Page 40 of Pyg

25

CASSEROLE

“A ll set then, George?”

With a small smile, George patted the holdall full of the things Alice had brought from his house, as well as half a dozen packets of biscuits. Dressed in the furry black coat he’d been wearing the night Alice found him, he unfurled his tall frame from the chair.

Not for the first time, Alice wondered how on earth she’d managed to drag him into her car that night. He’d got off relatively easy with just a minor head injury.

“Thanks again for breaking me out of here, Alice. Your formidable friend, Doctor Truscote, said you pulled a few strings to speed things up. Who knows when they’d have let me out otherwise?”

“I’m pleased I could help. Was Truscote okay with you?”

“No nonsense. That’s what I like in a doctor. She’s let me out for good behaviour on the proviso that I attend a course of follow-up sessions to work through everything that led up to…” His bottom lip trembled, and Alice squeezed a hand on his arm.

They stopped by the nurses’ station so George could thank them and say goodbye. Marjorie even stepped out and reached up to give him a hug.

“You mind how you go now, George,” she said, her words almost smothered by his coat. Pulling away, she swiped her damp cheeks and wagged a finger at him. “I don’t want to see you back here again.”

George looped an arm through Alice’s and they walked the corridor towards the lifts. “I called ahead to let Trish know I’ll be home.”

“Will she have got some groceries in for you, or should we stop?—”

“Wait up!” A voice called out.

They spun around to Ash, jogging up behind them.

“Good… I didn’t… miss you,” she said, bending to catch her breath.

Alice tried to suppress the smile sweeping over her lips before George saw.

She and Ash had been inseparable for the remainder of the weekend. They’d enjoyed most of it horizontally. They’d missed check-out by over an hour, then somehow lasted the entire drive home before reuniting on Alice’s couch, finally ending up in her bed, where they’d woken with limbs entwined that morning.

They’d kissed goodbye in the hospital car park and had no further plans to see each other that day. Alice had practically floated to George’s room. Despite all that, they’d agreed to take things slow, which meant keeping it just between themselves for now. A secret affair, but this time without all the bullshit that had come with Fran.

If Ash’s stupid grin and flushed cheeks were anything to go by, the whole ward would know within seconds. George glanced between them and released a low whistle, but perhaps reading the room, he didn’t pass comment.

“I, er… swapped shifts. It means I’ll get a sucky double later this week, but I didn’t want you having to get an Uber. So, I’ll drive you.”

“Really?” Alice’s voice came out so high there’d be dogs howling in France.

George raised his bushy eyebrows.

“Yeah, really. Come on,” Ash laughed.

* * *

The crooked little cottage looked less creepy, more quaint than when Alice had come by with Maggie just over a week ago. How had that only been a week ago? As they clambered out of the car, the front door swung open, and Trisha came trundling down the path with a wiry black dog yapping in tow.

“Pyglet!” George held his arms open, and the dog jumped into them, yelping as it snuffled into his beard.

Trisha buried her hands into the pockets of her baggy brown corduroys. “She’s missed you, she has.”

“I’ve missed you too, haven’t I, girl?” George chuckled and tucked the dog under his arm like a rugby ball.

“Well, the cottage was a little chilly, so I lit the burner and I’ve got a pork casserole on the hob too. I hope you’re hungry.”

“I’ll always make room for your casserole, Trish. Thanks for holding the fort whilst I’ve been indisposed.”

“Glad to have you home, George.”

“Sorry, I’m being rude. Trisha, this is Alice?—”

Alice raised a hand. “Hiya, Trisha. We met last week, remember?”

Trisha raised an eyebrow. “I thought I recognised you. You’re the burglar who wasn’t a burglar.” She turned to Ash. “You look different to the other one though?”

George laughed and put an arm around the funny little woman. “Trisha, this is Doctor Ash. She’s been looking after me, too.”

Ash held out a hand, and Trisha gave it a tentative shake. “Oh, the doctors drive you home from hospital now, do they? No wonder them waiting lists are so long.”

Trisha frowned, but the rest of them laughed.

“It’s okay, Trish, I’m off duty.”

“Right then, shall we go in for a cuppa? I’ve got plenty of biscuits to go around,” said George.

Two pots of tea and one hour later, Pyglet was curled up asleep by the fire. Alice and Ash bid their farewells, with promises to visit again soon and stay for casserole next time.

Stepping outside into the fading daylight, Alice glanced across at Ash, wearing the grin that had barely left her lips all afternoon.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?”

“He’ll be fine. Trisha will keep an eye on him. And he’s got us too now, hasn’t he?”

Alice nodded, the swirl in her stomach easing with Ash’s words. “Thanks for swapping your shift to do this. It was really lovely of you.”

“It wasn’t entirely altruistic.” Ash gently swayed into Alice as they walked along the garden path. “If anything, I’m being greedy. I wanted to steal a little more time with you.”

Alice turned to face her as they reached the car. “Oh yeah? So, what now?”

“Back to mine? I’ll rustle up something tasty for dinner.”

“Mmm, yeah. Sounds good. Then what?”

“Netflix and chill?”

“You know what that means, right?”

Ash laughed. “Yeah, I know what it means!”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. It starts a bit like this…” Ash tilted Alice’s chin up and closed the gap between them. She captured Alice’s lips in a deep kiss that comprehensively confirmed her grasp of Netflix and chill . Lost in the moment, they pushed back against the car, Ash’s hands tangled in Alice’s curls, Alice’s hands cupping the delicious curve of Ash’s denim-clad arse.

They pulled apart at the sound of George whistling from his front door.

“About time,” he yelled and gave them a wave.

Ash giggled and wiped her lips. “Shit, I didn’t know he was watching us.”

Alice grinned and grabbed the front of Ash’s plaid shirt, pulling her in for more.