Chapter 9
Nine
I t was almost midnight when doctors appeared from the lift and entered the ward.
“What is taking so long?” asked Steph who looked absolutely exhausted now.
“I guess the emergencies have held them up,” replied Jon unsure whether she had really wanted an answer.
“Our dad is an emergency,” protested Jason who was beginning to grate on Jon a little now as he appeared incapable of being anything other than petulant and argumentative.
“But he is stable, isn’t he?” Jon found it increasingly difficult to keep the irritation out of his voice.
“Yes he is,” interjected Steph. “Do you have any change for the coffee machine?”
“No, but I will see if I can find some.” Jon was already up on his feet, glad to be able to get away from Jason for a while.
“Your boyfriend is an arse,” said Jason as Jon headed downstairs via the lift.
“No, he’s not. He’s trying to help and he is very good at being in control and getting people to do what he wants, so I am rather glad he stayed. Now stop being a prat.”
“Whatever.” Jason pouted. “You love him, don’t you?”
Steph nodded, “Yes, but it’s complicated.”
“How? He is still an arse, but he is obviously crazy about you too, so what’s the problem?” he asked curiously.
She considered being completely honest, but really she knew that wasn’t an option, not with Jason, not now. He would flip and probably hit Jon when he returned and whilst she wasn’t concerned that Jon couldn’t defend himself, she didn’t want a fight.
“He’s my boss, Jay and it kind of complicates things.”
“Why did you leave your old job? Did he make you?” he asked accusingly.
“No,” laughed Steph and tried to explain about her change in work, although she stopped short of telling him exactly what had occurred with Baker and Simon. She opted for a simplified, ‘Baker got a bit weird and Simon was being a complete pain’ and finished with a truthful ‘Jon employed me as a temp and he has just offered me a big promotion and a permanent post’.
“What do you mean about Baker and Simon? Did Baker try it on with you?” Jay’s look of annoyance seemed to suggest he didn’t entirely buy her simplified account.
“Yeah, kind of, but I floored him so had to leave really.” She laughed and was relieved when Jason joined in with her laughter.
“What about Simon? He was never right for you and never, ever good enough, sis. You should have floored him years ago,” he said sincerely as he gazed into her eyes.
Steph nodded, believing, possibly for the first time that Simon really hadn’t been good enough for her, ever. The way he’d spoken to her, treated her, used her. Even when they’d first got together he’d been a little half-hearted about things even when they were at the point of discussing a joint future. Feeling her brother’s concerned eyes boring into her, she pushed the thoughts from her mind and moved conversation back to Simon. “He became a nuisance with calls and texts then he followed me to Lindsay’s and we ended up having a bit of a tussle,” she said trying to play the incident down.
“A tussle?” Jason looked upset and angry and Steph wasn’t sure which was the safest emotion for her brother to embrace.
“Yeah, a tussle, that’s all it was, but I banged my head and ended up going to A and E with Charlie,” she revealed cautiously.
“A and E with Charlie? Where was your super boyfriend?” He sounded angrier with Jon than Simon now.
“He was working, but for what it’s worth as soon as he found out he came to mine and looked after me and gave me a bollocking for being anywhere near Simon and was ready to lamp him. Then he got Eddie to get me a new car so that Simon wouldn’t be able to find me, same with the flat.” Perhaps it was the shock of their dad being hurt or maybe she needed to unload this information, but she was unsure why she was revealing so much to Jason when he was so volatile, especially where she was concerned.
“He’s loaded though, right?” he asked.
She nodded, “Yup, seriously.”
“He’s like one of the big bosses then?” Jason looked confused and his words sounded as though he was thinking aloud. “If he gave you a job?”
“The biggest boss. You know I work for Brookers now?”
Jason nodded.
“Well they are huge and they have loads of smaller companies in just about every field and Jon is Jonathan Brooker and he owns the whole thing,” she revealed and laughed at the expression on her brother’s face.
“Shit! Had I known that, I would have been much nicer to him,” he said and they both laughed as Jon returned.
“This place is bloody useless. There is nowhere to get any change, even the car park machine won’t take notes tonight, and the card reader’s broken, but I will go and find a petrol station or a twenty-four hour supermarket if you really want coffee, darling,” he said to Steph as he brushed the hair off her face gently.
“No it’s fine,” she reassured him as Jason stood up and stood almost toe to toe with him.
