Love Letter

Arrival...

"Tom? Tom! Listen to me! TOM Calm down!"  Luke almost shouted down the phone.  "I can't get you a seat that doesn't exist, mate. I'm sorry. You'll have to wait. Till Friday. It's only another two days." 

"TWO DAYS? TWO FUCKING DAYS?????"

Luke winced and held the phone away from his ear while his best friend, employer, and the man in the most pain right now, virtually screamed at him.

Normally, Tom never misbehaved. He was the perfect client. The perfect interviewee, the perfect work colleague, and yes, the perfect human being. Today? Today, he had been replaced by a snarling spitting demon.  One that Luke would gladly have punched if it wasn't for one thing.  He loved Tom like a brother, and as such, when Tom felt pain, so did he.

Tom was, quite rightly, in a whole world of pain right now. Guilt, fear, and sorrow all combined to magnify the sense of loss out of all proportion. And that meant he got angry. Like any normal human being. When you're scared and upset, you can do one of two things. Turn and crumble or lash out.

The ginger headed, angry boyfriend Jonathan Pine in him, lashed out.

"Finished screaming at me?" Luke took the phone back to his ear and waited. Then he smiled.

"Jesus I'm sorry, mate. That was totally uncalled for. I really am soooo sorry." Tom's voice was contrite to the point that now Luke just wanted to hug him. "You do your best - often far more than you should - to help me. I really do appreciate it, you know that. Forgive me?"

Luke nodded automatically, then laughed. "Yes, of course. Just promise me the next time you decide to go feral, you dont do it down the phone at me?"

"It's a deal." Tom sighed,"but it's going to be a helluva long two days....." It was. And not just for him either.

When he finally did make it home, there were questions. Oh, so many questions. A barrage of reporters waited at the airport. They'd been tipped off, like MI6 by the CIA in some Bond film, by their American counterparts.

"Home early, Tom?"

"Back to see someone, Tom?"

"Fallen out with Marvel Tom?"

"Where's the rush? Thought you were there another couple of weeks?"

As always, Tom was polite and smiled. As always, he didn't reply. He stopped for a few fan selfies and signed some autographs but otherwise kept a low but charming profile.

A couple of hours later, he walked through his front door to be greeted by a small brown whirlwind with velvet nose and lolling tongue.

Dropping his bag in the hall, he crouched down, rubbing the soft furry head now nuzzling his kneecap.

"Hey, little man! Are you ok?" Bobby rolled onto his back and wriggled, offering his belly for a rub. "Just a quick one, gotta make tracks pal.  There's a special someone who needs us, mate."

He stood and looked in the mirror as he did so.  Rough wasn't the word. Stubble, dark circles, greasy hair. Dear God, who was this man?

Ten minutes and an extremely quick shower and change later, he looked in the mirror again.  Better, he nodded, better. Giving Bobby a final pat, he pulled on his blue wool coat and left the house.

The black cab was waiting. He suddenly realised in all the commotion that he had absolutely no clue where he was headed. A hospital. Which hospital? It had never occurred to him, in his blind panic, to ask.

"Fucking NORA I'm an idiot." He slammed his hand on the seat and bit him lip.  The cabbie looked in the rearview mirror.

"If you say so, mate. Until then, got a destination?"

Tom nodded. "Yes. Hell. It seems the road there is paved with good intentions." He looked at the driver with a sad smile. 

"Well, unless you have a postcode for that mate, you're gonna have to walk." The cabbie smiled, now recognising the idiot. "Until then, Mr H, where can I take you?" He winked, and Tom, despite everything, found a smile.

"Thanks. Sorry. Yes, can you go to....." he reeled off Luke's address and sat back as the cab moved off.  Luke. He'd know what to do. Luke ALWAYS knew what to do....

"Alison? Are you with us? It's all done, Alison. Wakey wakey lovie!" The gentle voice was accompanied by a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes groggily.

"Hmmmmm?"

"It's all done, sweetie. You're ok. It went well. Just rest. We're taking you back to the ward. Your boyfriend called earlier, and he'll be in to see you later on. Are you in pain?" The nurse held her hand gently as she walked alongside the bed.

"No." Ali murmured "no.pain.  no boy..." But she'd drifted off again. The nurse smiled. This poor woman, this was just the beginning. Hopefully, her absent boyfriend would be here to hold her hand and keep her company. It was going to be a long haul.

As they settled her into the side room opposite the nurse's station - since she was their priority patient at the moment - Ali came to a little again.  The room was pale green. A lovely fresh shade, that under normal circumstances, Ali would have loved. 

Still suffering from the after effects of the anaesthetic, though, her addled brain thought otherwise.

"Colour's wrong." She murmured. "He won't like it." She started to fret a little.

"Shhh Alison, who? Who won't like it?" The nurse, a 40-something brunette named Jenny, patted her hand.

"Loki. Loki won't like it." Ali started to giggle.

Jenny, well used to anaesthetic ramblings, began to smile. This should be good.  "Oh, and why's that lovie?" She asked gently as she attached a new drip to Alison's arm.

"Wrong green." Ali smiled, despite the pain, "he's a dark green man." She giggled, and Jenny smiled, exchanging a look with the porter who had helped wheel Ali up to the ward. 

"So Loki will be visiting, will he?"

"Yup." Ali looked smug, eyes closed, smile on her face, absolutely high as a kite on morphine.

"And why is that?" Jenny often found patients had no filter and no recollection of these post theatre conversations, so she never disagreed, just went with the flow.  What went on post-theatre, stayed post theatre.

"Because I write to him. Lots. And lots. He's my... boypal. I mean penfriend... I mean..." Ali started getting agitated, and Jenny realised it was time to shut the conversation down.

"Your boyfriend?" Jenny helped her out, and Ali murmured a 'mhmmm' as she dozed off again.

Jenny recorded her obs. data then made sure Ali was comfy, putting the buzzer within reach.

"Of course he is love, and Thor is my bit on the side!" She closed the door, shaking her head softly.  This was one of the better ones. It would be interesting to see if Alison's boyfriend was anything like Loki.

No chance. Absolutely not a single chance. But it was going to be fun finding out......