Chapter 2

A new week began, meaning time to head back to work. Thankfully I was one of those people lucky enough to enjoy my job. Mostly thanks to having Roxy's support all my life, she pushed me to not settle, but to find what I loved, and grab it with both hands. Advice that had led to my job as an architectural engineer for a pretty big city company. Having parked my car in the car park. I grabbed the bag of schematics, and began to walk towards the building entrance.

The sun peeked out from behind the fluffy white clouds, the air was still cold, Spring being still a few solid weeks away. The smell of car exhausts and wintery chill flowing through the street and chilling my skin as it blew into me. The wave of warmth that hit me as soon as I stepped inside the lobby, was a huge contrast to the cold street. Back into the familiar building that I spend hours of my life in each week. The white marbled floor, shone in the light that flooded in through the numerous floor to ceiling glass windows, and the silvery, grey walls that were decorated with various images of different buildings and intricate sketch plans. I dodged around the large art sculpture that was positioned in the center of the space. Noticing a few people seated on the sofas in the waiting area. I gave a small wave to samantha on the front desk, she responded with her usual flirtatious smile and flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder, before being distracted by the phone ringing. I continued forward, reaching the lift just in time for a middle aged man to exit, talking away on his phone. Not even looking up as he hurried past me. I stepped inside and pressed the button for my floor.

A few seconds later and I was walking out into the hall, turning left and heading towards my office. Approaching it, I caught sight of a familiar face sitting in the chair by my desk. I walked in, hanging my jacket on the coat stand just inside.

"Hey man." I said walking towards my other best friend, and colleague, Jamie Harmon.

He nodded from his chair, placing a folder on my desk.

"Hey, how was the wedding?"

I walked around him, casting a glance out at the city this morning, before taking a seat behind my large mahogany desk and facing him. His navy blue shirt had a few buttons undone and was tucked into his black suit trousers. He looked at me questioningly, awaiting my response, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair and leaning his chin on the back of his hand, his thumb lightly brushing over his stubble then tapping against his knuckles.

"Was great actually, shame you couldn't make it." I replied.

Roxy and Jamie were good friends. There was a time where Jamie was interested in her as more than that, but not only was Rox dead set against any relationships back then, but their easily fiery tempers would probably have resulted in murder by their third week.

"Yeah, had no chance of getting out of that meeting though." He rolled his eyes as he spoke, lowering his hand so that it fell over the arm of the chair whilst he shuffled forwards.

"How did it go?" I asked, picking up the file that Jamie had dropped on my desk.

"All set, they want us to handle the whole project."

My brows rose in surprise, the deal that Jamie had gone to discuss was a huge contract. It would be a massive project for the business. One that him and me would be heading up. Jamie's vivid green eyes glinted with pride and cockiness. I rolled my eyes with a laugh, typical of him to be so smug.

"Well looks like we're about to get very busy." I sighed, flipping through the pages.

Jamie rose to his feet, combing his fingers through his short dark hair and shrugging his shoulders.

"We've got it covered."

I nodded in agreement and set aside the document.

"Right, I best get back to my office, I've got to comb through the lighting plans for the Semple's block by this afternoon. I'll catch you later."

Once Jamie had left, I started up my computer, pulling up the multiple documents, schematics and plans that I had to go over today. The hours ticked away, the time spent adjusting, tweaking and altering things on the sheets and making notes for new additions. I was halfway through a new electrical plan when my phone began buzzing on my desk. I glanced at the screen, seeing Roxy's name flashing up, I continued scrawling notes on the side of the page as I answered the phone.

"Hey Rox, what's up?"

"Amalia? Really Ev." She replied, her voice dripping with amusement.

"Hey, you do not get to take the piss here, I was traumatised."

"Obviously not enough to fail at getting laid."

"I'm a man Rox, there isn't a lot that will make me fail in that area... creepy dolls aside of course."

I heard Roxy's explosion of laughter, and rolled my eyes, tapping my pencil on the table, waiting for her to get it out of her system. When she coughed back to a coherent standard, she took a few deep breaths.

"Will you ever learn?"

"Is there something you wanted, or was this a torture call?" I laughed.

"Right, sorry. So my car has a flat tyre, Sean's gonna fix it when he gets home, but I was supposed to be giving Kat a ride after her shift today, there's no way I'll be able to make it. Can you pick her up please?"

"Getting stuck with Kitty Kat for a whole drive? Hmmm." I teased.

I could practically see Roxy rolling her eyes.

"You can't fool me Ev. I know you two like each other really under all that sass."

"I'd like her more if she didn't speak."

"Well, maybe she'll be too tired to talk by the end of her shift."

"Sounds promising, alright I'll do it, but if she speaks, she's riding in the boot."

"Okay. Whatever you say. Just be prepared for Sean to kill you in that case."

I sighed, letting out a small groan.

"And remind me, why isn't he picking up his dear sister?"

"She gets out before him. She's been on late, gets out in an hour," I heard a cry on the other end, followed by Roxy making shushing sounds. "Right, Everly's awake, I need to go. Thanks Ev, I owe you one."

The line went dead and I tossed my phone back onto the table, checking the time so that I knew when to leave, before getting back to the circuit layout I was designing. A short time later, I packed everything away and left the building.

Mercy Springs Hospital was located about ten minutes from my office. I pulled into the bay outside of A&E and locked up, making my way across the loaded lot, and into the department. The typical hospital smell of latex gloves, unknown chemicals and something that I could never quite place, washed over me. My eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the little brunette firecracker that I was here to pick up. The waiting area was packed solid with people of all ages. Varying from people looking a little unwell to ones with nasty injuries. Doctors and nurses were rushing around, leading patients to cubicles and attending to ones in the waiting area. I watched a tall blonde nurse, help an elderly man towards a cubicle, he cradled his arm close to his chest, bruising visible along his cheek and wrist. Just as she drew the curtain, I spotted a familiar face in dark blue scrubs bouncing past, a file clutched in her hands, her dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail. She pushed her weight up on the edge of the reception desk, hoisting herself up off the ground as she reached over, speaking to the man seated behind it, and placing the file into a tray, then picking up another one.