“Or just have some brought in from Columbia on your private jet.”
“What? Have I missed something?” Jon’s obvious confusion amused Jason.
“No. You will just have to excuse my idiot brother I am afraid,” laughed Steph until a voice called to them all.
“Are you the family of Mr Pryor?”
They all turned together and in unison said “Yes.”
“Oh my God, Stephanie Pryor, I had no idea,” said the registrar that stood in front of them and leaned forward to hug Steph tightly. “I only ever met your dad fleetingly and didn’t recognise him.” Still leaning in against her ear he said, “You look amazing.” He released her and drank in her appearance. “Very corporate.”
She looked down at the suit she was wearing, the same one she had worn for work earlier that day, the same one that Jon had removed after telling her that he loved her before making love to her on the floor of her office. The cough from behind her brought her back to the present and although unsure who had made the noise, Jon was certainly laying his claim to her now by draping an arm around her behind and resting a hand on her hip.
“Sorry,” muttered Steph. “This is an old friend of mine Chris Patterson, Dr Christian Patterson,” she corrected reading his name from his hospital I.D. badge. “Chris this is my brother Jason and my boyfriend Jon.”
“I vaguely remember you, Jason, although we only usually met when one of us, or both of us were drunk,” laughed Chris.
“You were the med’ student that Steph used to sneak in and out of the house when she was home from uni,” Jason said, pleased with himself for recalling the tall, broad blond man with sparkling blue eyes smiling back at him and nodding.
“Guilty as charged,” laughed Chris.
Steph became aware of a pain in her hip and suddenly realised that Jon was digging his fingers into her skin firmly, although she was unsure whether it was intentional or not, but it prompted her to refocus. “Are you my dad’s doctor?”
“One of them. Look why don’t you all come with me into the office on the ward and we can talk properly about your dad,” he suggested and Jason headed towards the ward doors with him followed by Jon and Steph.
“You really are a constant source of surprise, Stephanie,” whispered Jon flatly, making her feel a little nervous that he was going to overreact to the coincidental run in with her former boyfriend.
They all sat at a low round table as Chris began to explain exactly what the situation was with Roger. Jon pulled out a notepad and pen and ignored the looks of surprise from the others.
“You don’t mind do you, Dr Patterson?” he asked politely, but somehow made the question sound intimidating. Chris shook his head. “For Stephanie’s family’s information,” he added and waved a hand for Chris to continue.
“So, your dad has sustained a number of broken bones, cuts and abrasions, which are of little concern. However, the scan we did earlier shows a brain injury which is the most likely cause of his unconsciousness. He also has a fracture to the skull, but that in itself isn’t a major concern. We’ll continue to monitor him and treat him with drugs. We’re hoping that the swelling at the site of the injury will subside in its own time.”
“What if it doesn’t?” asked Jon.
“Well, if it doesn’t then we may have to perform an operation to relieve the pressure, but that’s not something we’d want to do unnecessarily, especially as he is currently stable,” explained Chris.
“What is the prognosis for Roger?”
Steph was suddenly beyond grateful for Jon’s presence; he was calm and collected and knew exactly what needed asking. Even when faced with an ex-boyfriend who had been completely unknown until about ten minutes before, he was still acting in her best interests and taking care of her. She almost subconsciously slipped her hand into his and felt surprisingly relieved when he gripped it tightly.
“We would be guarded in any kind of prognosis now, just because of the fact that Roger hasn’t yet regained consciousness, but his vital signs are good and he is breathing unaided which are all good indicators.” Whilst it was Jon’s question he was replying to, Chris smiled at Steph.
“So, you’re the registrar, but who is the main man, the consultant?” asked Jon.
“That would be Mr Wright, but I am a qualified doctor.” Chris sounded slightly offended and terse.
“I appreciate that,” replied Jon tartly. “I understand the medical hierarchy system, but I prefer to deal with the people in charge so where is Mr Wright?”
“At home in bed with Mrs Wright I would imagine.” Chris did nothing to hide the sarcasm of his tone.
“As he should be. So, we will meet with him in the morning.” Jon glanced at his watch. “What time?”
“You may not see Mr Wright tomorrow,” explained Chris.
“Oh, I think we will Dr Patterson, so if you can get me a time I would appreciate it. I am a very busy man,” he said seriously.
