The Eyes Have It Short Story

The eyes have it

Their eyes meet across the room, she smiled, but not with her mouth, just with her eyes.

How did she do that? he wondered, trying to smile with his eyes only, he caught sight of himself in the window, oh my god what do I look like? He glanced back up at her, hoping she hadn’t seen his grimacing attempts to smile with his eyes only. She wasn’t looking, why wasn’t she looking at him, actually that was lucky at least she hadn’t seen his face. Oh no maybe she had seen and that’s why she wasn’t looking she was horrified

Marie had seen him, she had watched him looking at her that’s why she had smiled, she had no idea what attracted her to him, it couldn’t be his stunning good looks, it couldn’t be his voice, so what was it? why had this man got under her skin. She busied herself with her work trying not to look at him or think about him.

“What’s on your mind?” said Josie “you’re miles away”, Josie was right Marie hadn’t even noticed her come into the room.

“I’m fine, just deep in thought about the weekend. What about you, are you going home this weekend?” said Marie.

Josie giggled, “Oh yes, it’s my sister’s birthday we are all going out to a new club, then Sunday…..” Marie wasn’t listening her gaze had drifted back to him, she suddenly realised she was blushing, he caught her eye, she blushed some more, swallowing hard she looked away. “What about you?” said Josie “Marie are you listening?, you really are miles away”

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, What about you?, what are you doing this weekend? Anything nice?” said Josie, Marie struggled to stay on track as Josie prattled away in her light cheerful way. Marie smiled at Josie .

“Not sure yet, Mum wants me to go home, but I’m not sure, I may just bugger off to the hills, do some walking, get some fresh air and exercise” She patted her bottom “I could do with the exercise”

“Why not come home with me” said Josie “might be able to find you a new boyfriend” Josie paused, “sorry, I didn’t mean to be insensitive” Josie stroked her friends arm, and gave a smile.

#

Marie sat on her bed in her small cabin, her tired feet in a bowl of hot water and Epsom Salts, the faint smell of Listerine filled the air. Marie looked at her feet beneath the water, “well I’ve tried some odd things in my time, but Epsom Salts and Listerine is a first” She said out loud despite being alone. She sat up and reached for a towel, drying her feet her thoughts drifted back to him, to his eyes, his eyes so blue they looked like mountain pools. She shook her head “What are you doing girl?”, she walked to the sink and splashed cold water on her face “You can’t do this, he can never be yours” she said out loud, reprimanding herself. She groaned as she heard the giggles of a colleague in the cabin above

#

He lay there eyes shut, body aching, but it wasn’t the normal aches and pains this was different, less physical more…., no he didn’t know but it was different. She was in his mind all the time, her eyes, her smile, her legs and that bottom, he’d watched her pat her bottom when she was talking to her friend, what he wouldn’t give to do that, to stroke her hair, I wonder how long her hair is? He drifted off to sleep dreaming of her laying next to him, her head on his shoulder.

#

Opening the tent door she looked out, “And that is why I do this” she said, taking a deep breath of mountain air, she shivered in the cool morning breeze, she pulled her hat down over her ears. As she touched it a memory came from nowhere, she pulled off the hat and stroked it between her fingers, it had been his hat, she had brought it for him. The image of her fiancé lying there in his coffin replaced the happy one of them celebrating his birthday. The feelings came back along with the tears, 9 months now this was silly, why could she not just get on with life? he was gone, the guilt, that was worse than the grief, the guilt that it was her fault. Well no she knew she hadn’t killed him, but she could have stopped him, so she was just as responsible as him. Then came the hate, the hate for herself and for him, how could she hate him? she loved him, it didn’t make sense. None of it made sense, that’s why they had made her ‘speak to someone’, What does that mean anyway? It had helped a bit, she hadn’t told him anything, how could she, how could she explain that she hated the man she loved, she couldn’t understand it , no one else could, they’d lock her up.

Wiping her tears away, she busied herself with breakfast, before packing up her tent and heading off towards the summit.

#

Josie helped him to transfer into the other chair, “well good luck” she said picking up his bags as the ambulance driver took the chair. “We will miss you” she said chatting away on her normal way to the ambulance driver. He wanted to ask where Marie was but couldn’t, damn it he hated this, he hated what it did to him, he hated that he never spoken to her, never told her how he felt. But then how could he? she wouldn’t be interested in him, how could she ever be interested? she was lovely and young, good looking. He was, well he was half the man he had been , she wouldn’t look at him, no one would. He listened as Josie chatted on, giggling away, God her voice and chatter was irritating, he wouldn’t miss that.

#

Marie breezed into the ward to be greeted by Josie, as Josie chattered to her she noticed the empty bed. The colour drained from her cheeks.

“Josie where’s the chap from bed 3?”

“Transferred yesterday to his local hospital, a young woman came to pick him up” said Josie

Marie sighed, “That’s great, always good to see them go home, I didn’t realise he was ready” “His family were insistent, said he could get better care there”. Marie smiled, but her smile hid the sadness in her chest, he had gone, she had thought about him all weekend, and now he was gone. But why did she feel like this? she didn’t really know him, yet she felt jealous, jealous of the young woman who had come to collect him, jealous of the family who had him back, how stupid.

