AN:
Title: 28 In A Pack
Words: 1,163
Romantic Pairings: Gene&Alex.
About: Ashes To Ashes
On October 24th 1981, two weeks to the day since her parents death, Alex Drake had gone to the morning walk in session at her doctors, explained how she had only had a few hours sleep in the past two weeks and now spent her days either lounging in bed or on the sofa, too tired to go into work. She had explained how the little time that she had managed to sleep she had been plagued by horrific nightmares of her parent's death. He had suggested that he could refer her to a councillor, she had decline the offer. He had suggested some sleeping pills to help her sleep, she had reluctantly accepted.
She had gone to the pharmacy to pick up her medication, sitting awkwardly on one of the hard dark blue plastic chairs. She rubbed her hands together nervously and bit her lip as she watched a woman pick up antibiotics for her grumpy looking, red nosed little boy, she watched as an elderly man picked up anti-inflammatorys for his inflamed knee. Her name was called next and she stood up, pulling her oversized jumper down a little and making her way to the counter. The pharmaceutical nurse had smiled, asked her to confirm her date of birth and address before handing the prescription over.
Alex had thrown the pharmacy bag onto the coffee table, sighing deeply and going into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. She hated taking sleeping tablets; she had taken them the first month or two of university when she had had trouble sleeping after a stressful week.
On October 24th 1981, two weeks since Tim and Caroline Price had died, as Gene Hunt sat in his office smoking a cigarette he realised that he was concerned about his DI, his friend. He took one final, long drag before stubbing it out in the ash tray and pouring a healthy measure of scotch, knocking it back quickly and walking out of CID, out of the station and over to Luigis. He looked up at the window that had the flat of his bolshie bird on the other side, sighing as he saw that the curtains were drawn, exactly as they had been for the past week, the same week where she hadn't shown her face in work. He had decided to check inside the restaurant just in case she had gone down to get some food, but she wasn't there.
"Ah, Senor Hunt! You are going to see Senorina Drake, yes?" Luigi asked "I have only seen her leave her flat once in the past fortnight, she went out for an hour today, she looks sad Senor Hunt, go make her happy, eh?"
Gene simply nodded and turned to leave "I'll have a go Luigi, she's a stubborn one"
He bounded up the stairs, a tiny smile creeping on his face. He raised his hand and knocked on the door of her flat, frowning when after five minutes there was no reply. He knocked again, this time louder, and he opened her letter box.
"Oi! Bolly! Open the door, yeah? I haven't seen that pretty face of yours around the station for a few days, I want to make sure your alright"
That was when he heard it, a single heart wrenching sob.
"Alex open the door please" he pleaded, his heart beat quickening "Drake I'm ordering you to open this bloody door now!"
He heard her sob again and he didn't bother to give her a chance to let him in, he stood back and kicked the door open in one almighty attempt. He strode through the flat, seeing her sat on the floor by the sofa, shoving the last few pills into her mouth and raising a shaky hand to her lips to gulp them down with her water.
"Alex!"
Gene dropped down beside her and knocked the glass of water out of her hand, spilling water on his trouser leg. He grabbed hold of her face and squeezed his palms against her cheeks so that the pills began to tumble out of her mouth and into her lap and onto the floor.
"Spit them out!" he yelled "Spit them out you stupid cow!"
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she leant forward a little to get them out of her mouth, before letting Gene wrap his arms around her and pull her against his chest, stroking her hair as she wept onto him.
"Oh Alex, what are you doing? You dozy tart..." he breathed, resting his cheek on her head "Bloody hell Bolly, you scared the shit out of me"
They had sat there for a while until her sobbing had died down, then he had lifted her up onto the sofa and gone to make them both a cup of tea, placing them on the coffee table before sitting down next to her, his arm around her waist.
He sighed deeply "I don't know what I'd have done if I hadn't found you in time"
"Don't Gene, please" she whispered, squeezing her eyes tightly shut.
"I'm sorry Alex, I should have come to see you sooner, and I shouldn't have been such an insensitive bastard to just let you lock yourself away in here without even checking on you once"
"Gene it's not your fault...I haven't been sleeping, I wasn't thinking straight"
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead "Well think straight Bolls, because I can't bear to think about you feeling this way"
She looked up at him, dark rings under her eyes and tear stains down her cheeks "Why would you care Gene? I'm just your stupid, tarty DI"
"Alex, no, you're so much more than that" he sighed, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her forehead "So much more"
She blinked her tears away, her eyes flitting between his lips and his own eyes. She leant forward, edging a little closer, stroking the back of her hand against his cheek.
"Gene, take me to bed?"
He sighed and shook his head "No Alex, you're vulnerable, you're not thinking straight right now"
"Gene please? I need..."
"What you need, my love, is a good night's sleep and a good meal, which I intend on cooking you tomorrow night" he smiled, placing a feather light kiss on her lips before pulling her into a quick hug "Come on Lady Bolls, off you go, get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow"
"Okay"
"And promise me there'll be no more of this silly pill popping business?"
"I promise"
"Good, sleep tight Alex"
"Night Gene"
With that she was in the safety of her bedroom, Gene spent a while picking up the pills one by one and throwing them into the sink, crushing them up with the bottom of an empty glass before swilling them down the drain. He turned back to give the flat one final glance before he left.
"Night night sweetheart"