“As is Mr Wright and people’s lives depend on him . . .” started Chris defensively.
“Of course they do, but people depend on all of us in one way or another, but if you’re unable to set up a meeting at a pre-arranged time, I will.” Jon immediately pulled out his phone and began texting or emailing for a few moments, then he returned his attention to the conversation between Steph, Jason and Dr Patterson.
“Will our dad be okay though? He won’t die will he?” Jason’s voice broke as Steph hugged him tightly.
“As I say he is stable at the moment, but he isn’t out of the woods just yet,” the doctor replied honestly.
“I see.” Jason looked sad and lonely as he absorbed the meaning of the words.
“But he isn’t in any immediate danger as things stand?” asked Jon smiling at Jason while he took Steph’s hand in his again.
“No, not as things stand,” Chris agreed.
“Thank you, doctor. I am sure we should let you get on.” Despite Jon being a visitor here, he managed to make it sound as though he was dismissing the doctor.
“Yes, but I can probably let you have a couple of minutes with your dad if you’d like. I know you haven’t had much time with him,” offered Chris.
“Not me,” cried Jason. “I don’t really do hospitals and sick people.” He looked as though he was about to vomit, or cry, or both.
“Please, if it’s not too much trouble,” said Steph gratefully.
“Nothing is too much trouble for you, Steph, never was.” Chris was already leading her out of the office and onto the ward.
“Smarmy bastard!” hissed Jon as the door closed behind them making Jason laugh.
“That’s what I thought about you,” said Jason honestly.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Can we go and wait outside? I have seen enough of these places to last a lifetime,” he said, but was already heading for the door and once sat out in the waiting area continued talking openly to Jon.
“When we were little, Steph and I were inseparable. We were each other’s closest sibling in age. The others were all older and had their fill of younger siblings I think. She was the kind, sensitive one and I was the mischievous, slightly wilder one, so we complemented each other I suppose. Mum was sick for most of our lives so that was normal meaning when she became terminal it knocked us for six because she had always been ill, but kept going, and then our roles reversed. I became more introverted and Steph became wilder, and it coincided with boyfriends, drinking and stuff which she did to the extreme. Now the good doctor in there was one of the better ones really because he seemed to care about Steph and didn’t take advantage, like you, but also like you he was a bit full on which scared Steph. I suppose this makes him unlike you because she proper likes you, like as in love,” said Jason laughing. “Even if you are a bit flash.”
Jon laughed too. “Me? Flash?”
“Aren’t you?” asked Jason returning a question with a question.
“I can be, but this is me seriously toned down,” said Jon and really meant it.
Jason laughed and explained, “Steph told me you’re her big, big boss and the boss of all the other bosses so I suppose you could be flasher.”
“Ah, I understand the private jet dig now.” Jon nodded as Steph appeared with Dr Patterson.
“If you need anything just call me.” Chris kissed Steph gently, low on her cheek, almost on the corner of her lips, immediately infuriating Jon who was struggling not to get up and hit him, but he was smarter than that, but one way or another the good doctor would get the message, loud and clear.
Jason was obviously aware of this because he placed a reassuring hand on Jon’s shoulder and whispered, “He’s in the past, unlike you.”
The three of them had just left the exit and were standing together on the car park.
“Do you need a lift?” Jon asked Jason.
“No thanks, I’ve got my car here,” he replied and shook Jon’s hand before kissing Steph and heading towards his own car.
“Are you okay? Will you come back to mine or shall I come to yours?” Jon asked Steph who shrugged.
“I don’t know, although I would rather stay here, just in case, but you should go home,” Steph said as Jon wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest.
“No. If you want to stay, that’s fine, but we’ll both stay, together,” he replied as he led her back into the hospital and up to the waiting area on the fifth floor.
“Coffee?” Steph fished some change from her pocket to put into the coffee machine.
“Yes, but I didn’t think you had any change, hence me being sent off to get some. Or was that just to get rid of me?” Jon already knew the answer.
“Sorry, I just thought that you and Jason probably needed a little breather from each other,” she confessed.
Wrapping his arms around her waist from behind he kissed her gently on the neck. “Very well perceived, Miss Pryor, but your brother and I appear to be friends now.”
Steph turned to pass him a cup of coffee from the machine. “You really don’t need to stay here with me. I do know that there is nothing I can do, but I just want to be close by if that makes sense. But I can do this alone if you have things to do.”
