something he was saying, and Celeste felt something twist inside her.
Belinda was so ravishing, so sexy and confident and clever and just…so much better suited to Ben.
She was quite sure that if they weren’t already together, it was only a matter of time.
‘Celeste!’ So deep in thought was she that Celeste hadn’t even noticed that her colleagues were clearing up the table. ‘Did you hear us?’ Meg laughed at her absent-mindedness. ‘We’ve got to get back—you drop in any time.’
‘I will.’
‘And I’m sure you’re not thinking of it yet, but when you feel ready, you come and talk to me. Try not to let too much time pass without coming back…’
‘I won’t.’ She said her goodbyes and sat alone, glad of the break. Belinda and Ben wouldn’t come over. Registrars didn’t generally sit with the nurses, well, in the staffroom they did, of course, but not in the canteen. Meg had unsettled her—of course it was way too soon to be contemplating returning to work, but in a couple of months’ time, that was exactly what she would be doing—it was just impossible to comprehend from this vantage point.
‘How are you?’ Celeste was slightly taken aback by the warmth in Belinda’s voice, and even more surprised when she put down her tray and joined her. ‘How’s Willow?’
‘Marvellous.’ Celeste blushed slightly as both Belinda and Ben joined her.
‘Do you have any idea when you’ll get her home?’ Belinda pushed.
‘A week or two,’ Celeste said, ‘if she keeps on doing well.’ But she’d lost her audience, Belinda excusing herself to answer her pager and suddenly it was just Celeste and Ben.
‘You’ll be starting to pack up.’ Celeste dragged her mind to something that wasn’t about Willow. ‘It’s just a few weeks till you move into your new house now.’
‘Actually, it’s this weekend,’ Ben said. ‘The vendor was more than keen for a quick settlement and I’m all ready to move in.’
‘Oh.’ She was stirring an empty pot of yoghurt. ‘I was going to come home for a few hours on Sunday—the nurses are insisting I take a night off. I was going to pop over and say thank you properly…’
‘I won’t be there,’ Ben said, and then there was a pause. ‘Of course, I’m only down the road.’ Except it wasn’t the same.
They were friends, but mainly by proximity, and though she didn’t want to rely on Ben, on anyone really, there had been a certain comfort to be had knowing he was just a few doors down.
‘Have you got my phone number?’ Ben asked. Celeste shook her head and he scribbled it down. ‘Here it is.’ Ben handed her a card. ‘You call if you need anything.’
‘Thanks.’ She pocketed it as Belinda returned, but they both knew she wouldn’t use it. Oh, they’d stop and chat perhaps if she was walking on the beach, but there would be no dropping round, no dinners in front of the television. Just as he was moving so too had she—she was a mother now, which, by his own admission, rendered her off limits to Ben.
Belinda said something that made him laugh and then they tried to include her in the conversation, but it didn’t work. She hadn’t read a newspaper in weeks, so she wasn’t exactly up on current events, hadn’t been anywhere except the special care unit, which meant she hadn’t a clue about the new seafood restaurant Belinda was raving about. She was just so out of the loop that it was like watching a foreign film. Celeste was so busy reading the subtitles, she missed out on the humour and laughed too late, and by the time she’d worked out what was being said, they had already moved on.
‘I’d better get back…’ She was about to add ‘to feed Willow,’ but it was a detail they didn’t need. The entire focus of her life was just a conversation filler to them. ‘Good luck with the move.’
‘Thanks.’
It was a relief to move.
To be away from her—even if it was just down the road—made him safe. There could be
Belinda was so ravishing, so sexy and confident and clever and just…so much better suited to Ben.
She was quite sure that if they weren’t already together, it was only a matter of time.
‘Celeste!’ So deep in thought was she that Celeste hadn’t even noticed that her colleagues were clearing up the table. ‘Did you hear us?’ Meg laughed at her absent-mindedness. ‘We’ve got to get back—you drop in any time.’
‘I will.’
‘And I’m sure you’re not thinking of it yet, but when you feel ready, you come and talk to me. Try not to let too much time pass without coming back…’
‘I won’t.’ She said her goodbyes and sat alone, glad of the break. Belinda and Ben wouldn’t come over. Registrars didn’t generally sit with the nurses, well, in the staffroom they did, of course, but not in the canteen. Meg had unsettled her—of course it was way too soon to be contemplating returning to work, but in a couple of months’ time, that was exactly what she would be doing—it was just impossible to comprehend from this vantage point.
‘How are you?’ Celeste was slightly taken aback by the warmth in Belinda’s voice, and even more surprised when she put down her tray and joined her. ‘How’s Willow?’
‘Marvellous.’ Celeste blushed slightly as both Belinda and Ben joined her.
‘Do you have any idea when you’ll get her home?’ Belinda pushed.
‘A week or two,’ Celeste said, ‘if she keeps on doing well.’ But she’d lost her audience, Belinda excusing herself to answer her pager and suddenly it was just Celeste and Ben.
‘You’ll be starting to pack up.’ Celeste dragged her mind to something that wasn’t about Willow. ‘It’s just a few weeks till you move into your new house now.’
‘Actually, it’s this weekend,’ Ben said. ‘The vendor was more than keen for a quick settlement and I’m all ready to move in.’
‘Oh.’ She was stirring an empty pot of yoghurt. ‘I was going to come home for a few hours on Sunday—the nurses are insisting I take a night off. I was going to pop over and say thank you properly…’
‘I won’t be there,’ Ben said, and then there was a pause. ‘Of course, I’m only down the road.’ Except it wasn’t the same.
They were friends, but mainly by proximity, and though she didn’t want to rely on Ben, on anyone really, there had been a certain comfort to be had knowing he was just a few doors down.
‘Have you got my phone number?’ Ben asked. Celeste shook her head and he scribbled it down. ‘Here it is.’ Ben handed her a card. ‘You call if you need anything.’
‘Thanks.’ She pocketed it as Belinda returned, but they both knew she wouldn’t use it. Oh, they’d stop and chat perhaps if she was walking on the beach, but there would be no dropping round, no dinners in front of the television. Just as he was moving so too had she—she was a mother now, which, by his own admission, rendered her off limits to Ben.
Belinda said something that made him laugh and then they tried to include her in the conversation, but it didn’t work. She hadn’t read a newspaper in weeks, so she wasn’t exactly up on current events, hadn’t been anywhere except the special care unit, which meant she hadn’t a clue about the new seafood restaurant Belinda was raving about. She was just so out of the loop that it was like watching a foreign film. Celeste was so busy reading the subtitles, she missed out on the humour and laughed too late, and by the time she’d worked out what was being said, they had already moved on.
‘I’d better get back…’ She was about to add ‘to feed Willow,’ but it was a detail they didn’t need. The entire focus of her life was just a conversation filler to them. ‘Good luck with the move.’
‘Thanks.’
It was a relief to move.
To be away from her—even if it was just down the road—made him safe. There could be
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