It was another normal day, just like days had always been. He got up, got dressed then had breakfast. And he didn’t think about Holly once. Yeah rite, as if! The truth was he woke up and the first thing he looked at was the faded picture of her that he had on his table by his bed. It made him so upset to think of her and know she was gone but at least after that the day could only get better.
Once he was at work it was a different story, he pulled him self out of self-pity and tried to forget she ever existed. He didn’t know if this made him a better doctor or a worse one: on the one hand it meant that his entire mind was focused on his job and what he was supposed to be doing but on the other hand it meant that he was the snappy, short tempered Patrick that he always became when Holly wasn’t there to cheer him up.
He never quiet worked out why Holly's leaving had got to him so much but it had. It wasn’t even like they were even speaking to each other half the time, infact when they didn’t have their tongues down each other's throats they were biting each other's heads off. They had the number one love/hate relationship.
"That's the only thing it could be," Patrick thought to himself. " It must be love." He mentally hit himself for using the L word and declared that he must be going soppy in his old age.
When Holly had been here he'd never told her that he loved her, infact he'd never even thought it. Even though he'd always known he had 'feelings' for the girl he'd never ever thought it could be the love of his life that he had casually let slip through his fingers. It must be all that absence makes the heart grow fonder crap that was making him fall crazily in love with some one who was running half way around the world to escape. He was confused by all of it and he didn’t have a clue what he felt for Holly except he knew that he missed her more and more as every day went by. He also knew that he couldn’t just sit around and hope that one day she'd decide to walk back into his life.
Part four
Christmas eve, 2001
Patrick beeped his horn impatiently, why didn’t these people realise that he had somewhere important to be? He had a plane to catch in just under an hour yet he was stuck sitting in a traffic jam 1o miles away from the airport. Slowly the traffic inched forward stopping every meter or so.
"About flaming time!" muttered Patrick. "That plane won't wait for me and I can't afford to miss it."
Patrick glanced down at the clock as the car screeched into the car park.
"S**t!" he cursed as he realised that he only had 15 minutes before his plane was due to take off. As soon as he found a parking space he locked his car and ran towards the check in desk.
He made the flight with about a minute to spare. As he sat down he let out a sigh of relief. It really was a miracle he was here at all after having to work an extra shift and then getting caught up in the last minute shopping rush. He really did hate Christmas, everyone running round like headless chickens shopping and putting up decorations left right and centre. And the worst thing was to be travelling at this time of year, like he was, being trapped with all the exited kids and the anxious parents. The noise was unbearable with all the screaming and shouting and Patrick new strait away that the only thing that was going to get him to sleep was a strong pair of ear-plugs and that paper work he'd been putting off doing.
When Patrick awoke it was to a sunrise and a sudden draft of cold air. He realised quickly that they had landed. So slowly he got up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and gathering his stuff together. When he stepped outside the early morning air hit him in the face and made him wish he'd brought his coat. Infact a coat wasn’t the only thing he'd forgotten to pack; all he had was money, passport, ticket and a change of cloths. It had been rather a rush to pack you see as he only knew he was coming the day before he left. One of those last minute and low cost deals.
Once he got out of the airport he ordered a taxi and waited an hour and a half for one to arrive. When he finally got in he took out the screwed up piece of paper from his pocket and read out the address. It turned out to be a small flat on the other side of the city, about an hour drive away. So he sat back and enjoyed taking in the sites and sounds all around him, desperately trying to keep his mind off the task he knew he had to do when he got there. He was just going to turn up, unannounced and there was a very good chance he would be chucked out and end up spending Christmas alone in the cheapest hotel he could find.
He paid the driver and got out. Still staring at the piece of paper like it would give him some clue to what her reaction would be. It didn’t. If he'd taken his eyes off the paper for a second he would have seen what looked like the out side of a Christmas card: the snow was falling, snow men were already made, the Christmas lights were up and every door a lantern outside, infact all it needed was a few flying reindeers and it would have been perfect. But Patrick noticed none of this. All he saw was that tiny piece of paper that held all his attention. Slowly he made his way to flat number 1a. He took a deep breath and he knocked on the door. As the door swung open he took out a little box that contained her present from his pocket.
"Merry Christmas Holly." He said.
Part five
"Patrick!"
"Yeah?" He said cautiously, hoping she wasn’t going to tell him where to go.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Can I come in first? It's freezing out here!" It wasn’t really that cold but he thought it would be a good excuse to get into her flat and at least then she couldn’t slam the door in his face.
"Umm yeah, it’s a bit of a mess though." She wasn’t kidding, it was a tip inside Holly's flat. There were dirty plates, empty wine bottles, stuff from work, pizza boxes and magazines all over the floor.
"I wasn't expecting company." She said as a form of apology.
"I can tell!" said Patrick before he could stop himself.
"Don’t push it spiller! Now sit down and explain why you have decided to turn up, unannounced, at my flat when its 8 in the morning on my birthday!"
"Its simple really, I just didn’t feel like spending another Christmas with just me and a bottle of what ever was on sale at the off-licence."
"Yeah I know what you mean. It's not that I haven’t made any friends here, I have, it's just that I tend to spend Christmas with a bottle of cheap wine wishing I was with someone who was actually important in my life."
"And haven't you met anyone important enough to spend your birthday with while you've been over here?" He said looking round for boyfriends that Holly might be trying to hide from him.
"Nope, no one I want to spend my birthday with. Except you." She said the last bit very quietly, almost embarrassed to admit it.
"I no," He said, "Now have your present!" she smiled at him and took the box from his hands. Slowly she opened it and saw a delicate gold ring with an emerald in the centre. She gasped: it was so beautiful.
"Oh Patrick its wonderful, perfect." She reached over and hugged him.
"Try it on!" he urged her. She picked up the ring and put it on her first finger. It got stuck just below her knuckle and her face fell.
"Oh no, it doesn’t fit."
"Try it on a different finger." Patrick said smiling. She took it off and placed it on her fourth finger, it fitted perfectly. She looked up and into his smiling eyes, searching for meaning.
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