I do not own Jo Lipsett, or any of the Waterloo Road characters. Velia, however, is my own creation. While this is a one shot piece, I would consider writing a full length fic is people are interested in seeing more of them.
It was nearly midnight when the phone rang in Jo's apartment, rain lashing against the windows as she rose from where she had been curled up on the sofa finishing her marking in front of the television. She gave an irritated sigh, putting the books down and padded bare foot across the carpet to pick up her land line before it rang off again. Slowly, she was getting used to these late, untraceable calls, but she still had to answer. Just in case.
"Hello?"
Jo rolled her eyes, counting 10 beats before the line rang off, as confused as ever as to who was calling her. Maybe it was kids on the local estate pretending they were funny by calling her around the same time every single night, never saying a single word. Just breathing...OK...maybe no kids then. And certainly not a wrong number - once, yes, but every night for a fortnight? Maybe it could have been...
"Now you really are imagining things" she told herself aloud, going back to the sofa and returning to the marking even though her mind was now firmly concentrating on the identity of the mystery caller. Surely, any of her friends would be just introduce themselves, and if Kay was playing a joke on her again, well, she'd have got bored by now. Maybe then...maybe it was...
She jumped as the phone rang again, answering before it had even got to the third ring, walking with it back to the sofa.
"Hello?"
Jo swallowed, having to force to keep her voice level as she murmured "Ve'...if it's you...say something...even tap the phone...just so I know, please..."
There was a pause, shortly followed by an emotional female sniff and two soft taps against the other receiver. Tears pricked Jo's own eyes as she whispered to her
"Ve'...please speak to me, sweetheart. I promise you, I'm not angry...I just...I need to know you're safe and OK..."
"I...I'm safe..."
That familiar gentle Italian accent, with it's gentle bounce and soft lisp. Jo had to fight herself not to cry with relief, running a hand backwards through her short black hair as she blinked back the tears.
"I...I'm sorry, Joanna..."
"There's nothing to be sorry for. Can...can you tell me where you are?"
There came no reply on the other end of the phone, only a soft sob and the faint murmur of the sea washing against the shore.
"It's OK...I just...Velia, you must know I miss you..."
"I can't come back...I can't..."
"Shh...shh...you don't have to. We can move away...maybe you'd like somewhere down South, hmm? You could choose..."
There came another sob and another long pause from the other end of the phone.
"Ve'?"
"You're so good to me, Joanna...I don't deserve..."
"You do...it's OK...I understand you're frightened to come back here, after everything...like I said, we can move. You must know I still love you, Ve'."
"I love you too..."
There came another pause, before Velia's voice came back down the line.
"I'm sat like an old tart on Brighton pier...it's freezing..."
"Raining?"
"Uh huh..."
"It's raining here too...has been all evening. I could...come see you? If you'd like me to?"
"Right now?"
"Right now, if you want me to. It'll take me a little while to get to you, but I'll drive through the night if I have to."
"You'll be exhausted..."
"I don't care, Ve'...just...please?"
Velia paused on the other end of the phone, before whispering softly.
"That B and B we stayed in when you brought me here for our first anniversary...I'm in room 3...it's..."
"...the same one we stayed in."
Jo couldn't resist a soft laugh at that, getting off the sofa and searching for her car keys, mobile, jacket and extra clothes off the washing pile for both her and her partner.
"Still my romantic, huh?"
"You...you really want to see me?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"I...I'm ugly...the scars..."
Jo swallowed as she heard her girlfriend's voice crack, sensing she'd started to cry again as the memories came back for both of them. Her collapsing in the school grounds, Jo holding her and screaming for someone to get the ambulance...so much blood...
"You're not ugly, Ve'...look...we don't have to do anything if you're not comfortable. Just...I don't know...a kiss...a cuddle..."
"...watching the sunrise together..."
"...ordering junk in..."
"You really want to see me?"
"I do...you go back to the B and B...get yourself dry...and I'll be with you as soon as I can be, OK?"
"OK...and Jo?"
"Mmm?"
"I...I love you..."
Jo smiled warmly, murmuring "I love you too, Velia..." before hanging up and checking the clock, inwardly marvelling how much better life had got in the span of only thirty minutes. She was going to see her love for the first time in 6 months...and Velia would be glad to see her too. Maybe now life could start to get back to vague normality, like before Velia's accident?
She shook back the memories that threatened to taint her happiness, replacing the phone into cradle and getting the pile of clothes she'd thrown together, for once not caring if anything got creased as she left her flat to make her way down to Brighton, happier than she had been in months.