(no subject)
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
Charlie did know, and he was waiting for them. After he'd reassured himself that Louis really was fine he followed Maggie into his office. She gave him an overview of the situation; she'd come home, Jade had collapsed after an allergic reaction, she'd helped. She wasn't technically lying to him and still keeping her promise to Louis.
"So what? Something she ate?" Charlie asked. "Sixteen years old, bit late for a first time reaction."
"But not impossible or uncommon," Maggie replied.
"True," he said, perching on the edge of the desk.
"Just unlucky I guess."
"Or very lucky," he pointed out. "How many people suffer a severe first time reaction with a doctor on hand?"
"Louis did his part too. Stayed pretty calm, helped out..."
"Under your instruction of course. Heard about the antihistamine tablets."
"You might need to get some more."
"Might have to get an Anapen if Jade's going to be around. Nice girl."
"Didn't really get a chance to talk to her."
There was a knock on the door and Adam stuck his head around. "Thought you'd want to know how she's doing," he said. "Good call, Maggie. Anaphylaxis. Not severe, but could have been. She's responding well."
"Thanks Adam."
"Most people would have missed it."
"Doubt that."
"Well my first thought wouldn't have been to look at her legs."
After he'd gone, Maggie turned to see a quizzical look on Charlie's face.
"What?" she asked.
"Her legs?"
"What?"
"Adam said her legs."
"Yeah. She had a rash on them."
"You worked out she had an allergic reaction because of a rash on her legs?"
Maggie closed her eyes and silently counted the seconds until the pieces fell into place.
"Oh you have got to be..." he began.
"Charlie, Charlie..."
"Tell me they weren't."
"Charlie..."
"Oh... He's fifteen..."
"Yeah, everyone's aware of that."
"Stupid boy..."
"Stupid?" Maggie questioned. "Think it's pretty obvious that it was safe..."
He tilted his head and smiled a little. "True."
"I promised I wouldn't say anything."
"You knew?"
"I... walked in on them."
"Oh," he said, resisting the urge to grin.
"Yeah."
"You weren't going to tell me?"
She narrowed her eyes. "What do you think?"
He sighed, thinking this through. "Poor kid."
"And I thought me catching them was going to be the worst of it."
In the end they couldn't help but laugh, and Maggie made him swear never to broach the subject with Louis, otherwise she'd make him regret it for a very long time.
~~
Charlie found Louis in Resus, standing by Jade's bedside.
"Do her parents know?" Charlie asked.
Louis nodded. "It's just her and her mum. She's on her way in now."
"Right."
"Adam said she'll be fine, it's just the medication making her drowsy."
"It can have that effect, yeah."
"Dad..."
"So do you know what it was?" Charlie asked.
"What?"
"What she could be allergic to?"
"Um, a few ideas. They're going to do some tests to find out."
"Maggie said you coped really well."
"Don't remember really," Louis said, gently stroking Jade's brow. "Was just so worried for her."
"Yeah, I know that feeling."
"Really?"
Charlie nodded, thinking of the nights when he'd laid next to Maggie, just waiting for her to have another nightmare.
"Did Maggie say anything else?" Louis asked.
"Like what?"
"Just wondering."
"She'll be fine, mate."
"I know."
"And you can't blame yourself." When Louis looked at him he quickly covered; "She could have come into contact with it almost anywhere. Ask me you both got very lucky Maggie came home when she did."
"Say that again."
"Want me to speak to her mum when she gets here?"
"If you don't mind?"
"Well, usually if someone's allergic to something they find out before they're sixteen. But then it can be something pretty simple. Didn't I get you that new shower gel last week?"
"Must be it," Louis said, jumping on the get out clause. "Used it this morning."
"Must be," Charlie said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "We'll be outside when you're ready."
"Dad?" Louis called out after him. "Thanks."
"For what? It's Maggie you owe, not me."
~~
When Maggie found out that night that Charlie had given Louis a get out clause, she kissed him and declared that he might just manage a decent man-to-man relationship with his son yet. He then pointed out that she had a lot to do with that and he would be forever grateful to whatever force brought her into his life - and brought her back.
Later that evening Jo phoned, and as soon as Maggie had left the sitting room for some privacy, Louis had approached his father.
"Can I ask you something?" he said.
"Of course," Charlie replied, both curious and worried this was going to be about Jade and the events of that afternoon.
"Do you think Mum would have liked Maggie?"
Slightly relieved, Charlie smiled. "That's something I thought a lot about in the beginning."
"And?"
"Yeah, reckon they'd have gotten on."
"Me too."
"Why'd you ask?"
