Sunita was passing her phone around so that everyone could see the pictures of her new baby. Will was just back from America, and Rae had stories to tell about Africa. Nate was having relationship problems, and was talking intently to David, who was nodding thoughtfully. When she got the chance, Marie would change seats and offer what support she could.
And Alex…
Marie didn’t like to admit it, but she looked forward to seeing him the most. He had been the golden boy of the class, managing to combine a carefree love of life and a wicked sense of fun with academic brilliance. He and Marie had struck up an especially close friendship and, in truth, if you were looking for anything long-term with Alex, then friendship was the way to go. He was seldom without a girlfriend, but those relationships never lasted very long.
Tonight he looked as if he had things on his mind. He’d flipped through Sunita’s photographs, grinning and saying all the right things, but when he’d passed the phone on he’d gone back to playing with his food and staring abstractedly into space.
Marie leaned over, feeling the softness of his cashmere sweater as she brushed her fingers against his arm to get his attention. ‘What’s going on, Alex?’
‘I’m…coasting at the moment. One hand on the driving wheel with the wind in my hair.’ He shrugged, smiling suddenly. Those long-lashed grey eyes were still the same, and so was his mop of dark hair, shorter now but still as thick.
The memory was as fresh as if it had been yesterday. Alex pulling up outside her student digs, the soft top of his car pulled back, saying he just wanted to feel the warm breeze on his face and would Marie like to keep him company? It was a world away from the worries that seemed to be lingering behind his smile now.
‘And you’re still moving mountains?’
Marie laughed. ‘I’m still shovelling, if that’s what you mean.’
‘Moving mountains one shovelful at a time. That’s your speciality.’
He made it sound like a good thing. Something that was fine and virtuous, and not just a fact of life. Her life, anyway.
Alex had never had to worry about money, and had received a generous allowance from his family. Marie had gone to medical school knowing that her family needed her help rather than the other way around. Hand to mouth, taking each day as it came. Mostly she’d had enough to eat and cover her rent, but sometimes it had been a struggle. She’d made it through, one shovelful at a time.
On the other side of the restaurant a waiter was bringing a cake, flaming with candles, to a table of six young women. He started to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and the tune was taken up around all the tables. Alex was watching, singing quietly, and Marie wondered whether he had any wishes tonight.
The birthday girl stood up, leaning over the cake. And suddenly Alex was moving, ducking adroitly past a couple of waiters and making his way towards her. It wasn’t until Marie was on her feet that she saw what the matter was. The girl was waving her arm, which only fanned the flames licking at her sleeve.
Stop, drop and roll. She hadn’t done the first, and it looked as if she wasn’t going to do the second or the third either. Alex reached her just as she started to panic, grabbing her arm and deftly catching up a pitcher of water from the table.
Suddenly the restaurant was deathly quiet, the girl’s keening sobs the only sound. Alex had his arm tightly around her and he flashed Marie a glance, to check that she would stay with the other young women at the table, before hurrying their injured friend towards the ladies’ restroom.
‘Where are they going? We’ll go with her…’
One of the party rose from her seat and Marie motioned to her to sit down again. She knew Alex had this under control, and if he’d needed any help he would have left no one in any doubt about what he wanted them to do.
‘It’s okay, we’re doctors. The burn should be cooled straight away and that’s what my colleague has gone to do. It’s best that we stay here.’
Alex would be checking for signs of shock, and being surrounded by people wasn’t going to help.
‘But…is she going to be all right? She was on fire…’ Another of the friends spoke up.
Things could have been a lot worse. It had looked as if her blouse was cotton, not a man-made fabric, and the flames had spread relatively slowly. If Alex hadn’t acted so quickly precious minutes would have been lost…
‘The fire was extinguished very quickly. I’ll go and check on her.’
Marie turned towards her own table, where everyone was watchful but still in their seats, trusting that Marie or Alex would call them if they were needed. She beckoned to Sunita, who rose from her seat, weaving her way past the tables towards them, and asked her to stay with the group of friends.
A waiter was standing outside the restroom and let Marie through. Inside, Alex had sat the young woman by a basin and was gently supporting her arm under a stream of lukewarm water. He was smiling, his voice gentle and relaxed as he chatted to her quietly.
‘How many candles on that cake, Laura?’
‘Eighteen. It’s my eighteenth birthday tomorrow. I’m having a party.’ Laura turned the corners of her mouth down.
‘You’ll be fine. This is a first-degree burn, which is the least severe. It’s going to hurt for a little while, but it won’t leave a scar. You’re going to have a great birthday.’ He glanced up at Marie. ‘This is my friend, Marie. She’s a doctor too, so she can’t help poking her nose in and making sure I’m doing everything right.’
Alex shot her a delicious smile, the kind that reminded Marie of when they’d been young doctors together in A&E. Laura turned towards Marie, and Alex steadied her arm under the water.
‘He’s doing pretty well.’
‘Glad to hear it. What about you? How are you doing?’
‘I’m all right. Where is everyone? Are they eating my cake?’
‘They sent me to find out how you were. They’re not eating the cake.’
Alex had done a great job of keeping Laura calm if her main concern was cake.
‘That’s a relief,’ Alex broke in. ‘Laura’s promised me a slice. Not for another ten minutes, though. We need to keep cooling the burn. Then I think we’ll send you off home, with a list of instructions.’
‘Oh, you’re going to write a list of instructions?’ Marie grinned conspiratorially at Laura. ‘Watch out for those.’
Alex chuckled. ‘First on the list is to have a very happy birthday…’
Things might have been so different. Laura’s eighteenth birthday could have been spent in a burns unit, with a prognosis of skin grafts and a great deal of pain. But she was going home with her friends, a little wet from the pitcher of water that Alex had poured on her arm to extinguish the flames, and with a couple of miraculously minor burns. Whatever future she wanted for herself was still waiting for her.
Alex spent another half an hour making sure
