Chapter 18 – Old Friends

*.*.*.

Jack was pleased when he saw the doctor working that night. They'd worked together a few times and he had complete faith in her medical abilities. He knew she'd rubbed many police officers up the wrong way with her blunt, forthright words but Jack liked that he always knew where he stood with her and she was one of the better doctors he dealt with.

"What have you got for me this time, Inspector?"

"A drugged female," Jack replied as he placed Phryne down on the bed. "I'm not sure exactly what she's been drugged with. I believe the same animal tranquilliser used on James Waters and Albert Monkton if you can get their toxicology reports from the coroner."

The doctor shooed a nurse out to get the information. "But this one's alive?"

"I believe so, yes."

"Do you know how the drug got into her system?"

"Not for certain," Jack replied, "but the poisoner has drugged quite a few people with this by putting it in their drinks, so I have to assume she ingested it the same way."

"Right, I'll prepare to get her stomach pumped as well. Do we have a name for this one?"

Jack took in a breath to speak but paused. The doctor stared at him in annoyance and he gave in. "I've got three."

"What?"

"Most recently she's been known as Peony, she gave me the surname Smith but that might have been sarcasm. I suspect Peony never used a surname. For a while before that she was Fern Harrison, however I doubt either of those aliases would have much of a medical record. If she has a medical record, I suspect it would be under her birth name. Phryne Fisher."

"Phryne Fisher," the doctor repeated in wonder. She inspected Phryne, staring intently at her glazed face and sightless eyes. "My God, so it is."

"Doctor?"

Dr MacMillan looked at Jack in shock. "Phryne and I used to play together as children. We got into a lot of trouble together."

Jack found himself grinning despite the seriousness of the situation as he tried to imagine the women he knew as children, and worse children together. "That does not surprise me."

"After she vanished I spent a lot of time looking for her with Janey, her sister, until she got taken away to England. Janey and I lost touch after that but I hear she's staying with her aunt in Melbourne at the moment."

Jack nodded. "Yes, she is."

Dr MacMillan checked Phryne over thoroughly, muttering about what trouble she'd got herself into now.

"I should warn you, Doctor," Jack said as the mutterings got worse in their threats, "that I believe she can hear every word you say."

"Oh, good," Dr MacMillan replied, completely nonplussed. "I have quite a few choice words to say to her. I will wait until she's properly awake, though. In the meantime I'd better telephone Janey as her next of kin, and apologise for not visiting since she returned from England."

Dr MacMillan started walking to the door but Jack barred her way. She looked at him in surprise.

"You can't contact Janey Fisher or Prudence Stanley," he told her firmly.

"What?" Dr MacMillan snapped at him. "Why ever not?"

"Because Phryne doesn't want to get in contact with them."

"Don't be absurd, those sisters love each other."

Dr MacMillan tried to walk round him but he stopped her again.

"Phryne thinks she's protecting Janey from the truth about what she's had to do to survive."

"Janey wouldn't care about that, she was always a very forgiving person."

"I agree but I have to stand by Phryne's wishes."

Dr MacMillan tilted her head as she looked at Jack in a way she never had before, like she was seeing him for the first time. "So who do I use as her next of kin? You?"

Jack felt his eyes widen as he realised that Dr MacMillan might have worked out that there was more between them than he'd let on but he wasn't about to confirm her suspicions. "My constable will hopefully be bringing in another woman to be checked over, Lena. Both work at the Imperial Club. If you need to speak to someone, the woman in charge there is a Madam Lyon. I would start with her."

"So you're telling me that my friend is working as a–?"

"Security as far as I can tell is what she does there," Jack hastily interrupted her. Dr MacMillan had never struck him as being a particularly prudish woman but already he could sense that she was going to be unusually protective of this patient.

To his surprise, the doctor smirked at him. "And is that where you met Phryne?"

"Technically," he admitted, "on another case."

"If you were any other police officer I wouldn't believe you," Dr MacMillan replied, momentarily distracted by a nurse appearing with what Jack assumed were the notes on Waters and Monkton.

"All right," Dr MacMillan mused while reading the notes, "let's empty her stomach and then get some fluids into her and run some tests to check it is the same substance. If it is, she should come round without too many issues. Let's just make sure she's hydrated and breathing for now and get rid of any tranquiliser that might still be in her digestive tract."

"Inspector."

Jack turned at the sound of a man's voice to see Foster standing behind him. He supposed he had to leave Phryne to Dr MacMillan now and hope that the doctor wouldn't contact Janey Fisher behind their backs.