"I reckon Mum would want you to be happy, and Maggie obviously does that. She's great; and I'm not just sayin' that 'cause of this afternoon. But because of this afternoon I want to do something for you guys."
He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small jewellery box. When Charlie prised open the lid he saw a not-insignificant diamond sat on a black velvet cushion.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
"It's above board, I promise," he said quickly. "And I know you want to get Maggie a new engagement ring. Just thought you could make it a really nice one with that."
"I'm hardly destitute. Where did this come from?"
"Just after Mum died, Granddad gave me this necklace. It had been Gran's, and he was going to give it to Mum but... Well. Granddad said it should go to someone special. That diamond was in the middle of it. Guy in the shop said it'd go well on a ring.
"I can't take this," Charlie said, holding the box out.
"Yes, you can."
"Louis..."
"It was my necklace so it's my diamond. And therefore I get to decide what happens to it."
"This is too much..."
"Dad, Maggie's going to be part of this family. Way I see it, this means the ring is from both of us."
"I'm not marrying you," Maggie said from the doorway. "And he's right, it's too much."
"After today? No, it's not."
"I was just doing my job, Louis."
"I'm not talking about just that. You've been really good to me these last few years. Someone I can talk to, someone who's been there for me. As step-mums go, you're pretty much the top of the list. So no arguments. In fact, I'll be offended if you don't accept," he said with a grin.
"I'm doing so under protest, understand?" Maggie said eventually. She walked over to him and gave him a hug before letting him escape; good deed done for the day so he could go back to being a normal, self-indulged teenager.
"That is not my son," Charlie said as Maggie curled in beside him on the sofa.
She took the box from him and studied the diamond. "Really? Think he's a chip off the old block myself."
"Last year he was skiving school, smoking, causing me all kinds of sleepless nights. Now he's selling off a necklace that's probably been in the family for years so you can have an engagement ring."
"You know it doesn't matter to me. The new ring."
"Think we'd better get you one now," Charlie said, taking the box back from her and snapping it shut. "He'll be offended otherwise."
Maggie laughed softly and curled her arm around his waist. "Well done by the way."
"For what?"
"Not saying anything to Louis."
Charlie sighed. "Tell me it gets better."
"Sure. If you don't lie to them, have one take off halfway 'round the world, the other land on your doorstep eight months pregnant... It's a doddle."
"I am so glad I have you around," he laughed.
tbc...
Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4
Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8
Part 9 ~ Part 10 ~ Part 11
Charlie did know, and he was waiting for them. After he'd reassured himself that Louis really was fine he followed Maggie into his office. She gave him an overview of the situation; she'd come home, Jade had collapsed after an allergic reaction, she'd helped. She wasn't technically lying to him and still keeping her promise to Louis.
"So what? Something she ate?" Charlie asked. "Sixteen years old, bit late for a first time reaction."
"But not impossible or uncommon," Maggie replied.
"True," he said, perching on the edge of the desk.
"Just unlucky I guess."
"Or very lucky," he pointed out. "How many people suffer a severe first time reaction with a doctor on hand?"
"Louis did his part too. Stayed pretty calm, helped out..."
"Under your instruction of course. Heard about the antihistamine tablets."
"You might need to get some more."
"Might have to get an Anapen if Jade's going to be around. Nice girl."
"Didn't really get a chance to talk to her."
There was a knock on the door and Adam stuck his head around. "Thought you'd want to know how she's doing," he said. "Good call, Maggie. Anaphylaxis. Not severe, but could have been. She's responding well."
"Thanks Adam."
"Most people would have missed it."
"Doubt that."
"Well my first thought wouldn't have been to look at her legs."
After he'd gone, Maggie turned to see a quizzical look on Charlie's face.
"What?" she asked.
"Her legs?"
"What?"
"Adam said her legs."
"Yeah. She had a rash on them."
"You worked out she had an allergic reaction because of a rash on her legs?"
Maggie closed her eyes and silently counted the seconds until the pieces fell into place.
"Oh you have got to be..." he began.
"Charlie, Charlie..."
"Tell me they weren't."
"Charlie..."
"Oh... He's fifteen..."
"Yeah, everyone's aware of that."
"Stupid boy..."
"Stupid?" Maggie questioned. "Think it's pretty obvious that it was safe..."
He tilted his head and smiled a little. "True."
"I promised I wouldn't say anything."
"You knew?"
"I... walked in on them."
"Oh," he said, resisting the urge to grin.
"Yeah."
"You weren't going to tell me?"
She narrowed her eyes. "What do you think?"
He sighed, thinking this through. "Poor kid."
"And I thought me catching them was going to be the worst of it."
In the end they couldn't help but laugh, and Maggie made him swear never to broach the subject with Louis, otherwise she'd make him regret it for a very long time.
