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Chapter 25


“Was there something specific you wanted Dr Tate, I was just going to do my morning rounds” Dr Gupta asked

“Oh erm, well I, er – it’s this Darlston case, the boy who fell out of the tree – are you familiar with it?”

“If you’ll both excuse me” William made to walk out of the door, but Dru caught William by the arm.

“Will, please don’t run off, I need to speak with you”

“Sorry, Dr Gupta, I’ll see you after your rounds” Drusilla said, slipping out of the doorway after William

Out in the corridor William made it clear with his body language that he wanted to get going.

“Why are you avoiding me?” Drusilla asked William, not looking him in the eye

“Why am I – look, Dru, you seem to be under the impression that we were/are great friends, and quite frankly…”

“Quite frankly what – WHAT, TELL ME!”

William could see some desperation in her eyes

“Keep your voice down for one – Dru, we had some laughs, we used to be with a gang at med school that had a laugh, fun – the usual stuff, but that was 5 years ago, people move on – I’ve moved on”

“Oh, so you think you’re better than me, is that it, hmm?” Dru snapped

William frowned

“I didn’t say that! Goodness Dru, what happened to you – you used to be so much fun, always up for a prank or a giggle, and now – you’re letting things get to you – you’re SO intense – it puts people off!”

“And by people, you mean YOU”

“Well yes me – you seem to have this fixed idea that you and I have got to get together, at any cost – I feel pressurised!”

“I asked you to dinner – that’s all, as one old friend to another!”

“So why do I feel so…why do I feel, that when I turn you down, you won’t take no for an answer, hmm?”

“Why are you asking me what YOU feel – I can’t help the…”

Dr Gupta came out of Dr Travers’ office carrying an armful of folders

“Goodbye Dr Carling, Happy holiday to you”

“Yes, thanks Dr Gupta, nice seeing you again” The couple waited until the Dr had gone through the fire doors and then William said,

“Dru, you’ll have to excuse me, I’ve got to go, I don’t know when I’ll be here next, but when we see each other again, I hope we can be civil to each other, and just say hi, hello, how are you, and leave it at that, okay?”

Drusilla looked at William. She didn’t know whether to scream, lash out or cry. She’d never in her whole life wanted somebody so much as she wanted him, and he was too stupid to see it!

William went to walk away

“You slept with me once” Dru said

William stopped, turned and faced her frowning

“I beg your pardon?”

“August 23rd, 2000. We’d been to a concert – Party in the Park, we saw loads of bands, ate hot dogs, drank god knows how many bottles of beer and wine, and you slept with me – and it meant nothing to you”

William’s mind began to race

“We were with Tim Willoughby-Smith…Nathan Thomas…Sarah and Diane Sutton…those guys who I never did get to know their names, those Canadian’s who were over here back-packing, Jonathan Meer and his cousin Sid and his girlfriend Pat…good grief, there must have been at least a dozen and a half of us and you were the only one with a room on campus. I remember we were sitting cross legged on the floor, trying to play Trivial Pursuits – it was about four in the morning and I needed the toilet, I noticed two people asleep in the bath, and I remember thinking, ‘sleep- what a great idea!’ and I pushed open a door, and I see an empty bed, and I crash on it.”

“It was my bed, as you know!”

“Probably, but all I saw was and empty bed, I needed to sleep – I was still fully clothed when I woke!”

“Next to me!”

“But you came to bed, I didn’t make you, nothing happened I know – god, it would have been a miracle for me to raise a bloody smile, let alone anything else, we’d all drank enough to sink a bloody battleship! – And I can’t believe I’m standing here having this conversation with you! Look, I’m sorry if five years ago I gave you the wrong impression – but let me put you straight now, I don’t, never have, and never will think of you in any sort of romantic connotation - an acquaintance, certainly. A mate, most probably, but a lover? – Never, I’m sorry Dru, but you’re just not my type”

William turned and left – he didn’t want to talk any more. After the holidays were over, he’d phone Quentin Travers and tell him that as long as Drusilla Tate was at the Lacey Memorial, he wouldn’t work there again………

Dru was rooted to the spot, she felt tears of humiliation and rejection well up, her throat was tight and it felt like she could barely breathe, her chest heaving.

William, annoyed banged open doors and ran downstairs to get out as quick as he could – god SOME PEOPLE!

Once Dru’s feet started moving, she practically ran to her office, a dry sob emitting her lips every so often. Luckily she encountered no one and when she got to her office, she fumbled to open the door. Locking it behind her she didn’t turn on the light. Sitting at her desk, she pulled open the bottom drawer and took out a nearly full bottle of vodka. Grabbing her coffee mug, she poured half a mugful and drank it neat. Gasping for breath, she downed it and poured herself another, then another before she felt the panic ebbing away…

************

William pointed his keyring towards his car as he strode purposefully across the parking lot and heard the mechanical whirl and clunk of the central locking system dis-engaging.

He yanked open the door and got in, forced the keys into the ignition and turned the key. Nothing.

“Come on, stupid-“ he turned the key again, and again, nothing.

Angry he slammed his hands against the steering wheel

“For fuck’s sake, what’s the bloody matter with you, start, you heap of junk!”

Again he turned the ignition key, and again for the third time, nothing.

His stomach muscles taut, he leaned forward letting his head drop on the steering wheel for a few seconds to calm himself. He then looked up, went to reach for the keys again, when he saw the fuel gauge on ‘E’. That big old red ‘E’, for empty. That’s right, he’d been too busy to get fuel. And now it was Christmas day with no hope of finding a gas station open…

Reaching for his mobile, he sort out Buffy’s number

“Hi, Buffy”

“William! Happy Christmas!”

“Yes baby, Happy Christmas to you too!”

“What time will you be here?”

“About that kitten…”

Buffy holding her breath felt her world come tumbling down around her…





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