"Did you find the other woman?" he asked the constable.

Foster nodded. "Yes, she's being checked out by a nurse now. You were right, Rhodes is dead. We have Foyle in custody but he's not saying much."

"Neither is the other victim," Jack glanced into Phryne's hospital room. "I'll try to get a statement from her tomorrow. Anything from Lena?"

"Not much. I think the woman's in shock."

"I think she can wait until tomorrow too," Jack told him after considering everything. He thought it better to wait for Lena rather than push her because he doubted she'd say anything to the police without Peony there with her. "You can go home, Foster."

"Thank you, sir."

Jack looked back at the bed that Phryne lay on with Dr MacMillan still fussing over her uncharacteristically like a mother hen. He stroked his chin and noticed that his stubble had started to grow thickly around his face. He supposed it was nearly morning and he should probably go and get some rest himself. He was loath to leave Phryne but he had no reason to be there, no official reason at least and it was clear to him that Dr MacMillan was already suspicious about their relationship. Jack insisting on hanging around until Phryne woke up when she didn't really warrant a police guard would more or less prove that he cared for her.

So Jack went home, just for a few hours, to a bed without Phryne.

*.*.*.

At some point Phryne had actually fallen asleep although she'd never be able to know when that was as the drug had affected her deeply. When she finally woke up, and importantly was aware that she was now really awake, a nurse came in and brought her some breakfast and helped her to sit up. Phryne was pleased with the amount of motion she'd already regained and, realising she was starving, she managed to eat the whole tray of food the nurse had brought with her. Then she was left to just sit in the bed bored but her limbs were still a bit too heavy for her to get up and do anything. It must have taken hours for Madam Lyon and the girls to fully recover as they had all still been struggling when Phryne had last seen them and she expected that Foyle had given her a larger dose.

"And how are you this morning, Phryne?"

Elizabeth MacMillan barrelled into her room looking frustratingly chipper considering how Phryne herself was feeling.

Phryne's memories of the night before were hazy. Once she had drunk the drugged drink Foyle had given her things began to get surreal to the point where she thought she might have made up Mac treating her. But there she was, her old friend, all dressed up as a doctor.

"Able to move and speak, which would probably disappoint some people."

"But not me."

Phryne found herself wrapped in a tight embrace.

"God, Phryne, we all thought you were dead."

Phryne hugged her back. "You should have known better."

"I did," Mac pulled away and stifled a sob. "I spent so many hours helping Janey look for you. The grown-ups all told us it was pointless but we knew better, we knew you."

"I'm so sorry, Mac. I never meant to put any of you through that, you know, but I just couldn't take another beating."

"But why not come to me?'

Phryne laughed at that suggestion. "Your parents hated me, Mac. They would have sent me straight back home."

"They thought you were a bad influence," Mac admitted.

"Funny, I thought that was you."

Mac grinned and ran a hand through Phryne's hair. "I hate to think what you've been through."

Phryne shrugged. "It's not been all sunshine and roses but I survived."

"I know, but, working at a gentleman's club? Phryne, I help enough women in trouble to know what goes on in those sorts of places."

"Jack told you," Phryne said sadly, wishing Mac didn't know. She did dimly remember them talking over her and now she knew that had been real. "As I said, I survived, and mostly I now hurt men who try to hurt the women there, so it's not so bad. Have you told Janey about me?"

Mac shook her head. "Inspector Robinson was quite insistent so I decided to speak to you first. I should though."

"Has Janey changed so much that she'd be happy with her sister working in a gentleman's club?"

"We lost contact when she went to England," Mac admitted, "but no, I think not."

"Good. All I've ever wanted to do was protect her, Mac, that's what I'm still doing."

Mac nodded, understanding. "So," she tried to change the mood, "what about Inspector Robinson? He's not really your type, is he?"

Phryne smiled. "Mac, last time we spoke I didn't have a type."

"Fair enough, but I do remember throwing fire crackers at the cops with you, so I'd never think you'd go for a policeman. Mind you, I never thought Jack Robinson was that kind of cop."

Phryne narrowed her eyes at her old friend. "What kind of cop?"

Mac didn't seem to take any notice of the warning in Phryne's voice. "He just always seemed a straight and narrow, by the books kind of policeman. I never thought he'd frequent a gentleman's club."

"He doesn't. He's... he's not a client, Mac."

