We'll Always Have Holby : pt 9
Part 1 ~ Part 2
Part 3 ~ Part 4
Part 5 ~ Part 6
Part 7 ~ Part 8
Feeling refreshed from her run and her shower, she returned to the bedroom and smiled at him, walking over to where he was sat on the bed. She kissed him gently, holding his face in her hands.
"You OK?" he asked.
"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Did you have another nightmare?"
"No," she lied.
"Maggie."
"I'm fine, Charlie, really. It's just..."
"Adjustment, I know," he said, throwing out the clinical line.
"I just need a bit of time, that's all."
"It's been nearly two months."
"Charlie..."
"I'm just worried about you."
"There's no need to be," she said. "Being back here with you? Exactly what I need."
She kissed him again, letting him pull her back onto the bed.
~~
From: Maggie
To: Charlie
Subject: < no subject >
Much as I love our calls, it just makes me realise how much I miss you when we hang up. I don't think you realise how much your support means to me, how much I love you for allowing me to go on about how great this place is, all the good things that are going on here. I wish I could share this with you - I want to share it with you.
Book some holiday, Charlie, book some flights. Come out here. You'd love it, I know you would. You and Louis and me cou
This is stupid. I tell you not to ask me to come home and I want you to come here. Not sending this.
System message : email deleted
~~
Louis had gone out - another date with Jade - and Charlie wondered if he should broach the subject once again. Last time he'd tried to talk about Serbia in any depth with her she'd avoided the matter as long as she could before picking an argument, storming off, and spending the night in Tess' spare room.
Her moving in had been almost accidental really. When she'd returned she'd spent the night here with him. One night had become two had become a week. Her room in her house had been let out to a third person, providing extra income, and Maggie saw little reason in kicking the girl out onto the streets when she was happy to stay and Charlie was definitely not about to argue.
"Maggie?"
"Hmm?"
She didn't look up from her book and he moved his hand to her leg. Her feet were still wedged under his thigh and she wiggled her toes, grinning but still not looking up.
"Maggie."
Putting the bookmark in place she finally gave him her full attention.
"I..."
"What?"
"I..."
"You OK?"
"Could ask you that."
"The nightmares," she said
"I'm really worried about you."
"I know you are, but there's really no need to be."
"No need to be?" he asked. "Maggie, you wake up in a cold sweat almost every night."
"No I don't."
"We share a bed."
"If I'm disturbing you..."
"If you want to pick a fight again, then fine. But I'm not letting this drop. Something happened out there."
"What are you hoping to hear? Some horror story?"
"Maybe a reason why you've been so on edge these last few weeks?" he said, fighting to stay calm. "I don't care what it is, Maggie, I don't know if I can help but I still want to know."
"There's not really anything to tell," she said.
"But there is something."
She sighed gently and put her book down. "Fancy going for a drink?"
"Maggie..."
"Let's... just get out of here."
~~
They found a table at the back of their local. He was dispatched to the bar and returned with a pint for him and a large glass of Merlot for her. For a moment she sat there, running her fingers up and down the stem.
"It wasn't as if I was in the middle of it all," she began. "Natasa's family were just a couple of hours outside of Belgrade. It wasn't idyllic, but then a lot of places weren't. Didn't see any of that on EuroVision, did we?"
He said nothing.
"I got used to things out there, working in the hospital, being part of that town. When that kid got hit by the car I was just in the right place at the right time. Fate I guess. I heard that a lot. They just get on with their lot in life because they believe that it's meant to happen that way."
She reached across the table and put her hand over his, smiling sadly.
"The Red Cross asked me to go with them to a nearby village. Depending on who you asked there were two different stories as to what happened. Rebels or soldiers. The result was the same though. It was like stepping into the aftermath of a warzone, Charlie, I've never seen anything like it. Found myself wishing for a massive RTC pouring in on a Friday night.
