“And do you Patrick James Spiller take Lara Anne Stone to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?” As long as you both shall live? Really? With her? Patrick glanced to the side and saw his not so blushing, in fact positively grinning, bride staring back at him. What was he doing? As he stood there, frozen to the spot, he thought back to the last time he’d stood here, when he’d been so sure: so sure that that he wanted to be with her. As long as they both should live and even longer. He was committed to the vows he was going to make back then, but now… But that was then, it didn’t matter. Even though he’d though they would last forever look how it had turned out. They didn’t even finish the wedding, Ed made sure of that. He would have done anything to stop them getting married, and he did. He stood up in the house of god and said, in front of numerous witnesses, that the wedding couldn’t go ahead because Patrick had been cheating on Holly through out their relationship. Of course, this being Ed, there was no truth in his allegation but by the time the Vicar had realised this they had lost the time slot for the wedding and it had to be re-scheduled for a months time. But it never happened. By the time they were ready to hold the second wedding Ed had got himself chucked out of med school and managed to convince Holly that it had been all Patrick’s fault. So, yet again, no wedding: just a lot of heartache.
As long as you both shall live? Really? Without Holly? Are you sure? Patrick stared harder into the eyes of the woman opposite him, searching for the answers. He tried to imagine her pretty face with wrinkles and her blonde hair grey and permed. Would he still love her then? He tried to picture her holding his kids or even them settling down together but every time he just came up with an image of Holly’s face. What was he doing? Marrying the wrong woman, that was what he was doing. He realised this but just as he opened his mouth to explain all of this the doors of the church swung open and all eyes turned behind him A woman stood in the door way. Her silhouette was blacked out as light poured past her into the church from all angles.
“Stop the wedding.” She cried forcefully wile her voice shook. She was nervous beyond belief, but then again, it wasn’t everyday that you got to ruin someone’s life. She dug her nails into her hands and bit her bottom lip to try and stop it shaking. What was she doing? The whole church gasped simultaneously as she stood and waited for someone to say something.
“Holly?” Patrick questioned, wide eyed.
“Forget to invite me?” Holly asked bitterly.
“You were in Germany… I couldn’t…”
“One phone call Patrick, that’s all it would have taken.”
“I know but-“
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” The vicar interrupted rudely. No one spoke as they looked uncomfortably from one to the other, what was going on?
“Umm this is Holly.” Patrick started bravely. “She’s my…” Damn! Why wasn’t there a word for what they meant to each other? “She’s my...” He tried again but there were no words to describe it.
“Friend?” Holly suggested. “Fiancé? Ex-Fiancé? Lover? Ex-lover? Soul mate? Worst enemy? Acquaintance? Ex-colleague? Make up your mind Patrick.”
“Patrick! What on earth is going on?” Lara screeched at him.
“Umm… I… I’ve got to go.” He said as he ran straight past Holly and through the open church doors to safety.
“I better go after him.” Holly and Lara said together.
“I’m so sorry.” Holly said as she turned and followed in Patrick’s footsteps leaving Lara alone and foolish at the alter.
She’d been walking for almost an hour when she came to a small bench at the top of the hill. Exhausted, she sat down and pulled her coat around her for warmth. Now she was grateful that she’d decided against the short skirt she had been thinking of wearing and had gone with the trouser suit instead. If only someone had told her she was going to be tramping across the Holby countryside and she would have wore her hiking boots rather than the flimsy high heels she had on now. She had long since lost hope of finding Patrick but she was too ashamed to show her face at the church so she’d kept on walking. And now here she was, sitting alone as it got colder and darker all around her. She didn’t know what she’d expected when she came here but some how she hadn’t imagined spending the evening like this. Behind her she heard a rustling noise and, alarmed, she turned round. She heard nothing for a moment or two and thought that she had imagined it until the noise started again.
“Patrick?” She called, hoping it would be him or some very friendly animal that wouldn’t want to eat her.
“Holly?” He called back and she breathed a sigh of relief to hear his voice. A moment later he emerged from behind a near by bush.
“What are you doing here?” Holly asked.
“Running away. Same as you I should imagine. I just couldn’t face Lara after all of this, so I kept walking, and I walked and I walked. And I hoped that somehow it would all go away, the idea of waking up in my bed at home is a very good one right now.”
“You really know how to make a girl feel welcome!”
“Holly! You just ruined my wedding day and totally humiliated me! I’m so sorry for not greeting you with open arms.” He didn’t mention the fact that he wasn’t going to go through with the wedding anyway, it didn’t seem relevant.
“Fine if that’s how you feel then I’ll go. I don’t know why I bothered to waste all this time looking for you.” She got up and took a few steps forward before she felt Patrick’s hand on her arm, pulling her back.
“Hol, don’t be stupid. Sit down.” Reluctantly she did as he told her. She folded her arms and turned away, shivering, in protest. They sat in silence for quite a few minutes. She was sulking because he didn’t want her to be there and he was sitting in silence trying to work out how to tell her he wanted her to be there.
“Holly-“
“Patrick-“ They said together and then laughed.
“You first.” He insisted.
“I was just going to say that it’s freezing cold out here and why aren’t you doing the gentlemanly thing and offering me your coat.” She lied. “What were you going to say?”
“I was going to say that it’s freezing out here and why don’t you do the decent thing and swallow your pride and ask for my coat.” He lied back as he placed his coat around her shoulders. It drowned her but she was grateful anyway.
“Thanks.” She said as she snuggled down into it and ‘accidentally’ moving closer to Patrick.
“Why did you turn up today?” He asked.
“Because I wanted to see you… I miss you… I… I… I love you.” She said quickly.
“You love me do you?” Patrick laughed.
“Shut up Spiller.” She mumbled.
“So you mean all those years when you pretended to hate me you really loved me. Is that what you’re saying Miles?” He smiled as Holly nodded shyly. He felt his heart melt. “I love you too.” He whispered softly into her ear. “But-“
“Shh.” Holly said as she pressed a finger against his lips. “Look at that.” She pointed out across the hillside to the perfect view out over Holby as all the stars sparkled in the sky. She looked up into Patrick’s eyes and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. ”Don’t you wish it could stay like this forever?”
“Forever isn’t long enough.” Patrick said as he put his arms around her and pulled her into a long awaited hug.
“I know,” She said. “But it’s a start.”