“I get it, but I have no intention of leaving you here.” They sat next to each other, nursing their coffee. “Now we can either play eye spy or we could talk.”
“We were going to talk tonight weren’t we?” she mused. “I don’t know that hearing about your wife is ever going to be easy, but I know it’s time.”
“Yes, but that can wait. Now, here is probably not right so let’s talk about ourselves,” he said determined to discover more about her, at least about her past.
Steph laughed at his suggestion and when she was met with a stony stare she stifled her giggles. “Sorry, that just sounded a bit conceited and pretentious, ‘let’s talk about ourselves’ that was all, but I know what you mean. Do you want me to start with my first day at school?” she asked making him smile.
“No, darling, but maybe you should start with your time with Dr Smarmy in there.” He gestured towards the ward.
“I had no idea he worked here,” Steph said defending herself.
“I know that. So tell me about your family, uni, anything.”
“By the time I left school there were only four of us left at home, me, Jason, Dylan and Paul. Mum and Dad were there too, obviously, but Mum was really poorly by then. Dylan and Paul were working full time, Jason was in his second year at college and I had just started my A-levels meaning much of my mum’s care fell to Dad, but he worked too. She had been ill most of my life to some extent and probably for the previous couple of years had needed professional carers, one of whom was Janice,” said Steph calmly.
“Ah,” was all that Jon said in response.
“She was very good and Mum liked her, but as she became sicker Janice began to do ‘extras’.”
“Extras?” asked Jon nervously hoping he wasn’t going to make this seedy.
“Yeah, she would cook dinner for Dad and make his sandwiches to take to work, bake cakes and stuff like that,” Steph explained with a giggle at Jon’s face and his obvious interpretation of ‘extras’. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Brooker,” she told him making him smirk at her. “Then she started to pop in when it wasn’t her shift, but the others just thought she was a nice lady, which she was I suppose, until she went to the Christmas dance with Dad from the club where he’s a member. That swayed Jess and Trish towards the fact that she liked him, but the lads all thought we were being bitches, which may have been a fair accusation to some extent, but it was more than that. Anyway, after Paul moved out, Dylan spent most of his time with whoever he was shagging and that just left me and Jay. Jason drank too much, partly to avoid what was happening I think.”
“What was happening?” queried Jon.
“Yeah, sorry, our mum was dying. Nobody ever told us in such blunt terms, but it became quite obvious and somehow we both felt responsible for it and inadequate in what we did for her. Dad just buried his head in the sand. I think that’s where I get that particular trait from,” she admitted with a wry smile. “He was becoming more distracted by Janice who was an almost permanent fixture in our house.” There was a distinct wobble to her voice as Jon took her hand in his.
“Darling, we can talk about something else if you’d rather,” Jon offered, still wanting to know about her, but not wanting to make her sad by reliving what he could only imagine as being the hardest thing for a child to endure.
Steph shook her head and continued, “I didn’t know what to do or how to feel and the others all tried to protect me from everything because I was still a baby as far as they were all concerned, so I rebelled. Jay became quieter and introverted for the most part with an occasional side order of angry fighter. I well and truly came out of my shell; I threw myself into college life and all that it offered, drink, parties and boys. I was quite popular with boys, maybe with having so many brothers I knew how to act with them and I always had a look that most boys seemed to like. I started seeing this lad at college. Marco. He was in the same engineering class as Ade off the tenth floor.” She laughed.
“What?”
“When Ade introduced himself I was so relieved that he didn’t mention Marco or say they were friends or flatmates. You would hate Marco, although we were both young.”
“Mmm, I hate him already,” said Jon sardonically.
“We saw each other for a few weeks and one night after we were both drunk, me more than him, we ended up in bed together and that was the first time I had sex and it was okay, a bit weird afterwards but we carried on seeing each other for a few months and then it fizzled out and we lost touch. As my mum became sicker, the harder I partied and the more I shagged around really, that really was the birth of slutty Steph I suppose. Although I was always careful and never left home without a condom, but I can see with hindsight that it’s how I react to extreme emotional situations that I can’t cope with.” Looking up at Jon’s dark expression she suddenly regretted sharing so much information with him until he bent down and kissed her gently on the lips.
