Chapter 40

“Let me take a look at it.”

He tugged her hands away from her face and looked closely at the gash across her face.

“Mark will you stop fussing,” she Mel protested, quickly placing her hand back over where it hurt.

Against her better judgement Mel had let Mark lead her straight to her apartment and he now had her sat down on a sofa while he clucked around her like a mother hen.

“I need to look at it Mel or it could get infected.”

“Its fine,” she grumbled in response, but took her hand away for Mark to have a closer look.

Leaning his face right up to her he examined it, gently running his fingers along the skin around it, before picking up a cotton wool bud and dabbing it gently on the mark.

“Shit!” Mel winced in pain as the cool liquid seeped into the cut and stung her.

Ignoring her cry Mark continued his task, placing his other hand on her head and stroking her hair gently.

“You going to tell me what all that was about?” he asked her calmly.

“She started on me,” she said defensively.

“What were you fighting about?”

“What do you think?”

“Chris?”

She nodded her head in response and pulling away from Mark got up to look at her head in the mirror. The initial bleeding had stopped and she now had a soar gash across her cheek which glowed a bright red against her pale skin.

“They’re engaged aren’t they?” she suddenly spurted out.

“What?”

“That’s what cut me isn’t it? That was their engagement ring.”

Mark paused for a moment, “Yes.”

“How long had they been engaged for?”

“I dunno, a few months maybe.”

“And I didn’t have a clue,”

“They kept it quiet from the press,” Mark confirmed.

“So the ring that he gave her, the one in the magazine – that was always the engagement ring?”

“Yep”

“And he never told me?”

Mark walked across the room towards her, “It doesn’t matter now, they were engaged, but it’s not an issue anymore.”

“What do you mean, were” she clung onto his arm, “you mean they aren’t anymore?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well what did you mean?”

“I just mean that Ella was pretty mad when she found out what has happened, I don’t think she’ll be taking him back.”

“Mark!” she squealed in joy, getting up to her feet and almost dancing round the room.

“This doesn’t mean that the door is open for you Mel,” he warned, “he’s hurting, I don’t think he’s ready to plunge into something else.”

“But you’ll talk to him wont you?” she pleaded, lowering her gaze down towards him in a way she knew he couldn’t resist, “you did promise.”

“I think I’ve done more than enough damage, I never should have told him in the first place.”

“You mean he knows about the baby?” she asked, suddenly sitting down on the floor, the colour draining from her face.

“Yes, he knows, he made me mad and I told him,” Mark admitted shamefully, “I’m sorry.”

She sat in silence for a moment, looking down at her hands and muttering quietly to herself.

Eventually she sat up, a huge smile spreading across her face.

“Its OK, I’m glad he knows, he needs to know, it’s the only way that things will work out the way they are supposed to.”

“So you aren’t mad at me?”

“Not at all,” she beamed, rushing over to him and throwing her hands tightly around him.

“I’d do anything for you, you know that don’t you?” he asked her, responding to her hug by pulling her tightly towards him, and running his lips lightly over her head, “I want to look after you, you and the baby.”

“You’re such a sweetheart,” she smiled at him, giving him a quick squeeze before pulling away, “you’ll speak to Christian then?”

“What am I supposed to say?” he asked, his eyes looking deeply into hers.

“Just let him know that I need him, and that this is for the best.”

“But is it for the best?”

“Yes Mark it is, and if you are my friend then you’ll do it for me,” she said, looking straight back at him and smiling weakly.

“He doesn’t deserve you,”

“May be not, but he makes me happy,” Mel replied.

“That’s all I want, for you to be happy,” Mark said

“And this is what I want,” she confirmed, putting her hands either side of his face and gazing straight at him, “please do this for me Mark.”

“OK, I’ll see what I can do.”

And with that he took his coat and left the room.