Lion and Lace [Tom Hiddleston]

Episode 29

Rachel arrives in her car just as I'm closing the front door and hobbling down the front steps. "Oh my god. Becca, look." Rach is pointing down at the pavement where there are bloody footprints leading from the road to my door.

"I don't understand." I shake my head. "My bed is covered in blood. It's all over my floor. It must have hurt, but I didn't notice? I can't have been that drunk."

"Yeah, I'd say you were. Come on."

The lovely Doctor Gawler sees me quickly, and insists on x-rays and a tetanus shot before he returns to stitch me up.

"There's no glass in the wound, or anything else I can see. I'm putting you on antibiotics to be sure, because it's been open all night. The stitches can come out in seven days, until then keep it clean and dry and try not to put too much pressure on it. If it hurts, don't do it. I suspect you have quite the pain threshold, though."

"Only when she's inebriated," Rachel laughs.

"Try not to get so inebriated then, hm? At least until it's healed."

"Thank you, doctor." I blush and get out of there as quick as I can hobble.

Rachel comes back to my flat and walks me inside, washing the bedclothes and insisting I put my foot up.

"I talked to Nathan this morning." I blurt out when she sits on the couch.

"Oh. Why?"

"He called me, he's been thinking about me since Mother's day over there and wanted to see how I was doing. It was actually really good to talk to him, I feel like I can be completely honest about anything with him now. I'm going to catch up with him when I'm there next."

"That's good. I guess it's hard to find anyone who has been exactly where you two have."

"Yeah, it is."

An idea starts bouncing around my head now that my brain has woken up.

"You know what, though? It shouldn't be. Women are ashamed, men feel like they have no right to be upset, and no one talks about it. We should."

"You should. What are you cooking up?"

"An idea for an article."

"Uh huh."

"Thanks for last night, by the way. It was so good to just drink and forget about everything. Think you can back up tonight?" I wink.

"Becca! You can hardly walk!"

"I can walk into a bar and sit down. Come on, please? Bring Drew."

"Drew is away on a boys' weekend."

"All the more reason!"

"Tell you what, we'll get dinner and stay in. All right?"

"OK." I clap my hands excitedly and Rachel laughs.

Once I've had a few drinks the conversation always comes around to things I wouldn't normally talk about. Rachel knows this, and she doesn't waste any time taking advantage of it.

"Tell me what you're trying to drink away."

"You don't want to hear the details."

"I do, really. Tell me. All the painful bits. Get it all off your chest. Better than getting hammered again and losing a limb."

"I don't know. A bit of everything. Tom. Nathan."

"You're not thinking about going back?"

"No, but I can't forget all that happened between us either. Talking to him just brought it all back to the surface."