“I am so sorry about that whole slutty Steph thing, darling,” he said as his lips found hers again if only for a split second.
“It’s kind of okay. You were probably right, to a point,” she acknowledged and then continued. “So, I figured that I was good at maths and I appeared to be a decent shag so that’s where I concentrated my efforts and left college with several uni offers and a few ex-boyfriends.”
“And your mum?” Jon needed to focus on the important facts here, not her ex-boyfriends.
“Still with us at that point, but she was so poorly it was almost cruel that she hadn’t died sooner. She was lovely my mum; beautiful, smart, funny and a proper lady, not like me and she had so much dignity even at the end when she was in absolute agony.”
“So you went off to uni?”
“Yes, I went to a uni close enough to stay at home, but I lived in Halls of Residence anyway and Jason had moved out when he’d gone to uni the year before so that left Mum, Dad and Janice and the other carers. I came home for weekends and Jay and I both came home for holidays which is when my suspicions about Janice were proven true. I had planned to come home on the Saturday because I was seeing this lad at uni, not Chris,” she added seriously, needing Chris not to be an issue, not now and not here.
“Sorry,” Jon muttered, seeming to understand that Steph didn’t need to discuss her relationship with the doctor and as much as he wanted to know exactly what there had been between them, he knew now wasn’t the time.
“We had planned to spend the Friday night together, but he cancelled, which I found out later was because he was seeing other people, but that’s unimportant. I decided to go home on the Friday night and found the carer was there. My dad had gone out so I sent the carer home and I sat with my mum and we talked and laughed until we both fell asleep.”
Jon smiled at her and wondered about her mum and what she’d meant earlier when she said she’d felt guilty about her dying, specifically her and Jason. He allowed his thoughts to drift; what had Mrs Pryor looked like, sounded like. Was Steph like her? He realised that she most probably was because she didn’t seem to follow after her father and although there was a sibling similarity between her and the other Pryor children, some of them looked more like Roger.
Steph continued, “I woke up about two in the morning and could hear some strange noises and I’d had enough sex at that point to know what sex sounded like. I assumed Jay must have done the same as me and come home early for the Christmas holiday with a plus one. I was just about to go and tell them to shut the fuck up, literally.” She laughed. “When Mum woke up and said, leave them, he deserves some comfort and happiness . To say I was confused was an understatement because my mum would never have tolerated any of us shagging in the house. They went quiet, doors opened and closed and then I heard voices, hers mainly, speaking his name, Roger .”
“Bloody hell, Steph! Your dad and Janice? In the house? While your mum lay there dying?” asked Jon shaking his head in disbelief.
“Oh yes. Mum told me that she’d known that they’d grown close, encouraged it and she was glad that he would have someone after she was gone. That I shouldn’t judge him harshly or tell the others and that side of their relationship had been non-existent for a long time. Jason came back the following morning before Dad or Janice were around. Mum was sleeping so Jay and I were sat at the breakfast table when they appeared looking like any other couple the morning after the night before. Our presence was quite the shock for them, but I didn’t need to tell Jay, he saw for himself. He flipped out at Dad initially and I just asked Janice to leave, very calmly and without swearing, you would have been very impressed,” she told him with certainty.
Jon shook his head, hoping to clarify his thoughts on the scene Steph was painting for him but also he was preventing himself from imagining how he would have reacted in the same position. With a frown, he realised that he would have reacted like Jason, with anger towards his father.
“Jason and I talked about it and he could see that it hadn’t been as much of a surprise to me and I told him what I’d heard and what Mum had said, which really upset him, but we both went to talk to Mum and she made us promise not to be horrible to Dad for it, which was easier for me because I was always ‘Daddy’s little princess’.”
“Pumpkin.” Jon grinned thinking about the name he’d heard Roger call Steph by.
“Anyway we never mentioned it again to Dad, but it carried on, they at least became more discreet but there was no doubt in my mind that it continued. It was the night before I went back to uni, Dad went out, and without being told as much, we knew it was with Janice, so I sat up all night with my mum. She was really, really poorly and I just knew that when I went back to uni I would never see her again, not alive, so I wanted to savour my time with her. Dad had suggested staying in, we all knew this was the end, but Mum insisted he went out and it was just me and her for the night. It was lovely,” Steph said with a smile that contradicted the tears welling in her eyes. “She talked about when I was born and that she knew that it would cost her everything eventually, but that she had never regretted me or Jay. She talked about all the dreams she had for us all; to be happy and successful and she made me promise to work hard and find a nice man who would treat me like a princess.” The realisation that she was crying now at the memory of that night hit Steph hard. “I think I may have fucked that bit up . . . I have always seemed to have the knack for attracting the wrong sort of man. Chris was nice, and Charlie, but the others, not so much so.”
