We'll Always Have Holby : part 20
We'll Always Have Holby
Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8 ~ Part 9 ~ Part 10
Part 11 ~ Part 12 ~ Part 13 ~ Part 14 ~ Part 15 ~ Part 16 ~ Part 17 ~ Part 18 ~ Part 19
Maggie finished unpacking Louis' stuff and turned to face him. "Don't worry, I vetted everything your dad wanted to bring."
"Never mind that, when can I get out of here?"
"Bored already?"
"I don't know how you guys stand spending so much time here. It's depressing."
"You learn to cope," she smiled. "And working in the ED is very different to spending all your time on a ward, staring at the same four walls day in, day out."
"Speaking of days..." he grinned.
"Subtle," she laughed.
"The only present I want is to get out of here."
"Louis..."
"I don't want to spend tomorrow cooped up in here. Knowing you lot there's probably some rule which will prevent me having a decent cake..."
"As a rule we try not to promote unhealthy eating," she quipped.
"...and I guess I can kiss any chance of Dad letting me have a drink goodbye."
"I think you had no chance anyway," she pointed out.
"Wouldn't have stopped me trying. Please, Maggie. I just want to go home. Spend my birthday somewhere else."
"Seen Jade?"
He shook his head.
"Give her a call."
"She made her mind up last week."
"Bet she misses you."
"Bet she doesn't."
"Louis..."
"Leave it," he said.
"After everything you guys have been through..."
"Maybe the Universe is trying to tell us something. Things happen for a reason, right?"
"And sometimes you need to make things happen."
"Like you coming home?"
"Yeah," she smiled, "like me coming home."
"That morning... I'd not seen Dad so happy in a long time." He paused. "Are you two OK?"
"What? Yeah, we're fine. Worried about you..."
"Maggie..."
"What's brought this on?"
"I know something's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong," she lied. "We're fine. Been a long week, we're both tired, I'm feeling bad about taking time off from a new job..."
"I've told you before that you don't need to," he replied. "Going to be fine, isn't that what Mr Griffin said? Well then I don't need another doctor to hold my hand."
"It's fine, I want to be here."
"I know you care, you don't have to try and prove anything."
"I more than care," she laughed.
"I know. So you can go off to work, happy that you have fulfilled your step-motherly duties, and I will be fine."
"You are so like your dad," she laughed.
"Can you not?" he protested.
"Sorry love, but you are."
"OK, now I definitely want you to go."
Still laughing, Maggie opened the door to find Charlie standing there.
"Oh joy, the parental tag team," Louis quipped.
"You off?" Charlie asked Maggie.
"Yeah, I'm being told to go back to work," she replied.
"Right. Well. Have a good day."
"Yeah."
They passed each other without anything further, Charlie taking her place at the bedside.
"She told me," Louis said.
"Told you what?"
"Dad..."
"Nice try, mate."
"What?"
"She's not even told me," Charlie admitted.
~~
"We never finished our conversation," he said one evening.
"No. We didn't," she conceded.
"Maggie..."
"When I spoke to Louis... He made some pretty valid points."
"What?"
"You and I both know that he's not telling us the full story about what happened."
Charlie said nothing - the name Jade had unwittingly given away burning a hole in his memory.
"And he's trying to protect us. He knows that if he opens this can of worms then we're going to have to deal with the fallout."
"We love him, it's our job to deal with the fallout."
"And as his parents it's our job to make sure there is no fallout."
"Maggie..."
"What happened in Serbia, stays in Serbia."
"No. No way."
"Charlie..."
"You promised me. I don't want secrets between us, Maggie. I don't want this to pull us apart."
"It won't," she replied, reaching out for him. "But what happened out there might."
"That's not your call to make."
"Yes, it is," she said firmly. "It is completely my call."
"You know how worried I am..."
"Don't be. Please."
"How can I not? Maggie..."
"The article was wrong, OK? I wasn't lost, I wasn't missing..."
"Yes, you were. You dropped off the radar for over a week..."
"I know."
"How can I not worry when I have to read on the internet that you were found by the side of the road, half dead, having been gone..."
"I know, I know..."
"Maggie, what the hell happened to you out there?"
"I did my job," she replied. "I went out there to help people, to make a difference."
"And you did that?"
"Yeah. I did. And it made a difference to me too."
"I am getting sick of these cryptic responses and half answers. Will you please just give me a straight answer?"
"The only straight one I have... is that I love you, Charlie. Without a shadow of a doubt, no hesitation or second guesses. I love you. I want this life with you and Louis, I want to marry you..."
"I want you to be honest with me. Completely, no holds barred, one hundred percent open honesty. If we start keeping secrets from each other..."
In one quick movement she was kissing him, her mouth on his. Taken aback he responded, his hands on her body as hers were on his. When they parted, lips swollen and breathless she held his face.
"How's that for honesty?" she whispered. "I promise you... This is not about us. This is not going to come back on us. What happened... It's over, done with. And I need to leave it out there. Please, Charlie. I need this."
"OK," he whispered, his hand running along her brow before his fingers tangled up in her hair.
"Really?"
"As long as you're happy, as long as you're here... That's all I want."
"You make me so, so happy," she smiled. "I can't lose you."
"You won't," he said. "I promise."
"Good." She took his hand in hers, pulling their bodies closer. "And you're not going to lose me either."
"Good."
They collapsed on the sofa together, forgetting everything else. It didn't matter anymore. For the next few hours they could just forget; relief, love and passion meaning they were just interested in the here and now. Maybe they were both supposed to be too old for this, maybe they were taking advantage of having the house to themselves. In any case they weren't bothering to move anywhere else until they craved somewhere softer and warmer to be together.
tbc...
Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8 ~ Part 9 ~ Part 10
Part 11 ~ Part 12 ~ Part 13 ~ Part 14 ~ Part 15 ~ Part 16 ~ Part 17 ~ Part 18 ~ Part 19
Maggie finished unpacking Louis' stuff and turned to face him. "Don't worry, I vetted everything your dad wanted to bring."
"Never mind that, when can I get out of here?"
"Bored already?"
"I don't know how you guys stand spending so much time here. It's depressing."
"You learn to cope," she smiled. "And working in the ED is very different to spending all your time on a ward, staring at the same four walls day in, day out."
"Speaking of days..." he grinned.
"Subtle," she laughed.
"The only present I want is to get out of here."
"Louis..."
"I don't want to spend tomorrow cooped up in here. Knowing you lot there's probably some rule which will prevent me having a decent cake..."
"As a rule we try not to promote unhealthy eating," she quipped.
"...and I guess I can kiss any chance of Dad letting me have a drink goodbye."
"I think you had no chance anyway," she pointed out.
"Wouldn't have stopped me trying. Please, Maggie. I just want to go home. Spend my birthday somewhere else."
"Seen Jade?"
He shook his head.
"Give her a call."
"She made her mind up last week."
"Bet she misses you."
"Bet she doesn't."
"Louis..."
"Leave it," he said.
"After everything you guys have been through..."
"Maybe the Universe is trying to tell us something. Things happen for a reason, right?"
"And sometimes you need to make things happen."
"Like you coming home?"
"Yeah," she smiled, "like me coming home."
"That morning... I'd not seen Dad so happy in a long time." He paused. "Are you two OK?"
"What? Yeah, we're fine. Worried about you..."
"Maggie..."
"What's brought this on?"
"I know something's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong," she lied. "We're fine. Been a long week, we're both tired, I'm feeling bad about taking time off from a new job..."
"I've told you before that you don't need to," he replied. "Going to be fine, isn't that what Mr Griffin said? Well then I don't need another doctor to hold my hand."
"It's fine, I want to be here."
"I know you care, you don't have to try and prove anything."
"I more than care," she laughed.
"I know. So you can go off to work, happy that you have fulfilled your step-motherly duties, and I will be fine."
"You are so like your dad," she laughed.
"Can you not?" he protested.
"Sorry love, but you are."
"OK, now I definitely want you to go."
Still laughing, Maggie opened the door to find Charlie standing there.
"Oh joy, the parental tag team," Louis quipped.
"You off?" Charlie asked Maggie.
"Yeah, I'm being told to go back to work," she replied.
"Right. Well. Have a good day."
"Yeah."
They passed each other without anything further, Charlie taking her place at the bedside.
"She told me," Louis said.
"Told you what?"
"Dad..."
"Nice try, mate."
"What?"
"She's not even told me," Charlie admitted.
~~
"We never finished our conversation," he said one evening.
"No. We didn't," she conceded.
"Maggie..."
"When I spoke to Louis... He made some pretty valid points."
"What?"
"You and I both know that he's not telling us the full story about what happened."
Charlie said nothing - the name Jade had unwittingly given away burning a hole in his memory.
"And he's trying to protect us. He knows that if he opens this can of worms then we're going to have to deal with the fallout."
"We love him, it's our job to deal with the fallout."
"And as his parents it's our job to make sure there is no fallout."
"Maggie..."
"What happened in Serbia, stays in Serbia."
"No. No way."
"Charlie..."
"You promised me. I don't want secrets between us, Maggie. I don't want this to pull us apart."
"It won't," she replied, reaching out for him. "But what happened out there might."
"That's not your call to make."
"Yes, it is," she said firmly. "It is completely my call."
"You know how worried I am..."
"Don't be. Please."
"How can I not? Maggie..."
"The article was wrong, OK? I wasn't lost, I wasn't missing..."
"Yes, you were. You dropped off the radar for over a week..."
"I know."
"How can I not worry when I have to read on the internet that you were found by the side of the road, half dead, having been gone..."
"I know, I know..."
"Maggie, what the hell happened to you out there?"
"I did my job," she replied. "I went out there to help people, to make a difference."
"And you did that?"
"Yeah. I did. And it made a difference to me too."
"I am getting sick of these cryptic responses and half answers. Will you please just give me a straight answer?"
"The only straight one I have... is that I love you, Charlie. Without a shadow of a doubt, no hesitation or second guesses. I love you. I want this life with you and Louis, I want to marry you..."
"I want you to be honest with me. Completely, no holds barred, one hundred percent open honesty. If we start keeping secrets from each other..."
In one quick movement she was kissing him, her mouth on his. Taken aback he responded, his hands on her body as hers were on his. When they parted, lips swollen and breathless she held his face.
"How's that for honesty?" she whispered. "I promise you... This is not about us. This is not going to come back on us. What happened... It's over, done with. And I need to leave it out there. Please, Charlie. I need this."
"OK," he whispered, his hand running along her brow before his fingers tangled up in her hair.
"Really?"
"As long as you're happy, as long as you're here... That's all I want."
"You make me so, so happy," she smiled. "I can't lose you."
"You won't," he said. "I promise."
"Good." She took his hand in hers, pulling their bodies closer. "And you're not going to lose me either."
"Good."
They collapsed on the sofa together, forgetting everything else. It didn't matter anymore. For the next few hours they could just forget; relief, love and passion meaning they were just interested in the here and now. Maybe they were both supposed to be too old for this, maybe they were taking advantage of having the house to themselves. In any case they weren't bothering to move anywhere else until they craved somewhere softer and warmer to be together.
tbc...