‘I d-don’t know w-what to say to you’ Bruno stutters as they cross the car park towards his car. He jangles his keys nervously. ‘I had no idea’

‘Not something I talk about in general conversation’ Nathan mutters, taking his next step to the side to avoid any idea Bruno might have of putting a guiding arm around him.

‘But I would n-never have…’ Bruno closes the gap, looking anxious.

‘Bruno, stop bloody fussing. You’re like an old woman, I’m fine!’

‘B-but you could just as easily not have been…and that would have b-been…I dread to think…I c-could have..’

‘Bruno!’ Nathan shouts. ‘For Christs’s sake, man!’ he lowers voice to a hiss, conscious of the comparative quiet of the car park. ‘Will you give it a rest? The way you were sodding well carrying on in there, I’m surprised that copper didn’t cart you off to rack up his numbers, he’d got your bloody confession’

‘Everything is alright?’ Bruno worries again.

‘No problem at all, apart from a sore gut and losing my dinner. Got to go back if I start feeling a bit off…but they couldn’t find anything immediately obvious’

‘It was best to be on the safe side though, don’t you think? …You were perspiring to such an extent and when I saw your scar…’

‘That’s nothing to what it was. I hardly notice it now…and as for sweating…that was just the bloody pain! Jeeze, you got one hell of a kick and I just wasn’t expecting it’

‘Rugby’ Bruno says by way of explanation. He skips two or three paces to catch up as Nathan strides ahead. ‘I used to play. Even so…I’m sorry, it shouldn’t have happened. I don’t know what came over me’

‘It’s not me you should be apologising to!’ Nathan turns to him with a growl ‘It’s Charlene you’ve insulted by thinking me and her were having it off. Think on that!’

‘I should go and apologise…I think I upset her’ Bruno sighs regretfully.

‘I bet you did if you was in the same sodding mood as you turned up at my place’

‘I’ll go after I’ve taken you back’

‘Bruno! It’s three o’clock in the bloody morning…she’ll be well chuffed, you get her out of bed and her mother won’t be any too pleased either’

‘That’s true’

‘Look…’ Nathan sighs as they reach the car. ‘Doss down at my place and go in the morning…or should that be later on?’ he groans, looking at his watch. ‘Just don’t wake me, okay?’

Woodbury General Hospital

Chapter Nineteen

Samms Plant Hire, Oatfield

‘….And then he come to my house yesterday morning! I was ever so embarrassed cos I’d still got me jamas on…’ Charlene blushes at the memory. ‘And me mum were there and she kept coming in and saying stuff and giving him these sort a little smiles an’ things and then she only went and invited him t’dinner!’ she looks at Ingrid aghast.

‘Did he stay?’ Ingrid asks mildly, checking the compost in the plant on her desk and dribbling water onto it from a plastic cup.

‘Yeah…it was horrible’ Charlene scowls.

‘The dinner was?’ Ingrid looks up in surprise

‘No…me mum’s a good cook and that…but she kept on smiling at him, and asking him stuff…and she’d only gone and put make up on to have her dinner in!’ she huffs.

‘So…you and Jonathan…’ Ingrid asks as she clips dead leaves from the plant. ‘You’ve made up?’

‘There weren’t nothing to make up really’ Charlene sighs. ‘I was a bit upset cos I thought I’d done summat wrong but it were him what got all muddled up!’

‘So, he’s happy about you going now? It would be a shame to miss it after all the trouble you’ve gone to’

‘And what Nathan has…cos he’s been ever so good to me and he must a been real annoyed when Jon’than thought me and him…like what we was…doing stuff. Cos we got that sorted out…me and Nathan…I told him what I weren’t going back to his room nor nothing…You know...just in case he thought what I might. I said that to Jon’than’

Ingrid hides a smile behind her hand and pretends to scratch her cheek. ‘So he’s okay with it?’

‘Sort of’ Charlene mutters sulkily.

‘You’re not sure?’ Ingrid drops the last of the dead leaves into the bin and brushes her fingers together to rid them of compost. She crosses the office.

‘Oh…I dunno. I still don’t think what he trusts me or summat. Wanted t’know where we was going, what we was doing when an’ everything! And who else were gonna be there…well, I dint know, did I? Then he said what he might go an’ all! How can he do that? He int been invited!’

‘He wants to go to the wedding?’

‘Noo….to the ‘otel. I told him what Nathan said it were full up but he said what he’d try an’ get one what’s near and then we could have Sunday t’gether and I could come back with him. Wha’s he want t’do that for?’ Charlene folds her arms crossly.

Ingrid perches on the corner of Charlene’s desk. ‘Did you ask him?’

‘I said what I didn’t think he trusted me an’ he said it was because it’d be two weeks ‘til he saw me again and he dint want me t’forget who he was. Daft sod! I int gonna forget him, am I?’

‘I don’t suppose he meant literally’ Ingrid smiles.

‘What, books and things? Wha’s that got t’do with anything?’

‘I expect he was joking’

‘Oh…right…yeah..’ Charlene nods thoughtfully. ‘Might a been. He was sort a smiling’ she adds. ‘Nathan’ll go mad, won’t he?’ She raises fearful eyes to Ingrid’s face.

‘Why?’

‘If Jon’than shows up…That’d be like what he don’t trust Nathan neither an’ that’s why he got all annoyed in the first place!’

‘Mmm’ Ingrid grimaces.

‘You think what I should say summat to him?’

‘Who?’

‘Nathan…you know…just in case. It int what he don’t trust him…’ Charlene practises reassurance. ‘It’s so we can have a day out, tha’s all. We on’y see each other on a weekend usually, what with him being s’far away and everything. What d’you think?’

‘I shouldn’t think it would make any difference to Nathan at all’ Ingrid says as she stands up, brushing the knees of her trousers. ‘All depends on whether or not you want to see Bruno. It’s a lot of trouble for him to want to go to, to see you, bless him’

‘Yeah’ Charlene sighs a smile.