by H. P. Munro
Jordan could hear Alice’s voice of the other side of the fence.
“If you bring your leg over, that’s it, I’ve got you.”
Jordan watched as Freya lifted her leg over, her body rotating so only her upper torso was visible. “I’ll see you at work,” she blew her a small kiss as Freya disappeared rapidly and then winced at the small audible thud from the other side.
“I’m okay,” Freya yelled. “See you later.”
Limping slightly Freya followed Alice into her house. “Thank you for doing this,” Freya smiled embarrassedly.
“Oh no, it’s my pleasure. It’s not every day I have to smuggle a TV star out in my car,” Alice said genuinely quite thrilled by the turn of the events on what otherwise would have been a dull Friday.
“My friend Dan is meeting us a couple of blocks over.”
“Excellent, where we will rendezvous and do the switch,” Alice said, her eyes glinting with excitement.
Freya gave the woman a wary smile, “That’s the plan.”
Alice grabbed her toddler and led Freya through the house and into the garage. “You have a lovely home,” Freya remarked, remembering her manners despite the situation.
“Thank you,” Alice replied smiling, opening the door of her MPV. She placed her child into the car seat and strapped him in. “If you lay down there I’ll cover you up with this,” Alice said helpfully holding up a large blanket.
Wondering how her life had come to this moment Freya climbed into the car and lay down flat on the floor of the back seat, allowing herself to be covered over completely. She heard Alice enter the car and the garage door open and then they were off.
The photographers outside Jordan’s home started to click wildly as Jordan exited the house and got into her car ignoring their calls and pleas for a smile. She started the engine and pulled out from her drive. Pausing where her drive met the road she checked that the road was clear. As she noted her neighbor’s car pulling out, she pressed the accelerator and turned the steering wheel, driving off in the opposite direction.
***
“So I take it there was nubbing,” Dan said across to his friend who was sitting in a daze staring out of the window as he drove her towards the studio.
Freya turned and smacked his arm, “That’s none of your business.”
Dan pouted, “Oh please, enough of the moral outrage! Wait, listen, did you hear that?” he turned the radio off and cupped his ear.
Freya narrowed one eye as she concentrated on listening to hear what Dan had heard, “I don’t hear anything?”
“Sshhhh. Yep there it is again. It’s the sound of lesbians across the world as their heads explode at the thought of you two doing the nasty.”
Scowling Freya took her fist and punched his bicep hard, “Quit it Dan, I’m not giving you details of what was the best night of my life.”
Dan gave a small smile and he glanced over towards Freya, “I’m happy for you Egg. But she does realize that your family is quite mental and that she has to go through the friend test?”
Ignoring the reference to her family Freya frowned. “But you’ve met her, you liked her,” she groaned turning in her seat to face Dan.
Dan lifted a hand from the steering wheel gesturing as he drove, “That was before, pre the nubbing if you will. Now, post the nubbing, I have to give her the all clear.” He indicated, pulling into the security gate of the studios. Freya flashed her ID and they were waved on.
“You’re serious about this?” Freya asked as Dan stopped the car to allow her to get out.
She opened the door and got out of the car, Dan leaned over, placing his elbow on the passenger seat, “As serious as I get sweetie.”
She closed the door and turned. Shielding her eyes with both hands Freya looked over towards the studio entrance and took a deep breath as she contemplated what the day would bring.
***
Jordan opened the door to Freya’s trailer and poked her head in, frowning in confusion at what she was met with.
Freya was sitting on the sofa, her face covered with a surgical mask as she stared intently into a mirror.
“Um, hi, am I interrupting something?” Jordan asked warily.
Looking over Freya smiled beneath her mask, “No, I’m just eye acting.”
“Oookay,” Jordan responded entering the trailer and sitting opposite Freya. “Any particular reason?”
“People only get to see our eyes in the surgery scenes, I just want to make sure that they see the right emotion. Test me, give me an emotion.”
Jordan relaxed back into the sofa.
