work in. That’s what I’m going to do.’
Yes, but I bet you didn’t come into work wearing your oldest denim shirt and tatty jogging trousers, Jonah.
‘We’re not going to take no for an answer, Nell,’ Jonah continued as she opened her mouth to say just that. ‘And I bet you anything, you’ll have a ball.’
He’d been wrong, Nell thought, an hour later as she stood rammed up against the wall of the function suite unable to move because of the crush of people around her. An hour spent having her bikini line waxed would have been infinitely preferable to listening to everybody enjoying themselves while she felt as though her heart was breaking.
Tears welled in her eyes and she sniffed them back. Lord, but she was getting maudlin now, and she hadn’t even had that much to drink. Just two glasses of wine because Jonah still hadn’t returned from the scrum around the bar with another one for her.
‘What are you doing hiding away in this corner?’ Liz Fenton, the sister from obs and gynae, demanded as she pushed her way through the throng towards her. ‘You’re usually right out there in the middle of everything.’
‘Rough day, Liz,’ Nell muttered, trying to sidestep her colleague without success.
‘Fiona was telling me Maddie and Gabriel are in Sweden at the moment, then they’re off to Philadelphia and Boston, before coming back to Glasgow via Rome.’
Nell nodded. ‘They’ll be away for six weeks in all.’
‘Nice for some,’ Liz said dryly. ‘My honeymoon was two weeks in Inverness. It rained every day.’
‘Be fair, Liz, Gabriel’s never taken all of his annual leave,’ Nell protested. ‘And he’s using part of his honeymoon to check out all the new developments in neonatal care in Europe and the States.’
‘Poor Maddie.’ Liz laughed. ‘I hope you’ve told Brian you’ve no intention of spending any of your honeymoon visiting anaesthetic departments.’
I want to go home, Nell thought. I just want to go home.
‘Wendy looks radiant, doesn’t she?’ Liz continued. ‘Have you and Brian decided whether you’re going to try for a baby right away after you’re married, or wait for a bit?’
‘If she’s any sense, she’ll wait,’ Fiona said, appearing at their side. ‘Not that I’d ever be without George, but when I remember all the stitches I needed after he was born. Maternity said…’
Get me out of here, Nell thought as Fiona launched into a wince-inducing account of how George’s head had been so big he’d torn her vagina in two places. Somebody—anybody—please, get me out of here.
‘Maybe I should help Jonah with our drinks,’ she said quickly. ‘It’s so crowded in here.’
Liz groaned. ‘Oh, hell, Patty’s crying again.’
‘Patty?’ Nell repeated. ‘Who’s Patty?’
‘Patty Burton, one of the radiology technicians. Her boyfriend dumped her at the weekend.’
Nell glanced in the direction of Liz’s gaze and saw a girl in a tiny, figure-hugging black dress, sobbing into a handkerchief. Know how you feel, Patty. Well, she didn’t know how it felt to wear a tiny, figure-hugging black dress, but she did know all about the being dumped part.
‘Maybe one of us should go over, see if we can help?’ Nell said uncertainly, and Liz shook her head.
‘Not unless you want her to listen to her repeat “But I love him” for the rest of the evening.’
‘Maybe she does,’ Nell protested. ‘And if she does, she must be feeling awful.’
‘Agreed.’ Fiona nodded. ‘But walking around like a wet lettuce isn’t going to get him back, is it? What she needs is to start dating somebody else, make her rat-fink ex-boyfriend jealous, let him see what he’s missing.’
Which was fine in theory, Nell thought, except the world wasn’t exactly overflowing with eligible, fanciable men.
‘I know it must be tough if you’ve picked a jerk,’ Liz observed, ‘but there’s lots of good men out there. Look at my Sandy.’
Nell preferred not to. No man who was obsessed with rare chicken breeds could ever light her fire.
‘Or Fiona’s Graham, or your Brian, Nell,’ Liz continued. ‘Loyal, dependable, every one of them. And speaking of Brian,’ the obs and gynae sister continued, ‘you must be missing him like crazy.’
‘I…I’m sorry, but you’ll have to excuse me,’ Nell said desperately. ‘I’ve just seen…’
Nobody. She’d seen nobody, but she had to get away or Wendy’s leaving bash was going to have two sobbing members of staff as a sideshow.
‘Hey, no need to panic,’ Jonah said, his smile broadening as she elbowed her way through the crush of people in front of her only to walk straight into him. ‘I’ve got your drink.’
‘Give it to Liz or Fiona,’ she said. ‘I’m leaving.’
‘But the party’s hardly started,’ he protested, and she shook her head.
‘It’s over as far as I’m concerned.’
‘Oh, come on!’ he exclaimed. ‘It’s not like you to walk out on a slap-up buffet.’
His brown eyes were dancing and suddenly it was all too much for her—Brian’s email, her rotten day—and something inside her snapped.
‘You mean I’m a big fat pig who would go anywhere she could stuff her face,’ she retorted. ‘Well, thanks, Jonah. Thanks for nothing.’
The laughter in his eyes died instantly.
‘I didn’t say that,’ he protested. ‘I would never even think it. Look, what’s the matter with you? You’ve been stretched tighter than a wire all day.’
‘Why does there have to be anything the matter with me?’ she demanded, trying to push past him, but it was like trying to move a boulder. ‘Why do I always have to be happy Nell? Can’t I ever feel down, or miserable, or…or just plain fed up?’ Oh, Lord, if she didn’t get out of there soon she was going to burst into tears. ‘Get out of my way, Jonah.’
‘Not until you tell me what’s wrong,’ he said.
‘Jonah, if you don’t get out of my way, I swear I’ll stomp on your foot.’
He thrust the glass of wine he was holding into the hands of a startled passing junior doctor, then folded his arms over his chest. ‘Stomp away, Nell, because I’m not moving.’
He meant it. She could tell from the look on his face that he meant it, but she could also see concern on his features, concern and kindness, and the tears she’d been trying so hard to keep in check all day filled her eyes.
‘Take me home, Jonah,’ she said, her voice breaking.
