seconds that he had blown all his hard work up till now.
But Olivia laughed. Darren took advantage and ventured nearer her with the mop. ‘Actually, I don’t want you to die. Because then those girls will never be found.’
A strange look came over her face and she gazed out of the window at the brilliant summer day she was denied. Her lip curled with disdain. ‘The missing. There are so many of them.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because it’s true.’
‘Cleaner! Move away from the patient please, you’re here to work, not chat.’ A male nurse by the desk was looking over, annoyed.
Darren moved quickly to the low bookshelf filled with tatty paperbacks, frustration overwhelming him.
‘Martyn, I’m just passing the time of day with a new member of the Roehampton family.’
‘Save it, Olivia, I’m not interested,’ Martyn snapped back.
She looked over at Darren and something passed between them. There were so many setbacks and obstructions to his snatched moments with her. He was gathering tiny crumbs from her when he needed to gorge on a big fat cake, but he felt he was getting somewhere, he really felt it.
14
A fter Darren had seen Olivia twice in quick succession, she now frustratingly disappeared from view and he didn’t catch so much as a glimpse of her for his next three shifts on Newman ward. At the end of eight hours of back-breaking and mind-numbing corridor-wiping on a hot day he’d put the mop and cleaning tools away, changed back into his civilian clothes and was queuing to get past the last security check before the doors to the car park.
The security checkpoint was airport-style, and beeped if something metal such as a mobile phone, laptop or watch was not put in the plastic trays that went round the side. It was manned most often by Nathan, a security guard and part-time model.
Nathan had already begun to high-five Darren when he saw him at the end of his shift. This afternoon they said hello and Darren realised Chloe was in the queue ahead of him, gathering up her things from the tray.
‘How you doing, Darren, OK?’ Nathan asked him.
‘Yeah great. You?’
‘Surviving.’
‘You know you really look like that actor, Bradley Cooper.’
Nathan’s smile was very white and very charming, but Chloe turned round and rolled her eyes. ‘He gets that all the time.’
‘You met Darren yet? This is Darren,’ Nathan said. ‘He’s new.’
Chloe turned towards them both now. ‘Yeah, we met.’ She peered out through the doors into the car park.
Darren had to get her attention before she disappeared for the day. ‘Did you do them mashed or chipped today?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Did you do the potatoes mashed or chipped?’ he said again, feeling lame and awkward.
She smiled cautiously. ‘Both. Nothing but the best for our inmates.’
Nathan was examining the tassels on her bag, listening to their conversation.
‘Do they eat the mash?’ Darren asked.
She looked affronted. ‘Course! That’s all they’re going to get.’
‘That depends on how well you cook it.’
Nathan was running his fingers along a tassel, Darren quite sure he was listening.
‘I’d be a pretty poor caterer if I couldn’t do mashed potato.’
‘It’s hardly Masterchef .’
She looked at him, annoyed. ‘Cleaning the toilets here is hardly being a valet at Claridge’s.’
‘Is that where you’d like to work?’
‘No. It’s where I’d like to stay and have people like you cleaning up my crap.’
Nathan was taking an age with her bag, just so he could enjoy Darren’s embarrassment. He finally pushed the bag to the end of the table and Chloe popped the turnstile over with a side wiggle of her hips, picked up her bag and walked away.
‘I don’t think that went well,’ Nathan said, giving Darren his best sad actor face. Darren said nothing, because there was nothing to say. ‘Cheer up, you could be one of those befrienders over there.’ He nodded towards a short line of visitors
But Olivia laughed. Darren took advantage and ventured nearer her with the mop. ‘Actually, I don’t want you to die. Because then those girls will never be found.’
A strange look came over her face and she gazed out of the window at the brilliant summer day she was denied. Her lip curled with disdain. ‘The missing. There are so many of them.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because it’s true.’
‘Cleaner! Move away from the patient please, you’re here to work, not chat.’ A male nurse by the desk was looking over, annoyed.
Darren moved quickly to the low bookshelf filled with tatty paperbacks, frustration overwhelming him.
‘Martyn, I’m just passing the time of day with a new member of the Roehampton family.’
‘Save it, Olivia, I’m not interested,’ Martyn snapped back.
She looked over at Darren and something passed between them. There were so many setbacks and obstructions to his snatched moments with her. He was gathering tiny crumbs from her when he needed to gorge on a big fat cake, but he felt he was getting somewhere, he really felt it.
14
A fter Darren had seen Olivia twice in quick succession, she now frustratingly disappeared from view and he didn’t catch so much as a glimpse of her for his next three shifts on Newman ward. At the end of eight hours of back-breaking and mind-numbing corridor-wiping on a hot day he’d put the mop and cleaning tools away, changed back into his civilian clothes and was queuing to get past the last security check before the doors to the car park.
The security checkpoint was airport-style, and beeped if something metal such as a mobile phone, laptop or watch was not put in the plastic trays that went round the side. It was manned most often by Nathan, a security guard and part-time model.
Nathan had already begun to high-five Darren when he saw him at the end of his shift. This afternoon they said hello and Darren realised Chloe was in the queue ahead of him, gathering up her things from the tray.
‘How you doing, Darren, OK?’ Nathan asked him.
‘Yeah great. You?’
‘Surviving.’
‘You know you really look like that actor, Bradley Cooper.’
Nathan’s smile was very white and very charming, but Chloe turned round and rolled her eyes. ‘He gets that all the time.’
‘You met Darren yet? This is Darren,’ Nathan said. ‘He’s new.’
Chloe turned towards them both now. ‘Yeah, we met.’ She peered out through the doors into the car park.
Darren had to get her attention before she disappeared for the day. ‘Did you do them mashed or chipped today?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Did you do the potatoes mashed or chipped?’ he said again, feeling lame and awkward.
She smiled cautiously. ‘Both. Nothing but the best for our inmates.’
Nathan was examining the tassels on her bag, listening to their conversation.
‘Do they eat the mash?’ Darren asked.
She looked affronted. ‘Course! That’s all they’re going to get.’
‘That depends on how well you cook it.’
Nathan was running his fingers along a tassel, Darren quite sure he was listening.
‘I’d be a pretty poor caterer if I couldn’t do mashed potato.’
‘It’s hardly Masterchef .’
She looked at him, annoyed. ‘Cleaning the toilets here is hardly being a valet at Claridge’s.’
‘Is that where you’d like to work?’
‘No. It’s where I’d like to stay and have people like you cleaning up my crap.’
Nathan was taking an age with her bag, just so he could enjoy Darren’s embarrassment. He finally pushed the bag to the end of the table and Chloe popped the turnstile over with a side wiggle of her hips, picked up her bag and walked away.
‘I don’t think that went well,’ Nathan said, giving Darren his best sad actor face. Darren said nothing, because there was nothing to say. ‘Cheer up, you could be one of those befrienders over there.’ He nodded towards a short line of visitors
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