“Surprise.”
Freya opened her eyes slightly wider and raised both eyebrows.
“Anger.”
Dropping her eyebrows down Freya scowled, lines appearing on her forehead as she did so.
“Lust.”
“Awww now that’s an easy one,” Freya laughed, no longer acting she looked across at Jordan and started to mentally undress her.
Jordan gulped slightly as she recognized the look in Freya’s eyes from the previous night.
“I think you’ve got that one nailed,” Jordan smiled moving forward and leaning over the table. She pulled the surgical mask down, removing it from Freya’s face and kissed her softly. Replacing the mask, she pulled back and sank onto the sofa once more, “You spoken to Eleanor yet?”
Freya pulled at the mask, undoing the ties around her neck and dropped it onto the table, “I have to go see her at three. She’s in meetings ’til then.”
Nodding, Jordan changed the subject aware that Freya was anxious about her meeting with the producer. She slapped her hands on her thighs and stood up.
“I came to see if you wanted to share a lot-limo to the set,” she said, referring to the golf carts used to ferry cast and crew around the studio buildings.
“Perfect, I would love to share a ride with you,” Freya smiled, following Jordan out of the trailer towards the waiting golf cart.
***
“Quiet on the set, we’re rolling. Background.”
Freya watched the movement of the extras then, grabbing her glove, she walked into the OR.
“What have we got?” she asked as she pulled on the latex glove, stopping as the fingers on the glove refused to cooperate. “Dammit,” she yelled ripping the glove off and returning to her place to redo the start of the scene. She puffed some air into the glove to try to loosen the fingers in the hope that it would allow her to slip her hand in and get past her first line.
“Okay reset and…background.”
“What have we got?” she snapped the glove into place, relieved to have navigated past that particular hurdle of the scene.
“Fifty-three-year-old woman, angina, she has a tight left ostial stenosis with a normal distal coronary artery tree,” Dianne said looking up from the mannequin on the table. “She deteriorated rapidly when she came in. It’s Colonel Branston’s wife.”
Freya nodded briskly towards the center of the room. “Has the Colonel been alerted?” she asked.
Dianne nodded as she prodded the dummy with the instruments as if both their lives depended on it. “I’m going to do a pericardial patch angioplasty to the left coronary ostium, if you’re interesting in staying...” Dianne asked, pausing.
“Well, all right then,” Freya smiled making sure that her smile showed up in her eyes as much as possible.
Two hours later and they were finishing another scene in the operating room.
“Okay one more time with the dialogue and then the pan up to the gallery. You okay for one more run up there Jordan?” Toby asked.
From her position behind the viewing glass, Jordan gave him the thumbs up.
“Great, we’re rolling. Action!”
“So what’s the deal with you and Van Hausen?” Dianne asked without taking her eyes from what her hands were doing.
Freya glanced up, “What do you mean?”
Dianne gave a half shrug, “Not that I’m not a kick-a
ss surgeon, but I don’t usually see her observing my surgeries.” She looked up towards the gallery where Jordan was sitting, then back towards Freya with a look of amusement in her eyes, “So I’m guessing that she’s not here to see me rock this angioplasty.”
Freya looked up towards the gallery, the camera following her until it rested upon Jordan sitting behind the glass in the gallery.
“There’s nothing going on, we’re friends,” Freya said returning her gaze to the patient on the table.
Jordan clenched her jaw, stood up and stormed out of the viewing gallery.
“Cut,” Toby shouted.
Dropping the surgical instruments Freya started to flex her fingers, which were starting to cramp after the length of time they’d been filming.
“God the smell of chitlins really makes me want to throw up now,” she commented on the pig guts used during the surgical scenes.
“I know what you mean, I’m this close to becoming vegetarian,” Dianne held her forefinger and thumb an inch apart.
They stepped back from the OR table and started to walk out of the set, pulling off the yellow disposable aprons as they went.
“You okay? Pretty big night last night?” Dianne asked concerned.