She was suddenly aware of Josie talking to her.

“Marie, are you okay?, you have gone white” Marie tried to smile, but couldn’t, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, the lump in her throat. She nodded, swallowing hard, grabbing a chair to steady herself.

#

He sat on the bed, it felt odd without the bandages, but felt good too, he hadn’t dared look yet, he knew the burns had been bad, he had heard them talking.

“So you’re leaving us tomorrow” said a voice from behind him, turning he smiled.

“Yes doctor, off to rehab”

#

It was the best thing she had ever done, putting in for a new draft, a new start. It was almost two years now since she had lost the love of her life, and everyone had told he it would get easier, they just hadn’t said how long it would take to get easier, just that it would get easier. Of course the inquest had helped, it hadn’t told her anything new or didn’t already know, but it had helped. The coroner had concluded that ‘Jack had died as a result of his injuries caused when his car had gone off a cliff’ He didn’t attribute blame to the alcohol in his system, apparently he was still below the limit, but it didn’t make her feel any better. Maybe the new posting would help, maybe as Josie had suggested she would finally meet someone new, start again, then maybe the pain would ease, Marie found it hard to believe, but was willing to try anything.

She pulled on her new uniform. Doing a twirl she admired her reflection, yep she looked good, it was nice not to be in Scrubs, and back in a proper nurses uniform. She left her cabin and walked the short distance to the clinic.

After a busy morning of routine vaccinations, sprains and rashes it was time to change again for an afternoon on the hills, oh yes that was the big attraction to this job, she could be part of the RAF Mountain Rescue Team. She felt a little knot of excitement as she opened the door and walked into the team room. standing by the door she took in the sights and smells, that smell of nikwax and mud that always made her smile. The room was warm and damp, almost steamy, but cosy none the less.

“Our new member, how wonderful” said a man pushing his way across the room, his hand outstretched. He took her hand and he shook it enthusiastically. “This everyone is Marie, she is joining us a medical professional, she has a lot of hill walking experience”

She smiled looking round the room at all the smiling faces, welcoming her.

She settled into a chair with a large mug of steaming tea for the team briefing, her thoughts drifting, as she let the mug warm her hands. Looking around the room, people smiled at her as she caught their eye, but then she paused, he smiled, she recognised something about him, but what was it, she was sure she hadn’t met him before, maybe she had seen him in the canteen.

“So if we are all happy with that grab your packs and meet outside in ten” said a voice from the front. Jumping up she nipped to the loo, not wanting to get caught short on the hill, she might have her shewee that Josie had given her as a leaving present, but she intended to keep that firmly in her pack.

“Marie, do you want to jump in here with me? I can run through some things with you on the way” said the chap that had welcomed her earlier. She threw her rucksack in the back and jumped up into the Land Rover. “So what we will do if that’s okay, is use you as a casualty today, it gives us a chance to get to know each other and for you to see the team in action”

She nodded, her mind racing, her heart beating fast.

#

Settling down in her bivvy bag next to rock she got comfy, as comfy as you can be up a mountain in a bivvy bag, waiting for the rescue team to arrive.

#

As he treked up the hill, his mind and heart raced, he had never thought he would see her again, and yet there she was, she had been stood there in the team room, their eyes had locked again. Had she recognised him, of course she hadn’t, how could she, but he knew it was her. He would never forget her, her smile, her eyes. The weather was getting worse, the cloud descending, making the air cold and damp, he pulled his hood tighter.

“Over there, to your left” a voice called, he turned to see the small figure snuggled down in the bright orange bag, he turned towards them, his pace quickening as he crossed the uneven ground to reach her. It maybe only a training exercise, but he needed to get to her, he needed to look into those eyes again. He reached her, placing a hand on her shoulder he realised something was wrong, she was unconscious, maybe she was a sleep, no she wasn’t waking up.

“I need help over here, unconscious casualty” he shouted, turning back to her he got to work, removing her wet hat, placing his own dry warm hat on her, he pulled the emergency shelter from his rucksack pulling it over them both, whilst the rest of the team went to work radioing for a helicopter. He pulled her to him desperately trying to warm her body. “Come on Marie, please, open your eyes” He begged.

After what seemed like hours she opened her eyes and looked up at him, their eyes met, and he smiled.

“Thank god, Marie, you had us all worried there, not good to finish off a new team member on their first day” he said brushing a stray hair from her face.

She felt it again, it couldn’t be, he couldn’t be. Her heart leapt in her chest at the recognition, it was him. Her thoughts were interrupted by the whir of the helo above, he leaned over her sheltering her from the wind, she could smell him now, his aftershave mixed with Nikwax and the sweet scent of sweat, breathing in deeply she closed her eyes.

“You don’t remember me do you, or at least you don’t recognise me” he whispered. She tried to speak but no words came. “Can I take you out for a Dinner?”

“Yes” she said still struggling to find the words, “Of course”

#

Sitting up in bed she smiled as he came into the room, there it was that smile with her eyes, that smile he had fallen in love with but never expected to see again. He sat next to the bed and took her hand.

“Thank you” she said “ You saved me, Thank you” He smiled

“Only returning the favour”

#