Football Femme Fatale

Ebony tutted impatiently at the chart in her hands as she took one last glance through the x-rays before talking to the patient in question. "It seems you were in a car accident, Julian, is that right?" she asked carefully, glancing up at the gentleman. He seemed foreign, but he understood English well enough to have had a decent chat with Nicola and the radiographer.


"Yes, I was hit up from the behind," he said, voice thick with a German accent. Being so near all the tourist hotspots of London, Ebony was used to hearing all different accents in the A&E.


"Okay, I can't see a skull fracture, just the broken thumb and that graze on your head there. I think you should leave driving to the taxi drivers in future, hm?" she said with a smile, the flawless bedside manner she had cultivated for over ten years a complete personality transplant from her usual Cockney and slang. "I'll send a nurse in to patch the wound up, then it's off to the plaster room then home."


"I think you are nurse?" he asked in confusion. Men of his elderly years and from his small home town were unused to seeing women in jobs usually so male orientated.


"Nah, I mean, no my dear, I'm a doctor. Have a good day." Almost, she said to herself, slapping herself upside the head mentally as she made a quick escape to the nurses’ station, keeping her head down, out of sight of her friend Nicola who was the ward sister of the Accident and Emergency department.


"Hide all you want, Ebony; I can see the cut and the big black eye. Nice love bite, too," Nicola scolded, not looking up from the form she was busy filling in.


"Sod off," Ebony muttered in response, scribbling notes as quickly as she could to get out of the department and get to the Abbey to see the boys. "It's not that bad, and I don't have a love bite. Some fuck with a signet ring punched me." Nicola laughed. "Sod off," she repeated, rubbing the sore bruise on her collarbone. “Believe me when I say I’d rather it was a love bite.”


“I’m sure you would!” Nicola teased in response, noticing with a contented smile that Ebony was going red. “You make me laugh, mate!”


“How nice to know,” Ebony gushed back sarcastically, rolling her eyes before forcefully shoving the last file into the ‘Closed’ tray.


"I've got to laugh mate, you are a warzone!" Nicola giggled, signing the form and sealing it in the envelope sitting on her desk in front of her.


"Whatever,” Ebony replied moodily, crossing her arms and leaning back against the desk. “So, you fancy coming for a drink?” she asked when she thought Nicola had got the message about how moody she was feeling.


"Will Pete be there?" Nicola asked, wiggling her eyebrows a little suggestively and in a way she knew would make her friend smile.


"Probably; he doesn’t usually pass up a drink, particularly if he ain’t paying" Ebony replied with a smirk on her face. Her friend had harboured a crush as long as she had known her, even if Ebony didn't understand it; probably because he was more like family than a romantic interest. "You coming or what, then?"


"Sure, it could be fun. Besides, I always feel safe around your boys," Nicola said trying to sound offhand and failing miserably.


"You make me sound like a fucking mother hen," Ebony tutted impatiently, stepping out of the Nurses’ Station and heading towards the Doctors Lounge to get changed out of her scrubs.


"Maybe you are?" Ebony flipped her the bird over her shoulder, winked at her, then disappeared into the lounge with a cheeky leg flick which brought a smile to elderly gent in the bed opposite.


)()()()()(


The Abbey was totally packed out as the two girls squeezed themselves in through the double swing doors with linked hands, and the drunken revellers were already singing Hammer songs as a group, half-deafening them as their ears adjusted. Ebony grabbed Nicola’s elbow and dragged her through the throng, greeting people with high-fives as she went and shouting abuse at the few who complained about her black eye, however jokingly.


"Oh, she fucking lives!" Pete called, standing up and bouncing towards Ebony who took a step back and pretended to look worried. He hugged her, and she pushed him off her jokingly and slapped his cheek.


"Oooh, that's cold," Swill laughed, and the rest joined in. Ebony was certain she saw Pete's ears burn, even if she was only kidding.