"There were kids, Charlie, younger than Louis. Freaked me out. Really freaked me out. And all you can do is patch them up and you know what happens next. Either they come back for round two or they go out looking for revenge. Politically parts of that country are on a knife edge; say the wrong thing in the wrong place and...
"I saw it, every night. Someone 'got into a fight' that you know was one sided and completely futile."
"And that's it?" he asked.
"There was this one kid. Absolute spit of Louis, and I mean I thought it was him at first. And I fought so, so hard..." She dropped her gaze to the table and whispered, "We lost him and I just..."
"Maggie..."
"I know it's stupid and I know it's irrational... But I keep playing it over and over in my mind and... and it's him."
"No wonder you woke up screaming."
"My counsellor says that it's all part of the adjustment process. I'm processing what happened to me and being back here it's only natural that I end up putting those I love into the war zone in my head. It takes time but it works out eventually."
"You know I'm here for you, right? Always will be."
"I know, Charlie, and believe me it's the one thing that's kept me going."
"I wish you'd told me."
"What? That every other night I dream about you or Louis being blown up or shot?"
"Well... yeah."
She went back to twisting the stem of the glass between her fingers. "I'm slowly falling apart..."
Charlie grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. "You are not. You're strong and resilient and you'll get through this. We'll get through this."
"You and me, right?"
"You and me."
"Don't know what I'd do without you sometimes."
"Not something you'll have to find out."
She hesitated. "I'm sorry about the ring."
"It wasn't your fault."
"Still..."
"It's just a ring. You're the irreplaceable part of this deal."
Maggie smiled, then it dropped. "Marry me."
"What?"
"Marry me, Charlie. I can get down on one knee if you want, and I know I kinda had the ring already but... I want it to be official. Us. I want to marry you and..."
"Maggie, Maggie, Maggie..." he said quickly, cutting her off. "Yes. You don't have to get down on one knee, you don't have to worry... Yes."
When she smiled at him her eyes lit up and it was the best moment in his life for a long, long time.
tbc...
Part 3 ~ Part 4
Part 5 ~ Part 6
Part 7 ~ Part 8
Feeling refreshed from her run and her shower, she returned to the bedroom and smiled at him, walking over to where he was sat on the bed. She kissed him gently, holding his face in her hands.
"You OK?" he asked.
"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Did you have another nightmare?"
"No," she lied.
"Maggie."
"I'm fine, Charlie, really. It's just..."
"Adjustment, I know," he said, throwing out the clinical line.
"I just need a bit of time, that's all."
"It's been nearly two months."
"Charlie..."
"I'm just worried about you."
"There's no need to be," she said. "Being back here with you? Exactly what I need."
She kissed him again, letting him pull her back onto the bed.
~~
From: Maggie
To: Charlie
Subject: < no subject >
Much as I love our calls, it just makes me realise how much I miss you when we hang up. I don't think you realise how much your support means to me, how much I love you for allowing me to go on about how great this place is, all the good things that are going on here. I wish I could share this with you - I want to share it with you.
Book some holiday, Charlie, book some flights. Come out here. You'd love it, I know you would. You and Louis and me cou
This is stupid. I tell you not to ask me to come home and I want you to come here. Not sending this.
System message : email deleted
~~
Louis had gone out - another date with Jade - and Charlie wondered if he should broach the subject once again. Last time he'd tried to talk about Serbia in any depth with her she'd avoided the matter as long as she could before picking an argument, storming off, and spending the night in Tess' spare room.
Her moving in had been almost accidental really. When she'd returned she'd spent the night here with him. One night had become two had become a week. Her room in her house had been let out to a third person, providing extra income, and Maggie saw little reason in kicking the girl out onto the streets when she was happy to stay and Charlie was definitely not about to argue.
"Maggie?"
"Hmm?"
She didn't look up from her book and he moved his hand to her leg. Her feet were still wedged under his thigh and she wiggled her toes, grinning but still not looking up.
