Take from this what you wish.

*********

Quiet.

Caroline realised with no little surprise that this immediately thought of adjective was not one she would normally associate with the manic Staff Liaison Officer she saw everyday. Usually against her will.

But no other word could be used to describe Sue at this moment she realised. The usually brash Scotswoman was sat alone, oblivious to all that went on around her and lost in her own thoughts; and Caroline came to see her do this several nights a week, for her own perverse curiosity. Sue had no idea she was there; or if she did she gave no sign of it at work. Why would she, considered Caroline, when her daily life revolves around trying to scare other people?

Her nightly routine however, it seemed, was to go to a coffee shop, about three miles away from the hospital. Caroline knew this, not from being a stalker, although she did wonder about herself, she did keep following Sue after all; no it was not from being a stalker, but Mac had brought her here once.

He had not seen Sue though. It was to his credit that he only had eyes for Caroline but Caroline couldn’t help but find it a bit worrying that SHE, the supposed man-watcher, had seen Sue White. From a distance. In a crowded place.

That was a bit worrying.

Quite without warning Sue looked up and straight into her eyes. In a blind panic Caroline jumped backwards a spilt her ice coffee drown her shirt.

“f*ck”.

Even from a distance Caroline had the feeling Sue was cackling, but when she looked back Sue was ignoring her again, with a perfectly straight face. Realising the ice had soaked through to her bra Caroline tried to dry herself off with the pile of napkins in front of her. When she looked up again Sue was in front of her.

Which made her drop the napkins.

“Jesus! How did you….”

Sue dropped a bath towel in Caroline’s outstretched hands. At the latter’s confused expression the Scot finally spoke.

“I’ve been trying to get you to do that for weeks. But I don’t want you to freeze.”

Mildly outraged Caroline began to rub herself with the towel a little more vigorously than she would normally and had to stop when she realised she’d knocked off two buttons.

“So, you’ve been sitting here every night for THREE WEEKS just to get me to spill my coffee?! Here have this back.”

For a minute Caroline thought Sue was going to laugh, but instead a tear slid down her face. She tried to cover it up but the other woman had already observed. She chose not to comment though.

“No, you silly tart! And you can keep it.”

She pulled some keys out of her pocket and walked away. Caroline stood still for a moment, before towelling herself off again. When she turned to leave Sue was in front of her once again.

“Jesus!”

“I came here because this is where he didn’t turn up.”

“Who?”

“It’s a secret.”

And Sue left. Caroline watched her go in her car and finally looked down at the towel – which had a lion emblazoned on it.

:o I like!!

Is there another part cos i want to know who didnt turn up!