Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction, not for profit, story. I don't own these characters, just borrowing them from LEWIS. Laura's son Ronan is completely made up by me.
Inspector Robbie Lewis was one of the few people in Oxford who knew that Dr. Laura Hobson had a son. Robbie knew that Laura met Ronan Patrick Macpherson, known as Mac, in medical school and became pregnant with his child. He also knew that Mac died before the child was born but Laura never told him the circumstances. Robbie never pressed her for details other than assuring her that he would be available if she ever wanted to talk about it. He was grateful for Laura's support after Val died and she was the only person he could talk to about his late wife.
Laura's son, Ronan Macpherson Hobson, was now a young man in medical school himself. When he was born, Laura's father hired a nanny to mind the child while Laura completed medical school and her training. She spent as much time with him as she could and tried to be a good mother. She was very generous in the time she allowed him to stay with his paternal grandparents. They had lost their only son and wanted to be involved with their grandson.
Laura didn't have time for a social life until Ronan started school and then spent many of his holidays with his grandparents. When Ronan was 6, she entered into a relationship with an accountant she met in the produce section of the grocer. They didn't have the same chemistry that she and Mac had but Laura was lonely and he was a nice man who was fun to be with. Laura didn't want to introduce him to Ronan until she was sure this would be a long-term relationship.
One weekend Ronan's grandparents returned him to Laura's flat a day early. They neglected to tell Laura that would arrive on Saturday, not Sunday. They entered the flat to find Laura and the accountant in the middle of a sexual encounter. After much embarrassment, yelling, and crying, the grandparents accused Laura of being an unfit mother. In order to avoid being sued for custody by the grandparents Laura agreed to allow them to essentially raise the boy with her having visitation. Ronan already spent a lot of time with his grandparents and always seemed happier when he was with them. And Laura didn't think a nasty court case would benefit the boy. She ended the relationship with the accountant and moved to Oxford to start a new life.
Laura spent less time with her son the older he got. She got Ronan settled into school each term, attended parent days and meetings with the headmaster when he got into trouble. Laura never said anything negative about the grandparents but wasn't sure they did the same for her. Over the years Ronan heard embellished stories about his dead father and grew to idolize the man he never met. He blamed Laura for his father's death without knowing any of the details.
The one bright spot each year was an annual ski trip to Switzerland Laura took with Ronan and her father, the senior Dr. Hobson. Ronan loved skiing and his paternal grandparents did not ski. He adored his maternal grandfather and Laura and her father were very close so for one week each year, they had fun as a family.
Robbie met the teenaged Ronan once when he was staying with Laura while his grandparents were away attending the funeral of a friend. He thought the boy was surly and disrespectful of his mother, calling her "Laura" instead of "Mum". So it was with great trepidation that Robbie had to call the now young adult Ronan after Laura was nearly buried alive by the twins who murdered Ligeia Willard (Falling Darkness).
Robbie was late getting to Laura in the hospital. He tried to apologize for not trusting and protecting her during the ordeal. Laura was just grateful to be alive and told Robbie they would sort it out after she was released from the hospital. Robbie told Laura he had to call Ronan in as her next of kin as her father was just recovering from pneumonia and her brother was in Canada on business. The boy insisted on coming to see his mother and Robbie sent James Hathaway to pick him up.