It took a half second for Freya to work out that Dianne was referring to her public outing and not what happened afterwards. “Yeah, pretty big night. I’m okay. I mean I gave the interview, so I was ready for it to become public knowledge,” Freya shrugged. “I just thought that I would have a bit of time before it was published to warn people it was coming.”
“Best laid plans hey,” Dianne smiled giving Freya’s arm a quick squeeze as Jordan joined them. “I’ll catch you guys later,” she smiled leaving them alone.
“I thought you might want to grab some lunch before our next shoot,” Jordan asked Freya hopefully.
“Your place or mine?” Freya smiled.
***
After their lunch in Jordan’s trailer they returned to the set via a quick freshen up with hair and make-up, hoping that no one asked how in the space of thirty minutes they had managed to wreck both.
They had been filming for around forty minutes when Freya noticed Eleanor join the set. She stretched her shoulders then focused back on the scene.
“I heard what you said,” Jordan spat. “The intercom was on, so I heard.”
Freya frowned, “What would you prefer I told her Georgia? That we kissed? That it was amazing? That ever since it happened I’ve been desperate for it to happen again? What? What should I have said? ’cause I’ll go find her and I’ll…I’ll tell her now.” Freya infused her tone with a mix of anger and confusion.
“I don’t know,” Jordan replied quietly. “I…you confuse me, I’m confused around you,” she dropped her head down and toyed with the hem of her combat uniform jacket.
Freya took a step forward, “We kissed and…it was great.” A small smile started to form on her lips, “I’m not sure what it meant and I don’t think you’re sure what it meant.” Her smile broadened as she ducked down to look into Jordan’s eyes, “I want to know what it meant to both of us before I involve anyone else.”
A slow smile spread across Jordan’s face as she nodded at Freya.
“Cut,” Toby turned, seeing the producer watching the filming he tensed slightly. “Eleanor, nice to see you on set.”
Eleanor smiled. “Finally have a bit of free time from meetings so thought I’d pop down. I’ve been watching the dailies, good work Toby,” she complimented.
Toby beamed with pleasure at the comment.
“If you will excuse me I need to catch Freya,” she added, nodding over towards the tall actress.
Nodding, Toby grimaced as he guessed what the conversation was going to be about.
Eleanor walked over to where Jordan and Freya were standing laughing with bottles of water in their hands. “Jordan,” she nodded an acknowledgement towards the blonde actress.
Jordan gave a nervous chuckle, “Eleanor, hi.”
“I watched the dailies from the night shoot, you’re doing a great job. Would you mind if I stole Freya for a moment?”
Jordan gave a quick look between Eleanor and Freya, who had a stricken smile on her face.
“Yeah, sure,” she gave Freya a supportive smile. “I’ll speak to you later?”
Freya gave a slight nod of affirmation and Jordan made a swift exit, looking over her shoulder as she left towards where Freya stood rooted to the spot in front of the show’s producer.
“Well, how ’bout we head back to my office?” Eleanor said gently, sensing the fear from Freya. “I thought I’d come over and get a chance to watch you work before we met.”
Nodding dumbly Freya followed the smaller woman as they exited the set and sound stage. The golf cart that Eleanor used to get around the studio lot was parked jauntily outside the soundstage. Freya sat down in the passenger seat as Eleanor chauffeured them back towards the production offices. The experience was similar to Mr Toad’s ride in Disneyland and one which required an equally firm grip.
As they entered Eleanor’s office she smiled, “Don’t look so damned scared Freya, you’re not in trouble. I just want to make sure you’re okay and talk about what we can do to support you.”
“I’m sorry, I was going to tell you today that I’d done the interview. They were meant to publish in two weeks, but the journalist’s girlfriend saw what I’d said and told someone who told someone and then I find myself choking on popcorn as ENT tells the world that I’m gay before I get a chance to say anything,” breathless Freya quit her rambling as Eleanor held a palm up. “I’m sorry,” she added.
