Page 84 of Doc Defence

“Pull yourself together,” she told herself.

Her firm words didn’t stop her breath from hitching more and increasing in speed. Tears began to flow down her cheeks, and she couldn’t stop them. She sat and sobbed until someone tapped gently on the window.

Clara and Gloria stood outside, the latter clutching a bottle of champagne in her hand.

Hel rolled down the window, wiping at her eyes.

“Hey,” Clara said with a little wave. “Gloria brought booze.”

Gloria shook the bottle at Hel to emphasise the point. “I borrowed it from Taylor.”

“Gloria, we all know you stole it out of his cellar.” Clara rolled her eyes.

“You’re about to marry him. It’s your cellar too,” Gloria reminded her.

“In that case…” Clara paused for a moment. “We should definitely crack it open.” She eyed Hel again. “And maybe grab another one while I set Hel up in her cottage.”

“It does look like a two-bottle evening,” Gloria said sympathetically and leaned in the window to give Hel’s arm a squeeze before she dashed off.

Hel yelled after her, “Can we have the same as we had for breakfast?” She was distraught and felt it was a ‘good wine’ occasion.

Gloria waved over her shoulder and called back, “Only the best for you, my darling.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Clara asked softly as she opened the door for Hel.

Hel shook her head at the same time as she said, “Yes.”

“Well, that answer is clear as mud. Come on, let’s go inside.” Clara held her hand out, and Hel took it, letting her friend lead her into her new house.

Hel pulled out of Clara’s grip and wrapped her arms around herself. It had been so easy to think of Frost’s place as a home, but the cottage was so empty without him there. It was a place to live. It would never be a home.

Shit. She plopped down on the sofa. What had she done? He wanted to try long distance, and she cut him down. Her rational mind told her, because how could it work? It just couldn’t.

“Here.” Clara handed her a glass of champagne from the bottle Hel hadn’t even noticed her open as she had been so caught up in her own thoughts.

“Thanks,” Hel whispered, taking a big sip of the crisp, cold bubbles. “He offered to have a long-distance relationship with me, and I said no.” The words spilled out of her.

Clara brought her own glass over and sat down on the sofa, her knees touching Hel. “Why?”

“What’s the point? I can’t move to Canada, and he’s an ice hockey player, well, now a coach. He needs to be in Canada to do that. So here we are.” Hel shrugged, taking another gulp of her drink.

“They play ice hockey here,” Clara offered.

“I don’t think it’s the same. All the players and coaches have second jobs. It would be like us settling to be a first aider when we could be doctors if we lived in another country.” Hel examined the bubbles rising in her glass, tracing the condensation that collected on the outside.

“What did I miss?” Gloria burst through the door with a bottle in one hand and a plate of fruit in the other.

“Did you take that out of my fridge?” Clara exclaimed.

“Well, I didn’t nip to the supermarket, did I?” Gloria was unphased as she poured herself a glass, put the new bottle in the fridge and arranged the fruit on the table.

“You could occasionally, you know,” Clara grumbled.

“You’re right. I could. But it’s so much more entertaining to insist my son takes me, then watch him skulk around trying not to be recognised.” Gloria giggled.

“You are a total menace.” Clara rolled her eyes. “Sorry, Hel. You’re having a crisis, and we’re talking about terrorising my fiancé.”

Hel saw the look on Clara’s face when she said the word fiancé. Her eyes sparkled, and the corners of her lips turned up.

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