‘Okay, I’ll grant you that, from what I’ve seen at least.’ Meg shrugged, as Esther and Zahir came into the staff room together. It was almost a full house. It was nice to see Meg and Eve opening up a bit more and joining in with the kind of joking around that got the team through the day. Eden was starting to feel much more at home too. A&E staff tended to bond quickly, and the three of them had all joined in fairly quick succession, but it was only just starting to feel as if their personalities were coming to the fore. She still didn’t know that much about Eve or Meg’s lives before they started at St Piran’s, but she guessed they had their reasons for holding back. She understood that and there were definitely parts of her own story she was happy to keep to herself. For a moment her thoughts turned to Drew, as they often did, and the realisation hit her that he was the only person at St Piran’s who knew her whole story.
Eden was still putting on a bit of a front with her colleagues, because deep down she wasn’t the same happy-go-lucky version of herself she’d have been ten years before. Life had a way of changing people, not always for the better. Despite what she’d been through with her parents, she’d still been an optimist before Jesse had come into her life. He’d been the one to take that away and she was determined to get it back. In the meantime, she was going to fake it until she made it, even if that meant hiding a part of herself from most of the people around her. Just being able to have a chat and a laugh in the staffroom made her feel more like her old self.
‘Okay, even if it really is just bon voyage and not farewell, we have to do something to mark the occasion. The question is what?’ Isla passed Amy a doughnut from the box as she spoke.
‘Oh, we’re still having a party. I’m not going to see any of you guys for two or three months at least, and I never had a leaving party when I switched from permanent staff to agency, because I was still on sick leave. I think that gives us more than enough of an excuse to have a get-together. I don’t think we’ve had one since Gary and Wendy’s wedding.’
‘Did I hear my name mentioned?’ Gary, another of the A&E nurses, who was in his early fifties, pushed open the door of the staffroom at that precise moment. ‘Or was it just that the doughnuts were calling to me.’
‘Both.’ Eden smiled. ‘Amy was just outlining what’s going to happen at her leaving do… sorry, I mean her I’m-off-but-I’ll-be-back party.’
‘Will there be doughnuts fromAmericana?If so, I’m in, regardless of the rest of the plans.’ Gary licked his lips, as he pulled a chocolate glazed doughnut from the box.
‘There’ll definitely be doughnuts, and plenty of other food. Plus music and drinks, partners are welcome too. The more the merrier.’
‘Are you going to bring Felix, Eden?’ Eve was clearly attempting to sound like she wasn’t bothered either way, but Eden had seen the way she’d looked at Felix on the day she’d introduced them. She was used to people noticing her brother, it happened all the time, but before she could even answer Meg responded for her.
‘Of course Eden isn’t bringing her brother, she’ll be bringing her mysterious Scot instead. That’s if he’s allowed out of the underbelly of the hospital.’
‘Now you’ve got me intrigued.’ Gary obviously meant what he’d said, because he’d even put down his doughnut.
‘Meg’s just letting her imagination run away with her.’ Eden shrugged. ‘She’s talking about Drew, one of the pathologists. He’s been giving me some advice about Teddie, that’s all. He’s got family experience of autism, so it’s been helpful.’
‘Well, romance or no romance, you’re welcome to bring him and your brother along with you. The question is, should we have a barbecue or get a food truck in, or both?’ Amy smiled and Eden’s shoulders relaxed. She was grateful to her for changing the subject, because she really didn’t want to get into a conversation about whether she might be interested in Drewlike that. Conversations of that sort naturally led to questions about past relationships, which was a subject she definitely didn’t want to get into. It was pointless talking to them about Drew anyway, he wouldn’t want to go to the party with her even if she invited him. She was sure of it, from the things they’d talked about and the difficulty he’d admitted having in certain social situations. What she didn’t want to admit to herself, let alone to her friends, was that she’d have loved to ask him along, if she hadn’t already known what the answer would be.