"Maggie."
Putting the bookmark in place she finally gave him her full attention.
"I..."
"What?"
"I..."
"You OK?"
"Could ask you that."
"The nightmares," she said
"I'm really worried about you."
"I know you are, but there's really no need to be."
"No need to be?" he asked. "Maggie, you wake up in a cold sweat almost every night."
"No I don't."
"We share a bed."
"If I'm disturbing you..."
"If you want to pick a fight again, then fine. But I'm not letting this drop. Something happened out there."
"What are you hoping to hear? Some horror story?"
"Maybe a reason why you've been so on edge these last few weeks?" he said, fighting to stay calm. "I don't care what it is, Maggie, I don't know if I can help but I still want to know."
"There's not really anything to tell," she said.
"But there is something."
She sighed gently and put her book down. "Fancy going for a drink?"
"Maggie..."
"Let's... just get out of here."
~~
They found a table at the back of their local. He was dispatched to the bar and returned with a pint for him and a large glass of Merlot for her. For a moment she sat there, running her fingers up and down the stem.
"It wasn't as if I was in the middle of it all," she began. "Natasa's family were just a couple of hours outside of Belgrade. It wasn't idyllic, but then a lot of places weren't. Didn't see any of that on EuroVision, did we?"
He said nothing.
"I got used to things out there, working in the hospital, being part of that town. When that kid got hit by the car I was just in the right place at the right time. Fate I guess. I heard that a lot. They just get on with their lot in life because they believe that it's meant to happen that way."
She reached across the table and put her hand over his, smiling sadly.
"The Red Cross asked me to go with them to a nearby village. Depending on who you asked there were two different stories as to what happened. Rebels or soldiers. The result was the same though. It was like stepping into the aftermath of a warzone, Charlie, I've never seen anything like it. Found myself wishing for a massive RTC pouring in on a Friday night.
"There were kids, Charlie, younger than Louis. Freaked me out. Really freaked me out. And all you can do is patch them up and you know what happens next. Either they come back for round two or they go out looking for revenge. Politically parts of that country are on a knife edge; say the wrong thing in the wrong place and...
"I saw it, every night. Someone 'got into a fight' that you know was one sided and completely futile."
"And that's it?" he asked.
"There was this one kid. Absolute spit of Louis, and I mean I thought it was him at first. And I fought so, so hard..." She dropped her gaze to the table and whispered, "We lost him and I just..."
"Maggie..."
"I know it's stupid and I know it's irrational... But I keep playing it over and over in my mind and... and it's him."
"No wonder you woke up screaming."
"My counsellor says that it's all part of the adjustment process. I'm processing what happened to me and being back here it's only natural that I end up putting those I love into the war zone in my head. It takes time but it works out eventually."
"You know I'm here for you, right? Always will be."
"I know, Charlie, and believe me it's the one thing that's kept me going."
"I wish you'd told me."
"What? That every other night I dream about you or Louis being blown up or shot?"
"Well... yeah."
She went back to twisting the stem of the glass between her fingers. "I'm slowly falling apart..."
Charlie grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. "You are not. You're strong and resilient and you'll get through this. We'll get through this."
"You and me, right?"
"You and me."
"Don't know what I'd do without you sometimes."
"Not something you'll have to find out."
She hesitated. "I'm sorry about the ring."
"It wasn't your fault."
"Still..."
"It's just a ring. You're the irreplaceable part of this deal."
Maggie smiled, then it dropped. "Marry me."
"What?"
"Marry me, Charlie. I can get down on one knee if you want, and I know I kinda had the ring already but... I want it to be official. Us. I want to marry you and..."
"Maggie, Maggie, Maggie..." he said quickly, cutting her off. "Yes. You don't have to get down on one knee, you don't have to worry... Yes."
When she smiled at him her eyes lit up and it was the best moment in his life for a long, long time.
tbc...