“We’re a family here Freya, a very diverse family,” she smiled. “And you’re part of that family. I only wish that you had told me before the interview, that way I would have been a bit more prepared for the network, but what’s done is done.”
Freya shifted in her seat feeling as if the headmistress had just told her that she was disappointed in her.
“Are you planning on any other revelations?” Eleanor asked.
Freya shook her head emphatically, her curls bouncing. “No, that’s it, nothing else. No cousins locked in institutions after frontal lobotomies or anything,” she smiled weakly wishing that her brain and mouth would start to engage with each other at some point.
“Okay,” Eleanor picked up some papers on her desk indicating that their time was up. “If there is anything that I can do, you’ll let me know?”
“I’ll let you know,” Freya rose from the seat and exited Eleanor’s office. Closing the door behind her she exhaled slowly.
October 2011
Dan opened the front door to Freya’s home, “So what’s so urgent that you call me up, after the polite time I might add, and drag me over here on a Sunday?”
Freya moved between rooms checking plug sockets as she went. “Okay so that light is due to go off at one,” she stopped and pointed towards her bedroom, her eyes looking up with an unfocused gaze as she worked out her plan in her head. “The bedroom light is due to go off at half past.”
“What are we doing?” Dan asked yawning.
“I’m breaking out and you’re helping me. But I need it to look like I’m still here so I’ve put timers on the lights so they’ll go off,” Freya slapped Dan’s shoulders as she scurried to collect her jacket and bag.
Dan closed his eyes and shook his head. When Freya re-entered the room she found him inspecting the ceiling.
“What? What is it?” she asked looking up to where Dan’s attention was focused. “Is there a crack? ’cause I told Anna that I didn’t think the building had settled.”
Dan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “Nope I was just thinking that this is the perfect place to hang the paint cans that will smack them in the face when they enter, Kevin,” He slapped his cheeks and opened his mouth in a fair approximation of Macauley Culkin in ‘Home Alone’.
Narrowing her eyes as she shrugged on her jacket, “Funny Dan, it’s been
almost seven weeks and this laying low thing isn’t working for me. I’m desperate and I need your help.”
“No, you’re horny,” Dan waved dismissively. “Can’t you two resort to phone sex or something?”
Freya blushed, “We tried, I kept dropping the phone and was too embarrassed to put her on speaker.” She opened the door to her garage and stepped in to where Dan’s car was parked as she had instructed him, “So now you’re helping. Pop the trunk so I can get in.”
Dan’s eyes widened, “What?”
“Pop the trunk!”
“You’re not riding in my trunk,” Dan pursed his lips and shook his head.
“Dan, pop the damn trunk,” Freya growled.
A look of fear spread across Dan’s face as he edged towards his car and opened the trunk. Freya threw her bag in then, using the car and Dan’s shoulder for support, she lifted her legs into the trunk and lay down.
“Jordan’s garage will be open when you get there, just drive in,” Freya instructed as Dan lowered the trunk and pressed it closed.
Dan drove through the deserted streets cautiously, his eyes nervously flitting to his mirrors constantly to make sure he wasn’t being followed by the photographers who were still hovering outside Freya’s home. Pulling up to a junction, Dan pressed the brake slowing his car as he approached the stop sign. Checking the road was clear he took off across the junction.
The flashing lights in his mirrors caught his attention. “Nonononononono,” he muttered as he pulled over towards the sidewalk. He gave his steering wheel a thump as the police car pulled in behind him. Putting his window down, he watched in his side mirror as the officer got out and approached his car. “Evening officer,” Dan said as calmly as he could, given that he was speaking to the police while there was a woman in the trunk of his car.
“Did you see the stop sign back there?” the officer asked, pointing back towards the junction with his pen.
“I did officer and I’m sorry. I’m still not quite used to the driving etiquette here of actually coming to a stop at the stop sign,” Dan pulled his British driving license from his wallet and handed it to the policeman.