Bound By Love pt.9

It took Sid blacking out- for the second time in twenty-four hours, she noted- for Nell to take him to the local GP's office for something of an 'emergency check-up'. One minute he had been making what he deemed to be a witty quip about idiotic cereal names on their biweekly food shop, the next his vision melted to black. It took Nell and the largest member of Somerfield's workforce to cart him safely into the backseat of an awaiting taxi, face buried in Nell's lap and limbs bent awkwardly in the haste; it took a further ten minutes for the two to reach their destination.

When Sid finally came to, he was welcomed back into his conscious state by a torch light not two inches from one eye. He blinked violently to shake off the fingers that held the same eye prised open. Warped memories of falling into a freezer cabinet upon passing out danced lazily behind his gaze, as he slowly grew accustomed to the glare. Looking beyond the light and the white coated figure, Sid's eye caught Nell's, set with a concerned slant in the adjacent chair.

Most of the doctor's speech Sid managed to blot out, but he made sure to tune back in for the diagnosis.

'An aneurysm?' the alien words rolled off Sid tongue like… like something that rolls of someone's tongue: he couldn't even think straight anymore. From what little else he paid attention to, he'd managed to glean that, according to the scans, this aneurysm was unruptured. He noted the sickening triumph with which the doctor divulged this information and eyed his name badge incredulously, so as to know what name to silently curse.

The doctor left, an unwarranted whimsical spring in his step. Nell turned to buy something from the vending machine her chair backed onto. When she turned back around, Sid's eyes were fixed and waiting for hers. They then spoke to each other, for the first time since Frozen Food.

'You don't think we should do this anymore.' It wasn't a question, and Nell's brow furrowed at the words.

'Do what, Sid?'

'Solve this, us, why we're handcuffed together in the first place. You think this' he tapped head lightly, 'will affect that. I'm telling you now, Prunella, it won't-'

With one hand she tore open the wrapper of her Kit Kat, the other she saw fit to flail, both for the purpose of distress and dramatic impact.

'Of course this will change things! You expect me to solve this with you, when you're like… this?' she gestured wildly, 'You have bigger things to be worrying about- never mind this.'

'I could be gone at any moment, Nell. At least let me spend what could be my last doing something interesting! What's the alternative exactly? Eating celery on the floor of an unkempt apartment? Prattling on about if we've recorded some film or not, or wiling away evenings on top of a bus shelter?'

As they left the office, Sidney slung his coat over his arm and tucked into a consolatory Kit Kat finger. He smirked furtively, knowing he'd succeeded.