The surprised her. "But, there is something between you. Phryne, he's brought me in lots of casualties before but I've never seen him look so worried. Are you telling me that nothing's going on between you?"

Phryne felt her cheeks start to burn. She supposed she missed telling friends about her first crushes and all the embarrassment that entailed and this was the closest she'd get now. "It's just a casual thing, Mac, don't read too much into it. He's not in love with me or anything like that. I believe he does care, though."

"He certainly seems to. Isn't he married?"

"Divorced," Phryne answered a little bit too quickly.

"Oh, right. So, where did you meet?"

"At the club, but he was working a case!"

"I bet he was," Mac replied with a wink.

"He's a good man, Mac."

"I know, I know."

"Too good for me."

"Never," Phryne found herself in a hug again. "There's no such thing."

Phryne heard a knock and as Mac pulled away, she saw Jack standing awkwardly a short distance away from her bed and a few steps beyond the doorway.

"You two really are old friends, aren't you?" he asked, almost smiling at the moment he'd just interrupted.

"That we are," Mac told him, not getting up from where she was sitting on Phryne's hospital bed.

"How are you, Miss Fisher?"

Phryne grinned. Ever the policeman. He'd be calling her Phryne if Mac wasn't there. He'd probably touch her too and Phryne realised she needed him to. If she could touch him she'd know she really was here, still alive and Mac hadn't appeared in some sort of fever dream. "Much better than when you last saw me, Jack."

He took a cautious step forward. "Are you up to answering a few questions?"

"Yes," Mac replied for her, wagging a finger at him as if he was a naughty child, "but no funny business."

Jack stared at Phryne in horror.

"Oh, don't blame her," Mac scolded him, placing her hand back down on the bed beside her. "It was your reaction when you brought her in that gave it away."

Jack muttered something and tapped his foot anxiously.

"Mac's the soul of discretion, Jack," Phryne insisted. While Jack seemed completely embarrassed at her teasing, she was beginning to get the impression that her old friend liked her current man, which Phryne took as a very good thing.

"Absolutely. Otherwise I'd give you a list of crimes a mile long to put on her arrest warrant."

Jack kept his face straight. "Is that to add to the one two miles long I already have?"

"Probably."

"Hey!" Phryne yelled, realising belatedly that as the pair of them had a very similar sense of humour she was going to find herself constantly teased by both of them. "Recovering victim in earshot, please mind what you say."

Mac grinned and squeezed Phryne's hand. "Don't run off anywhere, Phryne, not until I discharge you."

"Promise you won't speak to Janey or Aunt P?" Phryne insisted.

"I promise that if I do, I'll drag you along with me."

To Phryne's surprise, Mac kissed the top of her head before she left her so she could speak with Jack alone. Phryne felt a tear fall from one eye which she quickly wiped away. When she looked up she saw Jack watching her with a look on his face that screamed 'I told you so'.

"Mac isn't Janey," Phryne replied to the sentence he hadn't uttered.

"No."

"And she did work it out herself. I've been defending you!"

"That'd be a first." Jack finally walked over to stand beside her. "I just need to keep Dr MacMillan on side now."

She smiled at that. "So, do you have questions for me, or was that just a cover."

"It was both," he replied. "How are you?"

Phryne shook her head. "I don't know. Last night was so… I can't even describe it."

Jack nodded in understanding. "Start from the beginning."

"Once everything had calmed down at the club, I realised that Rhodes must have been helping Foyle, so I went to track him down and get Lena back. They were waiting for me. Foyle went on about more nonsense about me being destined to be his goddess and that I had to come willingly. In the end I agreed. I thought I could take them both, I should have been able to but I needed to know where Lena was first. Foyle gave Rhodes my gun once I let him disarm me and Rhodes had it trained on me the whole time. They made me drink Foyle's tranquilliser. Foyle promised and promised that Lena would be safe and you know what, I believed him. Mad as he is, he still seemed to have a sense of honour and I think he really believed everything he said. Not Rhodes, he was obviously playing some long game with Foyle. I started an argument between them, well, clearly Rhodes was just waiting for Foyle to kill himself so he could claim the discovery of King Memses. I had hoped to overpower them while they fought each other but the drugs were kicking in quicker than I'd expected, all I really started was chaos. I remember Foyle getting my gun off Rhodes and then shooting him. To be honest I'm not sure that he meant to, not fatally at least. Then it all goes a bit fuzzy as the drugs completely paralysed me. I remember being in your arms and then Mac was there. I thought I dreamt Mac, though. I can't believe she's a doctor. Mind you, I do remember that day we found a dead possum and she started pulling it apart to see how it all worked. It was fascinating."

