Benedict Cumberbatch: Life With Ben

Chapter Twenty Eight: The Beano

The morning sun shone through the hospital windows awakening the reception stuff on the waiting room desk. And also awakening myself. I awoke suddenly with a smile on my face. I thought the events of yesterday was a bad dream. I checked my phone. It was 4:32 am. I opened my messages and was about to text Sam about my meeting yesterday when it hit me. The dream wasn't a dream. It was reality. It hit me all of a sudden that I was in the hospital waiting room. I stood up, a bit shaky, and looked out of the waiting room window. A familiar car pulled up outside the hospital in the pick up/drop off point. I put on my glasses and blinked a few times before recalling the car. It was Benedict's.

Picking up my stuff, I sped down the corridor, down a few flight of stairs, around a few corners and came face to face with the man I needed the most, (other than Samuel James Digby) Benedict Cumberbatch. I locked my arms around him and burst into tears. "Claud, darling! I am so sorry I didn't get here sooner. Traffic was horrendous and I made a quick pit stop to get you a few bits. I drove past a cafe a mile up the road that was just opening up, we could go and get a coffee and then we can talk properly?" Ben said sweetly resting his chin on the top of my head, breathing in my sweet aroma- hospitals, alcohol (courtesy of sleeping next to a drunk), hot chocolate & body spray that has faded away. I nodded, resting my head on his chest. Benedict placed a kiss on the top of my head and stepped back, leading for me to let go of his body. I stepped back also and looked Ben up and down. You could tell he got dressed very quickly. He had his Pink Floyd top on with a pair of beige three-quarter lengths. On his penguin feet he wore his pair of low cut white converse that were quickly tied up. And on his back he had a rucksack- god knows what was in his rucksack, but he had a rucksack. Benedict took hold of my hand and interlocked our fingers, leading me out of the building.

We arrived outside of the hospital when the thick summer air hit me. I could feel my dress sticking to me more than it was already. "Did I tell you, how beautiful you looked in that picture Martin sent me?" Ben asked smiling looking me up and down. I nodded smiling trying to squeeze out a "Yes". "Well, you look a whole lot more beautiful, in person!" I smiled, blushing. But you couldn't really tell I was blushing as I was very flushed. I looked like I could be cousins with a tomato! "Thank you" I replied as we approached the car. Benedict unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for me, allowing me to clamber in. I placed my satchel in the foot well and put my seat belt on and sat starring out of the window. Starring at the ICU unit. I could see the window what was near to Sam's bed. I wanted to go and find my family. The only family I had left was Sue. But I hadn't really spoken to her for ages, well not properly anyway. Other than Sue, I had no one. I was now an orphan. No mum. No dad. No one.

Benedict sat down in the car, placed a kiss on my forehead and drove out of the car park and sped off to a cafe nearby.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We pulled up outside a small beach cafe on the high street of Margate. It was the cafe I used to go to with my Dad before we went to the beach. It wasn't the cleanest cafe but it was defiantly my favourite. I loved going here when I was younger before my dad stopped taking me all of a sudden. I hadn't been here for years. Must have been a good 9-10 years I hadn't been here, but trust me nothing had changed. The aroma still smelt of stale coffee and over cooked cheese toasties, but that brought back memories.

"Here we are, Sweetheart, The Beano and a lovely view of the beach!" Ben smiled, looking out at the sky's horizon that went from pink to sky blue with in a matter of minutes. "How did you know?" I smiled at Ben trying not to cry. "Know what?" Ben laughed awkwardly. "That this used to be my favourite cafe when I was a child! My dad used to take me here all the time before he took me to the beach. I haven't been here for years though." Ben smiled at me acting like this was meant to happen, but he generally had no idea. I opened the car door and swung myself out of the car to take a breath of the summer beach air. Ben followed me out and stood next me and took a deep breath in of the sea air. "Welcome to Margate beach! The home of my childhood!" I smiled, remembering all the times my dad came with me down to the beach, trying not to cry. "Come on Darling, lets get a drink inside and then you can explain why you were at the hospital. If you like we could go to the beach afterwards, as I'm a sucker for a good beach!" Ben laughed guiding me into The Beano.