“Ahhh, he knows I love ’im really,” she said, ignoring the light punch administered by Nicola to her upper arm, as she leant down and kissed his forehead. The rest of them catawalled and whooped while Ebony and Pete laughed. "Want a drink, Nic?" she asked her friend, who nodded and handed over a twenty pound note with a grin.


"Round for the boys?" Pete asked her, standing up and kissing her cheek. Her face turned as crimson as the top she had on, and Pete and the boys sniggered.


"Cheeky fucking slag," Ebony said to herself about Pete, pushing back through the crowd to the bar and ending up next to Bovver. "Oi oi, where've you been?" she asked in her usual way, only just noticing that he had a sheepish look on his face before Terry took her drinks order.


"Nuffing for you to know about," he threatened, shrinking into his jacket and sipping at his pint. She cocked her head on one side and looked at him carefully.


“What do you mean? Was work good?”

“What do you fuckin’ care you nosy bitch?” he snapped, finally turning to properly speak to her. She recoiled a little, surprised at his violent reaction.


“Fucks sake, Bov, you’re acting like a child! Grow up, or you wont like the outcome.”


“Oh, why, what you gonna do?”


"I would be careful about trying me on, you little shit," she replied, her voice low so only he could hear the vehemence in her words. "Very very careful, in fact."


"Why? What you gonna do?" he replied curtly, standing and facing off to her. She mirrored him and stepped up to him till their chests were pressing together.


"If you want children, I would fuck off now, or I'll pull your bollocks off and feed them to you in little bits,” she hissed in his ear before stepping away from him again to hand Terry the money for the round of drinks. He made to argue back at her but saw the warning glance Terry shot at him; Bovver turned and stormed out of the pub.


"What did you say to him?" Nicola asked in Ebony’s ear, making her jump a little in her skin.

“I told him that if he didn’t start to behave himself I’d pull his balls off,” Ebony replied matter-of-factly. Nicola laughed.

“I can imagine that you meant it, as well,” she said with a giggled, imagining Ebony pinning Bovver down and neutering him.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. Anyway, you think I want to get within 10 feet of his bits? Nah mate," she laughed, nudging her friend who laughed back. She took the tray of drinks and made her way back to the booth, Nicola in tow and following in her wake.

“Ahh, it’s the best kind of bird!” Dave said with a grin.

“What, one with booze?” Ned asked a little dimly, reaching up to take his pint off the tray.

“And I thought you guys were always pleased to see any bird?” Nicola stated, proud of herself for coming up with a comeback before Ebony did. The two women high-fived, and Ebony forced herself a seat between Ned and Matt while Nicola balanced on the last remaining stool around the table.

“We thought you’d gotten lost,” Matt said, indicating Nicola and Ebony with his pint.

“We’re girls, not stupid you dick,” Ebony jibed, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

“I was just thinking of your sense of direction,” he replied with a smirk on his face.

“Oh, like yours? I mean, coming from the man who got lost finding the bathroom in my 2 bed flat last night,” she teased, eliciting a laugh from the GSE boys and from Nicola.

“At least I made it to the bathroom.”

“The wet patch was from where you dropped your glass of water on me. Was it too heavy for your miniscule arms to hold up?”

“Okay you two, truce! Matt mate, you’ll never fucking beat Ebbsy in witty repartee,” Pete said, standing up to emphasize his point.

“A-fucking-men to that!” They all cheered, raising their glasses to a very embarrassed Ebony.

)()()()()(

“Whose is the next round?” Pete asked, nudging Nicola as a subtle hint.

“It’s mine I think,” Ebony told him, catching the look on Nicola’s face and recognising it instantly. She checked her watched; it was gone midnight, actually closer to one in the morning. “You want one?” she asked her friend.

"Nah, Ebbs, you're alright, I'm going home," she said, standing up and turning to walk away, collecting her bag and saying goodbye to all the boys as she followed Ebony towards the bar.