Jack grimaced at the picture Phryne had just painted. "You know, all the girls I grew up with played with dolls."

"I never had any dolls," Phryne replied simply.

"It sounds about right for you two," he smiled at her memory, skipping over the knowledge that no one had ever cared enough for Phryne as a child to buy her a doll to play with.

Phryne averted her gaze from him and looked down at her hands. "Thank you anyway. For getting me out of there."

"I told you I wouldn't let him hurt you," he replied huskily. "Although going to confront him alone without telling anyone was a damn stupid thing to do."

"I've always done damn stupid things, ask Mac."

"No, oddly enough, I believe you without any corroborating evidence."

Phryne gave him a slight chuckle at that but still didn't meet his eyes. "She gave me that look, you know, when we first spoke. Before you came in."

"What look?"

"When we talked about where I work. Mac... she looked at me with pity with a little bit of horror and disgust."

"So?"

Phryne let out a tut. "Jack, of all the people from my past, Mac was always the most open minded. You keep telling me to go to my sister but if even Mac…"

"Dr MacMillan doesn't care, Phryne. All I saw was someone who was worried about you. Yes, if I'd known you before I knew where you worked I'd be horrified too. I still am sometimes if I think about it."

Phryne crossed her arms. "You don't have to bother with me if you don't want to, Jack. You've found me and sorted out Foyle now, and Lavinia's murder's been solved and Lena rescued."

"You're forgetting that you're the one always breaking into my house," he pointed out.

Phryne shook her head. "Mac's right, though, isn't she? I'm not your type."

She watched his face as he tried to come up with an answer. "Phryne… I don't know what my type of woman is. I thought it was my ex-wife once, clearly I was wrong about that."

"I don't suppose we're very alike."

"No." Jack leaned back in his chair. "Phryne, don't push me away because you think you're no good for me. Wasn't that what you told me when all this started, that it didn't matter what other people thought so long as we both wanted to be together?"

"I know, but –"

"I like you, you know. The nights I spend without you I miss you. And just to be clear, it's not just the physical side. You keep me on my toes, keep me thinking. I never thought I'd want to keep someone around who frustrates me as much as you do but apparently, that's my type of woman."

Phryne allowed herself a sly grin. "Your former wife didn't frustrate you?"

He smiled back. "Not the same way you do."

"But you'd still prefer it if I didn't work in a gentleman's club?"

"Honestly, yes. I'd prefer it if none of you ladies did. I know you do a great job of protecting them all but you do know that Lavinia's death wasn't unusual. There's a reason Sanderson tried to close the clubs all down and it wasn't because they were immoral."

"And there's a reason I do what I do and why I can't leave those women unprotected, Jack," Phryne insisted.

"I know," he replied simply, "and I'm not trying to make you leave, I wouldn't dare try to tell you how to live your life. Now, if this was a more traditional relationship, one that could potentially involve matrimony, then maybe I would have more reason to push you into finding other employment but you've made it clear that we're just having fun. So what does it matter what anyone else thinks?"

"So you'd tell your boss that you're sleeping with a woman from the Imperial Club?"

"You'd tell Madam Lyon that you're sleeping with a police officer?"

"She'd think you weren't senior enough," Phryne teased him and then she let out a big gasp of exasperation. "I know, Jack. It's just the lives of Phryne and Peony don't mix and when they do, it doesn't end well. I nearly died last night!"

"If you'd have come to me…" he tailed off in frustration at the way she'd gone about rescuing Lena.

There was a pause as Phryne let his anger simmer because she knew he was right to be upset about that. "So, Inspector, do you need anything else from me?"

"I do, actually. I need a statement from Lena."

"Good luck with that," she scoffed.

"Which is why I need Peony to convince her."

Phryne sighed and shook her head. "I'll see what I can do."

Jack reached out and took her hand. "Do you have any idea how lucky you, Lena and your sister were? There were lots of human remains down in that room and not all of them dated back to antiquity."

Phryne shuddered. "He was really going to do it, wasn't he?"

"I think not to Lena," Jack admitted, "but to you, or to Janey if she hadn't corrected him over her birthday all those years ago, yes. Foyle is never going to hurt anyone again, Phryne, and that's down to you."

"To us," Phryne corrected, squeezing his hand.

TBC...