~~
Charlie found Louis in Resus, standing by Jade's bedside.
"Do her parents know?" Charlie asked.
Louis nodded. "It's just her and her mum. She's on her way in now."
"Right."
"Adam said she'll be fine, it's just the medication making her drowsy."
"It can have that effect, yeah."
"Dad..."
"So do you know what it was?" Charlie asked.
"What?"
"What she could be allergic to?"
"Um, a few ideas. They're going to do some tests to find out."
"Maggie said you coped really well."
"Don't remember really," Louis said, gently stroking Jade's brow. "Was just so worried for her."
"Yeah, I know that feeling."
"Really?"
Charlie nodded, thinking of the nights when he'd laid next to Maggie, just waiting for her to have another nightmare.
"Did Maggie say anything else?" Louis asked.
"Like what?"
"Just wondering."
"She'll be fine, mate."
"I know."
"And you can't blame yourself." When Louis looked at him he quickly covered; "She could have come into contact with it almost anywhere. Ask me you both got very lucky Maggie came home when she did."
"Say that again."
"Want me to speak to her mum when she gets here?"
"If you don't mind?"
"Well, usually if someone's allergic to something they find out before they're sixteen. But then it can be something pretty simple. Didn't I get you that new shower gel last week?"
"Must be it," Louis said, jumping on the get out clause. "Used it this morning."
"Must be," Charlie said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "We'll be outside when you're ready."
"Dad?" Louis called out after him. "Thanks."
"For what? It's Maggie you owe, not me."
~~
When Maggie found out that night that Charlie had given Louis a get out clause, she kissed him and declared that he might just manage a decent man-to-man relationship with his son yet. He then pointed out that she had a lot to do with that and he would be forever grateful to whatever force brought her into his life - and brought her back.
Later that evening Jo phoned, and as soon as Maggie had left the sitting room for some privacy, Louis had approached his father.
"Can I ask you something?" he said.
"Of course," Charlie replied, both curious and worried this was going to be about Jade and the events of that afternoon.
"Do you think Mum would have liked Maggie?"
Slightly relieved, Charlie smiled. "That's something I thought a lot about in the beginning."
"And?"
"Yeah, reckon they'd have gotten on."
"Me too."
"Why'd you ask?"
"I reckon Mum would want you to be happy, and Maggie obviously does that. She's great; and I'm not just sayin' that 'cause of this afternoon. But because of this afternoon I want to do something for you guys."
He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small jewellery box. When Charlie prised open the lid he saw a not-insignificant diamond sat on a black velvet cushion.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
"It's above board, I promise," he said quickly. "And I know you want to get Maggie a new engagement ring. Just thought you could make it a really nice one with that."
"I'm hardly destitute. Where did this come from?"
"Just after Mum died, Granddad gave me this necklace. It had been Gran's, and he was going to give it to Mum but... Well. Granddad said it should go to someone special. That diamond was in the middle of it. Guy in the shop said it'd go well on a ring.
"I can't take this," Charlie said, holding the box out.
"Yes, you can."
"Louis..."
"It was my necklace so it's my diamond. And therefore I get to decide what happens to it."
"This is too much..."
"Dad, Maggie's going to be part of this family. Way I see it, this means the ring is from both of us."
"I'm not marrying you," Maggie said from the doorway. "And he's right, it's too much."
"After today? No, it's not."
"I was just doing my job, Louis."
"I'm not talking about just that. You've been really good to me these last few years. Someone I can talk to, someone who's been there for me. As step-mums go, you're pretty much the top of the list. So no arguments. In fact, I'll be offended if you don't accept," he said with a grin.
"I'm doing so under protest, understand?" Maggie said eventually. She walked over to him and gave him a hug before letting him escape; good deed done for the day so he could go back to being a normal, self-indulged teenager.
"That is not my son," Charlie said as Maggie curled in beside him on the sofa.
She took the box from him and studied the diamond. "Really? Think he's a chip off the old block myself."
"Last year he was skiving school, smoking, causing me all kinds of sleepless nights. Now he's selling off a necklace that's probably been in the family for years so you can have an engagement ring."
"You know it doesn't matter to me. The new ring."
"Think we'd better get you one now," Charlie said, taking the box back from her and snapping it shut. "He'll be offended otherwise."
Maggie laughed softly and curled her arm around his waist. "Well done by the way."
"For what?"
"Not saying anything to Louis."
Charlie sighed. "Tell me it gets better."
"Sure. If you don't lie to them, have one take off halfway 'round the world, the other land on your doorstep eight months pregnant... It's a doddle."
"I am so glad I have you around," he laughed.
tbc...