispered, blinking, running the edge of her hand just below one eye to stop the tears from flowing.

She let out a breath of air through her lips and she glanced down, feeling Rita's fingers touch against her own, her hand slipping over hers, squeezing gently.

"I didn't ask Mark to come, I didn't know he was even being released!"

Rita whispered, letting her thumb run the length of Connie's index finger.

"And when you said that you thought he'd taken Grace...!"

Connie held up her other hand to stop her again, she couldn't think about that right now. Her fingers trembled, she could feel the gentle vibration within her arms. She wouldn't cry, she told herself, not here.

"I know."

She whispered, and she cleared her throat.

She looked across the table, Rita's forehead was creased into a frown, her eyes were dark and wide.

"I know..."

She repeated, and as she spoke she glanced up again to the mirror above Rita's head, just in time to see one of the men at the bar point directly at her.

More soon, thank you ever so much for the lovely reviews, I've written a couple of other Connie stories as well if you'd like to have a look xxx