9
Drew often left work later than planned. He barely noticed the passing of time when he was engrossed in something. He might realise he was due to finish if Saskia headed off at the end of the day, but often, after that, Drew would start writing up notes from a postmortem. Sometimes hours passed before he looked at his watch again. He worked hundreds of hours of unpaid overtime like that, but he didn’t care. There was no one waiting at home for him. Only Marmalade, his ginger Persian cat, who frankly couldn’t care less whether or not Drew was in, as long as there was food left out for him. Today, though, Drew would be leaving the hospital two hours early, having for once in his life taken some time off in lieu of additional hours worked, but he needed to pop into the shop on the way out.
‘Extra wine gums mid-afternoon?’ Gwen furrowed her brow at the sight of him. ‘It feels like Armageddon might be coming.’
‘You might be even more worried when you discover I’m not here for wine gums.’
‘I must be having a dream.’ Gwen pretended to pinch herself, in an over-exaggerated way. ‘Just don’t tell me you’re here for something frivolous and flighty like Skittles, or Starbursts.’
‘I’m after something suitable for a child. I was thinking about a Freddo or a Curly Wurly.’ They were sweets Drew could remember from his own childhood and he couldn’t imagine Teddie not liking them. He and Eden had met up five times now, and it had quickly become obvious that Teddie was a bit of a chocoholic. Eden had confided that she’d been worried about her son’s diet before his diagnosis, because he was only willing to eat a very narrow range of foods. She’d said the paediatrician had reassured her that Teddie was getting the nutrients he needed from the food he was eating, and the dietician had explained it was the textures of many other foods that Teddie couldn’t cope with. Fruit and vegetables could be inconsistent. The texture of a banana on one day, at one level of ripeness, could be very different to the next. Teddie’s autism meant he found that kind of unpredictability difficult. Eden had smiled when she’d been explaining it to Drew, holding up one of the fun-size bars of milk chocolate that she seemed to have a limitless supply of.
‘It seems chocolate can be relied upon, it never lets Teddie down. It never lets me down either when I come to think of it. I can’t tell you how many difficult days Dairy Milk has got me through. There’s no situation it can’t make better.’ She’d wrinkled her nose. ‘Oh God, I’m giving myself away, aren’t I? I could at least be classier and go for Green & Black’s.’
‘I’ve got a friend from uni days, Matt. He has autism too.’ Drew had found himself opening up to Eden once again, still amazed at how much personal information he was willing to share with her. ‘For years he’d only eat Bournville chocolate, or Wotsits. His mother was always insistent that on Christmas Day he had to sit with the rest of the family. She’d put a bar of chocolate on Matt’s plate and he’d sit and eat it with a knife and fork.’
‘At least she didn’t make him have gravy on it.’ Eden had laughed then, the sound of it making him smile too. He really enjoyed her company, and if he’d had to bet on it, he’d have said she felt the same way. He’d grown very fond of Teddie in a short amount of time too, and those feelings were definitely reciprocated. The little boy would often put his arms out towards Drew, which was no small thing for a child with autism, and it felt like they were kindred spirits in a way that he wouldn’t have been able to put into words.
‘The packets of giant chocolate buttons are always a safe bet for children.’ Gwen’s voice broke into his thoughts. ‘And Eden will be able to ration them more easily, if she doesn’t want Teddie to have them all in one go.’
‘How do you know the chocolate’s for Teddie?’ It was all Drew could do not to let his mouth drop open. He had no idea how Gwen had guessed who the chocolate was for, and even less idea how he felt about her doing so.
‘Because I’ve got ears like a bat, eyes in the back of my head, and a nose like Pinocchio’s, according to my husband.’ Gwen laughed. ‘If there’s something going on in this hospital, I know about it.’
‘I can well believe it.’ Drew suspected it would be impossible to keep a secret from Gwen, so what she said next surprised him.
‘There is one thing that’s a real mystery to me, though.’
‘Is there?’
‘Yes, and I’m going to tell you what it is, even though you didn’t ask me.’ Gwen gave him a level look. ‘What puzzles me is why you don’t ask Eden if she’d like to go out with you.’
Drew furrowed his brow. ‘We have been out together. Five times.’
