Title: Choices
Summary: Neil/Andrea. Its been a year since Andrea left Sunhill, after being exposed as a journalist. The explosion didn't happen. Neil and Andrea haven't seen each other since.Both Neil and Andrea now have some choices to make.
Disclaimer: All characters except Annabelle, belong to Tallback Thames Television, The Bill
Authors notes: Please read and review, this is my fic, so please bear this in mind when reviewing. I have a second chapter in mind already so if people enjoy this first chapter I will hopefully update soon.
Its early evening and Neil Manson sits at his desk, a large brown envelope in his hands. Through the semi-opened blinds, the rest of CID lies empty. The other detectives who work there, either gone home or off to the pub.
Neil's hands play with the envelope, which he's holding, alternately shuffling and turning it round, whilst slowly tapping it against his desk. His eyes however, are focused on the blinds, that lead through to the deserted CID room. Staring at nothing in particular, but transfixed to the same spot.
He hasn't gone home, like the others. If he was to be truthful he hasn't really got a home anymore. The flat he now lives in, just a place to stay whilst he attempts to sort his life out.
Life hasn't been kind to Neil lately, what with a slowly decaying marriage, his father in-laws use of rent boys and then discovering the one person he thought he could trust had been lying to him all along. It hasn't been easy. Especially when that person disappeared, just as he'd realised that he still loved them despite the lies and everything that had happened. To top all that his wife discovering his affair, leading to the complete break up of his marriage, has now left him, with an impending divorce andcustody battle, if he wants to see his son.
For the time being though, Neil's thoughts are more focused on the contents of the brown envelope, which he continues to tap on his desk.
His eyes move from the point they've been staring at, to glance over to the clock, on his office wall. Letting out a tired sigh, he drops the envelope onto his desk, it's getting late now and really he should be leaving. He opens the drawer of his desk and pulls out a bottle of whiskey, pouring some of the contents into a glass, also located in the drawer.
He continues to sit there, whiskey glass in hand, until he eyes fall upon the envelope, the contents of which have been occupying his thoughts, ever since a week ago when his soon to be ex-wife, had handed it to him.
He puts the glass of whiskey down, picking the envelope up, opening it, slowly taking out the contents, laying them across his desk.
A week ago, he'd been taking Jake back home to Phillipa, after spending the day with his son. He'd been standing in the doorway, to what had been his home, saying goodbye to Jake, when the envelope had been pushed into his hand.
"You'd better have this" Phillipa had said before turning round to also produce a small cardboard box, "and that's the last of your stuff!"
"What….?" Neil had asked, gesturing towards the then sealed envelope.
"It's got some letters in, just make sure, no more get sent here." She'd responded stiffly. "Come on Jake" picking their son up to take him inside.
"When can I see him again?" Neil questioned
"I'll let you know when" Phillipa replied before promptly slamming the door.
Taking a deep breath, Neil placed the envelope in the box, containing various items belonging to him, and made his way, to his car. It hadn't been till later on that evening that he'd opened the envelope.
The contents of the brown envelope now lie on his desk. Several smaller, already opened envelopes sit there. Each addressed to him, at his old address. There is a handwritten letter for each envelope. Neil spreads the letters evenly across the desk, to reveal a small blank card, tucked between the small sheets of paper. Picking it up, he uses a finger to flick the card open, to show a small picture. It's an ultrasound scan. You can't see much, it's an early pregnancy scan. Unlike the one, that Neil now fishes out from amongst, the pile of letters and envelopes that now surround his desk. His free hand picks it up, holding it up next to the first one, to compare them. This next one is clearer; you can easily make out the shape of a growing baby. Apart from this, they're virtually identical,aname at the top of each scans print-out, to indicate the mother, the same. Andrea Dunbar.
Also on his desk, is a photo of a new born baby, taken 3 months ago. It had been accompanied by a copy of a birth certificate.
He's read each letter, at least twice. Knows what each one says. The first one was dated 3 months after he last saw her. A month after Phillipa found out about their affair. It states, what is clearly obvious after seeing the scan print-outs, that Andrea was pregnant with his child. There's then a letter to accompany each scan picture. The final letter came with the photo and birth certificate. The letters which accompanied the scans don't say much, just that the baby is doing fine, the pregnancy progressing well.
The final letter, from 3 months ago is longer, telling him he is the father of a baby girl. Annabelle she's called her. She says she needs no help, no money, nothing, she's fine. There is no pressure on him, she understands, he has his wife and son. She doesn't want to cause any trouble. She just wants him to know he has a daughter now rather than later. She says she wants to be able to tell Annabelle the truth, when she's older and wants her to know about her father, rather than cover everything up with a made-up fairytale like story. There's no hard feeling, anger or any emotion that can be detected in the letter. That's it, a letter to tell him he has a daughter with nothing being asked of him.
At the end of the letter though, there is her new address, accompanied by a few sentences to say she has no problem with him writing to Annabelle and if he ever wants to see her, that's where they are.
It's these few sentences that have been on his mind, ever since he opened the large brown envelope a week ago.
There still on his mind now as he stares at the photo in his hand. The baby in the photo looks tiny, and pushes his thoughts back to when Jake was born, though it's hard to remember Jake ever being that small now. He can just see a small scattering of hair on the baby's head from the picture. Dark hair, just like Andreas. He smiles to himself; he can just imagine what a small version of Andrea would be like.
It was a shock when he first read the letters. The shock soon turned to anger at the knowledge that Phillipa had been through his post and kept it back from him. He doesn't know why she'd decided to give them to him now, hes just glad she has. He doesn't want to think of a child of his growing up without a father, he's still there for Jake despite splitting up with Phillipa and he intends to be there for Annabelle. His finger smoothes over the photo, smiling down at daughter he has yet to meet.
Andreas now living on the outskirts of London, he doesn't know whether to just turn up at hers one day or to write first to arrange a time. He's worried about getting a response, she might have changed her mind and not want him, to see the baby. She doesn't know he has split from Phillipa and it's not going to be easy seeing each other again. It been a year since she disappeared, a year since a newspaper headlinerevealed that PC Andrea Dunbar, was in fact an undercover journalist. He said things then, he now regrets.
He continues to sit there as his mind plays back memories from a year ago. Whilst compiling a listof reasons to write first, about visiting,against just turning up. Eventually he looks up to glance at the clock again. He needs to get going. He stands up from his chair and carefully puts the letters, envelopes, birth certificate, that states him as the father, and photos into the large envelope. He's actually looking forward to going home now. His mind finally made up, he knows what he intends to do.