As agreed, we both went into work in our own cars and I left after Jen to allow her time to get there before me and was back at her desk before I arrived, although she didn't smile when I said good morning to her. Having said that, there were three other receptionists there as well, including Cynthia so perhaps she didn't want to give anything away so off I went to my surgery to be greeted by a stern looking Ellie. "Do you know what you're doing today?" She asked me.
"Good morning Ellie. Did you have a nice weekend as well and yes I do know what I'm doing today, why do you ask?"
"You look too cheerful for a Monday morning, that's all," She said, "Just asking. Did you get up to anything interesting?"
If she noticed my blush she didn't let on or didn't notice, at least I hoped she hadn't noticed. "Nothing much, you?" I asked her back.
"Just went over to Jasmine's house and slept over, that's all," And she turned and left me alone. The first patient wasn't due for another twenty minutes so I read the paper and started on the crossword. I was struggling to get started when the first patient arrived, a little early giving me an excuse to not complete the puzzle and from then on the morning passed very quickly and lunchtime arrived. Ellie disappeared to have her lunch with one of her friends, leaving Jen and me, alone as the receptionists staggered their lunch times to keep the desk covered in case someone phoned, as did the dentists and nurses. Cynthia came into the staff room while I was eating a sandwich from the local supermarket and I was wondering how they always managed to remove all the taste from the food.
"Nice?" She asked me as she sat down close next to me.
"No, it's bloody awful, no taste whatsoever. Too much mayo and not enough filling. What are you having?" I asked her.
"Cottage cheese on a crispbread," She replied.
"I take back what I said about no taste," I told her.
"Why?"
"Because cottage cheese has no taste either, everyone knows that." I explained.
"A little salt and pepper brings out the taste nicely," She told me, "You should try it."
"No thanks, I'll stay with this crap," I said. "I'm sorry, I swore."
"Don't worry about it. It might be better if you made your own sandwiches, then you can choose what you put on them and what they taste like." She said, smiling as she said it. "Alternatively, you could let it warm up a little before you eat it, rather than straight from the fridge."
"I'd never thought of that," I said, feeling stupid. I truly hadn't thought about making a sandwich myself, I'd always bought them, even when I was at University. And the fact it was cold. Indeed, it was almost icy.
"Can I visit tonight?" She asked out of the blue.
"Tricky, Jen's there tonight," I replied, "But we weren't going to have sandwiches, anyway."
"When then?" She said and giggled and stood up to go. "I have to go back to the desk so, see you later."
"Yep, I'll call you later." I told her.
She looked at me, right in the eyes. "Promise?"
"I promise." I went back to my surgery and started back on the crossword again, with no more success than the morning effort. Ellie came back in as well and sat next to me. "Is there something you want Ellie?" I asked her, a little too sharply perhaps.
"Not particularly, unless you want to talk," She suggested.
"Try me, engage me with wit and repartee," I said to her, and she frowned.
"Not sure what that means," She replied.
"Chat away, but make it interesting or funny or tell me a story," I told her. I couldn't imagine Ellie knowing something about anything that would interest me.
"Did you read about the Alcubierre equations for a warp bubble?" She asked in a pretended innocence.
"The what?" I asked, thinking she was having me on! I was really into space, science fiction, especially Star Trek and space travel, surely not Ellie?
"Alcubierre equations. They were a development of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Theoretically it predicts the possibility of faster than light travel, it's called superluminal I think," She said, eyebrows raised, "And you thought I was a blond bimbo, didn't you? I think he is a Mexican mathematician or physicist. Something scientific anyway."
"No I didn't, and I didn't think you were into space either," I replied, "Wrong on both counts, wasn't I?" Thinking she'd just about summed up perfectly what I had previously thought about her with the addition of bad tempered and rude. Not to mention insolent.
"Yes," She said and left me in the surgery alone to bring in some instruments for the afternoon session. When she came she looked at me with her smug face, the one that said I've just surprised you haven't I? I had no patient for my first appointment slot so I went back upstairs to the staff room, leaving her to do whatever she did.
The afternoon passed quickly because the receptionists were keeping my patient list full now, having come to trust me. We all finished and it was time to go home.
"Doing anything tonight Dr Earle?" Ellie asked me.
"Not much Ellie, you?" I asked back.
"Jasmine's coming to visit for a sleepover, so lots of girlie talk," She replied, a bright smile across her face.
"You see her a lot, don't you? Is she your only friend?" I asked her, trying to strike up a conversation, but not too hard, I wanted to go home.
"Yeah, we're really like sisters," She told me. "I tell her everything and she tells me everything," She said happily.
