sealed the flask, shook it, and then unlocked the back door and walked out of it.
He enjoyed his short walk to work, and he loved the fact that he was less than ten minutes from the hospital. His hours at Selly Oak A&E were long, and he knew that Charlie had searched high and low to find somewhere near to the hospital for their first none university home together.
When she’d shown it to him, he’d loved it instantly for the location alone. From their house, if he used the back door – which he always did, he could cut through their garden and be at the hospital in minutes. Added to this their house was on Lottie road, which Charlie had taken as a sign that it was meant to be. Although this had made him smile from the moment that she’d told him, because he honestly didn’t know anyone that had ever called Charlie Lottie once in her life.
Charlie worked for a law firm in the city, and she equally worked some horribly long hours. She was also often called upon to go to London, Bristol, or Cardiff at short notice. Yet over the years they’d learned to live with the fact that there were some weeks, and occasionally some months, where they hardly ever saw each other.
Many of his friends at work were in relationships with other doctors. They said that they found it easier as both people in the relationship understood the demands of the job, but he knew that Charlie understood the demands of his job. He also knew that she more so than anyone else knew how much he loved being a doctor.
He walked into the hospital and stopped musing about his life with Charlie. He instead looked over at his friend and colleague Dr James Thompson, who was stood at the nurses’ station.
“Morning,” James said rather grumpily.
“It is isn’t it?” Matt responded brightly.
James looked at him suspiciously, and then with a knowing smile and an approving nod asked; “good night with the missus was it?”
“It’s always a good night with my missus,” Matt said.
“I bet it is!” James said smirking slightly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Matt asked with a raised eyebrow, although he was smiling at the same time.
“Your missus is über hot, but I’ll say no more,” James said grinning. “Aside to say, that most men would probably look as happy as you at half five in the morning if they went to bed with her.”
Matt laughed. He was used to comments like this from James and his other friends about Charlie, and they didn’t bother him. If anything he saw it as a compliment that other men thought that his wife was so attractive, not that he wasn’t already well aware of this fact.
“Although speaking of hotties, have you seen that new doctor?” James asked.
“Doctors,” Matt said correcting James but smiling again at the same time. “But I’ll assume that you’re referring to the young Dr Emily Peters?”
“Is that her name?” James asked clearly making a mental note. “I wonder if she needs the guidance of an experienced doctor to show her the ropes,” he said winking at Matt.
“Yes she and Dr Ryan both will. But I’m afraid the experienced doctor in charge of showing them the ropes is me,” Matt said smiling and then laughing when he heard James mutter; “waste!”
Matt was about to reply when his pager started buzzing. He reached for the phone which was next to James, but as he did he noticed James smirking again and he looked at him curiously.
“I’ve got a feeling that you’re going to have a long day, any chance that you’re already starting to regret having had late night sex with your missus now?” James asked.
Matt held the phone between his ear and shoulder and replied; “not a chance! Would you regret having late night sex with my wife?” But he instantly wished that he’d kept his mouth shut.
“Not even for a second. In fact,” James said laughing and walking away; “thanks for the visual!”
Matt shook his head, knowing that he only had himself to blame for that comment.
Emily
It was the end of another long and busy shift at Selly Oak A&E. The majority of the doctors on duty were all looking forward to going home to bed, and Emily was feeling just as tired as any of them as she looked around for Dr Grayson.
She found him, as usual, leaning wearily against the nurses’ station. He was enjoying what Emily assumed