“Thanks,” muttered Jon as he pulled her closer to his side.
“Well shagging a married man who makes jobs up for me and pays my wages isn’t exactly going to rank up there with my finer moments, is it?”
Jon opened and closed his mouth several times, unsure what to say because based on what she’d already shared about her mother, Mrs Pryor would not have considered this situation to be one where her daughter was being treated like a princess, nor would it reflect Jon in a ‘nice man’ light.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound how it did,” she said sniffing back a torrent of tears that wouldn’t take much tempting to fall.
“Oh, Steph, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get upset, but I just thought that we don’t really know that much about each other.” Jon handed her his very expensive hanky from his suit pocket.
“It’s okay, you’re right, we don’t actually know anything about each other do we, not really?” she asked seriously.
“I wouldn’t quite go that far, darling, I think I know every inch of you,” he said with a wicked glint in his eye and then winked at her making her hungry for him, but also making her laugh.
“I thought you were talking on a deeper level than that,” she chastised him.
“I was, but not if it makes you upset,” he said draping an arm around her shoulders gently. “I’m happy to get shallow in the gutter with you if it makes you happier.”
“No, you’re right and I’d like us to know more about each other,” said Steph and continued. “I woke up the next morning still lying with my mum, but as soon as I looked at her I knew there was something wrong. When I tried to wake her, she was so cold . . . I knew she’d gone. I just screamed and screamed. Jason came in first and as soon as he realised what had happened he was as hysterical as me, then Dad appeared with Janice. Maybe she’d stayed over, or perhaps she’d made an early start for work. Dad hadn’t got a clue what to say or do. Janice, on the other hand knew exactly what to do and phoned all the relevant people. All the others came over and it was Eddie that noticed the way Janice kept touching my dad; a stroke of the hand, a pat on the back and then the day of Mum’s funeral it was obvious, but we’d all been left a letter and all of them said that we were to take care of each other with no recriminations or judgements and to respect Dad and any decisions he had made, or would make in the future. She also told us how much of a friend Janice had been, that she had been so much more than a carer and supported Mum in ways we would never know or understand, so we tolerate Janice and all that she represents to us.”
“Jeez Steph!”
“Quite,” agreed Steph. “So, what about your family?”
“Oh now there’s a question,” he said as the lift doors opened and several nurses appeared prompting Jon to look at his watch. “Over breakfast. I will nip back to mine and shower and change and bring you some things back and then we can have breakfast before we meet with the consultant. I will call Eddie and Janice to let them know what sort of night Roger’s had, okay?” Jon was up on his feet, bending down to kiss Steph as Dr Patterson passed.
He called to Steph, “He’s still stable and had a comfortable night.”
“Thank you,” she called back as she got to her feet and hugged Jon tightly. “I don’t know what I have done to deserve you, but I am glad you’re here,” she told him as she moved her arms beneath his jacket and ran her hands across his back through just his shirt.
“I don’t know about that, but if you don’t stop moving your hands under my clothes I may not be able to stop myself from returning the favour,” he grinned, wiggling his brows, hoping to lighten the moment and make her smile.
She grinned back. “That sounds pretty tempting.”
“At home, in the car, hotel rooms, my office, your office, all options, darling, but not a hospital waiting area. Now what clothes do you want me to bring you?”
“Something to change into when I get into work, and deodorant, oh and if you bring a skirt or a dress I’ll need some shoes, please,” she said to a disbelieving Jon.
“So, you will sit up all night on damned uncomfortable hospital chairs, but then you plan on going into work?” he asked bemused.
“I am nothing if not professional and I have a new job to get my head around.” Her expression and tone were serious.
“It can wait,” Jon said equally as serious, but as he saw the look of determination spread across her face he relented slightly. “Okay, I will be back as soon as I can, then we’ll grab some breakfast before speaking to the consultant, and after all of that we will discuss work, okay?”
“Yes, thank you,” she said as he left her alone.