I was about to walk towards her when she turned and caught sight of me. Surprise was clear on her face, she muttered something to the man, then began to walk towards me.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too Little Miss Sunshine, Roxy called, she's got a flat tyre, asked me to pick you up."

She seemed taken aback, most likely that I agreed to do it. Not that it was unusual for me to help Rox, but more that it was to do something for Kat, someone who I'd shared many moments of intense banter and wind ups with since the start of our... friendship?

"Oh, well thanks, I appreciate it. Mine's in for service. It's been crazy here today, so I'm running a little late. I'll try not to keep you for much longer but I-" She gestured around her, her words coming out in a hurried flurry of stress and exhaustion.

I held up my hands to interrupt her, she took a deep breath, seeming to calm down.

"It's fine, I can wait. Just do what you have to do." I replied.

There was something that changed in her eyes. Rather than the exasperated and bored look I mostly got, she seemed to be grateful, happy even.

"Thanks Ev."

She patted me on the arm and turned back towards the desk. Stopping halfway and turning back to me.

"You can grab a coffee from the machine, and wait in the staff room over there if you like?" She waved her arm towards a closed door on the left.

I nodded in response, and watched her continue in the other direction. I barely made it two steps towards the machine, when I felt someone bump into me.

"Whoa," I said spinning around and stepping back. "You might want to-" I started, then stopped as I took in the sight before me. The young woman seemed to stagger forward, her skin was pale and clammy, her mousy brown hair was tinged red from blood that came from a cut to the side of her temple. Her blue eyes seemed faded and glassy. She took another step forward and tumbled, falling towards me. I reached out just in time to catch her, stopping her from hitting the floor.

"Kat! A little help here!" I shouted over my shoulder.

I heard running footsteps and then Kat reached me, shouting orders at a few of the surrounding staff. A trolley appeared next to us and I lifted the woman onto the bed. Kat pulled a small torch from her pocket and shone it into the woman's eyes before hurrying her to a room at the end of the corridor. My heart was thumping forcefully against my chest, my mind was completely blank. I was entirely shocked by what had just happened. Forgetting totally about the coffee I was going to grab moments before, I continued towards the staff room, heading inside and pulling the door closed behind me, and savouring the dulling out of the noise from outside in the department.

I had no idea how long I'd been waiting there, thoughts of the poor woman they'd rushed away were flooding my mind. Thoughts of how she'd managed to get hurt, and how she even made it to the hospital, alone. I heard the door open and looked up, Kat entered, now changed out of her scrubs, looking more like her normal self in bright blue jeans and a black jumper, her hair falling over her shoulder, shining in the fluorescent lighting, she gave me a small smile which I returned.

"How's she doing?" I asked.

"Better, thankfully it looked worse than it was. Head wounds, they bleed a lot. Probably why she collapsed, she's resting for now and they're running tests."

"That's good." I nodded, absentmindedly rubbing my fingers over my chin, feeling the stubble underneath.

An awkward silence filled the room for a moment,then Kat sighed.

"Shall we get going? Before something else crops up."

I jumped to my feet, mentally shaking myself.

"Yep, sounds good." I replied, stepping forward.

As I followed her out of the door, I caught a trace of her perfume, sweet floral notes with a seductive and warm undertone. I could pick out the jasmine and vanilla blend, but the other parts escaped me.

Back in the car, I steered us out of the lot, happily heading in the direction of Kat's place. I heard her yawn and caught sight of her stretching out in the chair, then resting her head against the window.

"Tired?" I asked with a small laugh.

"What gave it away?" She replied sarcastically with another yawn.

"I have no idea, I guess I can read minds."

I steered through the late afternoon traffic, eager to get out of the city center before rush hour was upon us.

"If you can read minds, then what am I thinking right now?" Kat chimed in, an edge of playful challenge mixing with her naturally sarcastic tone.

I pretended to think as I turned down a side street to avoid waiting behind a bus.

"That you don't think I can read minds."

"Proves my point, I wasn't thinking that."

"Yes you were."

"No, I wasn't."

"Okay, what were you thinking then?"

"I was thinking that you're an arrogant idiot," She clung to the door handle as I took a sharp turn, putting my foot down to make the lights ahead. "One who is going to get me killed!"

"Hey, don't doubt my skills. I'm a very capable man." I turned towards her long enough to give her a smirk and a wink.

"Eyes on the road there idiot."

"Oh you wound me. How can someone be so cold?!" I put a hand to my chest, dramatising pain at her words.

"Around you? Easily."

"With a personality that icy, it's no wonder you're single."

"Better single than sleeping around with random crazies. Tell me, what was the problem with the latest one, you know, aside from the usual lack of a brain."

"Oh, would you look at that, we're nearly there."

She burst out laughing, giving me a small and teasing shove. Even though we wound each other up at every chance we got, there was never any true malice behind the words. I stopped outside her building, she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and threw open the door, climbing out onto the path.

"Not even going to offer me a cup of coffee?"

She wrapped her handbag over her shoulder, flicking her hair out of the way of the strap and glared at me.

"And spend more time stuck in your company, no way. I like myself too much to suffer through that."

I shrugged and started up the ignition.

"I guess it's good someone likes you."

She rolled her eyes and slammed the door. I watched her get inside the lobby and then turned back out onto the road heading for home, smiling to myself.