“You get a cab, okay? I don’t like the idea of you walking home by yourself,” Ebony said, putting a ten pound note in her friends hand.

“I’ll be fine, you just try not to get into any trouble between now and work tomorrow, right?” Nicola teased, pinching her friend’s cheek playfully. “See you tomorrow, dappy tart!”
“See you tomorrow, blinking nightmare,” Ebony replied, pushing her friends butt as she headed towards the doors. They waved at one another as Nicola departed into the cold air.

)()()()()(

Nicola shivered slightly from the cold, and wished she'd stayed at the pub, or in the very least called for a minicab. Ebony had given her enough money, and there was a Black Cab taxi rank around the corner, so Nicola began to hurry herself along. It was quiet and cold, the kind of night when most people would rather stay indoors than bother a single woman walking down a well-lit street. The noise had died down ages ago, now all she could hear was the faint hum of the M25, a melodic sound that you could hear all round this place. She shivered, and turned left when she reached the end of the road. Five more minutes and I’ll be in a warm taxi, she said to herself, pretending to ignore the people she thought were following her. She shuddered, and wished she was back at the pub. Safe, warm...

"'ello, darlin', ain't it a bit late for ya to be walking home alone?" She started, and began to hurry her steps away from the man who had called to her. “I’m talking to you,” he said again, and this time seemed closer than before. Nicola stopped and turned around very slowly, wracking her brain to find an escape route.

"I'm okay, thanks, almost there," she said in a small voice with a forced smile. Her hand went to her bag, reaching for her mobile phone and Ebony’s number on speed dial.

"You're that little bitch, Ebony's, mate, right?” Nicola shook her head and began stepping away from the man, her stomach doing back flips and making her nauseous. The man laughed at her cowering away from him. “Yeah, I thought as much. She was in fucking tight with the Major, did you know that?" Nicola shook her head and began to retreat away from him faster. She fought the urge to run, knowing they could outrun her easily. Time for the only other thing she knew what to do. She opened her mouth and screamed as loud as she could. As they moved forwards, she just hoped someone had heard.

)()()()()(

Ebony jumped a little when her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out just as it rang off. She frowned at it a little; the name on the screen made her stomach churn. "Pete, I'm gonna go check on Nic," Ebony said in his ear.

"Right-o, we'll wait here for you," he said, not turning his head so as not to give away what they were speaking about.

"Nah, don't bother, I'll see you at the station tomorrow." With that, she grabbed her bag and left, pushing her way through the crowd with her elbows extended. The spare key for her front door was in Matt's left pocket, if he bothered to check, so she didn't have any qualms about going and leaving him homeless. She had barely gone two steps outside the door when she heard Nicola, screaming with all her might. "Fuck it," she muttered, slinging the rucksack over her shoulders and tearing along the road. She had a fairly good idea about what she'd find when she got there.

Nicola was on the floor, passing in and out of consciousness and clutching her face in both her hands, her sobs making Ebony’s blood boil. Tommy Hatcher and two of his thugs stood over her. "Beating up girls now, Tommy? Very brave of you," Ebony spat, throwing her bag away from her after shrugging it off her shoulders. It would only get in her way.

"Because you’re so fucking brave! You know, I didn't think you had it in ya to be brave without the rest," he said, grinning menacingly and stepping towards her.

"There's a lot about me you don't know, you fucking cunt," she swore back, spreading her legs so she was balanced. "Nicola, don't move," she said, the tone changed in her voice.

"Aww, gonna protect your little friend? You shoulda looked after my boy!" Tommy roared, and Ebony flinched a little at the sudden noise.

"I am not your fucking babysitter, now fuck off back to the rock you crawled out from." Ebony meant it. Though she really didn't want to have to have a fist-fight with him, if it meant Nicola would get off lightly, she would. It was never a good idea to pick fights with people twice your weight and punching-power. She sighed, then said resolutely, "Fuck off, or come get beaten. You pick."